Toronto Community Housing is ready to develop The Next Surgeon
May 20, 2025
“I was one of the very few Black individuals in many of my science classes. There also aren't a lot of Black doctors and surgeons. Black surgeons [and] surgeons of colour are severely underrepresented in our healthcare system.”
This is part of what drew Akachukwu Nwakoby, a medical student at the University of Toronto, to become Program Manager of The Next Surgeon, a life-changing program that invites high school students (grades 10-12) who live in Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) buildings to study cardiac surgery for a semester and encourage them to pursue a career in medicine.
Delivered in partnership with the Unity Health Toronto hospital network, TCHC selects new applicants each year, allowing these students to spend weeks getting a glimpse of what it’s like to work in the medical field. Through workshops, interactive sessions and mentorship opportunities, they are also given guidance to help them navigate their future educational journeys toward becoming a healthcare professional. This includes making them aware of the tools, including scholarships and volunteer opportunities, to make their dreams a reality.
Dr. Bobby Yanagawa, founder of the program and division head of cardiac surgery at St. Michael's Hospital, says that the students get to participate in simulations where they “get their hands wet…[giving] them the confidence to say, 'Yes, I could be a heart surgeon, this is in my grasp.'"
“We want the heart surgery teams to reflect the patients we serve, the communities that we serve, and the communities we serve are very diverse," he adds.
“This program has a huge impact in these communities, who traditionally are coming from underrepresented groups, because they get to see themselves reflected,” says Arsema Berhane, Acting Director, Programs and Partnerships, TCHC. “They also get to have honest conversations, ask questions to folks who understand where they're coming from and can…show them the ropes because they've been there and they've gone through some of the hurdles that our young people will also face. This is an opportunity to remove some of those barriers.”
The Next Surgeon Program was recently honoured with the 2024 Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) Innovation Award, and in year two, the program expanded to include more students and areas of healthcare, with registration for 2025 recently closing. Those interested in signing up for the next cohort, or who know a TCHC resident who is, are asked to keep an eye out on the program page for new information.
Says Dr. Yanagawa, “I think that talent is equally distributed in all communities, so it cannot be a lack of talent. It must be a lack of access and opportunity. That's what we want to change.”