Dr. Victoria Bernstein (Division of Cardiology) has retired from the University of British Columbia
Dr. Victoria Bernstein is a highly respected and brilliant clinical cardiologist with an impressive professional journey that has spanned more than four decades. She joined the Department of Medicine at UBC in 1972 and became a Clinical Professor in 1987. She has been cardiology staff at Vancouver General Hospital since 1974. For the next three decades, Dr. Vicki Bernstein was the only female cardiologist at VGH. She became an authority in cardiology and medical innovation after establishing an internationally-acclaimed Centre of Excellence at VGH. In the early 1980s, she pioneered the application of beta-blockers for heart failure management locally, even before it became the standard of care worldwide. She was appointed Director of ICU-CCU at UBC Hospital 1981-1994. Dr. Bernstein was the site principal investigator for many classic multicenter trials that had led to the advancement of care for cardiology patients.
She and her research team have won many accolades, not only from within academic circles but also from the patients who were integral to the early days of multicenter clinical trials and knowledge translation.
Dr. Bernstein was a recipient of the 2014 YWCA Metro Vancouver Women of Distinction Award, which recognized the passionate and dedicated physician that she is. We are indebted to Dr. Bernstein for the many years she devoted to providing state-of-the-art post-operative care for cardiac patients. We, and our patients, feel very fortunate to have benefited from the meticulous care she provided to ensure optimal recovery.
In cardiac circles, Dr. Bernstein is respected as a Master Clinician who provides accurate diagnoses based on her unparalleled bedside skills and extensive experience. She has been a Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine of the University of British Columbia since 1972. She has trained generations of cardiologists and blazed a trail for others, in particular women cardiologists. She can recall a special milestone when, after more than a decade as a staff cardiologist, she was for the first time recognized as both a woman and a medical specialist at a department meeting, when the department head finally said: “Welcome Dr. Bernstein and gentlemen!”.
Dr. Bernstein’s colleagues in the Division of Cardiology feel immense gratitude for having the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Bernstein. We will all miss her humour, compassion, and teaching as she embarks on this next chapter of her life, and begins her well-deserved retirement on December 31, 2020.
We wish to congratulate Dr. Bernstein on her most remarkable career as one of the first women cardiologists in the history of the UBC Department of Medicine. Her hard work, dedication and achievements may never be matched, but she has certainly set the standard for those who follow in her footsteps. We also are delighted to learn that Dr. Bernstein will be receiving the 2021 VGH Lifetime Achievement Award which she so deserves. We look forward to celebrating with Dr. Bernstein, in person, her outstanding contributions to our Department and the field of Cardiology in 2021.