Alumni Profile: Barry Goldlist on the importance of reminiscing and reconnecting

Barry Goldlist (MD ’74) is a professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Toronto and a staff geriatrician with Sinai Health, which is creating a Chair in Ageing and Health in his honour.

Goldlist, who is the former director of U of T’s division of geriatric medicine, has played an instrumental role in establishing geriatrics as a certified specialty in Canada. A founding member of the Canadian Geriatrics Society, he is also the former editor-in-chief of Geriatrics & Aging and has written three books and numerous articles on the field.

Through his teaching and mentorship, Goldlist has inspired countless medical students to pursue careers in geriatrics. He won U of T’s outstanding teacher in geriatrics award five times. The award was renamed in his honour in 2015.

In 2024, Goldlist and his classmates will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation from the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s MD Program. We talked to him about his experiences in the evolving field of geriatrics and the importance of connecting — and reconnecting — with his fellow physicians.
 

When you started practicing medicine, geriatrics wasn’t even recognized as a specialty in Canada. How did you become interested in this field?

I was a chief resident in medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital, and one of my jobs was to take care of any priests or nuns who were hospitalized — and they were generally very elderly. The Sisters of St. Joseph had founded the hospital in the 19th century and were still actively involved in hospital operations. The hospital held the clergy in great favour.

It was an honour to serve them, but I also truly loved talking with these patients — they were highly educated and had a unique knowledge and view of the world. I probably gained more out of those conversations than they did.

The physician-in-chief at the time observed that I enjoyed this work, so he suggested I pursue geriatrics.

How has geriatrics changed, then vs. now?

The biggest driver now is our growing elderly population. It’s not altruism or interest, but rather necessity that’s spurring physicians into geriatrics. The good news is, it has become a very popular sub-specialty. About a decade ago, Sharon Straus (MD ’90, PGME Geriatric Medicine ’96, MSc ’03) became the director of geriatrics at U of T. Students saw you could be a world-famous scientist or researcher and also be a geriatrician. That was a really positive step forward.

Next year is your 50th anniversary of graduating from the MD program. How will you be celebrating?

There are a few different events taking place over U of T’s Alumni Reunion weekend, so there’s lots going on. U of T is organizing a celebration for all alumni celebrating their 50th anniversary of graduation, plus at Temerty Medicine we have our own events for the MD class of 1974. We’re going to have a formal dinner on the Thursday night, and then we’re planning to facilitate smaller, more informal group dinners on Friday. We also have a brunch on the Saturday. I’m looking forward to seeing people I haven’t seen in a long time, people from outside Toronto.

What’s the value in reconnecting for classmates?

As a geriatrician, I can say there's a health aspect to reminiscence. Not necessarily living in the past, but reminding yourself of why you ended up where you are by thinking about the past — that can be a good thing. Reminiscing about previous times can be very therapeutic.

It's also just good to find out what people are doing and to learn from them. Not necessarily from a professional development standpoint, but we never stop learning from our friends and colleagues.

You helped launch and are now raising funds for the U of T MD Class of 7T4 Award. What inspired that?

I’ve seen how philanthropy can be transformative in my field. We’ve had dramatic improvement in geriatrics because of chairs and professorships that have allowed researchers to devote their time to research and advancing knowledge.

With the 7T4 award, I’m hoping our class can raise money to establish a scholarship that helps students pursue medicine. So many would-be students have the brilliance, but don't have the finances. I often hear from residents and graduate students that the incentive to continue in medicine is challenged by its associated costs. With this award, we can help.

How do you stay connected to the current generation of learners and clinicians?

Most of my teaching now happens at the bedside, rather than through seminars and things like that. I observe the residents in clinic so I can give tips immediately, which is really valuable.

Another thing you learn in geriatrics is that being able to take care of yourself is a defining characteristic of health. Now, instead of in at 6 a.m. and out at 8 p.m. I’m in around 8:30 or 9:30 depending on my schedule, which is nice. I can enjoy more of the things I like to do outside work. It’s so important to have a good work-life balance as a physician, and I’m grateful I can model that.