Based in Ontario, Canada, Shayan Khimji is pursuing medical studies while deepening knowledge of global development, mental health advocacy, and health care education. As part of his medical school activities, he has been involved in completing rotations in areas such as emergency medicine, endocrinology, anesthesia, radiology, and internal medicine. Shayan Khimji is also conversant in various surgical techniques and undertook rotations in colorectal, vascular, hepatobiliary, orthopedics, ENT, and general surgery.
Mr. Khimji was a physiotherapy assistant with the Oshawa Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre. He has demonstrated balancing exercises and techniques as part of a physiotherapist’s presentation. This Scarborough event provided seniors with achievable steps toward minimizing the risk of debilitating falls and injuries. He has also assisted with instruction at the Spirit of Math Schools in Markham and completed an Afiya Pain Clinic observership in Toronto.
Shayan Khimji is a long-standing community service program participant who has taken part in the World Partnership Walk on multiple occasions. As a student ambassador, he helped raise funds for programs worldwide focused on social equity, healthcare delivery, education, and economic improvement. He is also a past Ismaili Volunteer Corps volunteer who has mentored community youth and organized fun, educational events.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My typical day starts at 6:00 am, when I wake up and make breakfast before getting ready for the day. By 8:00 am, I am at the hospital for clinical placement, where I work with a variety of patients and continue developing my clinical and communication skills.
Placement usually finishes around 5:00 pm, and I get home around 6:00 pm. Afterwards, I head to the gym to stay active and maintain balance outside of medicine. Once I get back, I make dinner, take a shower, and spend part of the evening studying using UWORLD and reviewing medical material. I usually go to bed around midnight before repeating the routine the next day.
Outside of medicine, I enjoy following basketball and hockey closely. I am currently involved in several fantasy playoff leagues, so I often keep games or score updates playing in the background throughout the evening.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I bring ideas to life by combining long-term vision with consistent daily work. I believe most successful ideas start with a strong purpose, but they only become reality through discipline, adaptability and execution over time.
Whenever I have a goal or idea, I try to break it down into smaller achievable steps and focus on improving a little each day. Medicine has strengthened this mindset for me, as it has taught me the importance of patience, teamwork, communication and staying calm under pressure.
I also enjoy learning from people around me and taking inspiration from different fields, such as healthcare, business, sports and leadership. I believe creativity comes from being open-minded and willing to continuously improve. Ultimately, I try to bring ideas to life by staying consistent, working hard and focusing on building something meaningful that can positively impact other people.
What’s one trend that excites you?
One trend that excites me is the advancement of genomic therapeutics and gene therapy. The idea that medicine is moving beyond simply treating symptoms and is beginning to target diseases at the genetic level is incredibly inspiring to me.
For example, recent developments in gene therapy research for Huntington’s disease are especially exciting because Huntington’s is caused by a specific genetic mutation. Historically, treatment options mainly focused on managing symptoms, but newer therapies aim to directly target the faulty gene or reduce the production of the toxic protein responsible for the disease process.
I think this is remarkable because it represents a shift toward precision medicine, where treatments can potentially slow, prevent or even alter the course of diseases that were previously considered untreatable. As someone interested in medicine and innovation, I find it exciting to see how advancements in genetics, biotechnology and research could completely transform the future of healthcare and improve quality of life for patients and families.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
One habit that helps me stay productive is maintaining a consistent routine. Having structure in my day allows me to balance hospital placement, studying, exercise and personal interests without feeling overwhelmed.
I also try to focus on steady progress rather than perfection. Even on busy days, I make sure to spend some time reviewing material, practicing clinical skills or working toward my long-term goals. I have found that small, consistent efforts each day build momentum over time and lead to meaningful improvement.
Another important habit for me is staying physically active through the gym, as it helps me stay focused, disciplined and mentally refreshed.
What advice would you give your younger self?
The advice I would give my younger self is to never give up and to keep persevering, even when things do not go according to plan. Life is unpredictable, and the path to success is rarely a straight line. There will always be setbacks, obstacles and moments of doubt, but those moments do not define your future.
I would remind myself that there is always a Plan B and always a way to recover from difficult situations. Some of the most important growth comes from overcoming challenges and learning how to adapt. Persistence, resilience and belief in yourself are what ultimately separate people who succeed from those who stop trying.
Most importantly, I would tell my younger self to keep fighting no matter what. As long as you continue moving forward and refuse to quit, you will succeed.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
One thing I believe that almost nobody agrees with me on is that studying for the United States Medical Licencing Exam Step 2 can actually be fun. Most people see board-exam preparation as exhausting and stressful, which it definitely can be at times, but I genuinely enjoy the process of learning medicine and challenging myself.
What makes it enjoyable for me is seeing how all the information connects together in real clinical scenarios. I like the problem-solving aspect of working through questions, applying knowledge and gradually improving over time. It feels rewarding to recognize patterns, think critically and build confidence in clinical decision-making.
I also enjoy the discipline and routine that come with preparing for a major goal. Although the process is demanding, I see it as an opportunity to grow both academically and personally. For me, the challenge itself is part of what makes it exciting.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
One thing I repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do is stay consistent, even when motivation is low. I have learned that long-term success is usually not built from one big moment, but from small daily habits repeated over time.
Whether it is studying, exercising, building relationships or working toward a career goal, showing up every day and putting in effort consistently creates momentum and growth.
There will always be difficult days where progress feels slow, but continuing to move forward during those moments is what makes the biggest difference in the long run.
I also believe it is important to maintain balance by taking care of both physical and mental health. Staying active, spending time with family and friends and making time for personal interests can help people stay motivated and perform at their best over time.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
When I feel overwhelmed or unfocused, I try to take a step back and refocus on what I can control in the present moment. I have learned that when responsibilities start to pile up, breaking tasks down into smaller, manageable steps makes things feel far less overwhelming.
One of the main things that helps me reset is exercise. Going to the gym or simply taking some time away from studying or work helps clear my mind and allows me to return with better focus and energy. I also try to maintain structure in my day, because routine helps me stay organized and grounded even during stressful periods.
Most importantly, I remind myself that difficult moments are temporary. Stress and setbacks are a normal part of growth, especially in medicine and other demanding environments. Staying patient, disciplined, and continuing to move forward one step at a time usually helps me regain focus and perspective.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
One strategy that has helped me advance in my career is networking and being willing to talk to everyone. I believe that every person has a unique perspective and valuable experiences to learn from, regardless of their role or background. Some of the best advice and life lessons can come from unexpected conversations and everyday interactions.
In medicine especially, I have learned the importance of building strong relationships, communicating well and staying open-minded. Speaking with patients, physicians, nurses, peers and mentors has helped me grow both professionally and personally. These interactions have taught me not only clinical knowledge, but also leadership, resilience, communication and professionalism.
I also believe networking is not just about creating opportunities for yourself, but about genuinely learning from others and building meaningful connections over time. Taking lessons from different people and applying them to improve myself has been one of the most valuable strategies in my growth and development.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
One failure that had an impact on me was realizing that I was trying to pursue too many things at once without fully mastering any one area early on. I’ve always been ambitious and interested in multiple fields—medicine, business, sports, research and entrepreneurship—and at one point, I spread myself too thin trying to excel at everything simultaneously.
I overcame it by becoming far more structured with my time and priorities. I started focusing on building routines, creating clear long-term goals and understanding that sustainable success is usually built through consistency rather than intensity. I also learned the importance of patience—especially in careers like medicine and entrepreneurship where meaningful results take years to compound.
The biggest lesson I took away is that discipline and focus outperform raw ambition alone. Being capable of many things is valuable, but learning how to prioritize, delegate and execute consistently is what ultimately creates long-term success.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
One sports business idea with huge upside is building a “smart amateur athlete platform” focused on high school and recreational players who want professional level development and exposure.
Most amateur athletes today train using random Instagram drills, generic YouTube videos and disconnected apps. There’s no centralized ecosystem that combines training, analytics, highlights, recruiting exposure and community in one place.
The idea would be an app where athletes can:
• Upload game film and highlights.
• Receive AI-powered feedback on mechanics and performance.
• Track stats and progress over time.
• Access personalized training plans.
• Compare athletic metrics against other players their age.
• Connect with coaches, scouts, trainers and local leagues.
• Build a verified athlete profile similar to LinkedIn for sports.
For example:
• A 15-year-old hockey player uploads skating clips and game footage.
• The app analyzes skating speed, edgework, shooting release, and positioning.
• It generates drills and training recommendations.
• Coaches and junior teams can view verified profiles and highlights.
• Parents can track development and tournament schedules in one place.
The business model could include:
• Monthly athlete subscriptions.
• Premium recruiting/exposure features.
• Partnerships with gyms, academies and tournaments.
• NIL and sponsorship opportunities for top prospects.
• Team management tools for coaches and leagues.
Youth sports is a multibillion-dollar industry, but much of it still operates in an outdated way. Parents already spend heavily on development—this would modernize the entire pipeline.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
One piece of software that has helped me become more productive is artificial intelligence. I use AI as a learning tool to help explain complex or abstract concepts that I may not fully understand at first. In medicine, there is a huge amount of information to learn and sometimes hearing an explanation presented in a different way can make difficult topics much easier to understand.
AI has been especially useful while preparing for board exams such as the USMLE, because it allows me to quickly review topics, work through clinical reasoning and reinforce areas where I need improvement. I also find it helpful for simplifying complicated material into more practical and understandable explanations.
What excites me most is that AI is becoming increasingly integrated into healthcare and education. I believe it has the potential to improve learning, efficiency and patient care while also helping students and professionals continue developing their skills more effectively.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
The best $100 I recently spent was on a gift for my grandmother. I bought her a personalized photo album filled with family pictures and memories from different stages of our lives together. My grandmother is now 80 years old and has been through many hardships throughout her life, making countless sacrifices for her family and future generations.
For me, the gift was meaningful because it was a small way to show appreciation for everything she has done. Her hard work, resilience and perseverance helped create opportunities that paved the way for me to pursue medicine and work toward my goals today.
Although the gift itself was simple, the emotional value behind it meant far more than the cost. It reminded me that some of the best investments are the ones that strengthen relationships and show gratitude to the people who helped shape your life.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
One of my favourite book series is “Game of Thrones,” particularly the character Daenerys Targaryen. What I found most compelling about her story was the idea of wanting to “break the wheel” and challenge systems that people simply accept as permanent.
Although the series is fictional, I connected with the broader message of questioning limitations, thinking independently and striving to create meaningful change. To me, it symbolizes the importance of not feeling trapped by circumstances or by the expectations that society places on people.
That mindset has influenced the way I approach both medicine and life. I believe progress comes from people who are willing to challenge old ways of thinking, push through obstacles and work toward improving systems for future generations. While success is never easy, I think resilience, vision and perseverance are what allow people to create lasting impact.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
One movie series I recently enjoyed was the “Rocky” series. What I appreciate most about the films is the message of perseverance, resilience and continuing to fight even when the odds are against you.
The character Rocky Balboa is inspiring because he represents determination and hard work more than natural talent. Throughout the series, he faces setbacks, failures and challenges, but he continues pushing forward and refuses to quit. I think that mindset is something that applies strongly to both medicine and life in general.
I also enjoyed how the series emphasizes discipline, self-belief and personal growth rather than just winning. One of the biggest lessons I took from the movies is that success is not always about avoiding failure but about continuing to move forward despite adversity.
Key learnings
- Long-term success is often built through consistency, discipline and perseverance rather than quick results or perfect circumstances.
- Challenges, setbacks and failures are a normal part of growth, and resilience is one of the most important qualities in both personal and professional development.
- Meaningful relationships and networking matter greatly, as valuable lessons and opportunities can come from people of all backgrounds and experiences.
- Continuous learning and openness to innovation, including advancements such as artificial intelligence and genomic therapeutics, can help drive progress in medicine and society.
- Maintaining balance through physical health, personal interests, family relationships and routine can improve focus, productivity and long-term well-being.