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Home / 2016 / June / 10 / Cancer researcher and advocate wins top student prize
Teaching & Learning

Cancer researcher and advocate wins top student prize

June 10, 2016

UBC microbiology student Bhavan Panghali is this year’s winner of the $10,000 Pushor Mitchell LLP Gold Medal Leadership Prize.

UBC microbiology student Bhavan Panghali is this year’s winner of the $10,000 Pushor Mitchell LLP Gold Medal Leadership Prize.

Aspiring pediatric physician Bhavan Panghali is among the 1,760 graduates at UBC’s Okanagan campus this week.

The microbiology student is also the recipient of the largest undergraduate award given to an Okanagan student—the $10,000 Pushor Mitchell LLP Gold Medal Leadership Prize.

“Words can’t express how much gratitude I have for Pushor Mitchell and for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences,” says Panghali. “This prize will help me continue to give back to UBC and the Okanagan for what they have given me—passion and support for learning and pursuing my goals.”

Along with being a summer research intern at the BC Cancer Agency—where she also spent much of her time volunteering—Panghali was instrumental in creating the UBC Okanagan Cancer Fighter’s Club, and planning the UBC Okanagan Relay for Life—raising more than $80,000 in three years. She is also a founding member of the first campus-wide Interdisciplinary Games taking place this September. She plans to use her Pushor Mitchell award towards medical school tuition when she applies in 2018.

Wisdom J. Tettey, Dean of the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, says that Panghali is a worthy recipient of the prestigious prize, noting she exceeds the criteria, especially when it comes to giving back to the community.

“Over the four years that Bhavan has been at UBC, she has encouraged others to get involved through her fundraising efforts, worked to improve the lives of those affected by cancer, and inspired faculty and students alike to do their best and excel in the areas they can make a difference,” says Tettey. “We are honoured to have Bhavan as a member of the elite group of award winners.”

In addition to outstanding academic achievement, the Pushor Mitchell prize is also based on demonstrated leadership. For Panghali, leadership comes in a lot of different forms.

“Leadership takes a lot of courage,” she says. “You should lead in what you are passionate about, not in what is expected of you. You can’t be afraid to be the first or only one. Leading is an important role, but so is supporting. We all need supporters.”

James Paterson, managing partner at Pushor Mitchell LLP, says the firm is proud to support Panghali through the award.

“Strong leadership is at the core of healthy, vibrant communities. We at Pushor Mitchell believe that Bhavan has demonstrated her leadership skills admirably” says Paterson. “The firm is happy to support her as she furthers her education and career and grows into an even stronger community leader.”

In addition to academic achievement, to win the Gold Medal Leadership Prize candidates must demonstrate leadership in:

  • Community service or volunteerism
  • Cross-cultural relations
  • Promotion of diversity
  • Intellectual pursuits
  • Artistic or athletic endeavours.

—30—

Media Contact

Patty Wellborn
Media Relations Strategist
University Relations

The University of British Columbia
Okanagan campus
Tel: 250 317 0293
E-mail: patty.wellborn@ubc.ca

Content type: Media Release
More content from: Irving K Barber School of Arts and Sciences (prior July 2020)

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About UBC Okanagan

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory the campus resides. The most established and influential global rankings all consistently place UBC in the top five per cent of universities in the world, and among the top three Canadian universities.

The Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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