Sean Gamble
Ever since the day Sean received a doctor’s kit as a young boy, his friends and family members would say, ‘You’d make a great doctor’. At the age of 12, he was inspired by his mother’s dedication to become a nurse. However, it was the experience of losing his grandfather that deeply moved Sean to realize how much he wanted to help people.
Sean Gamble graduated from Lakehead University with his Honours Bachelor Science, Biology degree in 2006. It was the enthusiasm of his highschool biology teacher at St. Patrick Highschool that got him on track and really excited about learning, and pursuing biology at Lakehead.
At Lakehead, Sean experienced some of the best years and met some of his best friends including Toby Braithwaite, Onur Altinbilek and Chris Petrou. He was driven by them to work hard to maintain his grades in university, and developed a great support network of friends. He also had academic advisors and professors that helped to guide him along.
In particular, Sean connected with Psychology Professor, Susan Sajna-Hebert. After taking one of her psychology classes as an elective, he had an appetite for more which turned into a minor in Psychology. Sean found Professor Sajna-Hebert engaging and what he took away from her was a deep appreciation for learning more about the human psyche and she opened his eyes to a new way of looking at things you can’t exactly measure -- today, this has enriched his ability to relate to his patients by asking certain questions and or paying attention to subtle, unspoken cues during patient examinations.
Professor Sajna-Hebert was one of the professors who wrote Sean a letter of reference for medical school and encouraged him to come back the day he graduated so he could be her new Doctor. Surprisingly, Sean had applied to the competitive program at the Northern Ontario Medical School, and waitlisted twice.
Despite being waitlisted, Sean was accepted into medical school at Saba University, located on the Dutch island of Saba in the Caribbean. He graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was named class valedictorian in April of 2010, completing three years in two. Since then Sean went on to start his clinical years in Baltimore, Maryland and has been travelling to different hospitals across the United States.
Currently, Sean is finishing his clinical rotations and working at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. He remains passionate and highly motivated about learning and working, even though he admits, "Some days it’s hard. But then I ask myself, ‘What else would I be doing?’ And I reflect on the sacrifices I’ve made, my goals, and how close or how far I have come to achieving them". It is apparent that Sean is doing what he loves and he thrives on the unpredictable nature of his profession. "I am always learning. I know I’m never the best, and there is always something that humbles me. It’s about trying to be the best you can be".
Sean plans to apply for residency in Canada and the United States in 2012. He hopes to specialize in anesthesiology because of how demanding and challenging it is to be one and work in critical care. At 27 years-old, he has a wealth of experiences to bring forward with him. Sean speaks fondly about Lakehead and missing his family and friends, camping, fishing, and the pristine nature of Northwestern Ontario. Perhaps his future journey will lead him back to Thunder Bay.
