When he crosses the stage in Convocation Hall to collect his scroll, graduating Trinity College student Shiva Ivaturi will have already been in medical school for four months.
Ivaturi — who majored in neuroscience with immunology and biology minors — applied to the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary during his third year at U of T and was accepted. Currently, his main interest is in studying pain, which he describes as one of the least understood areas in medicine.
“I’m currently working on a research project that investigates how patients respond to pain and how they respond to input about pain,” he says. “For example, if you tell a patient that a procedure is going to hurt, how does that affect the way they perceive pain, even when the stimulus isn’t actually painful? There’s been very little, if any, research into this in pediatric patients, so I’m finding it very interesting.”
During his undergrad, Ivaturi was a Dean's List Scholar, and was awarded a Trinity College Chancellor's Scholarship, an Alexander Rutherford Scholarship, and a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State.
Prior to convocation, A&S News spoke to him about his undergraduate years at U of T and Trinity College.
How does it feel to be graduating?
It feels wonderful! I’m very excited to be moving on to the next chapter of my life and very appreciative of my U of T experience. The past three years really instilled a sense of self-awareness in me, something that is absolutely required for medical school. U of T exposed me to students across a variety of disciplines, students who were hardworking and changemakers in their respective fields. And that, in turn, inspired me to seek out innovation in my own field of interest, medicine. U of T’s been an excellent stepping stone on my way to reaching my dreams.
Can you describe the path you took to get to U of T?
Growing up, I moved around a lot. I was born in South Carolina, moved to Georgia, then to Texas. I lived in Copenhagen for two years, in grades nine and ten. Europe really shaped me and exposed me to a variety of cultural ideas that I wasn’t exposed to in the U.S. After Europe, I moved to Calgary in grade eleven, became a Canadian citizen and decided I wanted to go to U of T where there were many students like me who’d experienced the world the way I did. Having moved around so much, I was acutely aware of how important diversity is and how a lack of diversity can stifle important conversations. So, it was crucial to go to a school where people like me were represented.
How was your experience at Trinity College?
One of the most formative experiences at U of T was being part of student government at Trinity. I was drawn to Trinity because of its already tightknit community, and once I was there, I wanted to help cultivate that same sense of community for myself and my peers. And because I started at U of T in the middle of the pandemic, it was more important than ever to create this sense of togetherness. So, I organized events for first-year students living in residence with the goal of creating safe spaces for everyone in which they could talk and engage. It was incredibly rewarding.
You were also a member of Trinity’s Non-Residence Affairs Committee. What did you do with that group?
The Non-Residence Affairs Committee represents anyone not living in Trinity residence — so, about 1,600 out of the 2,000 Trinity students. I was the event coordinator for that committee, so I was involved in planning and hosting events for our commuter students. Then, I became head of the committee in my third year, and that was where I felt the most impactful. We got our commuter lounge up and running which was a space where students could come in and chat with me. We hosted many events throughout the year, going from maybe one or two online events a month during COVID to one in-person event every week. It was a huge achievement, and I was incredibly proud of it.
As you head to convocation, what advice would you give a student entering their first year?
Identify what you’re already interested in non-academically, make it your passion project and explore the ways you can make change outside the classroom. For example, learn more about Parkinson's disease and maybe get involved in advocacy to find a cure. Volunteer at a clinic where you can help patients with multiple sclerosis and learn firsthand about their lived experiences. Doing this teaches you who you really are and what you truly believe in and that's what sets you up for success outside the classroom and outside of your studies. Part of the reason I applied to med school early, graduated early and have already started is because I did so much exploration in so many different disciplines and I got so involved in things outside the classroom. It really showed me who I am and what I'm passionate about.