The Faculty & Trainee Spotlight Series shines a light on the incredible people who make up the heart of UBC Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Amidst the remarkable achievements and developments within the department, it is a pleasure to share the stories of the dynamic trainees and faculty who bring passion, curiosity, and insight that drive the areas of anesthesiology, pharmacology, and therapeutics forward.
Meet Jake Johnston!
Role: Anesthesia Resident, PGY-5
Site: UBC Vancouver
For Jake Johnston, an early interest in out-of-hospital medicine has continued to shape his journey in anesthesiology. After completing his undergraduate studies in Biotechnology at BCIT and UBC, he went on to attend UBC’s Island Medical Program in Victoria and is now a PGY-5 in UBC Anesthesiology.
Throughout residency, Jake has found opportunities to bring his training beyond the hospital, from spending a month doing anesthesia at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to joining resuscitation teams at music festivals and athletic events. He has also been part of the medical team for an international freediving competition. He is currently continuing this interest by completing an Advanced Learning Program in Prehospital and Transport Medicine with STARS.
“Providing critical care in the period between medical disaster and the hospital can make a significant impact on patient survival.”
— Jake Johnston, Anesthesia Resident, UBC
What inspired you to pursue anesthesiology, pharmacology, or therapeutics?
During medical school, I struggled to choose between anesthesia and psychiatry, two very different specialties. Ultimately, I couldn’t leave acute medicine behind and came to appreciate the role anesthesiologists play in some of the scariest moments of peoples’ lives: establishing rapport quickly and settling nerves before surgery. I love the applied pharmacology, physiology, and procedures — we are the only physicians in the hospital who routinely order, prepare, administer, and handle the consequences of our own medications. The versatility is hard to beat: pediatrics to obstetrics, every surgical specialty, and while the OR is home, we practice all over the hospital.
What areas of research or practice are you most passionate about?
My biggest interest outside the traditional anesthesia environment is prehospital and transport medicine. There’s a lot of overlap with anesthesia: resuscitating unstable patients, challenging airways, transfusion, working as a team. There’s also plenty that’s new: undifferentiated patients, limited diagnostics and resources, transport logistics, and providing phone advice to rural providers. Providing critical care in the period between medical disaster and the hospital can make a significant impact on patient survival. I’m also passionate about simulation, medical education, and point-of-care ultrasound — I served as a resident simulation lead, teach on ATLS courses, and completed the ASA Diagnostic POCUS Certificate.
What do you enjoy doing outside of the hospital or lab?
Anything with my wife Melody, our daughter Ella, and (usually) our (high-maintenance) dog Fig, Otherwise, you’ll find me outside trail running, mountain biking, skiing, or fishing. We also love to travel — ideally somewhere I can get underwater for some diving.
What’s a fun fact about you that most people wouldn’t guess?
I used to faint at the sight of blood, right up until undergrad. In an attempt to extinguish my vasovagal response, I watched videos of open heart surgery on youtube (while lying down, just in case). It worked. If you’d told me as a kid that I’d end up running massive hemorrhage protocols on patients with uncontrolled bleeding in the operating room or in the back of a helicopter, I wouldn’t have believed it (and probably would have fainted).