Student showcase

Ricardo D’Souza

In 2003 Ricardo was selected by the Royal Society to attend the 32nd Professor Harry Messel International Science School held at the University of Sydney, Australia. It was an exciting encounter through which he met other secondary school students who were academically high achievers with a common goal of pursuing a career in the field of science.

At that time, Ricardo was Head Boy of Marcellin College, Auckland and his sporting interests included cricket, badminton and hockey. He was involved in competitive public speaking whenever an opportunity presented itself, and also won school Dux the same year.

When Ricardo completed his seventh form year, like all other school leavers, he was faced with the decision of choosing the right career for him. He had enjoyed studying human biology at school and was fascinated by the human body, a masterpiece of design/evolution. For this reason, he was driven towards a career in the medical field.

Ricardo was extremely fortunate to be awarded a University of Auckland Scholarship which would fund his entire undergraduate degree, which meant “NO STUDENT LOAN.” Furthermore, he was also the recipient of the Sullivan Scholarship administered by the NZ Vice Chancellor’s Committee, which is for an undergraduate Catholic student pursuing a medical degree.

University life brought along with it a range of new opportunities, and Ricardo was involved in student advocacy, as a student representative of a couple of his academic papers, and also as part of the Biology Students Association. he was involved as a volunteer worker for the Laura Fergusson Trust for Disabled Persons and the NZ Blood Service.

After a relatively “stress free” first year studying BSc at the University of Auckland followed by a gruelling medical interview, his dream of becoming a doctor finally had its initial concrete steps.

In 2005, Ricardo completed a 10 week research studentship, working in the Department of Pharmacology, studying receptor signalling and intracellular pathways that may be involved in cell survival after a noxious event. This has clinical relevance in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, he is also involved in an anatomy project working on the supporting ligaments of the joints of the collar bone, and their clinical importance in fixing fractures of this bone.

Currently, in the 3rd year, he is towards the end of his purely academic studies, and is looking forward to the clinical years ahead. In the future, he wishes to specialize in either surgery or anaesthesia and would like to be actively involved in research in my field of specialization and in medical education.