Back to the Beginning
In what felt like a week ago — but was actually almost four months ago — I welcomed you to the start of a new year and a new term in the Faculty of Medicine. Now we’ve arrived at the end of that term — my first as Dean — and we’re preparing to celebrate our latest graduates. This includes the first graduating class from the Mississauga Academy of Medicine, which seems like it just opened a month ago.
I promise, I can actually tell time.
It’s just that the pace of change at our Faculty is so fast. It’s true of our society generally, too. So much of our focus and energy is spent racing forward. We’re concerned with securing those goals ahead of us, while not dwelling on the things behind us. That’s healthy and it’s what keeps us progressing. But in the process, we can lose sight of what originally inspired those goals. That’s something we can’t afford to forget.
For me, my pursuit of a career in medicine began with the example set by my father. I grew up in Saskatchewan. My dad was a family physician, and I saw firsthand the impact that a committed doctor can have on a local community. Throughout my career — as a psychiatrist, researcher, educator and now as Dean — I have been motivated by the desire to also contribute to the community.
Holding on to that understanding has helped propel me and made the great days more meaningful. It has been the fire in my engine.
We all have different motivations. We may have been inspired by a great teacher, a desire to provide care that wasn’t available to a family member or driven by our own curiosity. But whatever our motivation, we’re made better researchers and health care providers when we remember what lit our spark in the first place.
Last Friday, I spoke to the graduating medical school class of 1T5. My message to them was this: as you graduate from our Faculty, remember why you came here because that will fuel your career.
Our students continue to provide me with great inspiration. We’ve recently had the opportunity to profile some of our students in an ongoing series called Faces of U of T Medicine. It’s an opportunity to shine a light on some of our remarkable students. They include second-year MAM student Tara Justice, co-editor of the U of T Medical Journal Varuna Prakash, A Cappella conductor and graduate student Christina Hyunjin Kim and physician assistant student Sunil Bacharanianda. Their fires burn bright, and they are just a small sample of the students in U of T Medicine.
As we stand at the end of the term, don’t just think of the next steps ahead of you. Instead, take a moment to look back. And don’t just remember when you started, but why you started.
Trevor Young
Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Vice-Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions
