By: Jashan Gill,

On September 2nd, the Brampton Environmental Alliance had the privilege of leading a workshop for the incoming class of medical students at the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine as part of their Community Day. The session was organized and facilitated by BEA board member Jashan Gill, asissted by fellow BEA board members and TMU medical students. The goal was simple but meaningful: to introduce Brampton’s future physicians to the deep connection between environmental and human health, and to show them that the conditions people live in; the air they breathe, the heat they endure, the green space they can access, all shape health long before a patient ever reaches a clinic.

The afternoon combined a presentation on the BEA’s work with a series of hands-on activities. The session grounded big ideas in local realities, from the Emerald Energy from Waste incinerator and its impact on nearby communities, to the citizen-science work of the Brampton Air Quality Network, our community-owned air monitoring project built in partnership with Algoma University.

Roughly 30 incoming medical students took part, engaging thoughtfully with questions of environmental justice, community health, and the physician’s role as an advocate. The depth of the students’ thinking was remarkable. Working through realistic, Brampton-based patient scenarios, groups connected childhood asthma to nearby industrial emissions, extreme heat to housing and isolation among seniors, and long commutes to traffic pollution and food deserts, consistently tracing health back to its environmental and social roots. In the “$1 Million Brampton Challenge,” they designed thoughtful, measurable solutions, from multilingual public transit improvements for newcomer families to air quality advocacy campaigns, each with a plan for tracking real impact.

It was a genuine reminder that these future physicians are already thinking like community advocates. Many left eager to get involved, whether through air quality data analysis, public health communication, or mentoring Brampton high school students through our Youth Environmental Health Ambassador Program. It was a powerful reminder that the next generation of doctors is ready to think beyond the clinic and into the community.

Looking ahead, the BEA is excited to continue building this partnership with the TMU School of Medicine, deepening opportunities for medical students to engage with our air quality work and youth programming throughout the year. Special thanks to our board members Amisha Moorjani, Chaya Chengappa, and Polly Thornham for helping make the day run smoothly, to Gunjan Sharda for her work preparing the session, and to TMU medical students Jordan Ramnarine and Helen Abay, along with the second-year Orientation Leaders, for their partnership and facilitation support. Our thanks as well to the incoming students for their energy, curiosity, and commitment to the health of our community. Welcome to Brampton, we can’t wait to work alongside you!