Skip to main content
SFU Staff
Faculty of Health Sciences
Communications Assistant

Photo of Simran
"For Purewal, her FHS undergraduate experience taught her to be reflexive, citing how crucial it is to understand how positionality shapes ones work, and to be prepared to reflect on ones beliefs and assumptions."

Simran Purewal, who graduates with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) this month, has been awarded the 2022 Dean's Convocation Medal. The annual award recognizes graduating students that have accomplished outstanding academic achievements. 

She worked in multiple student leadership roles in the SFU community: Arts Representative and VP Student Life with the Health Sciences Undergraduate Student Union (HSUSU), a peer mentor with the Health Sciences Peer Mentorship Program, and founder and editor-in-chief of the Health Sciences Undergraduate Journal (HSUJ).

“Getting involved in HSUSU and Peer Mentorship allowed me to work collaboratively with other students to connect with the broader community and host events such as our annual career panel and socials,” she explains.

Purewal also pursued various experiential learning opportunities to explore her passion for healthy equity and community engaged research. She worked as a Research Coordinator for the COVID-19 Health Literacy Study for her co-op, examining the health literacy levels of post-secondary students and exploring how the pandemic affected the mental and physical health of this populations.

“Through this project, we published multiple articles, including two first author papers, and presented our findings at an international conference. From this, I was fortunate to continue working with Paola Ardiles as a Research Associate for a community engaged project, exploring the barriers in the medical licensing process for internationally trained physicians,” she recounts. “Overall, meeting and being mentored by inspiring faculty members, like Paola Ardiles, was one of the highlights of my experience at FHS.”

In the final year of her degree, she established the HSUJ with the goal of creating a low-barrier platform for students to share their research and course work, and gain experience with the peer-review process.

“Many students have expressed their interest in getting involved in research before grad school; through this journal, students were encouraged to submit research related to health equity, public health, and global health,” she explains. “With the help of the journal’s senior editors, we trained a team of 12 peer reviewers, copy editors, and layout editors and successfully managed the journal and published our first issue in May.”

With the completion of her BA, she looks forward to staying involved in research and pursuing a Masters of Science in Health Policy or Migration Studies abroad. For Purewal, her FHS undergraduate experience taught her to be reflexive, citing how crucial it is to understand how positionality shapes ones work, and to be prepared to reflect on ones beliefs and assumptions.


This story was originally published on the Faculty of Health Sciences website on June 6, 2022.

SFU Staff
Faculty of Health Sciences
Communications Assistant
visibility  206
Jun 6, 2022

You Might Like These... Career Exploration, Professional Development, Workplace Transition, Student Success, SFU Alumni, Convocation

Guy wearing his graduation gown, standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking the city
Justin's Journey

After Justin and Samantha decided to create Career Friends, the rest was history. They have kept each other on track while job-hunting post graduation. Read Justin's story about his experiences after graduating in 2002, and how he overcame the challenges of finding full-time employment.

Graduation ceremony
How to Prepare for the Workforce Before Graduation

How do you stand out and stay ahead of the game in today's increasingly competitive job market? Read on to learn about 4 important resources that can help you advance your career while you're still in school.

christina wu laughing
Life After Co-op Series: Connecting Local and Global Experience

Christina Wu finished a joint major in Business and Communication at SFU and is now working as a Communications Coordinator for the BC Council for International Education. She sat down with us to share her rich Co-op experiences and how they played a significant part in developing the skills and connections she has today.

You Might Like These... Convocation

Photo of Asia
Advocating for the Wrongfully Convicted

Criminology student, Asia Clarke, shares her journey into community building and how she became an advocate for the wrongfully convicted.

students at an SFU assembly
Top Ten: Tips For a Successful Transition

If you've recently graduated, or are about to, the prospect of transitioning from the comfort and predictability of a student lifestyle to the dynamic unpredictability of the world of work can seem daunting.

Photo of Joanna
Reconciliation Through Indigenized Nursing Education

Joanna Fraser graduates with an EdD in Culturally Inclusive Place-Based Education (CIPB). Read about her reflections on being a community nurse and educator in rural settings, as well as her learnings from Indigenous mentors in creating an inclusive practice.