Dr. Gonsalves studied medicine at the University of Ottawa and completed her residency in public health and preventive medicine at the University of Calgary. She now works as a medical officer of health in Alberta.

Writing and reflecting on poetry helps Dr. Gonsalves better understand herself and those she strives to serve through her role as a physician. Creating poetry has been an incredible journey for Dr. Gonsalves. She began writing poetry in 2014 and is publishing her first collection of illustrated poems, La Vie en Poème, this year.