Alexei Savtchenko, MD

Occupational Therapist

Scholar athlete comes home to Canada

A varsity tennis player, a trained occupational therapist and a scholar/athlete during his undergrad work at York University in Canada, Alexei came to Saba with the same determination to succeed,  and ultimately practice medicine back in Canada. “I knew I wanted to be a doctor and I tried to get into school in Canada. A colleague of my mother knew about Saba, and given the strong reputation of the school here in Canada it was a good option for me.” Alexei marveled at the mentoring system at Saba, and the support from the professors on the island. “ The professors were really approachable, and the senior medical students were incredible mentors for me. They ran teaching groups that really helped, and this mentorship really made me successful.” Alexei went onto make the Dean’s Honor List during the last two semesters on the island, as well as the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society that acknowledged his community volunteerism alongside his scholarship. So grateful for the guidance and help he received upon his arrival at Saba,  Alexei went on to mentor those who came after him in both the anatomy lab, physiology, and in neuroscience. 

Never losing sight of his goal to match into a Canadian residency, Alexei performed well in his core rotations and then made sure to pursue a few electives in Canada. “It was great to be able to show the attending physicians in Ontario my motivation for medicine and my eagerness to work hard for benefit of patients.  In turn, I was fortunate enough to receive good letters of reference from these physicians."  Alexei knew that these Canadian electives would offer him the chance to show the supervisors his love for medicine.  “ It is realistic and possible to get back to Canada for residency. Hard work, passion for helping patients with their alignments, and support (including reference letters) from excellent physicians in Canada as well the in the US can make such dream a reality."  

Alexei matched into an internal medicine residency at the University of Toronto and is currently a 3rd year resident with a fellowship application just submitted for cardiology, an area of passion since his clinical rotations. He is a member of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Ontario Medical Association and the American Medical Association. “It was key for me that I got exposure to excellent clinical opportunities and supportive attendings, who appreciated the value of hard work during my clinical electives”.