Feature: International Women's Day - Dr. Lysa Boissé Lomax

General DOM News & Events

| 8 March 2024

In honour of International Women’s Day, we will be highlighting four inspirational women from the Department of Medicine this month.

Meet Dr. Lysa Boissé Lomax, Chair of the Department of Medicine's Women in Medicine Committee. Dr. Boissé Lomax is an Associate Professor in the Division of Neurology. She runs multidisciplinary Sleep and Epilepsy clinics, as well as a Transition clinic that helps to guide children and their families as they transition from pediatrics into adult care, with an active Virtual Care practice. Dr. Boissé Lomax is the Neurology Residency Program Director, the Director of the KHSC District Epilepsy Center and the Medical Director of the EEG Laboratory.

What initially sparked your interest in pursuing a career in medicine?

My interest in medicine was sparked by research in neuroscience. I always thought I would be a bench scientist, but working in clinic with a neurologist on my committee made me realize how much I enjoyed patient interactions.

What advice would you give to young women aspiring to pursue a career in medicine?

Keep growing, learning and evolving. I started as a scientist, but became a clinician, and then a patient advocate, and perhaps in the future, my next evolution will be a leader. When I started my position as a neurologist at KHSC, we had only one epilepsy monitoring unit bed that was rarely used. Through advocacy and team work with my colleagues Dr. Garima Shukla and Dr. Gavin Winston, we have evolved into a full-fledged Comprehensive Epilepsy Centre. Our patients now have access to extended MOH funding, 4 EMU beds, intracranial sEEG, epilepsy surgery, VNS, DBS, fMRI, ketogenic diet, advanced genetic testing... Everything a patient with complex epilepsy requires, all available locally at KHSC.

What do you find most rewarding about being a woman in medicine?

The most rewarding thing about being a woman in medicine is finding other like-minded women and working together to grow programs, share the stress and workload, and understand the common challenges we face.

How do you unwind and de-stress after a long day at the hospital? Any guilty pleasures or favourite relaxation rituals?

I de-stress with karate and yoga. I have been training in karate since I was 14 years old, so I have a black belt in Shito Ryu and a second black belt in Shotokan Karate. Karate takes focus and stamina, and works the cardiovascular system, flexibility, core strength, and it keeps you thinking. I get to train karate with my colleague Dr. Yuka Asai, so we get to see each other in clinic and in the dojo. As a resident, I took up yoga, and I especially find ashtanga yoga challenging and engaging.... And I get to practice with my colleague Dr. Sara Awad, so we can sympathize with each other about how hard the class is. If anyone is interested in joining us for karate or yoga, please reach out! In my honest opinion, I have the best karate sensei (Chris Schulz) and yoga teacher (Frédérique Seroude) in the city!

Feature: International Women's Day - Dr. Lysa Boissé Lomax

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Feature: International Women's Day - Dr. Lysa Boissé Lomax

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