Shining a spotlight on women at the MUHC – time to focus on the Montreal Children’s!

With women accounting for an overwhelming majority – over 70 percent – of the workforce at the MUHC, we felt it was an impossible task to highlight their achievements in just one day. As part of our week-long celebration of International Women’s Day, let’s now turn our attention to the Montreal Children’s Hospital. 

Proud and awed to be a woman in healthcare 

Maia Aziz is Clinico-Administrative Head of Allied Health Services at the Children’s. She is a strong proponent of the physical, mental and emotional well-being of both the patient and the healthcare provider. “You have to feel good to do good,” she says. Maia says her mom taught her the importance of compassion and empathy at a young age, calling it a privilege to help others when they need it most. She says International Women’s Day celebrates the strength, resilience, creativity and contribution of women from all walks of life. “I am surrounded by hundreds of fierce and fabulous women every day. How inspiring is that!” 

Hidden force of healthcare 

Two of those inspiring women are Lorraine Vanda and Ines Gregorovic - the administrative support team for Allied Health Services at the Children’s. “I honestly don’t know how they do it,” says Maia. They collectively support all the financial, HR, time reporting, purchasing, training, IT systems, and statistics needs of the more than 200 employees across our 14 departments. They are the hidden force and faces of healthcare behind the scenes.” 

Lorraine was surprised and honoured by the kind words. “I never really thought of myself as having leadership skills. I’m more of a behind the scenes person, wanting to help others get their work done,” she says. Ines agrees, “I just find there is something special about working in a place dedicated to helping others.”

While it isn’t unusual to see women in leadership roles at the Children’s, both Lorraine and Ines are grateful to the women who came before them. “I consider myself lucky to be working in a thriving environment for women,” says Ines. “International Women’s Day is a time to reflect upon how far women have come with respect to gender equality and to be grateful to those who have led the way,” adds Lorraine.

When they aren’t juggling work and family both women share a love of gardening. “It’s so relaxing and therapeutic,“ says Lorraine. Ines stays Zen by taking nature walks. As for Maia, when she’s not advocating for the hospital's little patients and their families, she can be found riffing puns with her six kids, asking Bixby (virtual assistant) for profound life advice or trying to perfect her sourdough recipe. 

In Thursday’s instalment, we’ll share the stories of two amazing women at the Lachine Hospital.