Born in Montreal, I attended the High School of Montreal and applied to McGill upon graduation. At McGill, I gained confidence, a sense of who I was and who I could become. My peer group, especially, was very influential: being surrounded by people who had the same aspirations as me was transformative and greatly shaped my outlook on the world. I was also the first in my family to attend university and was therefore reliant on my peers for support on my path to self-discovery.
After my science degree, I enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. I had always wanted to be a doctor: when I applied to McGill, my first question was, “where do I sign up to be a doctor?” My father was sick from heart disease from the age of 35 and passed away at 44, a life event that led me to pursue a career in cardiology. During my training, I cared for babies with heart disease and fell in love with pediatric cardiology.
I returned to Montreal for my pediatric residency at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and pursued a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at UCLA to combine my love for pediatrics with cardiology. I then became the inaugural chief of pediatric cardiology at San Diego Rady Children’s Hospital, where I led the pediatric cardiology programme for several years.
Mid-career, I became interested in how medicine is organized and financed. This led me to pursue a graduate degree in management at MIT. I was then hired by hospitals and private practices around the U.S. and lectured internationally for five years. I also led Scripps Health, four San Diego hospitals for several years before returning to healthcare management consulting, helping biomedical research institutes and medical groups adapt to the dramatic changes in the U.S. healthcare system.
In 2022, at the age of 84, I retired, but continue to support patients navigate the fragmented healthcare system. Roz, my partner of 60 years, and I have always been risk takers: moving to Vancouver, then to Southern California and, finally, changing career paths, I am a firm believer in serendipity. You can’t predict life, but being kind to people, forging connections, and taking chances might just lead you exactly where you are meant to be.