Student Bianca Zussino Wins a McCall MacBain Regional Award

Bianca Zussino has received a McCall MacBain Regional Award—joining a select group of high-achieving university students from across the country.

"This honour shows me that anyone can be a leader if you do something you're passionate about," she says.

This year, Bianca ranked among the top 90 of more than 700 Canadian applicants for the McCall MacBain Regional Award. "I hope to further explore the intersection of clinical medicine, research, and patient-centred care," she says.

The award recognizes students who have demonstrated exceptional character, community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic strength, and intellectual curiosity.

Bianca is in her fourth year of Lakehead's Honours Bachelor of Science program, where she majors in biology and neuroscience. Her goal is to become a doctor.

She's thrilled to have won the $5,000 award and will use it to help fund her graduate studies. Bianca is particularly interested in gastroenterology, which treats conditions of the stomach, intestines, and esophagus.

She was drawn to this field by a healthcare crisis she faced.

A Life Turned Upside Down

"When I was in grade 9, with no warning, I began experiencing extreme nausea and vomiting," Bianca says.

Doctors were baffled by her condition and a proper diagnosis was hampered by the lack of specialists in Thunder Bay.

"I never thought of myself as a leader as a kid," Bianca says. "I wasn't very outgoing, but the more I began volunteering in the community, the more confident I became." Left, Bianca helps prepare a meal at the Dew Drop Inn soup kitchen.

The next four years were a nightmare for Bianca. She was in and out of hospital, suffering from medical crises.

At one point, she was airlifted to a London hospital where she had a catheter inserted into a vein near her heart to get enough nutrition into her body.

Eventually, it was discovered that Bianca's stomach wasn't emptying properly. Only surgery in the United States helped alleviate her condition.

"My parents and I had to do a lot of advocacy to get treatment," she says.

Reaching a Crossroads

After Bianca recovered from her illness, she made a resolution.

She would become a neurogastroenterology specialist and researcher based in Thunder Bay, so that other northwestern Ontarians wouldn't have to suffer the way she had.

Bianca started contacting medical institutions to see if she could join their research teams.

She's now been a neurogastroenterology research intern with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital for two years.

Through her collaboration with Massachusetts General and Harvard, Bianca has written five research articles released in publications such as The American Journal of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

"Working with Harvard has been incredible," Bianca says.

"I spent the first eight weeks of my internship shadowing physicians at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. I was able to see how clinical decisions are made and observe endoscopic procedures."

She's also been busy conducting gut motility disorder research with the team in Boston, and some of her work has been published in medical research journals.

Back home, Bianca has been fostering healthcare research in northwestern Ontario.

She belongs to the Compass North Clinic—run by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University and Lakehead students—and recently became their LU branch research lead.

Friend to the Young and the Elderly Alike

Bianca's contributions to her community go well beyond research.

She coordinates the Thunder Bay chapter of Let's Talk Science, which inspires youngsters to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Bianca manages a team of about 50 educators and volunteers as the Thunder Bay Let's Talk Science coordinator. "We send volunteers into local schools to give presentations and do fun STEM activities." Above, Bianca speaks to local elementary students.

As a patient family advisor at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Bianca shares patient perspectives on health care and advocates for change. While at St. Joseph's Care Group, she volunteers with their Elder Life Program.

"When my great-grandmother was a patient at St. Joseph's, I saw people who didn't have many visitors, and it broke my heart," she says.

This spurred Bianca to begin visiting seniors every week to provide support.

"I've gained as much as I've given—I've had the privilege of learning about their lives and the challenges they've overcome."

Bianca's volunteer work with the Children's Aid Society, as both a math tutor and a baby cuddler, is also close to her heart.

"Most of the babies I cuddle are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. They've been through a lot in their short lives, so it's wonderful to be able to comfort them."

Congratulations on your McCall MacBain Regional Award, Bianca! We're proud to have such an inspirational healthcare advocate in our community.

The McCall MacBain Scholarships are the result of a landmark $200 million gift in 2019, then the largest single donation in Canadian history, by John and Marcy McCall MacBain. More information about the McCall MacBain Scholarships can be found at mccallmacbainscholars.org.