Aspiring physician solves problems wherever he finds them

Umair Majid sets his goals high, then pours on the energy and enthusiasm until he reaches them.

After a personal setback pushed him to the brink of depression during his early days at McMaster, he came back stronger than ever, full of determination to solve problems wherever he finds them.

Majid, an aspiring physician, is interested in health policy research and global mental health. The Mississauga resident is set to graduate June 16 with a degree in Life Sciences.

His degree makes him an outsider in a family of electrical engineers – including one brother who also graduated from McMaster – but he has their full support.

Along with his diploma, he’ll be carrying ­– and sharing ­– a load of inspiring life experiences from his undergraduate years.

Here at McMaster, he started a student club called Overcome the Gap, with the deliberately broad and optimistic mandate of closing the gaps between students around the world and using their resources to tackle such problems as poverty and political conflict.

What started as a campus club has grown into a non-profit organization, with growing support at home and abroad, with interest coming from as far away as Pakistan, all with the goal of empowerment for all.

“It’s more of a movement than an organization,” Majid says. “Anyone, anywhere, can get involved.”

A source of inspiration for Majid’s was his own course work, which included a paper on looking at the improved physical success of stroke survivors, amputees and patients with chronic pain who find positive new meaning in life.

Outside of his studies and club work, Majid also spent years volunteering off campus. At Brain Injury Services in downtown Hamilton, he helped a visually impaired client with his schoolwork once a week, finding a way to help him understand a printed textbook and do assignments in Braille.

At the Behaviour Institute, he worked with autistic children once a week for two years.

The thread that connects all his experiences, he says, is reaching out, taking a chance and being positive about what will happen.

He is quick with an answer when asked for his advice for the students who will follow him: “You should optimize your personal and professional development and take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. Be willing to be uncomfortable in a variety of situations.”