Meet Brad

In his work as an orthoptist at the Stollery, Brad Wakeman supports the local ophthalmology surgeons by doing vision, ocular motility and binocular vision testing. He works with patients of all ages who have complex eye problems and helps them see better. For Brad, every patient is different with a unique set of issues and a new puzzle to sort out.

Outside of work, he’s an avid paddler in Dragon Boat and also Outrigger Canoe, and he has competed in both on the Canadian National Teams at world championships and brought home some medals. Paddling has taken him all over the world to compete, and he plans to do it for a long time yet.

Let’s find out more about Brad:

Do you have a standout Stollery memory?

One of my little patients and her dad were Beekeepers and every six months without fail, she would insist on bringing me a little jar of honey that she had collected when she came for her visual field testing. That was the best!

Do you have a personal connection to the Stollery?

One of my daughters had a couple of surgeries here when she was five, and two of my daughters have worked at the Stollery, which has been wonderful getting to meet with them for lunch sometimes or see them at work.

Have donor funds directly impacted the area you work in?

Over my career, ophthalmology has become much more technical, requiring expensive machinery for carrying out detailed eye exams as well as digital imaging technology which is quite costly. Without donor funding to keep up with technology, we would not be able to provide our patients with the standard of care that has become the norm. The majority of our modern equipment has been provided by donor funding.

What is your favourite kids’ book?

Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang. Loved that book when I was in elementary school.

Do you have a favourite Disney Princess or superhero?

Probably Mulan. She didn’t need some dopey prince to rescue her. She took care of business herself.