A graduate of Chippewa Secondary School, Nusha Ramsoondar has been awarded the Ontario College of Family Physicians- “Medical Student of the Year" award for 2023.
The OCFP represents 15,000+ family physicians across Ontario.
Ramsoondar hopes to serve Northern Ontario as a future physician and has been able to work with many rural communities during her time as a student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay. NOSMUniversity is Canada’s first independent, purpose-built medical university.
"I’m hoping to work in northern Ontario, not sure what town just yet," she told BayToday. "I want to do visiting locums in a few northern towns before settling down somewhere. It would be lovely to work in North Bay but we’re taking it one step at a time, just hoping to match to residency and graduate successfully right now."
She's excited to be a northern Ontario doc soon.
"Grateful for my wonderful preceptors who have gotten me this far and supported my education, and sneakily endorsed me for this award!"
The Medical Student of the Year Award is presented to a medical student who is an emerging leader and advocate for family medicine and has made contributions to family medicine and/or primary care in areas such as patient care, peer support, advocacy, community service, research, and education.
Ramsoondar, originally from Trinidad and Tobago is currently a fourth-year medical student at Northern Ontario School of Medicine University in Thunder Bay.
"While on placement in the northern communities of Dryden and Timmins, she developed a passion for full-scope rural family medicine and caring for the vulnerable populations who make up these communities," says her bio.
As the previous inaugural Vice President of Equity and Inclusion for the NOSM student council and a member of the SAFE for Health Institute’s research team, she is focused on "equity-oriented social accountability, creating new opportunities for marginalized learners and using a health equity lens in her future practice."
