Bruno Saleme is both an MD/Ph.D. Candidate with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta. While his list of awards over the last several years is quite impressive, this year alone, he received three major awards, including the Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Graduate Studentship and the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Dean’s Doctoral Studentship. What is even more impressive is that his research is the first in the world to propose an effective way to protect the heart against the harmful side-effects of chemotherapy.
Growing up in Lebanon, Bruno immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 13 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alberta. What makes Bruno’s story a bit unique is that he spent years working in his family’s landscaping business and assumed it would be his destined path. However, he always had an interest in the sciences, which set him on a path for medical research. His advice to others: you have more potential than you think! He believes that many people underestimate their potential and limit themselves to what they think they can do when, in reality, they are yet to discover their real limits.
Bruno also shares that along the path, there are going to be many failures and that one can not be discouraged by these learning opportunities. Failures are necessary steps towards any achievement, and one must prepare to persevere. For him, the deep sense of joy he gets from making a discovery that can potentially impact the world makes the journey worth it.
