Helen Tran remembers the care and compassion of her family doctor when she was a child in Surrey, British Columbia. She felt a sense of closeness and safety—a visit always made her feel better when she was sick.

As Helen grew older, she wanted to be like her family physician, and she also realized not everyone’s experience was like hers.

“One of my family friends told me how they had to wait six hours at a walk-in clinic to be seen, since they did not have a family doctor. This was the first time I had a serious thought of could I help fill this gap?” says Dr. Tran, now a family medicine resident doctor training in Nanaimo, BC.

“I thought it was the perfect career to provide longitudinal care with people, listen to their stories and know their families, while also being a difference-maker in their health.”

Dr. Tran is among the 420 UBC family medicine resident doctors training in regional, rural, remote and Indigenous communities across BC.

In 2004, UBC began to expand and distribute its MD undergraduate program with support from the Government of BC and in partnership with health authorities, universities and local communities across the province.

In two decades, the MD undergraduate program has expanded from 200 to 328 seats. Up to 88 seats were added to the postgraduate medical residency training programs starting in 2023.

“As more medical students and residents have opportunities to learn in underserved and rural BC communities, we foster a more diverse medical workforce and improve access to healthcare,” says Dr. Roger Wong, the Faculty of Medicine’s Vice Dean, Education. “The expansion of UBC’s MD undergraduate program is opening doors for tomorrow’s physicians to meet the diverse needs of all populations, drive innovation and strengthen patient care across the province.”

The expansion is helping to meet the growing healthcare needs of British Columbians, which is an important cause for Susan Simpson of Victoria, BC. She has left a legacy gift to UBC in her will to establish an endowed award for medical students who have demonstrated clinical aptitude and a desire to practice family medicine.

“I see a tremendous need for more family doctors in our province,” says Susan. “The more medical students we train in BC, the more family doctors will be available to care for our families and neighbours.  By providing these students with financial assistance, I can help them along their journey of training to practice family medicine in BC communities.”

Dr. Tran received a donor-funded award in her final year of the MD undergraduate program. It covered half of her tuition and saved her from paying a high interest rate on the full amount. A line of credit was her last option after she maximized her allotment of government student loans over the course of an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, a certificate program in clinical genetics, and medical school.

“Receiving an award was a tremendous help to me and took a huge weight off my shoulders,” says Dr. Tran. “I feel very grateful for the award, and I aspire to similarly help other medical students in the future when I have the means.”

Dr. Tran sees herself as a full-scope family physician practicing in a regional or smaller community where she splits her time between her clinic and rural locums. She says, “I am committing to a career in which I can provide care to the most vulnerable groups who need care the most.”