2011 Scholarship Entry #24: Alistair Waugh

In the past 20 years, the landscape of medicine has been changed drastically. The increasing prevalence of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity have unexpectedly made them the most common diseases being managed at a primary and acute care level. Traditionally these diseases were associated with older age, but with increasingly sedentary lifestyles and poor diets in the nation's youth they are now appearing in individuals as young as twenty. With this shocking trend towards chronic disease in the young, as well as the colloquially known 'grey tsunami' of baby boomers approaching their retirement years, the aforementioned diseases will become one of the most important issues of my generation.

As a medical student at the University of Calgary, I see my future being directly involved in the care of these chronic diseases. I have seen the debilitating outcomes of uncontrolled chronic disease and the complexity in managing illness that affects the whole body. I plan to complete a residency in general internal medicine, a stream designed to both care for those with chronic disease, but also to prevent these diseases from progressing. I believe an 'ounce of prevention' approach is the most effective in keeping patients healthy. This will involve running a special referral clinic in which I will aid family doctors with managing complex, multisystem disease.

Apart from my clinical duties, I also foresee myself being involved in patient advocacy. As the former chair of the U of C Medicine Political Advocacy Committee and a sitting member on the Canadian Federation of Medical Students Political Advocacy Committee, I have participated in advocacy campaigns and lobbying efforts at both a provincial and federal level. In particular, I have had meetings with former provincial cabinet minister Doug Horner and current federal minister of democratic reform Tim Uppal to discuss strategies to increase medical service to rural and aboriginal populations. By expanding care to these traditionally underserved populations, we can improve prevention, diagnosis, and subsequent management of chronic diseases. I plan to remain involved in political advocacy throughout my medical career, representing the voices of my colleagues and the needs of my patients.

The prospective burden of surging levels of chronic disease has crested the horizon. My generation will be tasked with managing the health and wellbeing of both our own and those that have come before and after us. I hope that my career as a chronic disease clinician and political advocate will make a tangible impact on the lives of my patients and their families.