E132 Donna Kimmaliardjuk on Breaking Down Barriers and Caring for Indigenous Patients

Cold Steel: Canadian Journal of Surgery Podcast

Podcast transcript: https://www.canjsurg.ca/content/e132-donna-kimmaliardjuk-breaking-down-barriers-and-caring-indigenous-patients

On this episode, we had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Donna Kimmaliardjuk (@DKimmaliardjuk on Twitter). Dr. Kimmaliardjuk is the first Inuk cardiac surgeon in Canada and has won numerous awards for her trailblazing work. We were lucky enough to catch up with her to ask her about her career and get her thoughts on how we can both make surgery a more inclusive profession and how we can better serve our Indigenous patients.

Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DKimmaliardjuk?s=20&t=DnmhGW0RRouo2ojP9oPEDQ

1. I had to open his chest to save his life. That’s the day I felt, this is badass. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/03/08/i-had-to-open-his-chest-to-save-his-life-thats-the-day-i-felt-this-is-badass.html

2. Postoperative outcomes for Nunavut Inuit at a Canadian quaternary care centre: a retrospective cohort study. https://www.cmajopen.ca/content/10/2/E304

3. Canada's first Inuk heart surgeon returns from U.S. to take job in St. John's. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/donna-may-kimmaliardjuk-cardiac-surgeon-1.6166828

4. Canada’s first Inuk cardiac surgeon gets to the heart of the matter. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/adv/article-canadas-first-inuk-cardiac-surgeon-gets-to-the-heart-of-the-matter/

5. If Joyce Echaquan were white, she would still be alive, Quebec coroner says. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/echaquan-coroner-report-health-care-system-racism-1.6199964

Bio:

Dr. Donna May Kimmaliardjuk is Canada's first Inuk cardiac surgeon. She attended medical school at the University of Calgary and then was matched to the University of Ottawa for her cardiac surgery residency. She went on to train at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic for her fellowship. She has won numerous awards, including the 2018 Indspire award. She is currently a staff cardiac surgeon at Eastern Health in St. John's, Newfoundland.