People typically go to a doctor to talk about a symptom. It could be knee pain, a breathing problem, a mental health issue or concern over a child’s seemingly slow growth.
But to Dr. Ammar Bookwala (BSc ’13, Kinesiology),
a family physician whose career in medicine started with a Kinesiology degree at the University of Waterloo, it’s never just about the symptom.
“Helping patients achieve the goal of well-being involves understanding the person, not just a symptom,” he says.
Bookwala has been in full-time practice as a family doctor for about three years at the Streetsville Medical Centre in Toronto. There, he sees it all. Patients with knee pain, wound infections, memory loss, drug addiction, or a mother with a baby she is worried about. It is a practice that includes sports medicine, geriatric medicine and pediatrics. “I chose family medicine because it is a flexible career that allows me to branch out into many different spaces,” he says.
“The exciting part of family medicine is getting to know people, understanding what their interests are, what motivates them and then using that to help them in their health journey.
Like any doctor, Bookwala is busy. “There are a lot of pressures in terms of people asking for appointments and the paperwork burden has increased significantly. Also, the emergency departments are under a lot of stress, especially because of COVID.” That results in medical clinics being swamped with work, but Bookwala’s philosophy is that “it only takes a minute to ask someone a question about their life."
Born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Bookwala’s parents came to Canada when he was 11 years old. He grew up in Mississauga and his interest in kinesiology developed in high school, where his favourite subject was gym class. Then, while in recovery after breaking an ankle during a rugby tournament, he also became interested in rehabilitation medicine.
A magical time
He chose the University of Waterloo because he saw it as an innovative school with a co-op Kinesiology program that gives students work experiences while they are completing their courses.
“It was a great school, and it prepared me well for a career in medicine,” he says. He cites various classes, such as Russ Tupling’s course in energy metabolism and how muscle cells work, and the Anatomy Lab where Hugh Scoggan (now retired) was senior lab demonstrator. The Anatomy Lab provides students with the opportunity to work with pre-dissected human cadavers, something that Bookwala says gave him an edge when he got to medical school.
He says he also gained skills in programs run by Caryl Russell from the Centre for Community, Clinical and Applied Research Excellence (CCCARE), including UW WELL-FIT, which provides exercise programs for individuals who are currently in, or have previously undergone, cancer treatment.
He was also a residence life don when he was at Waterloo, something that Bookwala says provided him with leadership and communication skills.
Overall, Bookwala describes his experience at Waterloo as “a magical time.”
Create a safe space
He went on to get his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Ottawa (2017) and did his College of Family Physicians of Canada family medicine residency through the University of Toronto (2019). Besides being a doctor, he currently leads what are known as “portfolio” groups for medical school students at the University of Toronto. The groups allow medical students to reflect on their journey in medicine (for example, after they have their first experience with a cadaver).
Bookwala started his family medicine practice in May 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 epidemic. A lot of the work during COVID was by phone or virtual appointments. “That was a challenge for me because the patient relationship is the motivation for getting into family medicine," he says. He did his best, even then, to ask questions that went beyond the symptoms.
Part of their journey
He has challenging patients who will resist taking care of themselves, or patients who relapse while trying to tackle an addiction problem. But he says the key is to listen to them and try to get at the root of the problem. “You can be a reservoir of knowledge, but unless you relate to them – unless you meet them where they are, you’re not going to get anywhere,” Bookwala says. “The worst thing you can do to someone when they are at a vulnerable point is to brush aside their concerns.”
He also experiences the satisfaction of seeing people become well. One of his patients who was struggling with addiction recently was able to wean off several drugs and started pulling his life together. Bookwala gets to share in those successes. “I treasure that a lot and it is what keeps me going,” he says. “It truly is a privilege to be a part of their journey in life and I get to see them become these amazing, self-actualized individuals.”
Bookwala says he is grateful the University of Waterloo nurtured his interest in medicine. “I hope I can continue to do the University proud,” he says.
