Celebrating the newest graduates of the Bridging Program
By
Mae Kwan
On May 28, a graduation ceremony was held in honour of the Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy Bridging Program Class of 2024 with family, friends, faculty and community clinical partners. Many graduates joined the celebration from around the globe – Brazil, Ireland, United Kingdom, Eastern and Western Canada and Ontario.
Sharon Switzer-McIntyre, OIEPB Director, and Martine Quesnel, OIEPB Associate Director, Director of Clinical Education and Mentorship, were hosts for the evening. Honoured guest speakers included Prof. Lynn Wilson, Vice Dean, Clinical and Faculty Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Kara Patterson, Interim Chair, Department of Physical Therapy, and Mo. Ismail Abdelkadar, Co-President, OIEPB Alumni Association. Other special guests included OIEPB Faculty Mentors, Alana Tintse and Hari Nair, numerous community clinicians and Denis Bourguignon, Chief Administrative Officer, Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
Heartfelt speeches were delivered, sharing their admiration for the graduates’ dedication to the program and all they have to offer being internationally trained physiotherapists. Warm congratulations were extended to all the graduates.
Martine Quesnel presented the Awards of Excellence for Academics and Clinical Education. Congratulations to David (Dave) Lowry on earning the highest marks in the program and receiving the Academic Award of Excellence.
This year, there was a tie for the Clinical Education Award of Excellence so two awards were handed out. Congratulations to America (Mel) Keddy and David (Dave) Lowry for both demonstrating exceptional performance in the clinical environment. Bravo, Mel and Dave!
Class President Chandrashekar (Chandra) Yaduvanshi showed great leadership and advocacy throughout the program to ensure his classmates would have an exceptional experience. Chandra shared his thoughts and experiences over the past year followed by each graduate speaking in turn. They agreed time flew by and are proud they made it through and enjoyed all aspects of the program! A video was shared of snapshots from Day 1 to their last day together.
It was a wonderful year and we wish our graduates continued success! We look forward to hearing about their future impact in the physiotherapy profession across Canada.
