Preet Gandhi (BKin ‘18) is a Project Coordinator with the Ethics Quality Improvement Team at the William Osler Health System in Ontario, where he works on two gerontology projects funded by the World Health Organization and Health Canada. “After my degree, I transitioned to global health innovation, starting a position with Grand Challenges Canada in Toronto, and then working with an organization providing innovative health coverage in Kenya.” After completing his KIN degree, Preet went on to complete his Master’s (MSc) of Global Health at McMaster University in 2020.
While he was at UBC, Preet spent 3 years as a board member for the Ustawi Health Research Association, an organization that focused on providing resources and support for students looking to work in and learn about global health. “I also launched a global health club, and got involved in gerontology research through the UBC School of Nursing at that time.”
“As an undergrad, I enrolled in a graduate course on ‘Global Health and Human Security’, which allowed me to work with graduate students and professionals who were more experienced (and wiser!) than I. It was an incredible learning opportunity that opened my eyes to a host of potential careers.”
“I gained skills and knowledge from KIN that helped me transition into the field of global health innovation. I had fantastic sports sociology instructors including Dr. Brian Wilson and Shawn Forde. Their courses opened my eyes to the primary role of sport in improving community health and how programs can be developed in different parts of the world. I didn’t realize how much I had learned in those courses ‘til I’d been working in the field for a few months!” He says, “Dr. Carolyn McEwen was also a fantastic professor for my research methods course – I have been able to transfer these skills to many different areas of research now, from epidemiology to qualitative studies.”
“A benefit of the KIN program was getting to meet some great people!” Together with former KIN peer Josh Britton (BKin 2015), they started a podcast that makes health news entertaining and accessible for people outside healthcare. “Our show, Sicker than your Average Health Show, combines our different backgrounds in medicine and global health to bring a new spin to health headlines that our communities might not be aware of.”
