A Western medical student will receive a national award for community leadership and advocacy.
Laney Beaulieu, whose spirit name is Dream Weaver, is a Dene and Metis woman from Denı́nu Kų́ę, also known as Fort Resolution, an Indigenous community of 500 people on the southern shore of Tu Nedhe (Great Slave Lake), in the Northwest Territories.
The third-year medical student is one of 17 across the country receiving the 2023 Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) Award for Medical Students.
"It's exciting for me because I feel like it makes everyone in my community proud as well," Beaulieu said. "It helps to diminish the negative stereotypes about my community when people like me get awards and accolades from institutions like this."
Beaulieu was raised by her grandmother, who staffed a nursing station for close to 40 years. She said she realized early in life that she wanted to follow in her grandmother's footsteps.
Though there are no opportunities for a physician to live and practice in Denı́nu Kų́ę, Beaulieu still made a plan to pursue medicine. She home-schooled herself in order to meet the requirements to apply to university.
Beaulieu completed her undergraduate degree in medical science and biochemistry at Western. Though her plan is to return to the Northwest Territories, she stayed in London to get her medical degree.
"I became very connected to the Indigenous community in London, and the Indigenous Student Centre at Western offered a lot of support," she said. "It was hard to imagine a better environment to continue my education."
First year students at the Schulich School of Medicine must complete a one-week placement that introduces students to rural and regional medicine. This 'Discovery Week' is typically done in southwestern Ontario.
Beaulieu received special permission to complete her placement at the Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife.
"It was surreal to have the opportunity to work at the hospital in Yellowknife, because it’s exactly what I want to do in the future," she said.
Her end-goal is to practice psychiatry at the Stanton Territorial Hospital.
"I would love to be a stable force for patients there, and someone who could be present in community mental health work as well," she said. "As a person the community already knows and trusts, I’m looking forward to returning home to help."
Outside of her studies, Beaulieu currently serves on the board of directors of the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation, is a member of the Leadership Circle for the Indigenous Medical Students Association of Canada, and recently completed her term as Student Director on the board of directors for the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada.
As part of the CMHF award, Beaulieu will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and a travel subsidy to attend the 2024 Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Vancouver.
