Julie was born and raised in Waterloo, Ontario. She completed her undergraduate and Master’s training at Western in physiology and biomedical engineering. She then completed medical school at McMaster University where she considered many specialties but after having eye-opening experiences during clerkship, receiving wonderful mentorship from residents and faculty, and deeply reflecting, she decided on general surgery. Although the work is challenging and the hours are long, she has never looked back. She describes her training experience as rewarding. The never ending steep learning curve for knowledge and surgical skill development, and relationships with patients and colleagues have made “being in the trenches” memorable. Her favourite part about Queen’s general surgery is the wide-range of surgical exposure and level of autonomy afforded to training in a medium sized centre. She also enjoys knowing the residents of other services and when caring for patients together, knowing the other providers creates a collegial and social environment. Julie is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Quality at Queen’s University focused on quality improvement, medical education, and interprofessional collaboration.
When she’s not in the hospital or studying, she can be found spending time with her husband, boating and spending time by the water during the summer (perks of living in Kingston!), spending time with family and friends, reading, doing yoga or Peloton app workouts, and trying new recipes and restaurants.