We’re excited to introduce a new series to the Division: Resident and Faculty Spotlights. We’d love to learn more about our Division members and build connections in our community. Connect with Stephanie if you would like to be featured.
In honour of International Women’s Day, today we are featuring Dr. Mei Wen, one of our Enhanced Skills Category 1 Residents. Keep reading to learn more about Mei.
Resident Spotlight: Dr. Mei Wen in the foreground on a mountain with a orange hued sunset in the background.
What’s the best part about your residency experience:
The best part about the year of added competency is finally being able to take a deep dive into an area of medicine that I love. And that includes not just learning more about pathophysiology and drug pharmacokinetics but learning how to provide whole person care that acknowledges the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of our patients. Not to mention meeting and being able to debrief with like-minded individuals like my co-residents and all the staff, nurses, spiritual care workers, volunteers that I have met during this year of training.
Favourite song:
Heaven by Ziggy Alberts. I heard it on the way to a surf trip once and my favourite line (which I didn’t make the connection to palliative care at the time) is “these things that I’m most worried about, is that heaven might come down and steal you away”.
Favourite song:
Heaven by Ziggy Alberts. I heard it on the way to a surf trip once and my favourite line (which I didn’t make the connection to palliative care at the time) is “these things that I’m most worried about, is that heaven might come down and steal you away”.
Favourite past-time activity:
Snowboarding in the winter and paddle boarding in the summer! (And running all year round – I still can’t get used to this being from Toronto!)
Favourite restaurant in lower mainland:
Favourite restaurant in lower mainland:
Đồ Chay Saigon Vegetarian – it’s a Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant in Yaletown, they have delicious food and the staff are the best!
A book or article you would recommend:
A book or article you would recommend:
The Choice by Dr. Edith Eger. It’s a beautifully written memoir by Dr. Eger who is a Holocaust survivor and psychologist. Her book touches on themes of survival, trauma, loss, and healing that rings true more so than ever in current times.
What are you most looking forward to in your career ahead:
What are you most looking forward to in your career ahead:
I entered palliative care to want to relieve suffering and bring peace to my patients and somehow I suspect that in the process of holding their stories, I may be inadvertently healed by my patients instead.
As it’s women’s history month, we also wanted to ask – who is a woman that inspires you and why?
It would have to be my mom. She is the strongest woman I know. Immigrating to a country where she had to learn a new language as an adult, adapt to new cultures, navigate the change from working as a physician in China to working in factories when we first immigrated to Canada. She taught me grit and resilience through her actions and role modelled to me what true perseverance looks like.