Dr. Zurab Ivanishvili (IMP Class of 2009) was a member of the second cohort to graduate from the UBC MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) Island Medical Program (IMP). We caught up with him to chat about his career so far and his medical school memories.
What have you been up to since graduating from the UBC MDUP IMP?
After graduating from the IMP, I went to Saskatoon for my six-year residency training program in neurosurgery. Afterwards, I returned to BC and completed a one-year fellowship training at Vancouver General Hospital subspecializing in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, deep brain stimulation. Subsequently I moved back to Vancouver Island for one year, working with the neurosurgery group at Victoria General Hospital. During this year, my wife and I welcomed our twin boys. In 2017, I was hired by Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH) in New Westminster, where I still work as a staff neurosurgeon. Along with my six neurosurgical colleagues, I serve almost 2 million people on the lower mainland. It’s still always nice to visit the IMP, like I did for the 20th anniversary event on June 12, 2025!
Are there any aspects of practicing medicine that have surprised you?
It always takes me by surprise to see how good it feels to talk to my colleagues who have graduated from the IMP, especially if our paths have overlapped. As a neurosurgeon at RCH, I frequently take calls from Dr. Hamish Millar, who works in the emergency department at Burnaby Hospital. He belongs to the very first cohort at the IMP and I belong to the second cohort. Instead of being potentially stressful encounters between a specialist and an emergency doctor, our calls usually turn into pleasant conversations filled with medical school idealism and altruism. The IMP is the place that still holds our ideals intact.
What is one of your favourite memories from your time as a medical student at the UBC MDUP IMP?
I became a Canadian citizen during my first year at the IMP, in January 2006. One afternoon, during one of our break sessions, the door of the auditorium opened wide and there was Dr. Casiro standing next to a big cake decorated with Canadian flags. The wonderful IMP administrative staff members were right behind him with big smiles on their faces. My classmates sang the Canadian anthem, which was broadcast to the rest of the sites (which at the time were VFMP and NMP). Being far away from my own family at that time, I felt that I was not alone. The “IMP family” was there to celebrate the very important event in my life with me.
