What do you do for a living?

I am a General Internist in Moncton, New Brunswick. My practice in past has focused on general
cardiology, cardiac rehabilitation, perioperative medicine and medical complications in pregnancy. I am now nearing the end of my clinical practice and doing more administrative duties, teaching, and consulting work, including for insurance companies and government agencies. However, I do
simultaneously maintain part-time clinical work in sleep medicine. 

What is your interest in women’s heart health and what made you decide to pursue a career related to it?

I have always had a major interest in preventative health and my role in cardiac rehabilitation fit well within this. By virtue of identifying as a woman and by seeing more and more women with heart disease requiring care, I began focusing on women’s heart health. The rise is in part due to an increasing prevalence of diabetes causing premature cardiac events.

However, I also followed patients with pregnancy induced hypertension and noted their increased risks. In the cardiac rehabilitation setting it has always been harder to convince women to attend and complete the program. So often I heard that they needed to attend to their families first and that their health issues came second. I wanted to try to change that. I also wanted to advocate for women to receive better care for their cardiovascular issues.

Finally, I am a strong believer in education as a means to make change and I have been involved in trying to improve knowledge about heart disease in women.

What was your career path that got you to your current position?

My path has been long but fruitful. I did an undergraduate degree in Biology/Genetics (honours) at
McGill followed by a medical degree from the University of Ottawa and subsequently a residency in
Toronto in Internal Medicine. I practiced at North York General Hospital for several years before
relocating to the Maritimes. I have had a great career practicing medicine in Moncton, teaching medical trainees through Dalhousie University and doing volunteer work.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5-10 years?

Hopefully doing much of the same thing from a work perspective while also increasing my leisure time activities such as biking, hiking and travel.

What advice would you share with someone in high school (or college/university) looking to pursue a career in women’s heart health?

Working in health care currently is not without its stressors and anyone starting out needs to be
passionate about their career choices. There are now rapidly declining health care resources and an aging population. Although these issues lead to stresses on physicians, it is all the more reason why we need new, young enthusiastic doctors to look after patients and speak up for marginalized individuals and minority groups.