Her family, like many others, was forced to flee their home, leaving everything behind. They sought refuge in Albania, where they were hosted by an Albanian family in the capital city, Tirana. Albania’s humanitarian efforts during the Kosovo war were nothing short of extraordinary. At the time, Albania was a country also facing its own economic struggles; still feeling the effects a communist government left in the country that ended in early nineties which isolated Albania from the rest of Europe. Communism left Albania in a state of poverty that lasted for decades. Still, families in Albania opened the doors to their own homes, their hearts to everything they had to share such as eating together in overcrowded rooms hosting multiple refugee families under the same roof including Dr. Loshaj. This generosity was nothing new for Albania who also played a pivotal role in sheltering Jews during World War II, which is also internationally acknowledged and praised.

Although Dr. Loshaj had planned to continue her postgraduate studies in pediatrics, she stayed in Kosovo, volunteering in field hospitals and along the border with Albania as the fighting persisted. She remained there until the war came to a halt in June of 1999, after which she joined her family in Canada. “Our family like many war survivors have lost our homes and all our belongings, my brother was severely wounded during the Serb offensive in my hometown. We have lost many friends and dear neighbors, as well our loving pet, our dog Shari.” Dr. Loshaj recalls the horrors of the war that she has witnessed in her personal life and on the field while serving.

Upon arriving in Canada, Dr. Loshaj immediately began giving back to her new community. She volunteered at Surrey Memorial Hospital and with the Immigrant Settlement and Support Agency in British Columbia. She soon found work as a counselor for Kosovar refugees and later became the Coordinator for Health Programs at BC Multicultural Health Services. In 2005, Dr. Loshaj moved to Nova Scotia to fulfill her dream of becoming a licensed family physician. She also worked as an emergency physician and an assistant professor in the Family Medicine Department at Dalhousie University. As a first-generation Kosovo refugee, she broke barriers to obtain her Canadian credentials, a lengthy and challenging process that ultimately allowed her to practice medicine in Canada.

Dr. Loshaj’s community leadership, her contributions during the war and after have been recognized both in Kosovo and Canada where she’s a recipient of many prestigious awards including The Fellowship (FCFP) from the College of Family Physicians of Canada in 2022, the highest professional designation awarded by the College. This honor recognizes Dr. Loshaj’s extensive leadership and contributions to the Canadian health system and in Kosovo, a commendation from former Kosovo Minister of Defence General Rrustem Berisha for her bravery and service as a physician in the battlefield of Koshare, Kosovo as well as an award from former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj for women’s contributions during the Kosovo war to name a few “I feel honored by Kosovo and Canadian institutions for all the awards, but the most rewarding recognition I feel when my action as a professional or as a human being make a small difference in someone’s life”.