Valerie Mok is a 2024 recipient of the UBC Medical Alumni Association Student Leadership Award.
Degree: MD Undergraduate Program
Campus: Vancouver-Fraser Medical Program
Year: 2nd year as of March 2024
Valerie is deeply committed to ensuring equitable access to healthcare, particularly for marginalized populations. As president of the UBC Pathways to Medicine Club, Valerie spearheads efforts to provide equitable access and guidance for those interested in pursuing a career in medicine, especially for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. She founded a longitudinal mentorship program connecting medical students with high school students, which has evolved a collaboration with the UBC Faculty of Medicine through the Youth Outreach Mentorship Program. Valerie is also the co-lead of a peer-assisted learning initiative and has previously conducted research in near-peer medical education. As a Faculty of Medicine student representative, she brought significant reform to the clinical decision making curriculum.
Outside of UBC, Valerie is a youth advisor for the Canadian Mental Health Association BC and helps develop program materials used to support individuals experiencing common mental health challenges. She currently works with clinician-scientists at Providence Health Care investigating non-prescription drug-associated cardiac arrests that occur outside of hospital, and her advocacy efforts have involved speaking to politicians about unsafe conditions in emergency rooms.
What drew you to the MD Program at UBC?
I was born and raised in BC, but I studied abroad in the UK for my undergraduate degree. I am very grateful for that experience but it also solidified my decision to return to Vancouver, and I missed being surrounded by mountains, trees, and water. I believe the UBC MD program not only provides a high quality of medical education, but also demonstrates a commitment to serving our population such as by taking steps to create a more diverse and representative healthcare workforce – these were important factors for me.
What are some highlights of your studies so far?
Despite the Vancouver site having a cohort of nearly 200 students, the medical school works hard to provide a supportive environment that fosters long-lasting relationships. Getting to know my classmates and the faculty members has been very rewarding. The feeling of working towards a common goal alongside equally passionate people is pretty special.
What does receiving the Student Leadership Award mean to you?
I am grateful to receive this award from the UBC Medical Alumni Association. I firmly believe in transforming passion into concrete action, and this recognition serves as encouragement that my efforts are positively impacting the causes I care deeply about.
How has your identity affected your perspective on the field of medicine and future pursuits?
I am the first person in my family to be born in Canada and speak English as my first language, and my upbringing and cultural background have shaped my strong work ethic. Following high school, my time away from home allowed me to gain clarity regarding my life goals. This solidified my desire to pursue medicine despite not having grown up around anyone who worked in healthcare. As a future physician, I aspire to help patients not solely to postpone death but to work towards a good life, whatever that may mean to them. I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue this career path which allows me to direct my insatiable intellectual drive towards helping others, and I cannot imagine another career that would be more fulfilling.
What are you most excited for about a career in medicine?
Being able to witness the tangible impact I can have in other people’s lives through medical expertise and human connection.
What does a healthy society mean to you?
As a society, our concept of health has evolved dramatically over recent decades. I think health encompasses all the factors in our lives that contribute to our wellbeing (or lack thereof). Medicine contributes to a portion of that – a “healthy society” is also dependent upon many other systems.
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