Chatham-Kent’s hospital is awarding two medical students who have shown a keen interest in practicing in the municipality.
Alexandra Ferrara and Meghan Chevalier have been awarded the Rosemarie Miller Medical School Bursary. The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) said the bursary is awarded to medical students who have an interest in becoming a family physician or a specialist locally.
“I have always aspired to be a physician, and returning to Chatham-Kent has been my goal. It is my hope to practice in both family medicine and at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance,” Ferrara said in a news release.
Ferrara volunteered at the CHKA over the summer and assisted with the build of the hospital’s new information system.
“Chatham-Kent is truly close to my heart. It is an honour to receive this bursary, and I look forward to returning home to serve my community in the coming years,” she added.
Ferrara is currently completing her studies at the University of Limerick School of Medicine in Ireland. She is in her second year and will be graduating in 2024.
“These early experiences sparked an interest in working with small communities and my time rotating through Chatham-Kent as a senior medical student further solidified that interest,” said Chevalier, who is enrolled in her fourth year of medical school at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry in London.
Chevalier worked with the Thamesview Family Health Team as a summer student and also volunteered with the Chatham-Kent Hospice.
The Rosemarie Miller Medical School Bursary is was created as a recruitment incentive to encourage local medical students to return to Chatham-Kent. It was named for Rosemarie Miller, a resident of Wallaceburg and former employee of CKHA. Miller made many contributions to the community and was committed to enhancing local health care.