Student Spotlight: Brynn Aucoin


Dr. Brynn Aucoin grew up in Grand Bay-Westfield, New Brunswick. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB before completing her medical degree at Dalhousie University’s New Brunswick campus. She is currently a PGY-2 and is completing her surgical training through the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

Read on to find out more about Brynn, her background and experiences, and more!


What has inspired you to study and work in the field of global surgery?

My interest in global surgery stems from experiences on international medical trips during my undergraduate degree at Mount Allison. I had the privilege of travelling to Honduras and China as part of volunteer and research trips to learn about health and healthcare delivery in various settings. Now that I am a general surgery resident, I wanted to learn more about the challenges of providing surgery for remote and rural populations globally and here in Canada and how we can work together to improve care.

What are some of your hobbies & interests? What do you love to do in your spare time?

I enjoy hiking, baking, playing soccer, and travelling.

What advice would you give to prospective students? As a surgical resident yourself, do you have any specific advice for those who are considering doing the program while also doing residency or having a busy clinical practice?

It can be challenging to juggle course load and clinical duties as a resident but the way this program is designed allows flexibility week to week as you work through readings and contribute to discussion boards which are perfect for fitting into a busy schedule. There are notices in advance for all deadlines which helps me plan out my semester (and call requests) better. My biggest piece of advice would be to try to keep up with the schedule provided by the course syllabus. There are few firm deadlines for each course so you need to keep yourself accountable to ensure you get work completed on time.