Jacqueline Lim

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Mississauga, ON

Medical student
University of Toronto
Mississauga, ON

CWHHA member since 2023

Biography

Hi there! My name is Jacqueline and I am a senior medical student at the University of Toronto. I was drawn to both medicine and women’s health after spending a few years in my undergraduate career working in a lab studying endometriosis. My time researching the condition exposed me to the various ways in which women and other sex and gender minorities are underserved in the healthcare setting. I saw firsthand how pain can easily be ignored and overlooked under the simple guise of “period problems”. The stigma and neglect of these issues consequently lead to delays in diagnosing, and ultimately managing the condition appropriately.

I began to realize that such problems extended beyond the realm of gynaecologic and pregnancy-related issues, and even beyond the world of academia. It was clear to me that sex and gender have an immense impact on what makes an individual “healthy” and how they interact with the healthcare system, and yet, very little is understood about these nuances. Specifically, women’s cardiovascular health remains an understudied area that has extremely consequential but entirely preventable effects on patients.

Now as I progress through the clinical portion of my early medical training, I continue to witness these disparities on a regular basis. I am hopeful with the next generation of healthcare professionals and researchers, we are not only more mindful, but more proactive about integrating an intersectional approach to understanding and practicing medicine.