STUDENTS' CORNER

SURGERY STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE SANGITA SEQUEIRA

Sangita Sequeira

Sangita is a 3rd year medical student, currently on emergency room rotation at Sunnybrook. She was born in Kerala, India and grew up in Abu Dhabi and the United Kingdom. Her father is a radiologist, and her mother a psychologist. After highschool in British Columbia, she attended UBC “a beautiful costal campus with a close sense of community”. She developed an interest in medicine during her Human Physiology course in the 2nd year and eventually came to the University of Toronto for “the big city, big school, and big challenges”.

She was helped to meet the challenges of the 1st year by the Medlinks system, in which students are paired up with a student one year behind and one above. This program was started by two students; it has persisted as a very successful social network. It runs within the academies as a more personal version of the academy model, connecting people across the years.

Sangita serves as the Surgery course representative for the clerkship, acting as a liaison between the members of the class and the Surgery Course Director, George Christakis. She represents the student perspective on issues and problems that arise in the course, serving their interests through e-mail and small group sessions. She participated as a second year student in the SEAD program (Surgery Exploration and Discovery Program) with her classmate Nada Gawad (http://www.surgicalspotlight.ca/Article.aspx? ver=Winter_2011&f=Main). Sangita was responsible for the Paediatric Surgery section, facilitating the contact of students with surgeons. She also has been active in research with Drs. Joan Lipa and Laura Snell in breast reconstruction. She does qualitative research, interviewing patients about what information they want and need to make their decision about immediate reconstruction.

Sangita has been a mentor throughout her school years, tutoring students through highschool and university. She enjoys the experience of seeing the growth and development of those she mentors. She has a keen appreciation of active kinetic ‘doing’ and looking at the results at one’s work. This attracted her early to surgery and has also attracted her to dance, a cherished avocation. She danced in the annual Daffydil productions in 1st and 2nd year and recently wistfully attended as a 3rd year student. She also draws portraits and was encouraged to look at the drawings of the surgeons who routinely illustrated their charts, especially Harvey Cushing. Sangita is enthusiastic about fitness and is currently training for the “tough mudder”, a 16 Km military marathon over an obstacle course.

M.M.

EDITOR, FENCER, AND MUSICIAN BAILEY DYCK

Bailey became interested in surgery at age 16 when she was treated surgically for injuries to her shoulder.

She graduated from McMaster University in Biology and Psychology, then completed a PhD in Neuroscience, focusing on the role of the synapsin II protein in schizophrenia. She had performed preliminary research in this area as an undergraduate, under the supervision of Ram Mishra. She was offered a laboratory position which led her to pursue a PhD in the neuro-psychopharmacology lab. Neurosurgeon Sheila Singh was on her comprehensive exam committee. She learned the scientific method during her PhD and “enjoyed getting to ask the questions, set objectives, see the results, and work with a stimulating laboratory team.”

Bailey Dyck at the end of the 2011 Ride to Conquer Cancer

She was a varsity fencer and an active participant in volunteer activities in her undergraduate years. She learned electrophysiology and stereotaxic surgery as a teaching assistant during her PhD studies, and was first author of seven research publications.

As a medical student, Bailey has been active as a musician in Daffydil, and as an editor. She co-edited the General Surgery section for the Essentials of Clinical Examination Handbook and was co-Editor-in-Chief of the University of Toronto Medical Journal (UTMJ) for the 2011-2012 academic year. She found working on the UTMJ both stimulating and fun, working with John Bohnen, “a great teacher and mentor”. She served as a student member of the 2012 Admissions Committee for the Faculty of Medicine and was a co-founder of a University of Toronto Medical School Injury Prevention Interest Group (IPIG), an advocacy organization to promote bicycle safety for children in low socio-economic status neighborhoods in the GTA. She is a tutor in the Art and Science of Medicine class. She will next take on another editing challenge as Production Manager of the Toronto Notes.

Bailey has had a stimulating surgical rotation at Sunnybrook. She is interested in entering either General or Orthopaedic Surgery. She will be the first member of her family to complete an MD as well as a PhD.

M.M.