Dal Medical School graduates its largest class of MDs of African descent

By the time she was six years old, Cinera States knew what she wanted to be when she grew up: a doctor.

“My mom took me to see a pediatrician, Dr. Sharon Burey, in our hometown of Windsor, Ontario,” recalls Cinera, who graduates from Dalhousie with her medical degree this week, along with five classmates who share her African heritage — the largest-ever group of medical students of African descent to graduate from Dalhousie in the same year.

Cinera and the five other medical students of African descent graduating with her today have been helped along the way by PLANS (Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians).

Launched in 2013-14 with two years of initial funding from Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour and Advanced Education and Department of Education, PLANS provides ongoing support to African Nova Scotian/Canadian students in the faculties of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Professions. Based in the university’s Global Health Office, PLANS is run by an advisory committee and program manager, in consultation with African Nova Scotian communities across the province. 

Read more about Cinera and the PLANS program on DalNews.