Shahana Alibhai reimagines treating youth suffering from mental health. While intertwining her story of vulnerability, Sharing the concept of emotional literacy and how this knowledge can lead to understanding connection and hope. Medicine was never the plan for Dr. Shahana Alibhai. She discovered her passion at age 15 when she went to her first fitness class. She became a BCRPA certified fitness instructor at age 17. Coupled with her love for cooking, by the age of 16, Dr. Shahana had also appeared on a number of cooking shows, demonstrating her ability to create innovative nutritious meals that highlighted her cultural background.

With the determination that an integrative approach to medicine is truly the future, Dr. Shahana went on to complete her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology followed by her medical degree. She completed a 2-year residency in Family Medicine which took her back home to Abbotsford BC.

Now as a family physician and the mother of two young boys, Shahana is a staff physician at a Youth Health Clinic where she works with youth between the ages of 12-24. She was a member of the UBC Family Medicine Residency Faculty for the last 3 years, has served on the BC College of Family Physicians Board and works as an accreditor for the National College of Family Physicians. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx