Lyall Higginson devoted his career to helping and teaching others.
Now, after nearly 50 years as an internist and clinical cardiologist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa, the renowned doctor and educator is ready to hang up his stethoscope.
“I was always interested in science,” he told The Beat in a recent interview. “To have the opportunity to serve – to really help people – is what attracted me most. The first time I listened to a patient’s heart, I understood there is a lot one can do by listening and paying attention.”
Dr. Higginson graduated from McGill University’s School of Medicine in 1971. Soon after, in 1976, he followed his heart to the nation’s capital to find work, settle down and to start a family.
In 1976, Drs. Wilbert J. Keon and Don S. Beanlands were campaigning for Dr. Higginson to take a flyer on a job at a newly established cardiac institution they were building in Ottawa.
Dr. Higginson correctly recognized the co-founders of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute had big aspirations for patient care, research and education, believing that all three were equally important to ensure the best patient outcomes.
“Willy and Don were just starting out the Heart Institute,” said Dr. Higginson. “It was an exciting time to innovate and to build things that hadn’t yet existed, and I saw an opportunity to get in early, where I could really make a difference.”
That the heart institute was centrally located between Higginson’s hometown of Regina, SK, and his wife’s family in the Maritimes was icing on the cake.
And so, in 1977, Dr. Higginson joined Willy and Don and set up a clinic in what was then a small – but mighty – Heart Institute.
“I remember it was small and intimate,” recalled Dr. Higginson of working at the Heart Institute in the late 70s. “It was a place where we collaborated closely, where we developed strong relationships, and where we knew each other’s families.”
The Heart Institute was itself like a family, said Dr. Higginson.
“The Heart Institute is built around people who really care about other people,” he said. “The collegiality and the teamwork at the Heart Institute is unique. There is something special here that you don’t see any place else.”
In Ottawa, Dr. Higginson flourished.
Today, he is widely recognized as both an outstanding clinician and a passionate and dedicated cardiovascular educator and mentor.
He has played a leading role in the Heart Institute’s success and growth, particularly during the period between 1986 to 1994, when he served as deputy chief of cardiology, and from 1995 to 2006 when he served as the institute’s chief cardiologist.
Through his mentorship, he has helped countless medical trainees hone their skills and find their footing as physicians. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society recognized Dr. Higginson’s commitment to and achievements in medical education with both the Distinguished Teacher Award in 2006 and the Annual Achievement Award in 2012.
In 2013, he became the first chairholder of the Dr. Donald S. Beanlands Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Education – a position which he held until 2019.
For all of it, Dr. Higginson was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Canada.
Now, in the weeks leading up to his retirement, Dr. Higginson is reflecting on the many ways the Heart Institute has helped people over the years. Having been a constant thread in the institute's fabric from the beginning, he has been there for it all.
For instance, Dr. Higginson remembers when in May of 1984, Dr. Wilbert Keon performed Ottawa’s first heart transplant. And how, two years later, his colleagues at the Heart Institute became the first in Canada to implant an artificial heart into a human as a bridge to transplant.
“We built programs here that weren’t available anywhere else in Canada,” he said. “Part of that was because we knew what we had to do and who we served.”
Dr. Higginson reminisced about the development of the Heart Institute’s STEMI program, which pioneered a treatment protocol to improve care for patients experiencing a specific type of heart attack and transporting them directly to the Heart Institute for urgent treatment. This program has cut mortality rates by 50%.
Another program has helped provide access to care for patients living in Canada’s far north. Cardiologists, including Dr. Higginson, have made frequent visits to Baffin Island in Nunavut to set up clinics for hundreds of patients there. Those in need of urgent care are flown to Ottawa to receive timely diagnoses and treatment.
In looking back, what stands out in Dr. Higginson’s mind, is how the Heart Institute and the friendships he has made there have afforded him the opportunity to fulfil his dream of helping patients and teaching future generations of doctors and health professionals to do the same. He hopes that is how he will be remembered.
“For me, it was always about looking after patients and transmitting that knowledge to other young people,” he said. “That is still me at my core.”
In retirement, Dr. Higginson looks forward to spending more time with his family and grandchildren.
“After nearly 50 years, I feel ready,” he said. “I am leaving with fantastic memories. I love this place.”
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