PGY-1 Public Health and Preventive Medicine – Simon Fraser University – University of Saskatchewan
ResidentPublic Health & Preventive Medicine Simon Fraser UniversityUniversity of Saskatchewan
June 2024
Printable versionAbout Me
My name is Henrietta Ezegbe, and I’m a PGY-1 resident in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM) at the University of Saskatchewan. I was born in Jos, Nigeria, and completed my medical education at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. I also hold a Master of Public Health from Simon Fraser University, in Burnaby, British Columbia.
With diverse medical interests that center around health equity, social justice, social determinants of health, infectious diseases and lifestyle practices, I knew early on in my medical career that I was interested in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM). This specialty uniquely captures my interests and offers much more.
Why I chose Public Health and Preventive Medicine
I envision a career that contributes to shaping the future of healthcare beyond the individual bedside. My goal is to gain training and expertise that allows me to assess and evaluate the health status/needs of a population, and contribute alongside diverse stakeholders in developing effective interventions, strategies, and policies to improve population health.
Clinical Life
What does a typical day of clinical duties involve?
What kinds of rotations are required in your program?
Year 1: The Clinical Year – where we receive basic clinical training. We are required to rotate through Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Clinical Public Health, and Psychiatry.
Year 2: The academic year where residents complete course work typically towards a Master of Public Health or equivalent degree (as I already have an Master of Public Health), I will be applying to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for equivalency, which if approved, bumps me to PGY-3.)
Years 3-5: Residents rotate in core PHPM competencies – including public health practice, communicable disease control, environmental health, health policy systems and planning, chronic disease, health promotion and injury prevention, senior management and leadership, and electives.
What are the best aspects of your residency?
Friday academic half-days!
As a PGY-1 resident, rotating through clinical programs means that you are an off-service resident for the whole year, and rotating in a new block/program every 4 weeks. The dynamics of it can be exhausting. Thus, I look forward to Friday mornings where I interface with my program, co-PHPM residents and faculty. Our conversations as a team are enriching, interactive, and informative. I leave every academic half day feeling re-centered.
What are the most challenging aspects of your current role?
The clinical year for sure. I have found the dynamics of joining a new rotation every block challenging. At the start of the block, you are tasked with learning and mastering the culture, dynamics, etc of the program in addition to effectively completing and delivering assigned patient care tasks. Towards the end of the 2nd week, when you have become comfortable, embodied the dynamics – almost achieving unconscious competence, and even made new friends, then it is time to say goodbye, move on to a new block, and repeat the cycle all over again.
What is one question you’re often asked about your decision to pursue a non-clinical career?
“What is Public Health, and do you have an MD degree?”
The role PHPM specialists played in the Covid-19 Pandemic has made it easier to explain to curious medical students, family, and friends what the PHPM specialty entails.
Can you describe the transition from clerkship to residency?
Clerkship prepares you uniquely for residency. By the end of the final year of clerkship, your responsibilities are not that different from that of a first-year resident. Additionally, the electives help you narrow down a specialty and the extra time and training helps you master what is required to succeed in your chosen specialty. Personally, my Master of Public Health training after my medical training helped me gain special insight into public health practice and research.
What are your future practice plans?
I envision a practice that intersects between work in PHPM and a clinical STI practice. My area of interest is in infectious diseases. I hope to provide expertise and support for the prevention and control of infectious diseases while maintaining a clinical practice focused on sexually transmitted infection diagnosis and management.
What are your fellow residents like, how do you interact with each other?
We are a very small program. Only seven of us across the five PGYs – so we are naturally like a family. We look out for and support each other. Something that stands out is the wealth of experience and knowledge my co-residents embody. If you have a question or thought that needs clarification, you can be sure to gain clarity once you have had a conversation with the team. I feel very lucky to be a part of the program and to have my co-residents as resource, and lifelong friends.
Non-Clinical Life
What are your academic interests?
I currently serve as my program’s Resident Wellness Coordinator – a role I take very seriously, ensuring that residents wellness is prioritized on all facets to help mitigate burnout.
As an International Medical Graduate (IMG), peer mentorship is very close to my heart. I put in time and effort to help other IMGs navigate the tedious journey of integration into medical practice in Canada. The experience is very rewarding.
As a PHPM resident, leadership and community engagement is an integral part of our specialty. I find joy in local advocacy and participation in community events. For instance, I currently sit on the board of Maternal and Infant Health Canada – an organization stationed at UBC and focused on global health with emphasis on maternal mortality and women’s health.
What is your work-life balance like, and how do you achieve this?
Outside of professional activities, I am interested in global travel, fitness, fashion, yoga and meditation, creative writing, interior design, poetry, and photography.
As a former self-proclaimed workaholic, I have learned to master my limits over the years and have set them as firm boundaries that I try hard not to push.
Knowing when to stop and recharge – like having a nap, going for a solo walk, or talking to a friend on the phone has helped me greatly in achieving a work life balance.
On weekends when I am not on call, I spend some time doing things I enjoy such as creative writing, reading fiction, or going on a road trip.I also try to meal prep and organize everything I need for the upcoming week. This way I am punctual, present, and effective at work.
