Global health grad and Varsity Blues captain Voke Ewhrudjakpor set to begin medical school at McMaster

Voke Ewhrudjakpor has made thousands of tosses in the shot put and weight throw events, competing with the Varsity Blues track and field team. Now it’s her career in healthcare that’s about to be launched.

A member of Woodsworth College, Ewhrudjakpor is graduating as a global health specialist with a minor in immunology.

She believes in healthcare accessibility, and this belief is reflected in her studies, as well as her commitment to support the academic journeys of her fellow students.

“I was always really interested in and excelled in the sciences, but I knew I didn't want to work in a research lab,” she says. “I always had a vision of working within healthcare.”

That interest in the health and well-being of others is reflected in so many of Ewhrudjakpor’s activities. She was a member of Varsity Blues team for her entire undergraduate degree, including being a team captain for two years.

“This has been such a great experience,” she says. “The team and the coaching staff are amazing, and I have some great friends now who I will still be friends after I'm done here.”

She took the responsibility as team captain seriously, mentoring younger student athletes, helping them balance academic work with athletics, as she did throughout her studies.

“I would reach out to first-years so they would feel comfortable,” says Ewhrudjakpor. “I felt like I had a responsibility to make that first step, to reach out to the people that are a little quieter, because that was me my first two years. Taking on that role helped me to grow and become a little more outgoing and personable.”

Her efforts to support other students didn’t stop there. She also served as a chemistry tutor with the Victoria College peer tutoring program and spent hundreds of hours tutoring student athletes through the Academic Support for Athletes Program (ASAP) — the formal academic support program for Varsity Blues athletes.

Wanting to better support other Black students, Ewhrudjakpor has been an executive member of the Black Doctors of Tomorrow (BDOT) club since her first year, and is currently co-president.

"We’ve done a lot of informative events about the medical school process. We have a strong connection with the Black Medical Student Association at Temerty. Their students will come out and give advice and information, which is amazing for community building."

BDOT is a premedical organization for Black students that creates community and supports their pursuit of careers in healthcare. The group’s activities include peer mentorship, workshops, advocacy, outreach and sourcing research opportunities.

“The premedical space can be very isolating, very jarring for a lot of students, especially Black students,” she says. “We just wanted it to be a space where people going through the same process can meet academically and outside of school.”

“So we’ve done a lot of informative events about the medical school process. We have a strong connection with the Black Medical Student Association at Temerty. Their students will come out and give advice and information, which is amazing for community building.”

That desire to support others has taken her well outside of campus — and even beyond provincial borders. Over two summers, she took part in a STEM workshop program organized by the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Engineering.

“We went all over Manitoba doing STEM workshops in elementary, junior high and high schools,” she says. “We also did a lot of work in Indigenous communities. I've been on a couple of reserves in northern Manitoba in some really remote areas. I even did a workshop at a Mennonite community.”

Ewhrudjakpor is looking even further for her future career — as far as her native Nigeria, where she envisions potentially returning to practice in global and public health. “I would love to go back to Nigeria, that's home, that's where my family is,” she says. “And I think there are a lot of things to be done there.”

She will take a big step towards that goal when she attends medical school at McMaster University this fall.

"I hope to see healthcare take a more equitable approach that really highlights patient-centred care. A lot of immigrants such as my own family have apprehensions about doctors and the healthcare system. My goal and interest in healthcare stems from my personal experiences and contributing to a healthcare system that is inclusive and a place where patients — especially ones that resemble myself — feel like they are welcomed and cared for."

“I’m very open to discovering new pathways in global and public health,” she says. “Working for Doctors Without Borders would be high on the list of things I hope to achieve.”

But that’s down the road. First, she plans on working as a physician helping local communities before shifting over to government health policy or a national public health agency.

“There are people in our own neighbourhoods that need support from physicians and within healthcare,” she says. “So that’s definitely my focus before jetting off to a different place.”

Whatever path she takes, she’s driven by a vision of healthcare rooted in equality.

“I hope to see healthcare take a more equitable approach that really highlights patient-centred care,” says Ewhrudjakpor. “A lot of immigrants such as my own family have apprehensions about doctors and the healthcare system. My goal and interest in healthcare stems from my personal experiences and contributing to a healthcare system that is inclusive and a place where patients — especially ones that resemble myself — feel like they are welcomed and cared for.”

As she says goodbye to her classmates and teammates, what’s her advice to students considering U of T?

“Have an idea of what your goals are,” she says. “My family is in Winnipeg right now, but I knew that I wanted to do something different. Consider the city and the opportunities that you would like.

“I love Toronto. Being here, there are so many more research programs and work study opportunities that would have been harder for me to get had I stayed home. Moving is a big commitment, especially if you're not from around here, but there’s so much to do that, even if you change your mind, it’s not going to be detrimental. You can always pivot, and there’s so much you can get involved with.”

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