“Where once they stood, we stand.”

The line from the Ode to Newfoundland rang true last month for Dr. Pamela Snow, associate professor of family medicine, and Anthony Maher, a first-year student in the MD program in Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine, when the pair represented Memorial University, Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada at the Medicine Day celebrations in Turkey.

Medicine Day, the anniversary of the day the first medical school opened in Turkey on March 14, 1827, also celebrates and raises awareness of doctors’ rights in medicine in the country.

As well, upon the centenary of the First World War’s Battle of Gallipoli, the Turkish government wished to honour the soldiers and medical personnel who fought in the campaign. Medical school representatives from around the world whose countries participated in the battle were invited to attend the commemorations of both anniversaries.

Dr. Snow and Mr. Maher were the only guests from North America in attendance and were joined by medical professionals from 29 countries around the world, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Germany, Ireland and Pakistan.

The pair attended a gala dinner that included a welcome from the Turkish minister of health and an opportunity to meet and chat with other physicians from around the globe.

“I met a cardiologist from India whose brother works in Vancouver with my brother-in-law,” said Dr. Snow. “Chance meetings like this show you how small the world really is.”

For both Dr. Snow and Mr. Maher, having familial connections to the Battle of Gallipoli made the trip all the more significant. Mr. Maher’s great-great uncle, Private Joseph Hollahan, and Dr. Snow’s great uncle-in-law, Lance Corporal Frederick E. Snow, both served in the Newfoundland Regiment during the battle.

The group of invited representatives was taken on a tour of the Gallipoli Peninsula, where they visited beaches where battles were fought and monuments erected in memory of the soldiers who died there.

“One of the beaches was the site where the Newfoundland Regiment landed during the battle,” said Mr. Maher. “To visit a site where my great-great uncle served a century ago, when he was even younger than me, was surreal. It was an honour to join representatives from around the world in remembering the sacrifices made by so many.”

For her part, Dr. Snow says the experience provided a meaningful connection between Newfoundland and Labrador and Turkey.

“It was such a privilege to participate in this occasion and represent our university and province,” she said. “It was humbling to be there for our family members, and all families, really, who were affected by the war.”