Miranda McDermott | London, ON
CURRENT PROGRAM: Health Studies, class of 2018
CAREER GOAL: Medicine, Gerontology
AWARD: Michael T. Sharratt Award
Miranda McDermott grew up loving both sports and biology and decided early on to build a career in medicine.
But it wasn’t until she got to UWaterloo and took a course on human aging with Dr. George Heckman that she fell in love with geriatrics. “He was so inspiring," says Miranda. "He made us see how important and fulfilling it is to get involved with older people.”
Miranda’s interest deepened with co-op terms and part-time work exploring geriatric health systems, as well as volunteer work with the Hospital Elder Life Program at Grand River Hospital.
Today, as she prepares to write the MCAT, she’s grateful for both the honour and the financial boost of the Sharratt Award. “It’s a daunting process to finish a degree and apply to med school. Receiving this award gave me a lot of optimism about the path ahead and meant the world to me.”
Established after Michael T. Sharratt’s time as Applied Health Sciences' dean, the Sharratt Award celebrates his achievements and now honours his memory. It supports students who’ve demonstrated involvement in sports and physical activities, and volunteer efforts in the community. See Michael T. Sharratt, 1942-2016.
