Raised in Kimberley, Lori Wik knew that College of the Rockies was the ideal first step for her long educational journey.
“I chose College of the Rockies because of geography, social supports that I had already established and because of cost. I absolutely saved money in the years I was at the College, not just with tuition but for living as well,” Lori says. Her time at College of the Rockies had an unexpected reward as well. “I married one of my friends that I met in my first year at College of the Rockies. We now have four children.”
After completing two years of University Transfer Science courses at College of the Rockies, Lori went on to complete a Bachelor of Medical Science and a Doctor of Medicine with special training in research. She is now a general internal medicine specialist in Cranbrook where she has dedicated herself to providing exceptional care for patients in the East Kootenay. She joined a practice with two other internists and began providing both acute care at the hospital, including in the ICU, and community-based care in her practice. In collaboration with internist Dr. Errin Sawatsky and community nurses, she established the Heart Function program, which delivers comprehensive chronic disease management for patients with congestive heart failure. The program serves over 800 patients throughout the East Kootenay, making it the largest of its kind in a rural area.
She followed this success by joining forces with internist Dr. Moninder Vaid to co-found the Respiratory Clinic which focuses on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
Her passion for her patients led to Dr. Wik’s role as co-lead of the Curiosity, Frailty, and Palliative Care Project which encourages physicians to hit pause and have a “what matters to you” conversation with patients who are in the final stage of their life. She led a frailty focus group which developed a tool used to identify frail patients at risk of hospitalization or death in the coming years so conversations can be had and interventions planned that align with patient goals and values.
We are proud to have Dr. Wik as a College of the Rockies alum but as she said, “College of the Rockies was an excellent stepping stone towards transferring to a university science program. I had the intent all along of applying for medical school as soon as I was eligible.”
Learn about College of the Rockies Biology and Medicine Pre-Major.