A pioneer builder for rural medicine and champion to underserved communities
After completing medical school and postgraduate training, Dr. Ian Rusted returned to Newfoundland where he specialized in internal medicine and worked as a medical consultant for the provincial department of health. During this time, he visited many cottage hospitals and worked with rural doctors. Early in his career, Dr. Rusted began to see the need for a medical school in Newfoundland. While many questioned the feasibility of a medical school in a poorer, underserved province, he remained undeterred. Dr. Rusted’s vision materialized. When the Faculty of Medicine opened at Memorial University, he served as its first dean.