Dr. Arlene Kelly-Wiggins

Cape Breton University is pleased to recognize Dr. Arlene Kelly-Wiggins for her dedication and commitment to her patients and community. After graduating high school, Dr. Kelly-Wiggins embarked on a teaching career and taught for many years before going back to school to become a doctor. Dr. Kelly-Wiggins graduated from the Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine in 2015. She then went on to complete her family residency with an additional year of training in the Care of the Elderly with Dalhousie University’s departments of Geriatric Medicine and Family Medicine.

After losing its two geriatric specialists, the Geriatric Medicine and Memory Disability Clinic in Sydney was no longer operating at full capacity. Thanks to Dr. Kelly-Wiggins, the clinic returned to full service in 2018. The level of commitment showcased by Dr. Kelly-Wiggins has allowed her patients the opportunity to receive exemplary geriatric care in their own community instead of having to travel.

Dr. Kelly-Wiggins’ peers say her lifelong commitment to her Cape Breton community is truly inspiring. Her care reaches many corners of Cape Breton, with patients on the west side of the Island receiving geriatric services through clinics she holds in Baddeck so they don’t have to travel to Sydney for care.

In addition to Dr. Kelly-Wiggins’ commitment to her patients and dedication to her home community, she is a deeply devoted mentor. She has served as a mentor to countless medical students and residents who continually rotate through the clinic, while spending much of her time educating the next generation of physicians, nurses and pharmacists.

Dr. Kelly-Wiggins is a community advocate and representative on many committees and boards. She has been an extremely vocal champion of the Cape Breton Medical Campus; serves on the Resident Progress Committee for the Dalhousie Care of the Elderly Program; is a consultant for the Nova Scotia Frailty Education Network; a founding member of the CBU Centre for Excellence in Healthy Aging; and serves the Medical Education Committee for Dalhousie as their Geriatrics Content Expert.

In her free time, Dr. Kelly-Wiggins sings as a member of the Alara Vocal Ensemble and creates beautiful knit pieces for family, friends and community members. This is all in addition to her critical role as the lead of the Sydney Geriatric Clinic.

Dr. Kelly-Wiggins wears many hats. First and foremost, those closest to her will tell you she is a valued co-worker, leader and friend. She ensures that hard work never goes unnoticed, birthdays never go uncelebrated and she dedicates her time to create a culture where people simply love to work. Her positive approach to leadership has resulted in a circle of engaged healthcare professionals who are ready to tackle any problem for their patients. Through her leadership and daily efforts, she has made a big impact on her co-workers’ ability to care for the elderly who struggle with cognitive issues and frailty.

Every day, she continuously fosters a collaborative environment with an open-door culture that makes all of her team members feel comfortable and safe to collaborate. This in turn ensures that those who benefit the most from this multi-faceted, interdisciplinary approach are the patients.

Dr. Kelly-Wiggins’ team, along with countless community members, feel she deserves to be recognized and celebrated for her integral efforts and influence in empowering the team at the Geriatric Medicine and Memory Disability Clinic to uphold the highest standards of care in treating the vulnerable patient population they serve.

Congratulations, Dr. Kelly-Wiggins.