Meet Fil Potempski, Bridge to Health Global's Programs Coordinator

For as long as he can remember, Program Coordinator Fil Potempski has wanted a career focused on public health programming and implementation.

“I want to be a doctor; that's my dream,” Fil says. “ Bridge to Health Co-Founder and Chair Dr. Cherniak had previously been my research supervisor and I really enjoyed working with him, so I reached out to him again with ideas for a practicum.”

“I asked `do you think my work could align with the organizations?'” he recalls, “and Dr. Cherniak was happy to oblige; he put me on the Baltimore project to help build it to the point where it is today.”

The 29-year-old who grew up in Barrie, Ontario says his time with the organization has been challenging but rewarding, pointing to hard-earned victories like the successful delivery of the POCUS devices into Yemen last month as proof of what makes it all worthwhile.

When he's not applying to medical school to complete an MD, Fil can be found enjoying adventure sports and finished his first 5k Spartan Race last summer.

“I started mountain biking too, and I absolutely love it - but when the snow's on the ground I'm skiing as much as I can,” he says. “Those are the big ones, but I really like rock climbing and trail running as well.”

The rest of his time, he says, is devoted to friends, family, and music.

“I've been playing piano since I was five years old and I write and produce music in my spare time; I have a little YouTube channel where I post some of the stuff,” he says.