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Dr. Beed’s wife was a pediatric oncology nurse and was no stranger to difficult days. But her ability to shrug off the small stuff rather than get upset has gotten her through difficult days throughout her career.

“You begin to realize that so much of the energy we waste is on stuff that's just not worth the energy; her gift was her perspective,” says Dr. Beed.

As an intensive care physician at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, he strives to adhere to that philosophy.

“We are not guaranteed to wake up the next day, and I see this all the time in my work,” says Dr. Beed.

Crediting his wife and two daughters for reminding him what is profoundly important in life, Dr. Beed approaches the world with curiosity and sees every opportunity as a chance to make a difference.

When asked what advice he offers people considering medical school, Dr. Beed’s response illustrates those positive qualities.

“Going to medical school is an unbelievable opportunity,” he says. “It is a chance to do something special every day, but go into it with your eyes wide open, and you will be rewarded. Even when the health-care system can be frustrating, it is worth it.”

After completing medical school at pilipili����, Dr. Beed went on to further medical training at Harvard University, where he focused on adult critical care medicine as well as thoracic and cardiovascular anesthesia.

COVID-19 and safe patient handling

Although Dr. Beed has had many accomplishments and carried out dedicated projects that have advanced healthcare throughout his career, one of the things he is most proud of is working towards increasing the profile of safe patient handling in Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada.

“So many of our staff, especially nurses, are hurt when caring for patients,” says Dr. Beed when talking about the need for better safe patient handling.

When COVID-19 brought the world to a halt, Dr. Beed, who focuses on adult critical care,   participated in a virtual call with colleagues around the world who were grappling with the seriousness of the pandemic.

Some of his colleagues in Italy became emotional as they described what their patients were undergoing during the first stages of the pandemic.

Before vaccines or drugs developed specifically to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus were available, doctors and other health-care professionals helped COVID-19 patients get more oxygen by placing them into a prone position, flipping them from their back to their front to encourage oxygen flow.

Depending on a patient’s health condition, age, height, and weight, the proning process can take up to 40 minutes and is often the cause of work-related injuries for nurses and other health professionals, however.

The safety risks of proning inspired Dr. Beed to create with a device he dubbed the Pronatorplus (now in three provinces), a wrap with adjustable straps that cocoons patients, and attaches to a patient lift. Using the device’s handle, health-care personnel can safely flip a patient over.

Now, Dr. Beed’s mission is to draw attention to the need for safe patient handling in all circumstances in hospital settings, and not just when people prone a patient.

“There is a real need to increase safe patient handling as it is almost non-existent now in our hospitals,” Dr. Beed says. “Although it is not as sexy to talk about as something like artificial intelligence in healthcare, it is something I plan to bring awareness to.”

In addition to his work on safe patient handling, Dr. Beed has been a key figure in Nova Scotia’s organ donation efforts since 2006, and played a crucial role in changing organ donation laws in Nova Scotia from an opt-in to an opt-out system.

This legislative shift, recently enacted, is expected to boost organ donation rates in the province significantly, saving countless lives

Dr. Beed continues to be an advocate for both organ donation and for increasing safety for both patients and health-care professionals, two of the many reasons he is this year’s Alum of the Year.

DMAA Alum of the Year Award

The Alum of the Year award has recognized retired and active physicians who have made unique and international contributions to clinical practice, teaching, or research.

Over the years, recipients have been recognized internationally, published, and have participated in national professional and academic societies.