Most people would see the disciplines of design and medicine as two different worlds.
Not so for Michiko Maruyama. The graduate of UNBC's Northern Medical Program began her career studying industrial design at the University of Alberta. Although she is currently studying cardiac surgery in Edmonton, she continues to combine design, art and medicine. Her innovative combination of these disciplines earned her a Rising Star Health Service Award at the Bob Ewert Memorial Dinner and Lecture in 2014.
The Rising Star award, which recognizes an NMP student each year, will be awarded to an as-of-yet unknown recipient at this year's Bob Ewert Memorial Dinner and Lecture on Saturday. The event will also feature a keynote speech by former Fort McMurray fire chief Darby Allen. Allen oversaw the evacuation of over 80,000 Fort McMurray residents during the 2016 northern Alberta wildfires.
Proceeds from the event will go to the Dr. Bert Kelly Legacy Fund, which will provide bursaries for northern students studying healthcare-related fields. The fund is held by the Prince George Community Foundation.
Maruyama, who is currently completing her 3rd year of a cardiac surgery residency program at the University of Alberta, said she feels a great deal of pride for being recognized by her peers in the north.
"To have the medical community, as well as other members of the community, was a very heartfelt moment," Maruyama said from her home in Edmonton.
Initially, Maruyama never thought she would go into medicine. In the midst of her studies in industrial design in her home province of Alberta, she developed a rare illness. The treatment was difficult and involved surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Her experience as a patient inspired an interest in the design of tools and equipment in the medical profession.
Today, she sees creative pursuits, such as design, and cerebral disciplines, like medicine, as two sides of the same coin.
"It wasn't until I got into medicine where I really wanted to integrate medicine and art together. I think that was mainly because I didn't want to lose touch with my artistic side. But the more I learned about medicine going on, the more I see medicine as an art form," she said.
"To me, those fields shouldn't be separated at all. You look at the Renaissance time when you had these incredible people that did very inter-disciplinary work. They were artists themselves, amongst being innovators and even physicians."
Since leaving Prince George, Maruyama has continued melding design and medicine. Most recently, inspired by the popular Cards Against Humanity game, she helped develop an educational card game in order to raise awareness about the opioid crisis. The game, Doctors Against Tragedies, has been described as "tremendously fun but horrendously educational" by local journalists. Maruyama hopes it will help demystify the myths about fentanyl use in a hospital setting.
Members of Prince George's arts and medical community can look forward to seeing more of Maruyama in the future. She hopes to one day contribute to a cardiac care unit, which Northern Health officials have said will be part of the planned surgical tower at the University Hospital of Northern B.C.
"It's my absolute dream to come back to Prince George. I miss it so much! It's amazing because it's somewhere I went to that wasn't home for me and it became home while I was there."
The Bob Ewert Memorial Dinner and Lecture takes place Saturday, April 7 with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at ewertlecture.com or by calling 250-596-0020.
