Name: Dr. Reena Baweja (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Neurosurgeon
Years of Service: 2
Worksite: Royal Inland Hospital
Community: Kamloops
Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Kindness is king!
Dr. Reena Baweja was very well travelled before moving to Kamloops to accept a neurosurgeon role at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) in July 2021.
Born and raised in Ottawa, she received her undergraduate degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and completed medical school in Australia at the University of Sydney. She finished her neurosurgery training at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and then completed a two-year fellowship at the University of Ottawa, specializing in peripheral nerve and spinal disorders.
“My desire to explore the other side of the world led me to Australia … but my desire to practice in Canada led me back home,” Dr. Baweja said. “I moved to Kamloops for the general neurosurgical position at Royal Inland Hospital because it offered high volume trauma and the opportunity to gain valuable experience.”
Learn more about her journey with IH
Depending on her schedule for the day, you’ll either find Dr. Baweja performing operations at the hospital or consulting with patients at her own clinic, which she operates through a shared office space in the Welcome Back Centre (a private medical facility in Kamloops). At her clinic, she sees new referrals and provides follow-up care for patients that she has seen or operated on in the hospital.
She’s part of a group of four neurosurgeons and they each cover one week of on-call at a time. While on call, they must be available at all times for whatever comes through the door.
As a young physician establishing a practice and building my career, this position has everything I am looking for. Since my arrival, I have received endless support from the RIH administrative team, my colleagues, the RIH Foundation, and the community.
When Dr. Baweja was hired at RIH, she became the first female neurosurgeon in the Interior Health region.
“It was an extremely proud moment for me, but I also felt a sense of sadness,” she said. “It shouldn’t be a novel thing to have a female neurosurgeon amongst your medical staff. In the last 50 years, the proportion of women attending medical school has risen to at least half of each graduating class. The number of women being accepted to specialty training has risen proportionately with this number except for a few specialties - neurosurgery being one of those specialties.”
Dr. Baweja is satisfied with the direction her career is moving in and looks to continue along this path, building her practice into a “busy and productive service to the community.”
In my profession, when a patient comes to me with a neurosurgical condition, it is most often a very critical time in their life. I might see brain tumours every day, but for the patient, this is a life-altering experience. It is during these difficult times that I am able to make a difference in their lives with my expertise and compassion.
Discover her passions outside of work
When Dr. Baweja isn’t busy operating or consulting with her patients, you’ll find her spending time with her daughter and exploring the outdoors. Dr. Baweja noted that it was a big adjustment moving to Kamloops, but that she and her daughter have “wholeheartedly embraced” everything the city has to offer.
“My daughter and I have thoroughly enjoyed our experience in Kamloops so far,” she said. “We are so grateful to this community that has embraced us. My colleagues and the administrative team at Royal Inland Hospital have been there for us every step of the way, offering guidance, support and even childcare, to ensure that we have exactly what we need to successfully transition into our new life here in Kamloops.”
I came here to serve this community and I am grateful that we have received such incredible support and enthusiasm.
Dr. Reena Baweja lives by two important values every day, during and outside of work.
“One is that I do the very best I can with absolutely everything I do, whether that be with every patient I see, every surgery I undertake, every bedtime story I read or every meal I make for my family,” she said. “Second, kindness is at the forefront of everything I do. No matter what kind of situation I am in, I always let kindness be my guiding force. People have shown great kindness to me and in turn, I try to show that to others.
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