New Technology Means New Opportunities

The arrival of Durham Regions first PET-CT scanner has already had an incredible impact on patient care.

By the beginning of April, more than 400 patient scans had taken place. Approximately 24 scans are completed each week, with the team in Nuclear Medicine working diligently to increase that number to 40 at some point this year.

Tools like the new scanner and the da Vinci Surgical System have quickly enhanced patient care in our community. But these advancements have also played a key role in strengthening Lakeridge Health’s team and attracting top medical talent to Durham Region.

Wilson Yiu, Manager, Diagnostic Imaging oversees Nuclear Medicine, BMD, MRI, EIMS/PACS and PET-CT. He joined Lakeridge Health as the PET-CT project was getting formal approval from Cancer Care Ontario (CCO). Ron Burke, Director, Diagnostic Imaging and the rest of the department had put in years of work to build up the business plans for Lakeridge Health Senior Leadership and Board Approval.

Once Lakeridge Health received formal approval from CCO, Wilson was excited to help build one of Lakeridge Health’s newest programs.

“When I was hired, Lakeridge was doing a lot of new stuff like PET-CT, and a position opened up here that was right in my portfolio,” explained Wilson. “It’s an opportunity that you don’t get often in your career. You’re coming in to install the first PET-CT in the Region. You may do system replacements in existing departments throughout your career, but to design a whole department from scratch is rare. You learn so much.”

Shortly after Wilson’s arrival, Bryan Mogaji, Corporate Charge Technologist, Nuclear Medicine and PET-CT and Radiation Safety Officer, came aboard to help push the PET-CT project across the finish line.

“It’s exciting to realize a project from the ground up,” explains Bryan. “You put all of your effort in to take it to the next level and the next and the next, to one day hopefully be on par with some of the academic institutions in the province. I’ve had the chance to take some of the know-how and skills I’ve learned from other places, along with some collaborations with other experts and apply it here. It’s been very rewarding.”

When word began spreading about the arrival of PET-CT, it was crucial to bring in the right people with the right experience.

“There were a lot of people across Ontario who applied and wanted to come here,” explained Wilson. “We chose Bryan for all that he has accomplished working for multiple institutions and leading different projects. All of his knowledge in terms of PET-CT and how larger centres operate. He came with a lot of knowledge that you can’t get anywhere else aside from experience.”

Bryan and Wilson worked at the same hospital network in Toronto before coming to Lakeridge Health. Along with the allure of launching the PET-CT program, Bryan was thrilled to make a difference in his community. And cut down on his commute.

“I’m a local,” Bryan explains. “You get a chance to see the patient’s whole care journey from diagnosis to treatment. You experience it with them and know what having this equipment in our community means to people. The advantage of having PET-CT here is that it changes patient outcomes for treatment management. I’m glad to be a part of the team that’s making a difference in patients’ lives.”

“When I was working in Toronto, I had to commute like everybody else,” he continues. “I took the train every day, two hours to get in to the city, and you’re losing a lot of productive hours just commuting alone. Being able to drive to work was definitely a selling point!”

The dream became a reality on November 1 when the PET-CT scanner was officially unveiled at Lakeridge Health Oshawa.

“It was a lot of effort all around,” explains Bryan. “Without that kind of support, the project would not have come together the way it did. It takes a lot of work from a lot of different team members to make this technology a reality for our patient population in Durham Region and beyond.”

Since then, the industry has taken notice of the advancements happening east of Toronto.

“Building interest starts with one or two eye-catching things,” says Wilson. “The PET-CT, the da Vinci Surgical System, Interventional Radiology, all of these innovations are putting our Hospitals on the map.”

“It helps when I talk to former colleagues because they see in the news that we have this new PET-CT scanner, and they’re more likely to consider Lakeridge,” explains Bryan.

Wilson and other managers from Lakeridge Health recently attended the Michener Career Fair, and the next wave of medical experts is taking notice of Lakeridge’s recent advancements.

“The students know about it, and because they’re students, they talk. And if you impress one, they talk to other people about it,” says Wilson. “They start asking questions about the future: ‘What’s happening next year or the year after?’ But there is a lot of stuff happening at Lakeridge in the next 10 years or so, and there’s going to be advancements that change the organization and the Region.”

Through the incredible support of our donors, Lakeridge Health Foundation is able to bring incredible technology to Durham Region, and help attract medical experts who are passionate about enhancing the patient experience.