Christine Loock wants to give people an early start.
As a developmental pediatrician at the Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of British Columbia, Loock – a longtime North Vancouver resident – has spent the last several decades ensuring that children, women and families have a chance at a healthy lot in life.
“It’s really about our start in life. Early life matters,” she explains.
For her efforts, Loock was recognized in the health and wellness category during the 35th annual YWCA Women of Distinction Awards last week.
Of particular note was Loock’s role as an internationally recognized clinician and researcher in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
“My career has been, first, to prevent developmental disabilities by recognizing those things that were preventable, and advocating for healthy pregnancy and information to women,” she says.
In 1993, Loock was instrumental in establishing and implementing Sheway, an initiative based in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that acts as a maternal child health program that focuses on supporting women in pregnancy.
The program came about, Loock explains, in response to the then growing understanding of the needs of pregnant women and parents living in the community.
“My mom was a public health nurse and I saw this as a public health crisis, and that we should do something about it,” she says. “When I was asked to speak to a group of moms who felt that their children might be affected, it was about respect, understanding, compassion, and hope.”
Although Loock has been working on the preventative and educational side with regards to FASD for the past 30 years, she says that over the past decade her career has been about addressing structural and systemic barriers to health care for children, such as poverty.
“It’s a new area called social pediatrics,” she says, adding that Canada is on the international stage with respect to FASD understanding, prevention, intervention, and support.
“We are now doing studies with adults with FASD. We’re learning with our patients about what their needs are,” she says. “It’s the next chapter in my FASD prevention work, that if you’re going to be effective you have to work together, you have to empower the community.”
The annual Women of Distinction Awards honour women in a number of different categories for their inspiring achievements while raising funds and awareness for YWCA programs and services aimed at improving the lives of Metro Vancouver residents.
“I was very honoured to be in that group,” Loock says of her award.
