Juanita Crooksa国际传媒檚 lifelong love of learning has propelled her to become one of the provincesa国际传媒檚 foremost experts on breast cancer, but her passion for medicine wasnsa国际传媒檛 immediately obvious in her early life.
sa国际传媒淕rowing up, I was interested in science and biology, but also literature and languages. I didnsa国际传媒檛 know Isa国际传媒檇 pursue medicine until the end of my second year at the University of Torontosa国际传媒攖hatsa国际传媒檚 when I decided that the most interesting aspect of biology involved human beings.sa国际传媒�
Now a professor of radiation oncology at UBC and an oncologist with the B.C. Cancer Agency, Crooksa国际传媒檚 career path came about as much by fate as by choice.
sa国际传媒淚 enjoyed a lot of different specialties and I originally trained to be a general practitioner,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淏ut due to social circumstances, I had to stay in Toronto for a year after graduating.
sa国际传媒淪o for that year I worked as a medical assistant at Princess Margaret Hospital and thatsa国际传媒檚 where I first became interested in oncology.sa国际传媒�
Through some act of fate, Crook met Dr. Jean-Philippe Pignol at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, where she first learned of brachytherapy.
A common treatment for prostate cancer, brachytherapy involves the surgical insertion of radioactive time-release capsules that directly irradiate cancerous cells without harming healthy tissues.
Dr. Pignol had adapted the technique for use in breast cancer cases and together, Pignol and Crook worked on several early treatments.
sa国际传媒淲hen I moved to British Columbia, Dr. Pignol approached me and asked if Isa国际传媒檇 be interested in establishing that program here. Itsa国际传媒檚 quite a different skill-set. Itsa国际传媒檚 ultrasound-guided and the needle insertion is fairly basic, but the breast is very different from the prostate, so there was a learning curve,sa国际传媒� she said.
Crook, who is now well known in the medical community for bringing the treatment west, says that advancing the treatment also involved challenges such as obtaining ethics approval and funding the procedure. The treatment isnsa国际传媒檛 yet considered a standard approach in breast cancer cases and as a result, itsa国际传媒檚 typically funded through donations rather than through insurance coverage.But, despite the difficulties, Crook has stayed committed to making the treatment available to the women under her care. An avid runner, she participated in the 2013 BMO Okanagan Marathon and raised $77,000 in donations to fund brachytherapy for breast cancer patientssa国际传媒攕omething that she says is improving patientssa国际传媒� quality of life.
sa国际传媒淚 was actually somewhat surprised at how successful the fundraising was. As a result, Isa国际传媒檝e been able to keep offering women this treatment for early-stage localized breast cancer. The first step (in a standard breast cancer treatment) is to remove the lump and assess the lymph nodes and then radiate the whole breast. But the technique Isa国际传媒檝e invented makes it easy to target the tumor.sa国际传媒�
Crook says that thanks to brachytherapy, itsa国际传媒檚 possible to administer a full course of radiation therapy in a single, one-hour outpatient procedure. In contrast, standard radiation procedures typically require a series of daily appointments over the course of three to five weeks.
Crook is also passionate about teaching this new procedure to British Columbiasa国际传媒檚 next generation of oncologists. As an oncology professor with UBCsa国际传媒檚 Faculty of Medicine, she is in a prime position to show medical students not only the many benefits of brachytherapy, but also the many procedures and precautions involved in performing brachytherapy safely and well.
While her work in medicine may be demanding, Crook is committed to living a balanced life and she places a high priority on her physical and mental health. Aside from hiking, canoeing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing, shesa国际传媒檚 also an avid marathon runner. Crook notes that running marathons is a great way to stay in shape and take time to relax.
In addition to practicing and teaching medicine, Crook works hard to make health knowledge available to the general public. She regularly speaks at information sessions for those looking to learn more about cancer and oncology and shesa国际传媒檚 a frequent guest speaker at prostate and breast cancer support groups in Kelowna and Vernon.
Throughout her years in practice, one central life lesson has guided her to make successful treatments available to patients and to help her become one of the most respected physicians in her field: Constant analysis.
sa国际传媒淎lways evaluate the results of what yousa国际传媒檙e doing in an ongoing way sa国际传媒� thatsa国际传媒檚 how you find out where you can improve. Thatsa国际传媒檚 how you make a lot of progress.sa国际传媒�
Crooksa国际传媒檚 focus on analysis is what is driving her to start new programs and protocols in cancer research and treatmentsa国际传媒攁nd thatsa国际传媒檚 what keeps her interested in her work.
sa国际传媒淩esearch is a big part of what I do and itsa国际传媒檚 clinical researchsa国际传媒攊tsa国际传媒檚 not lab-based. Itsa国际传媒檚 keeping track of what the problems are and how to improve them.sa国际传媒�
And while her passion for her work is obvious, she says that having a personal life is essential to staying productive and happy. For Dr. Juanita Crook, that looks like hiking, canoeing, painting and snowboarding.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 important to not be too consumed by the work aspect of your life, even if you love it. Itsa国际传媒檚 a huge part of you, yes, but itsa国际传媒檚 not the only part.sa国际传媒�
Crowe MacKaysa国际传媒檚 Women to Watch program is a weekly feature that profiles remarkable women in our community. This feature series is a joint initiative between Crowe MacKay, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and the sa国际传媒. To nominate the exceptional woman in your life, email womentowatch@kelownachamber.org.
