Remembering Dr. Heather Graham Dr. Heather Graham, a treasured and long-standing member of the Department of Pediatrics, passed away on July 11, 2023. Her husband, Dr. Mark Hamilton, shared that she developed early-onset Alzheimer’s 18 months ago. Heather started working in the ED at the Alberta Children's Hospital July long weekend, 1988. In the words of some of her colleagues: "Heather was one of the pillars of our Emergency Department. She is one of the reasons our Department has developed into the most desirable place to work in Canada." "I first met Heather as an R5 in Emergency Medicine and began working July 1993. I so looked up to her - even though she was a tiny tiger. A clinician superstar." “There are many Heather-isms. I always sent her diminutive presence into a room when a disgruntled parent asked for a second opinion. The parent always left the Department looking shell-shocked after the Heather encounter. She never backed up, never listened to all of the BS tossed our way, never rattled - always with a sense of humor in dark situations. Graceful, tough, uncompromising, direct, human and kind. It was an honor to work with her and many of us used her approaches as we sculpted our own practice. I hope she understood how much impact she had on the patients and her colleagues.” Heather left the Emergency Department when her two boys became teenagers. She went on to work in the Head Shape Clinic at the ACH. Her two boys are now both residents - Patrick is a 3rd year Internal Medicine Resident in Calgary and Max had just started his Radiology residency in Saskatoon. Heather made a significant impact on the ACH and on our Emergency Department, and all her colleagues who were fortunate enough to work with her. |