Back to School 2021

I am fortunate to work as an Education Manager for UBC Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which brings together educators, administrators, and clinicians to design and implement various programs to support health care providers across B.C. and beyond. My educational background is in business administration, so I was attracted to the inter-professional Master of Health Administration (MHA) program primarily as a way of deepening my understanding of Canadian health systems as well as clinician perspectives.

I was particularly interested in the UBC MHA program because I know people who have been through the program and found it to be valuable. Also, you can’t beat learning in your hometown, which also happens to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Right now, like many others, I am dreaming about travel. I have a fifteen-month-old son and I look forward to being able to show him the wider world on a family vacation.

In the last six years, I completed my residency and fellowship training in pediatrics and pediatric nephrology at UBC. I was exposed to clinical research through journal clubs, research courses, and my own reading and studying. I also had research projects that I led and collaborated on that stimulated my interest in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. I pursued the Master of Public Health (MPH) program and the UBC Clinician Investigator Program concurrently to pursue in-depth research and specialized training.

I have completed all of my training through UBC. It is a great environment to learn, work, and live. Looking through courses and electives at the School of Population and Public Health, I felt the MPH program offered a great variety of courses in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics that would augment my research skills. Working in a specialized area of medicine, I felt it was also important to refocus and broaden my understanding of the “big picture” of global health, Indigenous health, and health care policy offered through UBC’s program.

I am working with Dr. Dina Panagiotopoulos and Dr. Cherry Mammen in the Department of Pediatrics. We are studying renal outcomes in pediatric type 1 diabetes, and we are particularly interested in how kidney function changes over time for children as compared to adults with type 1 diabetes.

Top of my bucket list is to travel again! Provided it is safe for everyone, I hope to do some more exploring next summer.

Cole Daley

Program: Island Medical Program
Year in Program: 1

What inspired you to pursue your program?

As is the case for so many, it’s tough to focus in on one specific factor or moment that inspired me to pursue medicine. I have always been passionate about studying medicine, but it’s a long and difficult road—not only getting into medical school, but everything that comes after too. With that being said, I have spent the last few years working extensively in Indigenous health and education, much of it focused on improving safety and reducing barriers for Indigenous people trying to access the healthcare system. The initiatives, programs, communities, and people that I have had the privilege of working with over the years have inspired me to continue along this journey. I feel incredibly grateful as an Indigenous person to contribute to this work thus far and, with the love and support of my family, I’m looking forward to taking this next step in my educational journey and continuing this work. In the past few years, my family and I have been blessed with seven nephews and two beautiful nieces. It’s important to me that we all continue the work of improving the safety and accessibility for Indigenous people.

Why did you choose UBC?

I chose UBC and the Island Medical Program specifically because I was born here on Vancouver Island. Most of my family lives on the island and, having spent so many years away from them during my undergrad and professional life, it was important for me to come a little closer to home. I’m not a particularly stoic person and need to feel connected to loved ones so that I can contextualize the work a little bit. It’s easy sometimes for me to get lost in my studies and forget the real world beyond our next set of learning objectives and what’s going to be on the final exam. Being connected to family and to communities I cherish helps me to maintain perspective.

What’s top on your bucket list?

Watching a Premier League game, preferably against Liverpool or Man City at Old Trafford.