Rithesh Ram, MD/PhD Candidate at the University of Calgary
Rithesh is an MD/PhD Candidate in the MDPlus Program and Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. His primary research interests are in epidemiology with a focus on clinical trials methodology, and in health system policy and management.Rithesh was born and raised in Alberta spending all of his youth in Camrose before moving to Edmonton to complete a Bachelor's of Electrical Engineering COOP at the University of Alberta. While completing this degree, Rithesh's Father became very ill while on vacation in South Africa and had to be hospitalized for two and a half months in a South African hospital spending most of his time in the ICU. His Father managed to battle his way back to Canada where he spent much of the next few years in and out of the health care system. Through this Rithesh experienced the difficulties of a two-tier health care system, but also the extreme difficulties facing the Canadian system.
After completing his engineering degree, Rithesh went straight back to school and entered the PhD program in Epidemiology in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. Rithesh was then accepted into the MD/PhD MDPlus/Leader's in Medicine program, and will complete the program as part of the class of 2012.
Rithesh has been involved in countless organizations and initiatives. Currently, he is the President of the Graduate Students' Association, a member of the South Health Campus Advisory Group, and Vice-Chair Finance of the Alberta Graduate Council.
Rithesh hopes to bring positive changes to the Canadian health care system beginning with the single patient that he treats in a clinic, to the many patients that will prosper from research initiatives, and to the leadership and policies that require constant review to ascertain that medicine meets the needs of our publically funded and universal system. Canadian Doctors for Medicare is the ÒVoice of Pro-Medicare PhysiciansÓ Ð a belief that he carries proudly in his academic and everyday work.
