Sudbury geriatrician Dr. Jo-Anne Clarke has been named to the Order of Ontario.
She was one of 25 new appointments that were announced January 1 by Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Chancellor of the Order of Ontario.
The Order of Ontario — the province's highest honour — recognizes outstanding people who have made exceptional contributions to help build a stronger province, nation and world. Members of the Order come from all walks of life and represent various sectors of society including public service, business, journalism and health care, said a news release from Queen's Park.
Dr. Clarke is currently medical director at the North East Specialized Geriatric Centre in Sudbury, affiliated with Health Sciences North.
In the Ontario document outlining the provincial honours, Clarke was described as "a transformational trailblazer and true visionary."
The statement said Clarke, a graduate of McMaster University and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University, set out in 2009 to change the role of caring for the elderly in Northeastern Ontario.
"She initiated a Care of the Elderly training program and opened clinics in Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, North Bay, Parry Sound and James Bay, brightening the future for thousands of seniors. An exceptional physician, her courageous and relentless efforts have led to the evolution of geriatrics care," said the provincial statement.
Her colleagues described her as an exceptional physician who has dedicated the last 14 years of her life to the care of seniors across Northeastern Ontario.
Clarke said she was pleased with the Order of Ontario, but insisted her work has always been a team effort, and praised the efforts of her colleagues over the years.
She said the important thing about the honour was that it raises awareness about an important field of medicine.
"What I think is just so wonderful is that the field of geriatrics has been recognized … and I think that's great," said Clarke.
She said she hopes the higher awareness of geriatrics is something that will encourage more medical students to consider that as a career choice.
"Well, I hope so. I mean, historically, people who choose geriatrics have the highest job satisfaction rates and quality of life and in surveys and medicine,” she said. “I think a part of that is that you work in teams when you work. But also, I think that the focus is so much on quality of life and all aspects of life that makes someone whole and independent. And it's, to me, very rewarding. Because you get to focus with your patient on what matters most most to them," said Clarke.
She added that she chose internal medicine and geriatrics as sub-specialties after graduating medical school, but said she felt that geriatrics was reaching out to her.
"I would have to say geriatrics chose me,” Clarke said. “I had very, very positive role models. I have wonderful grandparents who aged well. I did a lot of volunteer work, you know when I was in high school and university with older adults.
"You know at every step along the way I had wonderful mentors in geriatrics. My undergraduate work thesis supervisor was a geriatrician. My first co-op job was in geriatrics. When I did medical school, many of my supervisors and teachers were geriatricians. When I ended up doing my inpatient work in the hospital, my clinical teaching unit supervisors were all geriatricians," Clarke added.
She said with the Baby Boomer generation becoming senior citizens, it is more important than ever to provide specialized care.
"And so I think now more than ever inspiring people to go into geriatrics and or in inspiring those who are not in geriatrics to learn a little bit more about the importance of Geriatric Medicine and aging and and how having an an age-friendly lens and having a little bit of extra training or expertise in geriatrics can really make a difference," she said.
Len Gillis covers health care and mining for Sudbury.com.
