Aspiring resident looks to gain community clinic experience and learn from physician mentors
By Abbotsford Division staff
Growing up in Abbotsford, Jastinder Bhandal never imagined that pursuing medicine would take him halfway around the world to Ireland. Now, after completing his medical degree at the University of Limerick, the Abbotsford-raised student is preparing for the next stage of his journey: applying for family medicine residency while remaining connected to the community that first inspired his interest in health care.
“The longer I’ve been away, the more I’ve appreciated what makes Abbotsford special,” said Bhandal. “It’s a community where people genuinely support one another, and I’ve been fortunate to experience that support throughout my own journey.”
Before attending medical school, Bhandal completed a degree in Kinesiology at the University of the Fraser Valley. During that time, he became involved in a variety of volunteer and community initiatives, from co-founding the Hearts for Humanity Society to volunteering with Canucks Autism Network and supporting patients in the Emergency Department at Abbotsford Regional Hospital. Those experiences helped shape his interest in family medicine.
“I’ve always been drawn to the community side of health care,” he said. “What attracted me to family medicine was the opportunity to build long-term relationships with patients and to be involved in people’s lives over time, not just during a single visit.”
Even while studying overseas, Bhandal made effort to stay connected to Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley. One of the ways he has done that is through The Abbotsford Health Column, a monthly health column published in The Patrika newspaper in collaboration with the Abbotsford Division of Family Practice. For nearly two years, he has written articles on topics ranging from diabetes and cardiovascular disease to mental health, healthy aging, and palliative care.
Written in both English and Punjabi, this column was created to help make health information more accessible.
“Growing up, I saw how difficult it could be for families to find health information that felt relatable and culturally relevant,” said Bhandal. “The column gave me an opportunity to take topics we learn about in medicine and present them in a way that people could connect with in their everyday lives.”
Through that work, he has developed a deeper appreciation for the role family physicians play outside the walls of a clinic.
“Family medicine isn’t just about diagnosing and treating illness,” he said. “It’s about understanding the communities people come from, the challenges they face, and the factors that influence their health every day.”
One of the most meaningful projects Bhandal completed during medical school was writing and publishing a children’s book focused on mental health awareness within South Asian communities. The book, Changing Our Soch: Tara’s Story, was inspired by his late mother and explores themes of mental illness, stigma, and family support through child-friendly storytelling. For Bhandal, the project was deeply personal.
“My mom’s experience had a huge impact on my decision to pursue medicine,” he said. “I wanted to create something that could help start conversations about mental health in families where those conversations don’t always happen easily.”
Proceeds from the book have been donated to the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society, helping support mental health education and advocacy initiatives across the province. While much of medical training focuses on clinical knowledge, Bhandal believes some of the most important lessons have come from community engagement.
“Medicine teaches you a lot about disease, but communities teach you about people,” he said. “The volunteer work, the writing, the conversations with families, those experiences have shaped me just as much as anything I’ve learned in a lecture hall.”
As he prepares to apply for residency, Bhandal says he is grateful for the mentorship and support he has received from physicians and organizations throughout the Fraser Valley, including the Abbotsford Division of Family Practice.
“The Division has been incredibly supportive throughout medical school,” he said. “Whether it was helping connect me with physicians, supporting community initiatives, or simply encouraging me along the way, they’ve played an important role in helping me stay connected to home.”
Bhandal recently joined Abbotsford Medical Centre as a clinic assistant, working under Dr. Caroline Cook, who is also the Division’s physician lead for international medical graduate (IMG) recruitment.
He hopes the opportunity to gain experience in a family medicine clinic, while learning from experienced family physicians, will help prepare him for residency.
“No matter where residency takes me, my goal has always been the same: to serve communities like the one that raised me,” he said.
Supporting IMGs, from residency to practice, is a key pillar in the Abbotsford Division’s strategic priorities. By creating a place for physicians to grow and thrive, the Division is driving its vision of equitable access to team-based primary care for all Abbotsford residents.