A Kinesiology alumnus thriving in medicine

Dr. Benjamin Mori

My professors at the University of Guelph-Humber were interested in teaching us how to think critically.

When Dr. Benjamin Mori first began his post-secondary education, he had fitness on the mind.

Coming out of high-school, Dr. Mori’s principal interest was exercise, so he enrolled in Humber College’s Fitness and Health Promotion program. After two years at Humber, he decided that he wanted to pursue a degree, so he enrolled in the University of Guelph-Humber’s Kinesiology program. After two years and a summer semester, Dr. Mori earned an Honours Bachelor of Applied Science in Kinesiology.

He also found a further passion for research and health, and decided to continue his education. Now, Dr. Mori is a medical student at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, an institution with a history dating back to 1852. He is specifically focused on working in anesthesia.

Dr. Mori recalls when he first decided this was the path for him. As one of two field placements he completed during his time at the University of Guelph-Humber, Dr. Mori travelled to Uganda to perform hospice work in preventative medicine and train village health teams.

“It was a way to dive right into it. It was an eye-opener both culturally and for what I might want to do in the future in terms of pursuing a medical career,” Dr. Mori said.

“That was the moment when I realized medicine was for me.”

Mori felt that the variety offered by UofGH’s Kinesiology program really helped him find his path. He was grateful to be exposed to such diverse disciplines as chiropractic medicine, physiotherapy and personal training, even if he ultimately decided to focus his studies elsewhere.

“You get a wide exposure to different career paths, and I was able to decide some were for me, and others weren’t,” he explained.

Dr. Mori’s second placement was at a doctor’s office, and that experience only strengthened his resolve to continue on in his studies, eventually doing so at the Saint James School of Medicine in Anguilla. Dr. Mori found that studying there required significant independent learning, for which he leaned on his experiences at UofGH.

“My professors at the University of Guelph-Humber were interested in teaching us how to think critically, instead of memorizing facts,” he explained.

“When I had to do so much self-directed learning later, the skills I learned from UofGH and being able to obtain information and think about it critically – I credit some of that experience with helping me score so well on the board exams and giving me the opportunity to continue in my profession.”

The placement course at UofGH helped Dr. Mori get research experience at another post-secondary institution. He became passionate about research, and did not stop after that introductory experience. Just recently, Dr. Mori won an award from the American College of Physicians’ annual conference for a research article he wrote.

“That taste for research started at the University of Guelph-Humber,” Dr. Mori said.