Awards and Scholarships

The Community Health Advocate Entrance Award was established by the South Asian Community Health Task Force (SACHTF), a grassroots, non-profit organization that originated in November 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. By creating this award, the SACHTF seeks to recognize a first-year student entering the TMU MD Program who has demonstrated a commitment to promoting health literacy and advocating for marginalized communities. This entrance award will provide financial support for aspiring physicians who reflect the diversity of the Peel Region and demonstrate the drive to positively impact the community’s health. Applicants must exhibit high academic standing, demonstrate financial need, and self-identify as a member of a historically disadvantaged group (as recognized by the Ontario Human Rights Code).

The Rimple Thakkar Award for Holistic Health Excellence was created by the family of Satish Thakkar, and named in honour of his late wife. The award will provide financial support for TMU School of Medicine students with a demonstrated interest and/or background in yoga and holistic health. Satish Thakkar, President of the Excelsior Financial Group, is a Canadian entrepreneur, community leader and a passionate philanthropist. Led by the guiding principles of social inclusiveness, entrepreneurship, and economic prosperity for all, the Thakkar family believes that Canada is an economic and sociocultural powerhouse because of its vast and varied diversity. Satish has been a pioneer in popularizing Yoga, Ayurveda and mindful living in Canada, and has organised many public programs in the Greater Toronto Area to promote the practice of Yoga and the Ayurvedic way of life.

Created in 2022, the Staffieri Family Scholarships in Medicine were the very first awards specifically for TMU School of Medicine students, created by then-Chair of the TMU Board of Governors, Anthony Staffieri and family. The Staffieri Family Scholarship in Medicine is a renewable entrance award for TMU School of Medicine students who demonstrate financial need and a commitment to primary health care, and who self-identify as belonging to a historically disadvantaged group (as recognized by the Ontario Human Rights Code). The Staffieri Family Scholarship in Medicine was created as part of a $1 million gift to TMU that also included scholarships for students in the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. The selection of the two scholarship areas recognized that improving access to medical and legal education are key priorities of the university.

The Sothiluchume TMU School of Medicine Entrance Scholarship was established by Dr. Nirojini Sivachandran to honor her late mother, Sothiluchume (Sothi) Sivachandran. Growing up in Sri Lanka through civil unrest, Dr. Sivachandran witnessed  the sheer strength of her mother as she raised her and her two brothers and kept their family safe. Dr. Sivachandran takes pride in her mother’s roots and in knowing she was raised by such a strong, caring and loving woman who instilled in her a zest for life. This award is created to support a passionate and motivated woman of South Asian heritage in the pursuit of medicine. While demonstrating financial need, this individual will also have excelled in their academics and revealed a strong commitment to the community.

The Moez & Marissa Kassam Excellence through Equity Scholarships, the first comprehensive scholarship program at the TMU School of Medicine, were created as part of Moez and Marissa Kassam’s landmark $5 million investment in the School of Medicine. These scholarships will cover full tuition for students demonstrating academic excellence and from communities underrepresented in the medical profession, empowering them to focus on their studies and future careers. Through the Moez & Marissa Kassam Equity Fund, the Kassam family’s transformative contribution takes a strategic investment approach to addressing the urgent need for skilled health-care professionals in the Peel region and reinforces TMU School of Medicine’s mission to transform health-care delivery in Ontario. These scholarships are awarded upon admission and by invite only. Learn more about Moez and Marissa Kassam’s investment here.

The Chanchlani Family Award is an endowed award providing support for students at the TMU School of Medicine who demonstrate financial need. The Chanchlani family have a distinguished track record of philanthropic activities and engagement. The Chanchlani Research Centre at McMaster University, for instance, explores environmental and genetic causes of cardiovascular diseases widely prevalent within South Asians and those of South Asian origin in Canada. This award  was created by Dr. Jaya Chanchlani, founder and director of the Chanchlani Foundation. The award provides one TMU medical student each year with $5,000. As an endowment, the Chanchlani Family Award will continue to support TMU School of Medicine students in perpetuity.

Born in India, Mohinder Chadha immigrated to Canada in 1969, where she became a pillar of support for the Brampton community. The Mohinder Chadha Memorial Award commemorates its namesake’s resilience and acknowledges her profound reliance on Canada’s health-care services throughout her life. Having undergone five mitral valve heart replacements, Mohinder faced immense physical challenges with grace and fortitude. Her experience underscored the critical importance of compassionate, skilled medical professionals—a value that this award seeks to uphold by empowering future doctors who have personal insights into overcoming adversity. Dedicated to supporting medical students with disabilities, the award reflects the Chadha family’s recognition that students with disabilities often face unique financial and systemic barriers in pursuing education yet are positioned to bring invaluable perspectives to the field of medicine. As graduates of TMU, sisters Ena and Meena Chadha hope that recipients of the Mohinder Chadha Memorial Award will not only excel in their studies but also carry forward their mother’s values of resilience, compassion and equity to contribute to an empathetic health-care system for all.