Chethan Sathya

Class of 2014

FGJ 2014, Surgeon-Journalist

MD

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Chethan is a surgical resident and a scholar in clinical epidemiology at the University of Toronto. He considered journalism to be an important part of his medical training, because he wanted patients to be better informed about their own health and about the way health care works. During the Fellowship, Chethan covered advances in medicine for The Toronto Star, CBC and CNN — alternating regularly between reporting and the operating room. He’s now completing his surgical training, and doing epidemiological research, while reporting as a freelancer on the side.

“I was never a writer, and never imagined becoming one. My life revolved around two things. Surgery and research. But I can honestly tell you that having the opportunity to partake in this fellowship opened my eyes to a whole new world of communication. It was easily one of the best career moves I have made. In medicine, we often struggle to communicate effectively with our patients. And when it comes to research, knowledge translation to the lay public is far from easy. The program allowed me to learn how to communicate effectively through media outlets and to incorporate these skills into my career. Because of it, I now have the ability to impact patients worldwide, and not just the ones in my clinic.“