This is the Department’s first Resident Spotlight
Q & A: Dr. Tiffany Chan, General Surgery Resident, PGY3
One thing we might be surprised to learn about you? I went to band camp in high school.
Favorite vacation spot and why? Maui – what’s not to like about Maui?
What makes you laugh? My dog
Why did you pursue a career in medicine? My mom found an assignment I did in elementary school that was one of those “what do you want to be when you grow up” pieces. Apparently I wanted to be a doctor then too, but probably because I had seen it on TV and thought it was cool. It’s challenging and rewarding, and especially in surgery you can actually use your hands to fix something and make it work again.
What do you do for physical activity? Yoga, road biking, pool laps, seawall walks.
What is your favorite book and why? A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry. It’s an incredibly intricate story of multiple lives and how they’re woven together. It’s like that movie Crash but way better.
What are your research interests? Wide and varied. I had little research experience before starting medical school and residency so I just completed my Masters of Health Science at UBC so I could learn properly about research methods and clinical epidemiology. Along the way, I’ve gotten involved in research projects on liver transplant, sepsis, critical care, and medical education trying to flex all my new-found skills.
Why did you decide to study at UBC? I came out here on elective during medical school and just had a great time with the people, the city, and could see myself being here for residency.
When not in the hospital, where can you be found? Snuggling on the couch with my dog, or in the kitchen procrasti-cooking.
Where do you hope to see yourself in 10 years? Happy, hopefully. Is “happy” a place?
Has there been anybody in particular who has had a significant impact on your life? My parents. Is that cliché? They helped me chase my goals even when they stopped being able to help me with my homework by the 8th grade. They also listen to my residency stories which I think simultaneously makes them proud yet concerned about the level of sleep deprivation (among other things) we go through to learn how to be good surgeons.
If you could change one thing about BC’s healthcare system, what would it be? Fix our surgical wait times! Right now we track wait times but we don’t use them in any meaningful way to make changes in resource allocation.
If you had a million dollars… I’d contribute to my parents’ retirement fund, donate a bunch to Medecins Sans Frontiers, and save for my kid’s college fund.
What words advice do you have for undergraduate students considering a career in medicine? Try to see and do as much as you can in undergrad to get a feel for what you’re good at and what you’d be happy doing—and then see if a medical career fits into that. It’s not always a walk in the park. For those who are passionate about it though, medicine is a huge field with many options for practice. Don’t stop exploring!
Where did you grow up and what was it like? Toronto. I grew up in the burbs, so it was pretty average. My dad put me into competitive swimming when I was 7 so between 8x/week practice, school, band, and various other extracurriculars (math school?!) I didn’t have much time to get into trouble.
What was your first job and what did you learn from it? Life guarding and swim instruction. I hated guarding, it’s extremely boring to stand around in a damp bathing suit watching a crowd of people enjoy themselves while trying to spot the one person that’s drowning. Teaching is much more fun!
What is your favorite thing about BC and why? The proximity of the big city to nature.
Who are your mentors and influence-rs? Residency is an amazing time where you come into contact with lots of inspirational people – there are too many to list. I try to pick and choose qualities I admire from staff, my fellow residents, and so on and emulate them.
posted : 2016-January-5; revised : January-7