International Women's Day 2020

    VPSA celebrates the work of women physicians

    In anticipation of International Women’s Day 2020, the Vancouver Physician Staff Association canvassed members for the names of women physicians who have made extraordinary contributions to the workplace. We salute all our female members and invite you to read about the women who agreed to be profiled this year.

    Dr. Heather Lindsay

        Dr. Lindsay is the first female department head and medical director for the Emergency Department at Vancouver General Hospital and the UBC Urgent Care Centre. She has worked at VGH as an emergency physician since 2013, where she was formally the director for continuous quality improvement for the Emergency Department. Dr. Lindsay received her medical training at Queen’s University and completed her Royal College residency in emergency medicine at the University of Toronto. During her residency, she completed a master’s degree in public health from UBC with a focus in injury prevention and disaster management. She is also a graduate of the BC Clinician Quality Academy. Since joining VGH, she has used her expertise in quality improvement to lead several interdepartmental and interprofessional projects, including the development of a change in process that has led to patients getting an ECG in a quarter of the time. Her focus is quality and process improvement, and she also has an interest in technology and innovation in healthcare and medical education.

        When she is not at work, Dr. Lindsay can be found on the slopes skiing or snowboarding, or pretty much anywhere else outside.

        What advice would you give to young women considering entering medicine in 2020? ​

        “One, your support network is everything. Find a mentor. Find a lot of mentors. Once you have a critical mass with a shared goal, you can raise the bar of expectation. Two, learn to recognize and acknowledge your own strengths. We’re trained to wait until someone else tells us we’re ready for something. Don’t wait. Decide what you want to be ready for and find people to help you get there.”