Serena Tejpar is currently a fourth-year medical student at the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She aspires to work at the nexus of research, clinical practice, and effective health policy to improve patient experience and overall health outcomes. Given her passion for Narrative-Based Medicine, she most recently published her first children’s book titled You Are So Much More, inspired by her experience as a trauma patient after a near-fatal motor vehicle collision in 2015. The book was written to remind children going through an illness, whether acute or chronic, that their condition does not define them and to help them build resilience in the face of adversity.

 

She has received numerous awards and honours in recognition of her leadership, community service, and academic excellence, including being named YMCA Southwestern Ontario's Young Woman of Excellence and a Top 50 Emerging Canadian Leader for her “commitment to improving the Canadian healthcare system and addressing inequities in healthcare systems worldwide.”