Jayson Pomfret is on his own unique path. A proud member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, he is a fourth-year health sciences student at Queen’s University in Ontario, specializing in the physiological basis of health and disease. With a deep-rooted passion for medicine and advocacy, Pomfret has dedicated his academic journey to understanding the intricacies of the human body while simultaneously maintaining a strong commitment to helping Indigenous communities.
He became entranced by the medical field during a less-than-typical visit to the dentist. When he noticed the label on a medical freezing agent, he began thinking about how different chemical recipes produce such vastly different effects. That observation snowballed into a lifelong passion for pharmaceutical science and human physiology, leading him to a Bachelor of Health Science — the classic first step to medical school in Canada.
A childhood just north of Toronto in the suburb of Barrie offered Pomfret challenges and rewards. His grandparents exerted a strong early influence and handed down Indigenous wisdom that Pomfret integrated into his focus on improving health care for Indigenous people. His high school experience was nontraditional, with frequent school changes and study abroad in France and the Czech Republic. “I was never in one school for longer than a year,” he explains. While this time overseas meant he lost a sense of community when his peers graduated before he did, the experience gave Pomfret a global perspective and a valuable lesson in the importance of embracing his own unique path.
The college admissions process, rarely easy, proved especially challenging to Pomfret, as he was simultaneously navigating a foreign country and living far from his community. Fortunately, he settled on Queen’s University, which is close enough to Barrie to avoid the homesickness many students struggle with.
Forming a career goal early provided a great head start in his field. Pomfret has already branched out of his major to study Indigenous law and has been working with Sunnybrook Research Institute and Ontario Health. Starting in his sophomore year, his grant-funded research has focused on integrating cultural safety into the cancer system for Indigenous people. “I have learned more from this research position than any other work I have done,” says Pomfret.
Beyond academics and research, Pomfret has been active in various Indigenous organizations on campus. He is active in his school’s AISES chapter, Q-AISES, which has provided career support through networking and mentorship. “AISES has introduced me to so many students and professionals who have helped me shape my career path, build my network, and develop as a person,” he says.
Pomfret has been paying it forward in his roles as the current Senior Canadian National Representative, a member of Queen’s STEM Indigenous organization (STEMina), and an Infinite Reach Facilitator, where he advocates for Métis students. “Shannon Beckstead, advisor at the Queen’s Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre, instilled the importance of paying forward the benefits you receive in the form of advocacy for your peers,” he says.
Pomfret plans to maintain that strong focus on advocacy, especially for cultural safety in health care, as he pursues a career in medicine. He knows that path won’t be an easy one, but he is confident he can get there. “My parents pushed me to be my best regardless of the specific goal,” he says. “That way it’s possible to achieve confidence through effort instead of through the result.”
