Prince Albert doctor named Physician of the Year
The Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) has named Prince Albert family physician Dr. Breanna Davis the 2021 Physician of the Year.
“It’s an incredible honour, especially this year,” said Dr. Davis. “It’s been a trying year for everybody and there are so many people working very hard. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this level of teamwork and commitment in my 12 years of practice. I’m very honoured but I also wish I could share it with everyone out there.”
According to one physician who nominated Dr. Davis for the award, Davis “genuinely cares about the lives of her patients. I saw her laugh with them, cry with them, and simply be what they needed… I would be proud to be a family physician who is half as amazing as she someday.”
Dr. Davis’s medical practice is located at the Associate Medical Clinic in Prince Albert (P.A.). She also holds remote clinics every two weeks in Sturgeon Lake. She commutes to her practice daily from Melfort, where she moved after marrying in 2014.
As lead for the COVID-19 Assessment Centre and hospitalists, Dr. Davis co-ordinates physicians in both programs, which were established in P.A. in response to the pandemic. She also does obstetrics and has been continuously involved in teaching and precepting medical students and residents.
“There a lot of things that fill my cup and part of that is having variety and making connections in multiple locations,” Davis said of her various roles.
Davis enjoys family medicine because it allows her to work with a wide cross-section of patients and populations. “But more so than that,” she said, “it’s something that can be done at the community level, which allows you to grasp all the elements that impact people’s health.”
Dr. Davis, a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine, said she chose family medicine, in part, because of her training experiences as a student. These included working in underserved communities in northern Saskatchewan.
“That experience helped lay the framework for my connection to the community, and to the North, which I wanted to continue,” she said.
Dr. Davis said she’s kept celebrations marking her achievement low key.
“The night I found out I kissed my kids and poured myself a glass of wine while I cooked supper. You can’t get more COVID-friendly than that!”
