As a medical student and postgraduate trainee, University of Toronto Anesthesia graduate Dr. Trisha Mark received valuable clinical experience and mentorship. She’s now giving back to the next generation. Along with her husband, Mr. Keith Gagnon, Dr. Mark is making a generous annual donation to the UofT Department of Anesthesia’s Tuition Awards Program.
“There are many reasons to give,” says Dr. Mark, who graduated from the residency program in 2003, and is an Anesthesiologist at Southlake Regional Health Centre, in Newmarket, Ontario. “Giving back to U of T supports our future Anesthesiologists. We are trying to help them pursue their special education and research interests beyond the core residency training program. Supporting their ideas and potential, we can make our specialty more diverse and a strong presence in the community at large”.
The residency program requires years of hard work, personal sacrifices, and expense. On top of this, many residency graduates complete additional graduate degrees during their core residency program (e.g., MBA, PhD, Masters of Health Policy, Masters of Education), or spent time working in leading labs, both at home and overseas. These tuition awards allow top students to complete graduate degrees in areas as diverse as molecular medicine, epidemiology, or health policy. Our students have trained with leaders in these fields in centres, in the United Kingdom, United States, and of course, at the University of Toronto. Many will go on to complete fellowship training after their Royal College/PGY5 year.
The awards are presented each year at the Annual Shields Research Day event. Click here to learn more about the awards.
