Meet the man from Punjab who’s a top gun in Canada

I have been recognized for my passion, commitment and innovation in teaching. I was given the 3M National Teaching Fellowship which is the highest Canadian teaching honor given to not more than 10 university/college professors in the country each year.

I am the author of the Dyce, Sack and Wensing’s Textbook of Veterinary Anatomy (5th edition) published by Elsevier. It’s the the main textbook in this area.

I have done intensive research in the field of lung biology, and was made the Fellow of Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, which is one of the highest academic honors in Canada. I am also Fellow of the American Association of Anatomists.

As a subject, I have always been interested in veterinary medicine and I am fortunate to be considered a professional leader in veterinary medicine in North America. That also explains why I am President, American Association of Veterinary Anatomists. In fact, I am the Canadian representative on the Council on Education that does accreditation of veterinary colleges.

I find teaching extremely fulfilling and have supervised nearly 100 research students and published more than 135 research papers;

Roots in Punjab

I was born in Maksudra village in Ludhiana district. My father was a high school teacher and mother a homemaker. They have played a big role in shaping me as a person. It’s from them that I learnt the merits of hard work and sincerity. And they continue to be my guiding light.

My wife Sarbjit Kaur is a teacher and we have one child, Pahul Singh, who is studying at U Saskatchewan.

I have quite an eclectic family. My brother, Harjit Singh Gill, lives in Surrey, BC and is a very well known radio host at Sher-e-Punjab (Lok Sath show) Radio.

The move to Canada

It happened perchance after I completed masters in veterinary science from Punjab Agricultural University in 1989. I throughly enjoyed studying at the varsity, which was the engine of green revolution in Punjab.

Those days, the varsity was a great space for youngsters like me. It was there that I got a chance to hone my skills as a speaker and debater. I was on cloud nine when I was adjudged the Best Speaker of PAU.

Besides matters cerebral, I also enjoyed shaking a leg, and was a member of the PAU’s Bhangra team. Mind you, it’s no mean feat, for the team had some great dancers and I always enjoyed keeping pace with them.

Unlike today when most youngsters in Punjab want to study or work abroad, those days it was a novelty. But I was bitten by the travel bug and traveled to Germany, the US and Canada on a tourist visa. Canada proved lucky for me, as I got an opportunity to start studies at Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. Following my PhD, I did postdoctoral training at Texas A&M University and Columbia University in New York City.

Subsequently, I made my way back to Canada and joined as a professor at Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in 1999, I was appointed as Associate Dean (Research) in 2010. After serving as Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary for slightly more than 4 years, I returned to University of Saskatchewan as Vice-President, Research in February 2021.

It has been a very rewarding journey and I am very grateful to all my seniors, colleagues and students for helping me come this far.

Challenges

Well, frankly, there is nothing I have faced that others have not. On the contrary, I have been very lucky to have strong support from family and friends, besides being blessed with excellent mentors.

What is it that you like the most about Punjab?

I like the land, the people and the vibrancy of daily life in the land of the Gurus.

What is it that Punjab can replicate from Canada?

Punjab is still suffering from the effects of the very tough and traumatic times it endured for many years. Although the resilience of the people of Punjab will bring better days, there are many complex social, economic and environmental challenges that need to be addressed.

In Canada, we too are worried about the complex issues of water security, social equality and access to opportunities .

Collaboration is one of the mechanisms to bring together capacities to tackle such complex issues. The Punjabi diaspora in Canada can support many initiatives in Punjab in various areas such as education, technology and stewardship of the healthy land, water and air. But this will require very sustained and focused collaboration. This can happen if the universities of the state and its government put their mind to it.

I have been collaborating with Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University since 2009. And I believe that our partnership has improved the quality and quantity of research in three departments at the Guru Angad Dev University besides improving the standard of teaching.

Secret Sauce Inspiration from Sikh values and my family. Also, I am relentlessly optimistic, curious and enthusiastic. My favourite saying is: Enthusiasm conquers the world.

The daily fix

I love spending time with my family.

Looking ahead

I plan to continue strong engagement with communities, local and global. I hope to continue with my efforts to learn new things in life. Also, I will carry on working to stay physically fit—I ran a half marathon this June; 21 km in 2 hours and 10 minutes—and mentally agile.