Life at WELL with Dr. Semion Strovski
As part of our WELL Stories project, we want to share the perspectives of the talented people who contribute so much to WELL Health.
In this Q&A, we chatted with Dr. Semion Strovski, one of WELL’s incredible Medical Directors! Let’s see what Dr. Strovski had to say about his proudest achievement and surprising lessons learned at WELL and find out what motivates him!
What are some of your hobbies outside of work? Are you supporting any charities etc?
My favourite hobby is golf.
I support the PAH Community Foundation.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Since about 10 years of age, I wanted to be a doctor and cure my dad’s asthma, I managed the first but not the second.
Share 3 ‘Fun Facts’ about you
- I asked my future wife to marry me after 1 week of dating her we were both 19, and soon we will celebrate our 42 years together.
- Once I managed to avoid an emergency landing on a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Vancouver by stopping a woman going into a hypoglycemic coma and was rewarded with a huge gift basket from the company and a First class tickets for my wife and I for our next transatlantic flight.
- When we arrived in Canada from South Africa in 1998, a newspaper in a small town we moved to published an article about us, it was called “From Russia with love and surgical glove”
Do you have any mentors in your professional life?
I don’t have any mentors, but people who inspire me are my 6 year old grandson Luke and 8 years old Benjamin, they don’t just inspire but also challenge me all the time.
Are you currently reading any books or listening to any podcasts – which ones?
The book I read right now is “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman.
I often listen to 3 podcasts “The Drive with Peter Attia, The Hubberman Lab-both medical, and Freakonomics radio.
What steps do you personally take to improve your mental health and wellness?
Golf helps me relax and get away from work stresses. it’s one activity I think one can enjoy without being good at it.
Questions about Your Career
What is your role at WELL?
I am the Medical Director of WELL Health – Panorama Village Medical Clinic.
What is the most rewarding or inspiring thing about what you do?
The most rewarding thing is hearing a cry of a newborn baby and the joy of the new parents, even at 3 in the morning.
What’s one thing you’re learning now or learned recently?
That sleep is important, I always thought when you sleep, nothing happened, but now I truly believe you should have 8 hours every night and I hope one day I’ll get there.
What’s your go-to productivity hack?
I often think of Peter Bernstein, who said
“In making decisions under conditions of uncertainty, the consequences must dominate the probabilities “
Questions about WELL
What is your proudest accomplishment at WELL?
Never for one day to close the clinic doors or not see patients in person through Covid.
What is your elevator pitch for why people should join WELL Health?
All you need to worry about is doing your job, the rest will be taken care of.
What’s one thing that surprised you about working at WELL?
How forward looking in terms of using technology to help provide medical care the company is.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Dr. Strovski and learning more about the world of WELL Health.
Thank you, Doctor, for your valuable contributions to the medical field and the whole WELL Health team!
If you are interested in working at WELL Health, visit our People & Culture page.
