Source: The Chronicle Herald.
Scholarship co-founder says young woman deserve support and encouragement to trust themselves and reach for more
YARMOUTH, N.S. — Three young women who graduated in 2004 from Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School and became doctors in different fields are giving a helping hand to one female graduate annually who wants to further her studies in the field of health sciences.
Doctors Rosie Ashton, Rachael Noah and Laura Graham have established an annual $1,500 scholarship for a YCMHS graduate who identifies as female and has a financial need. Application is by essay.
Dr. Ashton, formerly from Tusket, Yarmouth County, says none of them came from a “dynasty medical family,” and that they followed where their interests lay.
Dr. Ashton is a doctor of medicine. Dr. Graham completed her PhD in physiotherapy. Dr. Noah is an optometrist (OD).
Dr. Ashton says she wanted to be a veterinarian from a very young age until junior high, but then she changed her focus to humans.
“I thought learning how the body worked and how disease created symptoms was fascinating,” she says.
Making people feel better was a worthy reward, she adds.
She paid close attention to the minimum science requirements, working hard to get top marks in those classes.
She wants to emphasize, however, that students do not need to be a science major to be a doctor.
“Some of the best doctors I know have PhDs in literature, environmental science, or had been economists as a previous career,” she says.
Her years of studying were a commitment. But, she says, any time you’re driven and ambitious, a career is going to demand this commitment from you and the pay-off is worth it.
“If you’re doing what you’re interested in, it honestly doesn’t feel like school.”
Dr. Ashton lives and practices in Ottawa but has career flexibility and portability.
“There are always opportunities around the world in health care; one could have a very clinical practice with as much teaching as you want to do, or work more in public policy, work with mostly children, or focus on mental health, etc.”
She likes being challenged every day with interesting cases and solving the mystery of what is bothering patients.
“I genuinely like people and their stories, and I like empowering patients to be the shepherds of their own health and to be educated about their disease and treatments so that they aren’t following random incorrect information they find on the internet.”
One of her biggest challenges right now is COVID vaccine hesitancy.
“The vaccines available are designed elegantly, safely, and are over 90 per cent effective. I can’t wait to receive mine,” she says.
Dr. Ashton says it was important for her to be one of the scholarship sponsors in order to make it clear that “no matter where you are from, if you want something badly enough then you should go for it and money should never be a barrier.”
Dr. Rachael Noah, formerly from Yarmouth is an optometrist (OD) employed by Insight Optometry in downtown Halifax. – Contributed
Dr. Noah, formerly from Yarmouth, says physics and biology were her favourite subjects in high school and that she loves human anatomy and problem solving.
As a child she had to see her optometrist almost every year. Growing older, she became very involved in community volunteering. During undergrad she says she figured out that medicine, specifically optometry, offered the perfect combination of her interest in biology and community service.
She now works at Insight Optometry in downtown Halifax.
“In the last few years we have seen three new female optometrists join the team,” she says.
It was important for Dr. Noah to help fund the scholarship because although she sees women making up much more of the health and medical fields than ever before, the trend is not reflected in the top leadership positions.
“I want to continue to encourage women in health and science so that we can keep growing and be given the proper opportunities to become leaders in our community,” she says.
Dr. Laura Graham, formerly from Yarmouth, is the Chair of the Master of Physical Therapy Program at Western University in London, Ontario. – Contributed
Yarmouth’s Dr. Laura Graham’s memories of YCMHS include global history and Mr. George Egan, an “amazing storyteller.”
In Grade 11 she learned about Kinesiology and recognized that it would be a useful path to her goal of becoming a physiotherapist.
“I knew I wanted to work in a helping profession, and I loved learning how things worked. Physiotherapy was a nice marriage of the two,” she says.
She received her Bachelor of Kinesiology from Acadia University in 2008; and then went on to complete the combined Master of Physical Therapy and PhD program at Western University (London, ON). In 2011, she began working as a physiotherapist in adult brain injury and spinal cord injury rehabilitation and completed her PhD in 2014.
Dr. Graham resides in London, Ontario and is the chair of the Master of Physical Therapy Program at Western University. She practices as a physiotherapist at Parkwood Institute on the Neuro Trauma Rehab Team; and is an associate scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute.
She believes that every young woman deserves some support and encouragement to trust themselves and reach for more. That’s why she’s one of the scholarship’s founders.
ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP
• Name of the Scholarship/Bursary: Drs. Ashton, Graham, and Noah Scholarship for Women in Healthcare (Class of 2004)
• Requirements: Must identify as female,transcript required, Essay (750 words max) discussing career aspirations
• All applications for the scholarship should be sent to the guidance counsellor at the YCMHS who will then forward them to the administrator by May 15 of each year.
• The Tri-County Regional School Board will pay the scholarship directly to the university/college the student is attending. Prior to paying the scholarship the student would provide the board with a letter from the registrar, which will serve as proof of enrolment in the post-secondary institution.