Sitansisk Wolastoqiyik member becomes first medical doctor from N.B. community

Dr. Tiffany Brooks's career was sparked by something that happened during her childhood.

"Back in elementary school, my mom had a surgery and that got me interested in medicine ... looking up YouTube videos all the time, learning what it was all about," she said.

Years later, that curiosity led to Brooks graduating from Dalhousie University's school of medicine in May. She's starting her residency in family medicine this month.

Brooks is the first person to become a medical doctor from Sitansisk Wolastoqiyik, N.B., also known as St. Mary's First Nation.

Her time in university was defined by successes, such as receiving the Dr. Leonard, Kay and Simon Levine Scholarship, which goes to a fourth-year medical student who shows a strong aptitude for family medicine.

Brooks was also a student lead in developing Dalhousie's Doctor for a Day initiative, which allows Indigenous middle-to-high school students to learn more about the medical school.

"That was a really good opportunity to mentor some youth into seeing themselves in a career in medicine and incorporate some cultural aspects into what medicine looks like," she said.

Brooks also completed a research project that looked at the ethical processes of engaging Indigenous communities and providing culturally safe care.

"I was learning a lot about our history, and about the role of medicine, and seeing how my role as a physician can be impactful in making some changes," she said.

While curiosity sparked her interest in medicine, Brooks said as a youth there was some lingering doubt about pursuing it.

Those doubts began to dissipate in high school when she and her peers took an aptitude test that found Brooks was well-suited to go into health care.

"I was a pretty shy kid and so I didn't really see myself in medicine until that aptitude test sort of made me see past some of those limiting beliefs that I had, and think that it might be a possibility," she said.

Brooks's passion for medicine also blossomed from a commitment to care for her community as she recalled work she had done in Sitansisk and Fredericton. 

"I had the opportunity to sit down with community members and hear some of their stories and that reaffirmed to me how listening and holding safe space for people's stories can be medicine in itself," she said.