Turning idealism into action
Linking scholarship to social purpose and helping students turn idealism into action are ways in which the University of Ottawa creates global citizens.
One of these citizens is medical resident Matthew Moher, who is exploring his passion for holistic medicine and his interest in native cultures through medical electives in native communities in Canada and abroad.
Moher performed his first elective at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health in Ottawa, where he assisted in healthcare delivery to the capital's Inuit, First Nations and Métis populations. He completed a second elective in Panama, where he and other family medicine residents helped establish a medical clinic in a remote indigenous village in the Central American country.
The recipient of a 2008 College of Family Physicians of Canada Medical Student Scholarship says these experiences, along with consistent guidance and support from the faculty of medicine, have enabled him to pursue his dream of combining traditional and holistic medicine in family-centred healthcare.
"I chose family medicine for its diversity and for its continuity of care, which is important to me. It's a very flexible field, so you can tailor your practice according to your strengths and interests."
Moher graduated last spring after a final elective at a native healthcare centre in California and is now training as a family practice resident before taking his skills to a rural community in Canada.
"It's not about what kind of doctor you want to be; it's about what kind of person you want to be as a doctor," he says.
By Greg Higgins
Published: November2009