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Dr. Silvina Mema: Canada is the land of opportunity

She is a medical health officer with Interior Health
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Editor香蕉视频直播檚 note: In 2020 it should be no surprise that more and more woman hold positions of power. Whether it香蕉视频直播檚 business, politics, sports or the non-profit sector, woman continue to achieve new milestones. This story is part of a series of stories highlighting 16 women in Kelowna who are leaders in their fields. You can read all of their stories in our annual publication called Women in Business in the Feb. 28 issue of 香蕉视频直播.

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As an immigrant to this country, Interior Health medical health officer Dr. Silvina Mema said she quickly realized that Canada was the land of opportunity.

She and her husband landed in Edmonton from their native Argentina to pursue their master香蕉视频直播檚 degree at the University of Alberta medical school. They saw Canada as a place of opportunity to expand their education and pursue their career dreams.

香蕉视频直播淥ne of the reasons we chose Canada is because there is no ceiling here for what you want to do. The sky is the limit,香蕉视频直播 Mema said.

香蕉视频直播淚t was the first thing our university supervisor told us when he picked us up at the airport in Edmonton. And it is totally true.香蕉视频直播

Mema said her supervisor香蕉视频直播檚 claim that Canada was the land of opportunity still exists today in the health care field, where technology is creating new career possibilities that weren香蕉视频直播檛 available 20 years ago.

She said those new jobs are partly what makes a career in health care 香蕉视频直播渇luid,香蕉视频直播 meaning what students start out pursuing as a career may evolve into another area they initially never considered or realize existed.

香蕉视频直播淚 think today it matters more what you want to do rather than where you work. Think about what you want to do and just do it, follow your passion.

香蕉视频直播淲here you start out may not be where you end up in whatever career you end up in so be open to new ideas. But you will find somewhere to fit eventually.香蕉视频直播

Mema is a prime example of how changing interests and goals can impact career aspirations.

After studying for her masters, Mema didn香蕉视频直播檛 like the medical specialty vacancies that immigrant doctors were being directed towards by the province of Alberta to fill medical care needs.

Rather than working directly with patients or pursuing her initial medical interest in ophthalmology, Mema realized her interest was working more in the public health care field, where her expertise could help more people from a preventative perspective.

She applied for and was accepted into the University of Calgary public health residency program for four years.

Upon her graduation, Mema started working for a cancer screening program with Alberta Health Services, and then applied four years ago for the medical health officer job opening with Interior Health, which brought her to Kelowna.

As a working mother with two young daughters, she feels the push and pulls of juggling a career and family.

香蕉视频直播淚t is a challenge in the sense of when you are at work, you feel you should be at home, and when you are home you feel you should be working. But you realize the work-life balance thing doesn香蕉视频直播檛 really exist, it is more of an aspirational thing.香蕉视频直播