This post is in three parts … 1997, followed by 2002, and then the
2006 update.
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UPDATE 1997:
Won the high-school section of the world public speaking and debate
championship at 17 in 1997. As a result, wins the prestegious I-STAR
award and gets named to the 100 Canadians to watch list published by
Maclean’s magazine.
His debating coach calls him the “Wayne Gretzky of speech.” Instead of
scoring goals with pucks, 17-year-old Rajwani of Edmonton scores
points with words. Enough points, in fact, for the Grade 12 student to
win the high-school section of the world public speaking and debate
championship at Taunton, England, earlier this year. Does that mean a
career in politics? Apparently not. “Actually, my best subjects are
math and the sciences, so I hope to go into medicine,” says Rajwani.
“I see public speaking as something that will open doors in the future.”
100 Canadians to Watch – McLeans Magazine
2002 – MD/PhD program
Talib Rajwani, recent winner of an Alberta Science and Technology
Leader of Tomorrow Award, didn’t really set out to do research when he
started university. “I sort of stumbled upon research. I decided I
wanted to do something that intrigued me rather than actually deciding
when I left high school that I wanted to do research,” says Talib.
“When I first arrived at the U of A I finished 2 years in Physiology
and from there was admitted into Medicine. After doing 2 years in the
MD program I really decided I wanted to pursue a career in research
and balance that career in research with clinical medicine. What
changed my mind about research was my experience in the lab over the
course of the first two summers in medical school. As I spent more
time in the lab, I discovered I really enjoyed the environment. One of
the fundamental characteristics all researchers share is an innate
sense of curiosity that can never be satisfied and I found the whole
pursuit of knowledge to be very exciting and very fulfilling. From
there I decided to do a PhD and now I’m in the last year of the PhD
wrapping things up before I return to the MD program to finish my last
two years.”
UPDATE 2006 – the latest
Dr. Rajwani recently finished his Medical Sciences PhD in the
University of Alberta Department of Radiology and is currently
completing the clinical portion of his MD. He remains engaged in a
series of projects investigating the potential causes of scoliosis.
Over the last three years, Dr. Rajwani has published 14 scientific
articles. He has also made over 30 presentations at various scientific
meetings around the world. He received the best student paper award at
the 2004 International Research Society for Spinal Deformities meeting.
Ismailimail 