What to know
- Dr. Ashley Sebastian, a Brampton-based family physician, is gaining online attention after sharing her journey as a Black doctor returning home to open her practice.
- Her posts on TikTok have drawn over 500,000 views and thousands of comments, with many locals saying this is the representation they’ve been waiting for.
- Sebastian emphasizes the importance of long-term patient relationships and the responsibility of serving as a role model for young people in her community.
- She practices at Bramalea Medical Centre alongside her father and sister and plans to continue sharing her experiences through day-in-the-life vlogs.
A Brampton-based physician is gaining attention online after opening up about her path into medicine, a field where she says she rarely saw Black doctors who looked like her.
Dr. Ashley Sebastian, who opened her family medicine practice in Brampton earlier this month, has been taking social media on the journey with her.
In just under a month, her posts have drawn more than 500,000 views and thousands of comments, many from locals who say this is representation they’ve been waiting for.
In an exclusive interview with Now Toronto, Sebastian expressed gratitude for the overwhelmingly positive response, saying she was thankful that her story resonated with so many people.
“It’s a lot of pressure, a lot of responsibility but I understand there’s a need for more Black doctors, specifically in Toronto,” Sebastian shared. “I’ve had family members, but I’ve never met one or seen one outside of my family. So, being here in the community, someone that young girls and boys can look up to and strive to become, is a great honour.”
Besides her early love for STEM programs, Sebastian said her decision to pursue medicine was heavily influenced by her father, Dr. Anthony Sebastian, who is also a family physician in the city for more than 20 years. Following his example, she committed to more than a decade of education and training, completing medical school and residency in the United States before returning to Ontario – particularly, her hometown – to practice.
“It means a lot to be from Brampton. It’s such a great community to grow up, and very multicultural, very diverse” Sebastian said. “It’s been an honour to be back here, and I’m so excited to be home after almost 10 years of living abroad.”
Now working out of Bramalea Medical Centre (18 Kensington Rd., Unit No. 504), Sebastian shares the office with both her sister, geriatrician Dr. Liana Singh, and her father, who practices just one floor under.
“It’s a little bit of a family tradition, a family business,” she laughed.
Since publicly accepting patients, she said she’s seen people travel from Barrie to the Niagara region to seek her care, which she calls “humbling.” Sebastian says that although the attention comes with pressure, it’s worth it knowing her patients are taken care of.
“I do have days where I feel tired like everyone else… But you still have to show up and be the best version of yourself for your patients, because they’re the ones that matter.” she said.
Alongside her clinical work, Sebastian plans to post her experiences more regularly on TikTok, where she hopes to share day-in-the-life vlogs and insights as a new business owner.
“There’s different hurdles that I’m going to go through, and I feel like I can share that, just to give people a sense of what it might be like for them in the future,” she said.
