Faculty in the News
Putting his heart and soul into patient care | PNI Atlantic News – May 16, 2024
Some people are perfect for their jobs. And Lance Mitchell certainly fits that bill. Friends and colleagues are celebrating the work of a QEII Health Sciences Centre cardiac perfusionist, who was honoured with two humanitarian awards toward the end of a career that took him from Toronto to Halifax, with stops in Rwanda and China.
'Morally wicked': Paying homeless half the basic welfare rate unconscionable, critics say | PNI Atlantic News – November 18, 2022
Dr. Greg Hirsch, a cardiac surgeon based in Halifax, agrees. About the $380 essentials rate, he says that isnt going to get you far.” It has become abundantly clear that the social determinants of health hinge on people having their basic needs met, said the doctor. That means having food and shelter and being clothed.
QEII Times - Summer 2022 by SaltWire Network - Issue – June 9, 2022
QEII Times - Winter 2022 by SaltWire Network - Issue – February 19, 2022
‘She’s in grave jeopardy’: Homeless woman, 63, with diabetes in life-and-death situation, says Halifax doctor | PNI Atlantic News – December 11, 2021
Dr Greg Hirsch, a cardiac surgeon based in Halifax, says Lisa’s life is at risk. “She is in grave jeopardy. That degree of exposure she could have compromised circulation to her extremities,” he said.
Donor-funded research project giving a voice to patients facing complex cardiac surgeries | QEII Foundation – October 5, 2021
Dr. Greg Hirsch, cardiac surgeon and co-chair of the Maritime Heart Centre Development Council, is also research lead on “Implementation of shared decision-making in cardiac interventions,” a grant-funded project that aims to empower patients to have an active role in their cardiac care through careful discussions with their healthcare providers.
Halifax volunteer group to fight city plan to remove crisis-shelters | PNI Atlantic News – June 21, 2021
Dr. Greg Hirsch, a Halifax heart surgeon, showed up to Sundays rally to support the cause. He said he feels strongly that housing instability is terrible for his community and terrible for me as a citizen of Halifax and the province of Nova Scotia.
Snow shoveling drives spike in heart attacks in Halifax area | PNI Atlantic News – February 9, 2021
Halifax heart surgeon Dr. Greg Hirsch said shoveling snow is an intensive activity, akin to running five-minute kilometres for an hour. It’s particularly risky for people with unhealthy heart arteries who have been inactive, he said in an interview Monday afternoon.
Research meets community | PNI Atlantic News – October 15, 2020
A project combining cardiovascular research data with community involvement is on its way to revealing how Nova Scotia’s healthcare system can address systemic biases such as lack of cultural representation in the medical field, cultural bias and discrimination to ensure the accessibility and delivery of equitable care to African Nova Scotians.
Donor-funded hybrid operating room to prompt surgical innovation at the QEII | PNI Atlantic News – July 17, 2019
“We are primed and ready to go,” says Dr. Christine Herman, cardiovascular surgeon at the QEII. “With a hybrid OR, we can offer more complex procedures and more minimally-invasive solutions for our patients. It means something big for patients in Nova Scotia.”
From ship to surgery | PNI Atlantic News – February 21, 2019
Silvia’s good fortune came in the form of the QEII Health Sciences Centre and Dr. Greg Hirsch, chief of cardiac surgery. Silvia was treated in the emergency department where she had a computerized tomography (CT) scan; the results confirmed Silvia’s life-threatening diagnosis. Dr. Hirsch used the detailed images of Silvia’s aorta to develop her care plan.
Getting to the heart of the matter | PNI Atlantic News – June 14, 2018
Dr. Herman had also noticed fewer First Nations peoples coming to her, and those who did were in worse shape. The statistics showed when it comes to major heart and vessel problems, First Nations men suffer at a rate 30 per cent higher, and First Nations women 76 per cent higher, than others.
A healthcare pioneer: Remembering Dr. Ed Kinley Jr. | PNI Atlantic News – February 6, 2018
Dr. Ed Kinley Jr. was able to accomplish all of the above, and more, during his time at what’s now the QEII Health Sciences Centre. When he passed away in January 2015, his legacy began to resonate even stronger.
His accomplishments are many and diverse. As a heart surgeon, he was a heart surgery pioneer in Halifax , says Dr. Gregory Hirsch, a colleague of Dr. Kinley.
Maritime Heart Centre and QEII Foundation join forces for heart health | PNI Atlantic News– February 6, 2018
Forty years ago, Dr. David Murphy had an idea, a group of dedicated supporters, and $50 in a bank account to bring his vision to life. He saw a need to improve cardiac surgery and heart health for patients at the QEII Health Sciences Centre so he spearheaded the creation of the Maritime Heart Centre.
Shared decision making empowers cardiac surgery patients | PNI Atlantic News – October 19, 2017
If you’ve been waiting in line to ride the Space Mountain rollercoaster and staff ask you to sign a consent form, youll likely do it with a smile and without reading the form. Dr. Greg Hirsch, the chief cardiac surgeon at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, says the same thing tends to happen when patients are asked to give consent to a medical procedure. When you dig deeper and talk to patients, you find they dont really understand what youre telling them.
Unveiling the Stewart E. Allen Hybrid OR | SaltWire – October 11, 2022
Located on the fifth floor of the QEII’s Halifax Infirmary, one of the region’s most technologically advanced operating suites stands on guard for patients. The new Stewart E. Allen Hybrid OR is Atlantic Canada’s first hybrid operating room (OR) and thanks to QEII Foundation donors, it will have a transformational impact on patient care.
Surgical team from Dalhousie completes cardiac operations in Rwanda | CBC News – July 24, 2022
Rheumatic heart disease is prevalent in developing countries due in part to lack of primary care.
Dalhousie-led team returns from heart surgery mission to Rwanda | SaltWire – June 23, 2022
A group of 30 Canadian health-care volunteers led by doctors from Dalhousie University has returned from Rwanda, where they performed 13 cardiac surgeries on adults and children.
Unlocking the genetic clues behind thoracic aortic aneurysms | QEII Foundation (qe2foundation.ca) – February 17, 2022
The late Peter Kohler was a champion of many philanthropic causes in our region, including heart health at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.
Dalhousie University - Mending hearts and building hope: Inside the Canadian Rwanda Open-heart Project (educationnewscanada.com) – February 9, 2022
Strep throat. It's not exactly a diagnosis that would strike fear in the hearts of Canadians. But in Rwanda, the hearts of thousands of young people are being hit hard from complications of this common ailment.
Heart failure lessons: Nova Scotia man recounts 'traumatic' day | SaltWire – February 4, 2022
On June 4, 2016, John Dillman had a heart attack that led to years of medical treatment and left him unable to work. But in many ways, he said, it was his lucky day.
Halifax Infirmary opens Atlantic Canada’s first hybrid specialized operating room | SaltWire – November 1, 2022
HALIFAX, N.S. — The Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre has a new hybrid operating room with advanced diagnostic imaging equipment.
Enhanced recovery after surgery - February 21, 2020
New cardiac surgery approach changing care for patients at the QEII
Guardians of the operating room - June 14, 2019
The ultimate team sport: perfusion and cardiac
Matters of the heart | SaltWire – June 10, 2019
Everly Breen’s strength in the face of congenital heart problems a testament to the important of cardiac medical research
From ship to surgery | SaltWire – February 22, 2019
On September, 1, 2017, Silvia Graf began to experience intense chest pains while travelling from Sydney, N.S. to Halifax on a cruise ship.
How living without a pulse gave a Nova Scotia man a second chance at life | CBC News – December 6, 2018
9 people in Atlantic Canada depend on external batteries to survive..
Eyes on the aorta | QEII Times (qe2times.ca) – October 19, 2018
Maritime Connective Tissue Clinic working to save lives, understand widespread disorder.
Three hearts, three weeks: QEII’s transplant program connects a trio of patients | QEII Times (qe2times.ca) – February 6, 2018
Twenty-eight years ago, Nova Scotia’s first heart transplant was performed at what is now the QEII Health Sciences Centre. Today, used to treat severe, end-stage heart failure, QEII cardiac surgeons usually perform five to 10 heart transplants each year. But this spring, something special happened – three people received new hearts within a three-week period.
A healthcare pioneer: Remembering Dr. Ed Kinley Jr. | SaltWire – February 6, 2018
There are many ways to leave a lasting legacy: by reaching a remarkable achievement, leaving a charitable gift, being a positive influence on the people around you, or by being very good at what you do.
Maritime Heart Centre and QEII Foundation join forces for heart health | SaltWire – February 6, 2018
Forty years ago, Dr. David Murphy had an idea, a group of dedicated supporters, and $50 in a bank account to bring his vision to life. He saw a need to improve cardiac surgery and heart health for patients at the QEII Health Sciences Centre so he spearheaded the creation of the Maritime Heart Centre.
Ferguson back behind the plate for Sydney Sooners after heart attack | SaltWire – October 2, 2017
SYDNEY — Sean Ferguson said he wouldn’t get mad about striking out ever again, especially after the road to recovery he’s faced this summer.
His heart will go on | SaltWire – September 30, 2017
Undergoing multiple heart surgeries over 20 years hasn't slowed John Gamble down.
Affairs of the heart | QEII Times (qe2times.ca) – June 16, 2017
Just outside your heart, where its final chamber meets the rest of your body, there stands the aortic valve, a gateway of fleshy flaps which ensures all your blood flows in the right direction.