Aditi Sivakumar

Aditi Sivakumar is an incoming Obstetrics and Gynaecology resident doctor, philanthropist, and women’s rights advocate. She created “My Empowerment Platform”, a website offering a wide range of tools and information on gender-based violence which includes medical, legal and safety-planning resources. This digital portal is primarily designed for women and children facing violence.

Other initiatives include: “My Empowerment Packs”, wellness kits and resource booklets distributed to homeless youth and individuals fleeing violence. Through her efforts, over $40,000 worth of items were provided to domestic violence shelters across Canada.

Aditi received the Diana Award, the most prestigious accolade a young person can receive for their social action work. She was the only Canadian recipient to receive the Legacy Award which celebrates the achievements of twenty young leaders, visionaries and role models from around the world, who have inspired and mobilized new generations to serve their communities.

She also developed a patient-centered handout on smoking cessation and identified free and low-cost options for them to use. The handout is available on the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s website. In addition, Aditi developed an animated video on women’s health, available in multiple languages. Her work provides an example of an innovative care model which could be used in any clinic. 

Ms. Sivakumar is the youngest individual in the world to be appointed Board Vice Chair to the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO). Through her role, she co-led the Global Forum for Adolescents and the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change campaign. 

Aditi has shown an incredible capacity to pair her medical training with advocacy and volunteer work. An inspiring, passionate, and empathetic individual, she no doubt has the potential to be an outstanding future world health leader.