2002 New Pioneers Awards

Callista Phillips (SfC Graduate)

Indian-born Callista Phillips arrived in Canada in 1998 with her husband and son to discover that despite completing doctoral studies in laboratory medicine in her home country and five years experience as a physician, she could not enter the Canadian medical system unless she was licensed. After considering her options, her mindset at the time to give up practicing medicine, she contacted Skills for Change for employment assistance.

Callista learned about Skills for Changes STIC program for foreign trained accountants, engineers, and healthcare professionals and enrolled in the healthcare group. Here she was encouraged to get back into the medical field. Looking back, she said, That decision changed my life. Skills for Change arranged for a co-op placement with a dermatologist that led to her shadowing medical staff at the Toronto General Hospital. I became familiar with the system and Skills for Change helped me focus my energy back to studies.

Her determination to become a physician in Canada meant writing the required exams which took two years to complete. In May 2001, Callista was one of the 36 out of a group of 300 candidates selected for the Ontario International Medical Graduates Program. She is currently repeating the pre-residency and residency training before she can practice medicine in Canada.

Although she has had to focus on her studies since her arrival in Canada, Callista has still made time to give back to the community. She encourages internationally trained physicians to get back into the medical field by sharing information and personal experience of the licensing process. She is actively involved in the Association of International Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (AIPSO) and works to influence the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (the provincial regulatory body) on behalf of foreign trained physicians.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

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• 2002
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