UBC general surgery resident Dr. Zach Sagorin has received the Medical Council of Canada’s Dr. M. Ian Bowmer Award for Leadership in Social Accountability.
Dr. Zach Sagorin
The national award recognizes one medical student and one resident each year who demonstrate leadership in social accountability within the schools of medicine across Canada.
“I’m very fortunate to have received this award and I’m grateful for the excellent mentors and colleagues who have guided me towards leadership and social justice,” Dr. Sagorin says.
As a student, Dr. Sagorin served as the president of the UBC Medical Undergraduate Society (MUS), which allowed him to develop new leadership roles within the MUS to further enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as planetary health.
During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped create the B.C. COVID-19 Medical Student Response Team and worked alongside a small team to set up physician-support projects and public health initiatives for medical students in the province.
Dr. Sagorin also contributed to various faculty committees throughout medical school to help improve social accountability frameworks, and he invested in research projects that explored advancements in medical education, quality improvement in opioid agonist therapies, and gender equity in general surgery throughout his training.
“Two of the most important lessons I have learned would be, first, that as doctors we must place relationships, patients, and a commitment to others at the center of our actions. And, second, that it is essential to stay humble in all endeavours,” he explains.
Dr. Sagorin is committed to making positive change during his residency and beyond, having been elected to sit on the UBC Department of Surgery Resident Education Committee. He will also represent residents throughout the province as a board member of Resident Doctors of B.C.
“As medical students and physicians, we have such tremendous privilege — our opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the lives of our patients and society is incredible,” he says.
Recipients of the M. Ian Bowmer Award receive $5,000 from the Medical Council of Canada to be used for studies, books, or e-learning tools, and/or conference attendance.
A version of this story originally appeared on the Medical Council of Canada’s website. Learn more about the MCC and its awards and fellowships.