Home is Where the Heart is for Cardiac Doctor

Dr. Marc Pelletier's story is a compelling one - especially if you are a resident of New Brunswick. From the time he was 11 or 12, Marc knew he wanted to be a doctor; he knew he wanted to help people. He grew up in a small

Dr. Marc Pelletier is shown in his office in the heart centre at the Saint John Regonal Hospital. Photo: Peter Walsh/Telegraph-Journal

New Brunswick town and was the first in his family to attend university. He credits his parents with encouraging him and making him believe that he could do whatever he wanted to do.

After graduating from high school at age 16, Marc headed to Mount Allison University and was accepted to medical school at the tender age of 18. After spending four years at Dalhousie, he went on to McGill in Montreal. From there he accepted a one year Cardiothoracic Transplant Fellowship at the prestigious Stanford University. He became an Associate Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Toronto for three years before heading back to California to Stanford's Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

In 2007, Marc returned to New Brunswick to become the department head of cardiac surgery at the New Brunswick Heart Centre in Saint John. Both Marc and his wife felt "the pull" to return home to New Brunswick.

Because Pelletier worked in health care in both Canada and the United States, I was curious about his perspective regarding the differences between the two systems.