Northumberland Hills Hospital announces 2025 scholarship winners
Photo provided by Northumberland Hills Hospital.
By: Cecilia Nasmith, Northumberland 89.7 FM News
Cobourg
At its June board meeting, Northumberland Hills Hospital announced that Aishwarya Rajesh Krishnan and Reagan Lalande have been selected as recipients of their 2025 Health Profession Scholarships, a prize of $1,500 per student.
“For the past 22 years, we have had the pleasure of awarding the Health Professions Scholarship to many accomplished students who are keen to make a difference in health care,” board chair Cyndi Gilmer said.
“This year, we were delighted to receive applications from students representing a broader range of disciplines and areas of study within the health-care system. While there were many deserving candidates who applied – and we commend all on their hard work and interest in NHH – the successful recipients of our 2025 scholarships, Aishwarya and Reagan, have both demonstrated a clear commitment to their chosen professions with a desire to return and practice in Northumberland County.”
These presentations continue a tradition begun by the board in 2003 to support students from West Northumberland in their pursuit of a career in the health-care sector. In addition to being enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a full-time study program, applicants are evaluated on a number of criteria, including academic achievements, extracurricular activities, a testimonial explaining their career goals in their own words, and written references.
Details of their achievements served as the first item of business on the board meeting's agenda.
Aishwarya is currently in her first year of medical school at the University of Toronto, having graduated in the top 3 percent from Queen's University's Bachelor of Health Sciences program.
As a medical student, she has demonstrated a desire to build more accessible, sustainable and equitable pathways within the health-care system.
An active member of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students' Health and Environment Adaptive Response Task Force (HEART), she founded global health literacy initiatives while actively engaging in research spanning Indigenous health, climate advocacy, cardiac health and health-care sustainability. She also served as Section Editor for the University of Toronto Medical Journal, and is a co-founder of a telemedicine educational initiative.
“Throughout my academic journey, I have sought to integrate service, leadership and scholarship,” Aishwarya said in her scholarship application. These experiences have solidified my commitment to delivering compassionate evidence-based care within community health-care settings.”
“Receiving the NHH Health Professions Scholarship would be a meaningful step in my journey toward serving the people of Northumberland County as a physician and advocate. I would be truly honoured to represent NHH's values in my future career.”
Aishwarya demonstrated a strong interest in volunteering in her home town of Cobourg, serving as a Medical First Responder for St. John Ambulance (of which she is still active) and as a student volunteer from 2019 to 2023 in the NHH Hospital Elder Life Program.
“This experience reinforced my passion for patient-centred care and deepened my admiration for the hospital's dedication to community wellness,” she wrote.
NHH Geriatric Activation Team Clinical Supervisor Amy Ludolph wrote a letter of recommendation praising Aishwarya's determination to become a physician.
“From my early contact with Aishwarya, I was able to see the drive and commitment to achieve her goals of becoming a physician, as she continually sought out more knowledge and experience than the average student,” the reference said.
“Aishwarya ensured that she was using her opportunities to gain not only experience but skills that she would knowingly utilize moving forward.”
Reagan Lalonde (also of Cobourg) recently earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in kinesiology at Brock University and has been accepted into the Niagara College Primary Care Paramedic program in pursuit of a graduate certificate for Advanced Care Paramedic.
As a future paramedic, Reagan hopes to improve patient quality outcomes through data-drive approaches within Emergency Medical Services. She would also like to provide public health education and community outreach programs that enhance emergency preparedness and awareness.
“I feel this occupation is vital among healthcare professions,” Reagan said in her application.
“This is because of the strong relationship and functioning system paramedics must have with the emergency room and hospital staff to provide the best possible care for patients. As a paramedic, I hope to make contributions to this community through providing advanced clinical skills in a hands-on setting for those needing care.”
Outside of a health-care environment, Reagan gained transferable skills through her involvement in softball, acting as an Assistant Coach for Brock University's incoming softball players. As a softball player herself, she earned the Connie Oliver Award for showing sportsmanship, leadership and dedication. Her leadership on and off the field was highlighted in a letter of recommendation from Brock softball coach Raegan Turner.
“I have had the pleasure of coaching Reagan over the past four years, and have witnessed her grow into an exceptional leader and mentor to her teammates,” Turner wrote.
“Whenever an opportunity arose to support the team, Reagan stepped up without hesitation, doing everything she could to help put the team in a position to succeed. Reagan possesses many qualities that I believe will make her an outstanding paramedic.”
Information on the Health Professions Scholarship Program can be found under the Careers section of the hospital website at nhh.ca. Applications are welcome any time, but typically close in February of each year , with presentations at the board's June meeting.
