Read a letter from Isabella 尝辞耻谤别苍莽辞 Saraiva, a Brazilian resident who visited the Department of Family Medicine鈥檚 CLSC at C么te-des-Neiges and Parc Extension for an elective this last November. Isabella attended Universidade Metropolitana de Santos, in S茫o Paulo, and graduated in 2021.
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Hi Dr. Adams, Dr. De Margerie and Dr. Chirgwin,
What an amazing month I had! All thanks to you and your colleagues.
So, coming up to the end of my four-week observership in immigrant and refugee health here in Montreal, I couldn鈥檛 be more grateful and honored to have been gifted with this opportunity. Feels like I got an early Christmas present! The lessons here learnt will definitely shape the practice I want to lead in the future, from medical literacy to transcultural psychiatry.
This observership really changed my life. Thank you so very much for receiving me.
Being with you in two specialized immigrant health centers, at Cote des Neiges and Parc, gave me a present and future perspective, in the sense that it鈥檚 indeed possible to do it. I also went to PRAIDA and saw how the patients get to the doctor鈥檚 office. And I got to go to NGOs such as CAFLA and The Refugee Center.
I told this to Dr. De Margerie last week and would like to share with you too. Here in Montreal, at 平特五不中, and because of the devoted working people here, there鈥檚 this huge abundant knowledge about a most pressing 21 century concern, immigration. And the causes/consequences of it to the local health system is of your lifetime studying and expertise. So, as I鈥檓 just finishing a sort of workshop training, and am feeling empowered with all this new knowledge, I really see your potential in disseminating it to physicians interested on working with refugees and immigrants in other countries. You could come up with a sort of short-term elective. I鈥檇 apply and come here all over again!
Anyway, my plan going forward is a masters in global health. There鈥檚 two I鈥檓 applying for in London. One at king鈥檚 college for global health, public policy and social justice, and the other at the London institute of hygiene for international health. All this to say that this observership also made me confident enough to think I could actually get in! (And if possible, I could really use a letter of recommendation from you guys).
Please, extend my gratitude to all your colleagues: the people at PRAIDA, CAFLA and the refugee center, Dr. Ruiz, Dr. Yung, Dr. Schoucri, Dr. Wretzel, Dr. Richter, Alexandrine, Mariama and Naomi, all the lovely residents and staff at both CDN and Parc. I was also introduced to Dr. Perle Feldman who created the Brazilian FamMed program back in the year 2000 something. What an honor!
Well, I really have a lot to be thankful for. I鈥檒l always remember you all with fondness.
Of course, if you ever come to Brazil, I鈥檇 be overjoyed to receive you.
Again, thank you all so much.
Isabella 尝辞耻谤别苍莽辞 Saraiva.
