Third-year student at northern med school receives Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award
Receiving extra reassurance that she is on the right path, a third-year medical student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is the latest recipient of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame award.
“It was honestly just such an honour and so, so humbling to receive that email that said I had been considered because, you know, the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, it’s a big deal,” said Danica Desjardins.
“It's an organization that recognizes so much important work in medicine. So to have my name appear along side other medical students who have won this award in the past and are also recipients of this award this year, as well, is really such an honour.”
The award is given out to second-year students who show perseverance, community leadership and other promising skills in the medical field.
'It's a struggle'
“I find that in medical school I’m not at the top of my class you know, like I’m doing fine academically, you know, I’m plugging away,” Desjardins said. “It’s a struggle. It’s a hard time, but I find that I really set myself apart in ways that have more to do with advocacy and more to do with talking about the social determinants of peoples' health, rather that being that student who can remember every single detail about any given medical condition. So kind of being recognized for those efforts is really motivating and really inspiring to continue.”
She said she didn’t know her name was being put forward and she was nominated by NOSM facility.
“As somebody who kind of got into medicine because I’m really passionate about diversity and inclusion, I’m really passionate about advocacy in medicine as well," Desjardins said.
"It’s really exciting for me to be recognized for some of those advocacy initiatives. For example, I’m currently working on a project at NOSM to include or 2SLGBTQ health curriculum in our medical school curriculum.”
Desjardin is currently in Hearst, completing a year of clerkship where medical students get to shadow physicians and interact with patients. She said that wherever her career ends up taking her, she hopes to continue to advocate for the PRIDE community and stay in northern Ontario.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
LIVE SOON Honda expected to announce Ontario EV battery plant, part of a $15B investment
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Honda executives are expected to announce today that the Japanese automaker is building an electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., part of a $15-billion investment.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'