Last month, Dr. Ahmad was invited to the Governor General’s residence in Ottawa as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, where she was introduced to HRH Prince Charles in recognition of her work and advocacy.
Dr. Ahmad is a psychiatrist currently working with Women’s College Hospital’s Crossroads Clinic, and was selected for this honour due to her community work and advocacy on refugee mental health, gender-based violence, homelessness, marginalization, and the struggles of Muslim youth and families. Another incredible accomplishment that contributed to Dr. Ahmad’s invitation is her work in the Muslim community with Mindfully Muslim, a mindfulness-based therapy program for Muslim-Canadians being offered at Women’s Health in Women’s Hands.
“This is a huge honour,” said Dr. Simone Vigod, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Women’s College Hospital. “Congratulations to Yusra and thank you for your incredible work to improve the health and mental health of our communities.”
For Dr. Ahmad, this honour was as much a personal victory as it was professional, as her successes have helped her reclaim her life after an abusive marriage.
“This was an experience of a lifetime,” Dr. Ahmad said. “It meant so much to me personally, as I re-wore and reclaimed my wedding dress at this event. I was in an abusive marriage, and this was my way of taking back my power and my beauty. All of my personal sacrifices and struggles to get to this stage have been worth it.”
As for meeting the Prince of Wales, Dr. Ahmad thoroughly enjoyed her conversation with him and found HRH Prince Charles to be affable, down-to-earth, and hilarious.
Congratulations, Dr. Ahmad, on this incredible honour!
