Dr. Paul Dhillon, a South Delta Secondary grad, will be one of this year's recipients of the Canadian Medical Association's Award for Young Leaders, it was announced last week.
The award celebrates the efforts of young physician leaders of tomorrow for their efforts today.
"I think it's incredibly fulfilling and important to take on leadership roles, not only in residency training but in all spheres and stages of life. I have gained the most knowledge and my best friends in the crucibles of challenging situations in which decisions need to be made and true leadership needs to be shown," said Dhillon. "The other important thing to remember is that being on the leading edge of change is incredibly fulfilling in comparison to being pulled along by the tides of change."
Dhillon, 31, graduated from SDSS in 1999 as a valedictorian.
A political science graduate of UBC, he studied medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and graduated in 2009. The following year he earned a diploma from the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, United Kingdom, and an International Red Cross certificate in health emergencies in large populations at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
In 2011 he completed a certificate in surgical science at the University of Edinburgh and in 2012 he earned a master's degree in disaster medicine at the
Universita del Piemonte Orientale, Novarra, Italy.
Dhillon completed his family medicine residency at the University of Saskatchewan in June. During his residency he became involved with the Professional Association of Interns and Residents of Saskatchewan, serving as president in 2012-13. He has also been active in the American College of Emergency Physicians Humanities Section and was selected as one of the New England Journal of Medicine Scholars in an essay competition celebrating the journal's 200th anniversary.
An excerpt from his first novel was awarded the Aindreas McEntee Irish Medical Writing Prize in 2011. Proceeds from his second novel and collaboration with Rotary International raised more than $30,000 for a health project in Zimbabwe.
The CMA will present the awards on Aug. 21 at a ceremony in Calgary.
