Getting to Know: Dr. Veronica Marcoux
A Q-and-A with Dr. Veronica Marcoux, a Saskatoon-based faculty member in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Respirology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.
Could you provide a short description of your background?
I’m an adult respirologist with specialty training in interstitial lung diseases (ILD)/pulmonary fibrosis. I completed my internal medicine and respirology training at the University of Saskatchewan, and an ILD fellowship at the University of Calgary. I have been practicing in Saskatoon for 5 years with a special focus on caring for those with ILD.
Could you tell us about your ‘big moments of research’?
My area of research is in ILD with several active projects, some of which include evaluating cost in ILD hospital-related care in Saskatchewan, outcomes and treatment effects in rheumatoid arthritis-associated ILD, and effects of surgical lung biopsy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Could you tell us about your ‘big moments of research’?
I had early success in gaining the funding to support the Saskatchewan ILD clinic joining the pan-Canadian ILD registry called Canadian Registry for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CARE-PF). This allowed us to join an amazing network of researchers across Canada and be involved in many impactful research projects. I am always looking for new partnerships and research opportunities, the most recent being with a team of researchers at the Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture (CCHSA). Additionally, I was lucky to be joined by another ILD clinician-researcher, Dr. Stacey Lok, and we continue to expand our research program. A valuable piece of advice that I received early on was ‘learn to say no’ – if you take on too many projects and roles they can become overwhelming and difficult to finish. Pick the things you are passionate about and enjoy doing!
Do you have any advice for early-career clinicians on how to get involved in research? Or any messages for junior researchers?
Find your research mentors early and seek out projects with those doing research in the field you are interested in. There is nothing more valuable than being able to work with and learn from people who are currently established and from there continue to grow and become gradually more independent.
What are your future research aspirations?
We are excited to be starting a clinical trial soon, and we continue to expand our research program both through CARE-PF and with investigator-initiated projects.