ALIA DHARAMSI

Dr Alia Dhramsi was 3 months into her work as an ER physician in Toronto when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and as the most junior member of the team in the UHN Emergency Room, she took on the challenge of preparing two large teams of nurses and doctors for the incoming pandemic. The day the first Canadian case of COVID-19 was diagnosed, Dr Dharamsi began developing and implementing simulation exercises using phosphorescent dust to identify all potential PPE breaches - the first time in the world this was used for COVID-10 preparedness.

Dr Dharamsi was instrumental in developing many of the processes and procedures that are still used today in the ER at UHN and across Ontario. After these simulation exercises, Dr Dharamsi joined vaccination efforts to vaccinate in Toronto’s vulnerable communities.

Bringing vaccines to community centers, parks, ice rinks, schools, and just about anywhere they could, Dr Dharamsi and the teams she worked with worked tirelessly to make vaccinations accessible.