The privilege of supporting others: Jonathan Ding establishes two awards for MD students

For Jonathan Ding (MD ’15), being a physician and an advocate for others go hand in hand, a view that has driven him to help break down barriers to education for those following him into medicine.

At 35 years old, Ding has already endowed the He Ding and Yufen Yin Scholarship and Rose Patricia Ransome Memorial Award in support of MD students at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

As a graduate of U of T’s MD Program — and a member of the first graduating class from University of Toronto’s Mississauga Academy of Medicine (MAM) — Ding understands how financial support helps students experience a well-rounded medical education. Being a bursary and scholarship recipient himself, he says this aid helped him during his training and early career.

“When I was a medical student, I really felt like I could become anything I wanted to. I want students to be able to feel the same way, that they could pursue any specialty they want, engage in extracurriculars, focus on their own interests and maintain school-life balance,” says Ding. “I want them to be the best medical students they can be.”

Since its establishment in 2011, MAM has prepared students for every type of career in medicine. From classroom learning to hands-on clinical placements with Trillium Health Partners (THP), MAM supports 216 of the 1,100-plus undergraduate medical students enrolled in U of T's four-year MD Program. Ding was one of 54 medical students welcomed in their inaugural year.

“I’m still really proud to call some of my graduating classmates some of my best friends,” says Ding. “It’s been a really positive experience all around.”

Supporting communities

A family and emergency medicine physician, Ding has dedicated his career to patients who often otherwise might fall between the health system’s cracks. He cares for patients experiencing homelessness with Inner City Health Associates, as well as for patients discharged without family doctors at North York General Hospital’s Access Clinic. 

“Running a clinic in a shelter really takes a team and it takes a village,” he says. “It's the nurses who visit as part of the Inner City Health Associates, it's the case managers on site, a lot of social workers and a lot of advocacy.”

From helping patients access social support to ensuring they can afford medications, Ding says a large part of this work is advocating for patients so they get the care they require.

“A lot of our work is the same as primary care in a walk-in clinic — like managing chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure,” says Ding. “It is making sure that I am advocating for my patients, so they get the access to care that they need. Whether that is housing or making sure that they're in the process of getting health insurance and really advocating so that they are seen by specialists.”

After completing his family medicine residency, Ding first practiced in Canada’s territories working in rural medicine, a branch of health care located in non-urban, remote areas where access to specialist care and resources are limited.

“It was a pleasure learning from our remote and Indigenous communities,” says Ding. “Working with remote communities also helped me develop my skills in emergency medicine and as a hospitalist.”

From his experiences in rural medicine to working in shelters, social impact and responsibility in health care remains important to Ding. Now established in his career, Ding sees supporting students as a way to continue to uphold these values.

“I see it as a huge privilege to be in a position where I can give back,” says Ding. “I hope that I can encourage others to also take that step if they're able to — because I benefited a lot, and I'm sure that our students also would really benefit from similar help.”