On this International Women’s Day, we recognize some of the many women who contribute to the Michener community and healthcare education, such as Ultrasound Professor Noor Hesson.
Noor Hesson was always determined to enter a medical field, and she found sonography to be the perfect fit for a social butterfly with the passion and skills to succeed in applied health sciences.
“Through this role you get to help on the diagnostic front and also interact with patients,” she says. “With so much face-to-face interaction, we’re given the chance to make a positive impact on their healthcare journey.”
Following her completion of a Bachelor of Medical Radiation Sciences at McMaster University, Noor worked at several hospitals, including the William Osler Health System in Etobicoke – where she fell into a teaching role for clinical placements and new hires.
While completing a Master of Health Management as she continued to work at William Osler, a colleague informed her of an opportunity to become a professor at Michener, which provided another opportunity to explore and expand her horizons.
“I’ve had wonderful educators, and both of my parents were also educators,” she says. “It’s been very enjoyable to be able to give back as an educator myself.”
As she shifted to work full-time as faculty at Michener, Noor made sure to maintain casual work shifts in clinics.
“Part of it for me is practicing what you preach,” she says. “To teach students these skills, I have to be on top of the skills myself, I have to continue on my own journey of education.”
“There’s so many wonderful things you learn in clinics that you can bring back to learning settings.”
Noor says she was fortunate to have had so many positive female role models on her journey, from educators to clinicians and colleagues. As she recounts how she began her master’s degree with a newborn sitting in her lap, she says her story is far from unique – and in there she found a network of support to help achieve her goals.
“I think it’s a testament to how much we can do as women,” Noor says. “We can be powerhouses at work, and caring and nurturing mothers at home, while also being both educators and students ourselves.”
“I think we can do it all, and I think we are doing it all.”
Noor says she appreciates all those who helped pave the way for women in healthcare, and she hopes to be able to do the same for the next generation of female health professionals.
“The doors are open now thanks to those who came before us,” says Noor, “and I think it’s our job to keep open the doors for those who will come after us – to continue to inspire and share opportunities with them.”.