Two UBC faculty of medicine learners have been recognized for their outstanding leadership skills as the 2023 recipients of the Sandra Banner Student Award for Leadership (SBSAL) from the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS).
The annual award recognizes the exceptional leadership of one undergraduate medical student and one postgraduate medical trainee. Each of this year’s winners will receive $3,000 in leadership development funding.
Mohit Sodhi
Undergraduate recipient Mohit Sodhi, a third-year UBC medical student, is the CEO and co-founder of the YNOTFORTOTS Society, a charity that has donated more than $200,000 worth of equipment to dozens of local elementary schools in the Greater Vancouver area. He has also served in many volunteer roles with STEM Fellowship including CEO, COO, Chief Science Communications Officer, and executive advisor.
Sodhi was awarded UBC’s top leadership award, the Nestor Korchinsky Student Leadership Award, as well as the Governor General Gold Medal and the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award, and has co-authored 37 peer reviewed publications.
“I want to thank all those who have supported me throughout my life and encouraged me to become the person I am today and the physician I will soon become,” said Sodhi. “I also want to thank the SBSAL awards committee for providing much needed funding for YNOTFORTOTS. The goal of this charity is to help bridge the gap and to work towards offering equal and equitable opportunities for our leaders of tomorrow. I truly hope that my journey can inspire and motivate other young scientists and philanthropists to pay it forward by thinking globally and acting locally.”
Dr. Daphne Lu
Postgraduate recipient Dr. Daphne Lu is a UBC general surgery resident and a Sommer Scholar at Johns Hopkins University, pursuing a Master of Public Health and Master of Business Administration. Having served as President of Resident Doctors of British Columbia, she became increasingly familiar with healthcare challenges faced on both a provincial and national level and her participation in clinical research demonstrated the power of using data to drive policy and improve patient outcomes.
“It is truly an honour to be recognized by today’s healthcare leaders,” said Dr. Lu. “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the committee as this award will make it possible for me to attend the 8th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research to learn from scholars, policymakers and industry leaders in various global contexts.”
A version of this story originally appeared on the CaRMS website.