Aruna Koushik is Retiring!
26-4-2022
"The only thing we should be concerned about today is humanity. Our children need leaders. Our children need a better world. The only way to do that is through education and being kind," says Aruna Koushik.
Windsor Regional Hospital's Mediation and Human Rights Services Commissioner is retiring after 35 years of service, including 21 at the hospital, but her impact on staff and the community will live on forever.
"The staff at Windsor Regional Hospital are wonderful. They're truly people who can think for themselves. You can talk to them. You can explain things to them and I've learned so much," says Koushik, "My growth has been because of the staff. I haven't helped them, they have helped me grow and better understand human behavior. I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Koushik's career spans the globe from serving on the Ontario Human Rights Commission for over 15 years to travelling to Pakistan, India, Nigeria, and Afghanistan to assist with efforts to eradicate polio, but her time at WRH was spent heading up the Office of Mediation - something she jokes was a pilot project that lasted 21 years.
"It didn't take long to realize that when parties were given an opportunity to meet and discuss issues, they were able to resolve a lot of issues. For 21 years, it's been a success."
Gaining trust was always priority one for Koushik who says many employees would confide in her sharing problems that would otherwise be hard to talk about.
"It was successful because I reported to the board, but I was not an employee of the hospital. I was an independent person and employees could feel comfortable coming and talking to me. The trust factor was there."
Koushik has dedicated her life to helping others, something she realized was her calling at a young age when she worked with Mother Teresa in the slums of Pune, India.
"I worked with her for almost three years and it had a major impact," recalls Koushik, "I can still feel it. You never know, in life, how you're going to change someone else's life."
"We have the ability to be better than ourselves. We may not realize it, but we have the ability to create a better day for somebody. That's what life is about," says Koushik, "People aren't going to remember what car you drove or what you ate. They're going to remember how you treated them. That's something I learned from Mother Teresa and that's what I want to be. I hope I made a bit of a difference in people's lives."
A Rotarian since 2001, Koushik has been a part of a number of global efforts and, most recently, has helped facilitate donations to war-torn Ukraine.
"Amazon has come forward as a partner. They are partnering with me to send medical supplies and sleeping bags to Ukraine," says Koushik, "Anywhere there is a need, I'll be there. I'll be trying to do something."
Koushik became an integral part to the hospital's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well helping out behind the scenes to ensure the needs of staff and the community were met.
"The WRH Foundation is grateful to Aruna for her efforts on our behalf over the last 21 years. Never was her support so evident as when the pandemic was called," says Director Philanthropy Gisele Seguin, "Aruna personally and professionally initiated several projects to help WRH through a difficult time. These included meals for staff, supplies for the Field Hospital, PPE, and gathering significant funds from local Rotary Clubs to purchase vital equipment for our ICUs."
As if she didn't already have enough on her plate, Koushik is also heavily involved with the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County.
"My role at the hospital encompassed diversity issues, encompassed being a member of the Multicultural Council, encompassed being a member of Rotary. So you have your hand in every pie so that you have a sense of what is happening around you," says Koushik, "We are learning so much every day and we will never stop learning. In our hospital, I am so proud of this."
While Koushik is retiring, WRH President and CEO David Musyj says the hospital still plans to tap into her deep well of experience.
"Aruna has been an integral part of the WRH hospital team and a well-respected expert who has addressed and resolved some complicated issues. This respect and trust extend to Aruna being a valuable resource to our community and Province. As we move forward, we will continue to rely on Aruna's expertise."
When she's not busy making the world a better place, Koushik is a classical Indian dance teacher operating her own dance school for the past 35 years - something she plans to spend more time on after retirement.
"My girls are all fantastic performers. We do Carrousel of Nations each year," says Koushik, "It gets my mind into a different mode altogether."
In closing, Koushik has these words of wisdom for those she's touched over the years. "Life is not just about your work. Your worth is not determined by the work you do. It's a part of who you are, but who you are is way bigger than the work that you do. How you treat work and respect it and love it will make you a better person." Koushik officially retires on May 1.