Dr. Priya Koilpillai ‘10 knew from a very young age she wanted to enter the world of medicine. After graduating from Grammar, Priya attended Queens University where she obtained her Bachelor of Life Sciences with a minor in Global Development. She was awarded the National Loran Scholarship.
Having spent time at St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI) in Bangalore, India, and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, Priya was excited to return home to attend Dalhousie Medical School where she was class president and was awarded prizes for excellence in Cardiology, Urology, and the highest standing in Patient Care.
Her residency brought her to the Alberta Health Services in Calgary for Internal Medicine. Priya is completing an additional year of fellowship in echocardiography in Toronto and will finally be returning home to Nova Scotia with hopes of finding her dream position as a community cardiologist.
“A lot of young physicians want to leave because we are paid more in other provinces and have better resources,” she says, “but I have a different perspective, having tried it and realized that there is no place like home.”
Priya will not only have the honour of following in her father’s footsteps (Dr. Chris Koilpillai has been a cardiologist at the Halifax Infirmary for over 42 years) but will start her own legacy as a female cardiologist.
To read more about Priya's story, and to hear what other Grammar alumni are up to, check out the July 2024 issue of our Alumni Newsletter.