For Dr. Taylor Wong, medicine was never just about the science; it was about the detective work. “The ability to combine a variety of sources of information, to search, dig and think through the problem, to reason through possible causes and effects and to come to a most likely answer,” he says, was what drew him to the field.
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As a mother of four and a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, Dr. Hernandez chose Alberta for residency. “Western Canada has always been home and my children were already settled in southern Alberta.
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Personal experience also nudged him toward transplant surgery. His grandmother died of liver failure when he was a child. “She would have been savable by a liver transplant,” he says. In Bristol, Dr. Farndon and Dr. Derek Alderson helped connect him to Edmonton for a liver fellowship with Dr. Kneteman. The plan was temporary. The reality became a career.
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My medical story is not the usual one. Perhaps that is why I was added to the list of 50. In my case it has both vocational and avocational elements to it. Notwithstanding, a reader researching medical career paths would find my book on Alberta’s Medical History. Young and lusty and full of Life a worthwhile reference as well, as it outlines the lives and careers of 35 prominent Alberta physicians and their significant contributions to medicine in Alberta and Canada.
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Dr. Robert Perlau’s journey into medicine began in Grade 12, inspired by a love of science, first aid at swimming classes, and, somewhat unexpectedly, the character B.J. Hunnicutt from MASH. “I chose Orthopedic Surgery a bit later, after completing a two-year family medicine residency and working as a rural GP for one year,” he explains. Surgical rotations as an intern drew him increasingly to the field. “It was a natural fit for me since my Dad was a house builder and orthopedics has a lot in common with carpentry.
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One of Dr. Francescutti’s proudest accomplishment has been his commitment to speaking up for what’s right. “Whether it was advocating for safer roads, creating Bridge Healing for our homeless patients, or demanding accountability in leadership roles - I always believed that physicians have a duty to speak up, even when it’s inconvenient. Especially when it’s inconvenient.
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Dr. Pauwlina Cyca’s journey into medicine was deeply personal, shaped by the early experiences of watching her family face immense health challenges.
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"For Dr. Koo, food became a second passion. He trained in culinary school, appeared on TV and brought those lessons back into medicine."
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Medicine wasn’t a foregone conclusion for Dr. Brian Wirzba. He grew up around clinics through his mother, a medical office assistant, but headed into biochemistry thinking medicine was a long shot.
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