Alexandra Bastiany likely Canada's first Black female interventional cardiologist
July 30, 2020
At the annual Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, there’s a breakout session for interventional cardiologists.
In that meeting last year in Montreal, it dawned on Alexandra Bastiany she was the only person of her colour in the room.
Last month, she successfully completed an Interventional Cardiology fellowship at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute (MAHI) in Edmonton, making her possibly the first Black female to practice in the field in Canada.
“My parents sent me to private school, so I was kind of used to be in the minority in classrooms,” said Bastiany who was one of two Blacks in her medical school graduating class of 250. “When I realized I was the only Black in the room at the conference, I wasn’t really shocked. What it really told me is that I should go for it because we need more diversity.”
She started working as a Cardiologist at Thunder Bay Regional Health Centre on July 13.
Bastiany’s parents and younger brother encouraged her to pursue a medical career.
“My parents use to tell me that I am good at it, but I didn’t take their word,” she said. “It was my little brother who told me I should consider that area of study because I was always dissecting stuff and looking for living things in our yard. I love to be in charge and I am a hands-person who enjoy making decisions, so I figured it made sense for me to pursue medicine.”
To ensure she was prepared for the challenge of medical school, Bastiany volunteered at a hospital where her mom is a nurse and consulted with Black medical doctors in Montreal.
At the University of Montreal, she completed her medical doctorate in 2011, internal medical residency three years later and an Adult Cardiology Fellowship in 2018 that was highlighted with her making history as the Faculty of Medicine’s first Black valedictorian.
Interventional Cardiology is the sub-specialty of cardiology that deals specifically with the catheter-based treatment of heart diseases.
Bastiany fell in love with this specialized area of cardiology after doing her rotation.
“I knew right away this is what I want to do,” she said. “This particular field allows you to fix problems in a lot of ways. I remember doing my rotation in the coronary care unit and seeing a guy who was dying. He went into the cath lab (the examination room in a hospital with diagnostic imaging equipment used to visualize the heart arteries and chambers and treat any stenosis or abnormality found), they opened his artery and now he’s right here in front of me and we are talking about smoking cessation and him going on with his life. This man was dying and I was like, ‘You know what, this is where I want to be’. While you can’t save everyone, it’s very satisfying to be in a field where you can play a role in someone getting a second chance at life.”
Opened in 2008 and named after former Deputy Prime Minister Dan Mazankowski, the MAHI is one of the few North American heart institutes that treat adult and pediatric patients.
Renowned as a global leader in complex cardiac care and surgery made MAHI appealing to Bastiany who was born and raised in Montreal.
“I wanted to stay in Canada to do my training and this, for me, is one of the best programs in the country,” she pointed out. “The University of British Columbia also has an amazing program, but the University of Alberta has a lot of people I admire, including my program director Dr. Kevin Bainey who has published a lot. They have some of the best cardiology specialists in the country and for me to be able to train with them and get the number of interventions I needed to excel was very special.”
Bainey was impressed with Bastiany’s work ethic, attitude and performance.
“Alex has an infectious personality and is smart, talented and great with patients,” he added. “We are extremely proud of her accomplishments and are honoured to have her complete her training as an Interventional Cardiologist at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute. She’s truly an extraordinary individual.”
Having supportive parents, who migrated from Haiti, laid the foundation for Bastiany to make it through the tough Saint-Michel neighbourhood that has a large immigrant population.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better support structure,” the former Andre-Grasset College peer tutor said. “After leaving Haiti, my mom enrolled in nursing school while working and taking care of her children. Just watching her do this told me that if she could do it, there’s nothing in the world that should stop me from where I want to get. Even when I was doing my residency, she got up early in the morning and prepared a coffee for me, ensured that I had lunch and there was dinner on the table when I returned home after long days. She’s the best ever.”
Her father completed a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in 1986 at the University of Montreal.
“He knew all about being a minority while pursuing higher education in Canada,” said Bastiany. “He’s really my biggest role model.”
She counts a cousin who is an anesthesiologist in New York and Dr. Yvette Bonny among her role models.
Dr. Alexandra Bastiany
Graduating from the University of Haiti Faculty of Medicine, Bonny arrived in Quebec in 1962 to continue her higher education journey. She performed the first bone marrow transplant on a child in eastern Ontario in 1990.
The retired pediatrician and clinical professor was conferred with the Order of Canada in 2008.
“She was of great support when I decided to apply to medical school,” said Bastiany who is a member of the Canadian-Haitian Physicians Foundation and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons in Canada. “I have a lot of respect and admiration for her.”
Wayne Batchelor, the recipient of the first Black Business & Professional Association scholarship in 1986, is Canada’s first Black Interventional Cardiologist.
He relocated to the United States 18 years ago and is currently practicing in Virginia.
