By Chad Ingram
Kristin Lythgoe is one of two doctors who recently began working in the emergency department at Haliburton Highlands Health Services, and while Lythgoe may be new to HHHS, she is not new to Haliburton County.
“I was born in Toronto, but grew up a little bit all over the place, in Calgary, Edmonton, and Newmarket,” Lythgoe told the Echo. “My family and I always spent time on Boshkung Lake every summer at our family cottage. My parents moved to the area full-time in 2010. My husband and I wanted to be closer to family in Haliburton County and Toronto, and have always loved our time spent in the area, which was what prompted our move to Haliburton.”
Lythgoe became interested in medicine in high school, especially medical genetics, and in university was drawn to her physiology and pathology classes. “During medical school I realized that I loved ‘a little bit of everything’ which was what led me to choose emergency medicine as a speciality,” Lythgoe said.
She completed her undergrad studies at the University of Western Ontario, attended medical school at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri, and completed her emergency medicine residency in Buffalo, N.Y., along with an ultrasound fellowship.
“In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my husband Josh and our two cats, my family and friends, baking, exercising, DIY projects, and watercolour painting,” Lythgoe said.
Lythgoe and another physician new to the HHHS ER department were attained through the County of Haliburton’s physician recruitment activities, headed up by Cheryl Kennedy.
“She has been doing a wonderful job to help us with this process, and we are extremely grateful for the support of the County of Haliburton,” HHHS CEO Carolyn Plummer said of Kennedy. “We are in a much better position now than we have been, with the ability to fill almost all emergency department shifts with our own team. However we are continuing to recruit, and establishing a longer-term plan to help support a more sustainable approach to physician staffing.”