Council Award
Recently, we spoke to Dr. Moodie
Q: What was your childhood like?
A: I was born in Kingston, Jamaica to a mum who did
not finish university but accomplished quite a significant career as an administrator, eventually becoming
a general manager of one of the government’s major
convention centres. She was a very strong maternal role.
I am the youngest of three girls. One sister is a partner
in a law firm in Kingston. My other sister is a human
resources consultant and trainer. Dad was an accountant by training. It was a happy childhood in a household of girls.
Q: Who had the biggest influence on you growing up?
A: I can’t stress how much my mother’s strength
influenced our lives. She counselled us to go after our
dreams.
Q: When did you decide to become a doctor?
A: At around Grade 9 the schooling system in Jamaica
streams you into either arts or science. Because I am
strong in sciences, I wanted to be a nurse. My mother
urged me to be a doctor. I pursued medicine in a very
focused way. Mine was a very singular path unlike the
students of today who have so many choices. I was a
motivated and competitive student.
Q: Why did you come to Canada?
A: There was a man. My husband is a Canadian of West
Indian parentage. He was a classmate in medical school
at the University of the West Indies. When we finished,
he suggested we look at Canada. We got married the
next year. He is a pediatric cardiologist who also did his
residency at Sick Kids.
Q: How did you choose pediatric neonatology as
a sub-specialty?
A: When you go through clinical rotations you learn
about yourself and what areas are a good fit for you.
I immediately understood that pediatrics was a really
good place for me because the spontaneity of children
made it such an uplifting environment. I liked the
intensity and the excitement of it. It was academically
stimulating. It was also very rewarding seeing good
20
outcomes and seeing children recover but also helping
parents to understand when to let go.
Q: Why did you become involved in advocacy
work to alleviate poverty and empower girls and
women?
A: Growing up in Jamaica, we lived well. We wanted for
nothing. But there were others around us who were less
fortunate and we had a duty to help. This has been the
fabric of my value system: seeing the disparity and understanding that strong role models can make a difference.
Q: How have you managed to juggle a busy
practice with your volunteer work, pursuing
advanced degrees and your family life?
A: It’s about diligent, disciplined time management and
understanding how to pull the priorities out and move
them along quickly. As my kids have grown up and
moved into their own worlds, time has been freed up. I
tell young women that while they have to be careful not
to overextend themselves, they have a lot more capacity
then they realize.
Q: What do you do in your precious spare time?
A: I am a big fan of the arts. I collect art. I love to
socialize and bring people together to expose people to
each other. I’m a big enabler in that way. I love to travel.
Q: Tell us about your family.
A: My husband, Peter Wong is an Asian-Caribbean man
from Trinidad and Tobago. He recently got his doctorate in public health so he’s doing a lot more academic
work. We have two boys and we are very proud of
them. Nicholas is 30 and in law school in Australia.
Jonathan is 26 and is graduating from medical school at
the University of Limerick in a few months. He’s hoping to follow our footsteps into pediatrics.
Q: What’s in the future?
A: I’m 57-years old but have absolutely no thoughts of
retiring. There’s more fuel in this engine. I still have lots
of work to do. A lot of the work I do now is squarely set
on my volunteerism.
As told to Communications Specialist, Prithi Yelaja. This interview
has been condensed and edited.
Dialogue Issue 1, 2015
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2015-03-19 11:18 AM