Dr. Chelsey Ellis
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“It’s truly amazing seeing everyone stepping up.”
As a Medical Microbiologist at The Moncton Hospital, Dr. Chelsey Ellis has devoted her life’s work to chasing down pathogens. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, her expertise and that of the team that surrounds her, faced perhaps what will be the greatest challenge of their careers.
“I know plenty about viruses and infections but SARS-CoV-2 was new to all of us. It certainly didn’t exist in any of my text books. I don’t think people imagined the magnitude and the length of time that this was going to be at the beginning. It became clearer as the weeks and the months went on that this was bigger than what we had seen in recent years.”
Playing an essential role in the fight against COVID, Dr. Ellis praises her extremely dedicated medical laboratory professionals.
“They have shown up, stepped up, and gone above and beyond what’s asked of them, taking extra shifts, staying late, helping out wherever they can. It’s truly amazing to see everybody doing what they do best.”
Not everyone is aware of how much these professionals have been doing behind the scenes.
“People who work in this field have a huge role to play in this pandemic. Normally our world is very protocoled and we know what’s coming, so we’re ready. With COVID, we really had to be innovative and flexible. From ordering tests to swabbing techniques to allocating supplies when there were shortages, we learned to roll with the punches and deal with what comes. As a result, the unpredictability is now predictable. It’s been an interesting year with that regard.”
Dr. Ellis has the utmost admiration for all the collaboration and support she has seen between different departments in the same hospital, between hospitals, between different health authorities, and even outside of New Brunswick, with other provinces.
“These collaborations have proven to be very beneficial during the pandemic and I suspect we will see many continue post pandemic.”
Beyond the hospital, as a mother of three young children, Dr. Ellis understands the impact that the pandemic is having on families. While it has added extra stress to everyday living, there are many touching moments too.
“Driving my three-year-old to daycare she often says ‘what phase are we now today?’ and I’ll say ‘oh, today we’re in phase orange’ and she’ll say ‘oh, me like yellow’ and I’m like, ‘yeah, me like yellow too!’. When my seven-year old son has a friend come over, he is really good at enforcing the rules saying ‘I can’t play this close’. My youngest, he’s almost two, he’s never really seen life without masks. He wants to wear a mask all the time like the big kids!”
Dr. Ellis is highly aware of the impact that donations to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital have had on her department.
“They have always been very supportive of our lab. One of the main pieces of equipment was generously donated by the Friends. We use that piece of equipment seven days a week and it’s really the mainstay of the bacterial testing in our labs. We’re very grateful for the Friends and try to support them as best we can.” – Dr. Chelsey Ellis
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Right now, you can ensure everyone in our community receives the best care possible by giving to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation.
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