Calm in the chaos: Canadian Medical Association’s first Indigenous leader takes helm – CTV
Aug. 22, 2022
GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALTA. – In a brightly lit surgical room around sunrise, Dr. Alika Lafontaine recounts why he chose to become an anesthesiologist as he fills syringes for his first patient of the day.
The 40-year-old doctor — who on Monday became the first Indigenous and youngest president of the Canadian Medical Association — says he wanted to be a surgeon for several years before he shadowed an anesthesiologist who told him he should consider that field instead.
“At around 3 a.m., there was a code call. We both rushed there,” Lafontaine said in an interview earlier this month as he began a 24-hour shift at Grande Prairie Regional Hospital in northwestern Alberta.
“It was interesting watching my friend work, because within a few minutes of him walking into the room, suddenly, this scene of chaos became really calm. The patient had been stabilized. Everybody knew what they were doing,” says Lafontaine.
