We Are IH: Meet AJ Brekke

August 20, 2020

We Are IH is a new recognition campaign to spotlight our people in a real way – through pictures and stories that allow their authenticity to shine through! Each month, four Interior Health employees or medical staff will be featured through our News@IH website and our weekly In the Loop Roundup email newsletter. 


Currently the Peri-operative Manager at East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook, AJ has been with IH for 15 years.

AJ continues to be inspired by the desire to empower others to succeed. Her colleagues, friends and family would describe AJ as very driven, and her career at IH is a reflection of her hard work serving others. Over the past 15 years, AJ has loved working with people and trying to improve the quality of service we provide.

AJ is very active and loves exploring the beautiful outdoors of her home in Cranbrook, where she was raised after being born in Trail, B.C. She headed to the big city, Vancouver, for 13 years before moving back to Cranbrook in 2005. A lot has changed since then, but her favourite band is still Motley Crue!

"Learn From Your Mistakes."

A.J.'s favourite quote.

You could say that health care runs through AJ's family line, with her mom's career as a Unit Clerk for IH and her sister working alongside them at IH as a Nurse Practitioner. This past January their roles suddenly changed as they were by their father's side during his cardiac arrest. AJ says he received incredible care in both Creston and Kelowna. The family is thankful he is healthy and that they were able to support him.

When AJ isn't working, you can find her out hiking with her bulldog, Ella, her two kids, ages 20 and 19, and her husband, or training for Ironman Triathlons and Ultra Marathons. An adventurer at heart, AJ is anxiously awaiting to be able to travel again and continue her global explorations with her family.

Check back each Friday for the next We Are IH feature.

For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca.


A.J.'s nomination of Crystal White keeps the We Are IH loop going:

"Crystal is strong, independent, smart and decisive. She leads the Critical Care Network; she was my ‘person’ while I worked in the Emergency Network."

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