PEI welcomes second neonatologist, keeping more premature babies and their families closer to home

Dr. Gillian MacLean remembers the exact moment when she focused her career on the tiniest patients.   

“I was doing an elective in obstetrics,” remembered Dr. MacLean, “and the obstetrician told me that I was in the wrong field, as soon as the baby was born, that was the only patient I wanted to take care of.”

Neonatology is a type of medicine that focuses on both premature babies and full-term babies with serious health complications. Dr. MacLean is PEI’s newest neonatologist, making her one of two who practice on the Island. 

Dr. Beth Ellen Brown couldn’t be happier with Dr. MacLean’s arrival. She had been PEI’s only neonatologist for five years and says having another specialist means some babies as early as 28 weeks (gestation) will be able to receive care on the Island, two weeks earlier than before. 

"If I could put it simply, it's probably a dream come true—for me, and for the families of PEI. Having Dr. MacLean with us allows us to further our ability to care for smaller, sicker babies, and more families on PEI and keep them close to home,” she said. “Having another neonatologist also means the whole team can do more for the community in terms of education, expanding services and providing more wraparound care to these babies.” 

Dr. Brown says that it will make a huge difference for Island families who come through the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Dr. MacLean is originally from Nova Scotia but was most recently working in Kingston, Ontario. She said the hospital work and familiar salty air made PEI a natural place for her to find work. But when she saw an opportunity to teach at the new UPEI Faculty of Medicine (a satellite campus of Memorial University's Faculty of Medicine), it was something she knew she couldn’t pass up.   

“This was definitely the right move for me,” she said. “There is so much opportunity here on the Island. I love it. I'm so happy.” 

It’s only been a month since she arrived, but Dr. MacLean says she’s settling into the team and has advice for any other doctors thinking of making the move to PEI.  

“Just do it. We have an amazing team here that includes our nurse educators, dieticians, and social workers.  They want to grow and to learn and, we’re doing that together.”