Libin member recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 women

Libin Cardiovascular Institute member Dr. Lisa Welikovitch, MD, has been named one of Canada’s most powerful women. 

A cardiologist and Senior Associate Dean, Education at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), Welikovitch recently received a Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Women Award, which honours extraordinary achievement and courageous leadership. 

Welikovitch is pleased to have received the award.  

“I was presented with the award in Toronto, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” says Welikovitch. “It’s so meaningful to have been included in a group of women with such varying interests, potential and drive.” 

Welikovitch shares those characteristics, of passion and drive, with the other award recipients.  

Education and Career

Welikovitch began her career as a social worker. She worked in the field for a year before enrolling in medical school at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. Welikovitch completed internal medicine training at the University of Toronto and cardiology training at Queen’s University. 

Following this, she completed a two-year fellowship in echocardiography at the Toronto Hospital before becoming a member of Queen’s University’s Division of Cardiology, where she served as the sole female cardiologist for six years. 

Welikovitch, a professor in the CSM’s Department of Cardiac Sciences, was recruited to the University of Calgary in 1998. She immediately began working with trainees, serving as course chair for Course 3 (Cardiorespiratory) for several years. She then spent 10 years as program director for the Adult Cardiology Residency training program. 

Her strong leadership skills made her a natural choice for associate dean, Postgraduate Medical Education, which she held from 2017 to 2023. 

Today, as Senior Associate Dean of Education, Welikovitch and her team are responsible for planning and executing CSM’s vision for all education programs within the faculty. 

Welikovitch’s motivation comes from her professional commitment to educate, support and advocate for the next generation of learners.

She also enjoys the research component of academic education. She’s interested in finding innovative ways to teach and promote excellence in education within the CSM with the goal of improving learning outcomes. 

According to Welikovitch, there is also a personal motivator in educating others. 

“There is incredible satisfaction and joy that comes from seeing learners and people you are mentoring reach their potential,” says Welikovitch. “I have many former residents who I am still close to, and it brings me immense personal and professional satisfaction.”

Finally, Welikovitch is interested in making the learning environment safe for all. 

“I trained at a time when there was no thought to the learning environment and some behaviours were tolerated that wouldn’t be today, but we aren’t where we should be,” she says. 

As a young woman in cardiology, Welikovitch’s path wasn’t always easy. 

With few women in her field, Welikovitch didn’t have a mentor and, as a trainee had numerous difficult experiences that she hopes others won’t experience.  

Those challenges helped shape her and provided her with the determination to not only intervene on behalf of individual students, but also make systems-level changes, particularly when it comes to the learning experiences of women. 

“I hope the path is a tiny bit easier for women because of the work that women in my generation did,” she says. “If any of the small changes I have made move the needle a little bit, I will feel we have made progress.”

Welikovitch, who still spends time with her patients in the clinic and on service, has reason for optimism. 

Both the new class of medical school students and the of Master Physician Assistant Program are comprised mostly of women. 

It’s changes like these that continue to motivate Welikovitch. 

“I feel extremely privileged, not only to do the clinical work I do, but also to have been given the opportunity to make positive changes in education,” she says. “More broadly, I am very committed to elevating the profile of health professions education at the University of Calgary.” 

Dr. Welikovitch also recently received the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Women in Cardiovascular Medicine/Science 2025 Mentorship Award.

Lisa Welikovitch, MD, is a cardiologist and associate professor in the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the CSM. She is associate dean, Education, at CSM and a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.