Dr. Shuangbo Liu, interventional cardiologist and clinician-scientist at St. Boniface Hospital, knows first-hand that home is where the heart is.
Dr. Liu was born in China, moving to Winnipeg with her family when she was nine. She grew up in Winnipeg, receiving her medical education and training at the University of Manitoba. For her specialization in interventional cardiology, Dr. Liu trained at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. In 2020, she made the decision to come home.
For Shuangbo Liu, St. B is her history and her home.
St. Boniface Hospital is at the heart of Dr. Lius’s story. Her father worked at the Albrechtsen Research Centre, and she fondly remembers running around the Atrium during Christmastime as a child. Even now, she’ll cross paths with staff who remember her from many years ago.
“Coming back here was an easy choice. I feel very fortunate to be able to see people who I know every day when I walk through the Hospital doors, and to be able to help so many people who helped me,” said Dr. Liu.
Dr. Liu’s clinical and research interests are focused on acute coronary syndrome (heart attack), cardiovascular outcomes, and women’s heart health. She sees many disparities in cardiac health and approaches care in a way that works best for the patient in front of her.
One of her projects, ACS-24, is a new, unique transitional care model that extends beyond the recovery ward and encourages more communication between healthcare providers and patients. So far, the program has seen an improvement in patient comfort levels, reduced time in hospital, and lessened impact on hospital resources, such as beds.
Dr. Liu sees herself as the sum of many parts – a mother, a woman, an immigrant, and an Asian – and these are all equally important to her identity. She understands that representation matters in medicine. Mentoring medical students is a large part of her work at St. B, and her sights are always set a brighter, more diverse future. She hopes to be the best mentor she can be to the next generation of physicians. If she can do it, they can, too.
With new research projects on the horizon, she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Using the data from the ACS-24 pilot project, she hopes to improve the current discharge process and expand on the compassionate care that St. B is already known for.
“The work that I do and the projects that I’m a part of would not be possible without help from donors,” emphasized Dr. Liu. “We’re able to spend time on the highest quality research, which leads to better patient care. With their help, anything is possible.”