From Translator to Nurse Practitioner: Lakshmi Asokan Aims to Transform Scarborough Healthcare
For Lakshmi Asokan, the ambition to become a nurse practitioner began with a role she took on as a child: helping her family understand Canada’s healthcare system.
Asokan was in Grade 4 when she first noticed the language and cultural barriers her immigrant Sri Lankan family faced while navigating medical care. When her grandmother was hospitalised, Asokan watched her parents struggle with complicated medical updates and often helped translate information for them.
Years later, that early experience has developed into a clear professional mission. Asokan is now a registered nurse from Scarborough and a member of the first cohort of nurse practitioner students at the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
The programme, delivered through the University of Toronto’s Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, launches in autumn 2026. It will allow students to complete clinical placements in the eastern Greater Toronto Area, keeping their education closely connected to the communities they aim to serve.
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A healthcare journey rooted in Scarborough
Asokan’s connection to Scarborough is central to her approach to healthcare. The area is one of Canada’s most culturally diverse communities, with residents from many backgrounds, languages and generations.
For families who have arrived from Sri Lanka and other parts of the world, accessing healthcare can involve more than making an appointment. Medical terminology, unfamiliar systems, financial pressures, cultural expectations and language differences can all affect how patients receive and understand care.
Asokan experienced these challenges within her own family. Her early responsibility as a translator gave her a close understanding of how easily important information can become difficult to follow when families are under stress.
That experience later influenced her education and professional choices. After completing her undergraduate degree in human biology and psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough, she worked at Scarborough Health Network and North York General Hospital. Her clinical experience includes neonatal intensive care and paediatrics.
These roles allowed her to support children and families during highly demanding periods. They also strengthened her belief that effective care must consider the patient’s circumstances, support network and ability to understand the information being provided.
“I saw relief in their faces”
Asokan’s commitment to language access continued during her volunteer work at Centenary Hospital. On several occasions, she was called upon to translate for Tamil-speaking families.
The experience reinforced the importance of having healthcare professionals who can communicate with patients in ways that feel clear and respectful.
“As soon as the family saw me, I saw relief in their faces,” Asokan said.
For patients and relatives, seeing someone who understands their language and cultural background can help reduce anxiety. It can also make it easier to ask questions, explain symptoms and participate in decisions about treatment.
Translation is only one part of culturally competent care. Asokan’s wider goal is to help create a healthcare environment where patients are understood as individuals rather than viewed only through the lens of a diagnosis.
“My approach would definitely be looking at everyone’s life as a whole and not just one treatment or one illness : culturally competent care, and focusing on the individual and their life versus just their illness,” she said.
Training for community-based care
The SAMIH programme is designed to connect healthcare education with the needs of Scarborough and the eastern GTA. Its students will train in an integrated environment alongside professionals from different areas of healthcare.
For Asokan, this setting offers an important opportunity to develop the skills needed for community-based practice. Patients often require support that extends beyond a single consultation. They may need help understanding available services, managing ongoing conditions, accessing follow-up care or finding community resources.
Training within the local area can help future practitioners gain a stronger understanding of these practical realities. It also offers students the opportunity to build relationships with local healthcare organisations and the communities they serve.
As a member of the programme’s first cohort, Asokan is part of a new chapter in Scarborough’s healthcare education. The initiative aims to strengthen clinical capacity in the region and encourage healthcare professionals to work in the communities where they have personal, educational or professional ties.
That connection matters. When practitioners understand the local population, they may be better placed to recognise barriers that are not always visible in a standard clinical appointment.
A future clinic and community resource hub
Asokan hopes eventually to open her own clinic in Scarborough. Her vision extends beyond providing consultations and treatment.
She wants the clinic to become a hub of community resources where patients and families can find practical information and support. This could include guidance on healthcare services, health education, referrals and assistance for people facing language or cultural barriers.
“Scarborough has always been home, and I understand the community,” Asokan said.
The proposed clinic would reflect her belief that healthcare should be accessible, understandable and connected to everyday life. A patient’s health can be affected by diet, work, family responsibilities, housing, transport, cultural practices and social support. Considering those factors can help practitioners provide more complete and relevant care.
This whole-person approach is particularly meaningful for diaspora communities. Sri Lankan families may include several generations, with older relatives who are more comfortable speaking Sinhala or Tamil and younger family members who frequently help interpret official information.
A community-based clinic with culturally informed services could help families navigate those differences while ensuring that patients remain actively involved in their own care.
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A message for the wider Sri Lankan community
Asokan’s story will resonate with Sri Lankans living in Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and other parts of the world. It is a reminder that diaspora experiences can shape meaningful professional contributions.
For many British Sri Lankan families, as well as Sri Lankans in the UK, navigating public services in a new country has been part of the settlement experience. Children and grandchildren of migrants often become interpreters, advocates and guides for older relatives. Those experiences can create a strong understanding of the importance of clear communication and inclusive services.
The same connection can also inspire young people to pursue careers that directly benefit their communities. Asokan’s path from helping her family translate medical information to preparing for advanced clinical practice demonstrates how personal experience can develop into public service.
Her story also reflects the continuing importance of Sri Lankan culture in diaspora life. Language, family relationships, respect for elders and community responsibility remain influential, even as younger generations build careers in countries such as Canada.
Cultural identity and professional achievement are not separate. In Asokan’s case, her Sri Lankan background and Scarborough upbringing have helped shape the kind of healthcare professional she hopes to become.
AI-generated image for illustrative purposes.
Building a more connected healthcare future
Lakshmi Asokan’s next step is the nurse practitioner programme at SAMIH, where she will continue developing her clinical knowledge and community-focused practice.
Her long-term goal is ambitious but practical: to provide care that is medically informed, culturally responsive and connected to the wider needs of Scarborough residents.
The journey began with a family trying to understand a complicated healthcare system. It has now become a vision for helping many more families feel informed, respected and supported.
Asokan’s experience highlights the value of representation in healthcare and the importance of training professionals who understand the communities they serve. For Sri Lankan families across the diaspora, it is also an encouraging example of how lived experience, education and community commitment can come together to create lasting change.
Original source: University of Toronto – U of T student aims to deliver culturally competent health care to the community she calls home
Related reading: elanka Articles | elanka Blog | Sri Lankan Associations in the UK
