Congratulations to Dr. Patrick Doyle on his retirement!

BY: Dr. Christopher Lowe MD, MSc, FRCPC
Clinical Associate Professor, UBC
Medical Microbiologist at St. Paul’s Hospital
Program Director for the Medical
Microbiology Residency Program at UBC

As many may know, Dr. Patrick Doyle announced his decision to retire in March 2019. During his Medical Microbiology career, he made a profound impact on his colleagues, peers, trainees and patients. Pat’s commitment and dedication to clinical teaching and mentorship as the Medical Microbiology Program Director (2001–2015) enabled our program to be viewed as one of the best in the country. His teaching was recognized by UBC, being awarded the Clinical Faculty Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching in 2014. He was also innovative in developing the program, and sought to address gaps in training, such as his creation and leadership of the Professional Advancement Learning Series (PALS) which focused on the non-medical expert CanMEDS roles. I could go on listing Pat’s accomplishments, but I believe his greatest contribution to our profession was the mentorship of the next generation of Medical Microbiologists.

I will miss Pat as a colleague and mentor, but am glad to have had the opportunity to learn from him. He’s always been generous with his time and advice, particularly during the steep learning curve associated with taking over as Program Director. The Medical Microbiology Residency Program and the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine cannot thank Pat enough for his contribution to medical education at UBC. Like others, I wish Pat all the best in retirement, and hope that he enjoys the retired life of travelling, golfing, walking his dog Caylee and spending time with his wonderful wife, Patricia. Pat, I hope that you’ll fit in time from that busy schedule to drop by from time to time to check in on us!

Christopher Lowe

Program Director, Medical Microbiology, UBC

So rather than have me list out Pat’s achievements, I asked those Microbiologists to highlight their experiences training under him:

Dr. Lynne Li, PGY-3, Medical Microbiology (UBC)
“Dr. Doyle’s kindness, patience and enthusiasm for teaching has steered me (and many trainees) towards my present path professionally, and without regrets! He is a wonderful role model and will be missed. We welcome frequent visits and returns to impart knowledge and wisdom."
Dr. Victor Yuen, Chief Resident, Medical Microbiology (UBC)
“Pat meant everything to me as the MM PD. He introduced me to the specialty and inspired me to apply to match into MM and encouraged me every step of the way.”
- Dr. Inna Sekirov, Medical Microbiologist (BC Centre for Disease Control Public Health Lab)
“I was fortunate to start out my residency program with Pat as the program director and work with him at BCCDC after my graduation. Pat’s support for his residents, both as a program director and as staff, his ongoing mentorship and encouragement of program graduates, new and old, and his ability to put up, in good humour, with all our different shenanigans is what makes him a wonderful person and microbiologist.”
Dr. Michael Payne, Medical Microbiologist and IPAC Medical Director (London Health Sciences)
“Pat has been a great friend and mentor to me. He worked tirelessly to improve the UBC Medical Microbiology program over his term. I miss working with him (along with the sushi lunches!) and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Dr. Amanda Wilmer, Medical Microbiologist (Interior Health Authority)
“Pat was an amazing program director. He was always supportive, and he constantly worked to improve the microbiology training program. His view that microbiologists should constantly try to add value to patient care have certainly shaped my practice, and I am grateful for all the time and effort he put into mentoring me during my training.”
Dr. Titus Wong, Medical Microbiologist (Vancouver General Hospital), Regional Medical Director Infection Prevention and Control (Vancouver Coastal Health)
“Pat is a mentor and a friend. As an academic innovator and master educator, Pat has inspired physicians across Canada; many have patterned their clinical practice after Pat’s, myself included. Pat, thank you for patiently listening, gently guiding, and always caring. “
- Dr. Kennard Tan, Medical Microbiologist (Fraser Health Authority), Analytics Lead (BC Agency for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
“Pat was a very supportive program director who encouraged his residents to challenge the norms and expand the boundaries of the roles of medical microbiologists. He was also a champion for the resident training and education.”
Dr. Aleksandra Stefanovic, Medical Microbiologist (Vancouver General Hospital)
“Generations of microbiology residents have had the great fortune of receiving Pat’s guidance, endless compassion and tireless advocacy on their behalf. Pat has been one of my most supportive mentors, as well as a trusted colleague and a dear friend. Now in his retirement I hope that he gets to enjoy travel, perfect his español and find time for old friends and a few siestas.”
Dr. Ghada Al-Rawahi, Medical Microbiologist (BC Children’s and Women’s Health Centre), Medical Lead IPAC (BC Cancer)
“Dr. Doyle’s wisdom, patience, respect and dedication are evident through his support of each resident as an individual, nurturing their personal growth while ensuring that they are well prepared to meet the Program’s requirements and charting a path towards their career goals.”
Dr. Linda Hoang, Medical Microbiologist (BC Centre for Disease Control Public Health Lab)
“I was one of Pat’s first residents (I don’t think I gave you a hard time, did I???). It was a very different program then compared to what it has blossomed into today, in a large part due to Pat’s advocacy and relentless commitment to putting the residents and our program first. ”