We are Niagara Health is a series of stories that celebrates the incredible people working and volunteering in our organization and how they make a difference in the lives of patients and coworkers every day.
Niagara Health's biomedical engineering team has grown to become like family to each other under the leadership of Manager Richard Sit (second row, second from left).
On any given first Friday of the month, you can find Niagara Health’s biomedical engineering team gathered in the basement of the Marotta Family Hospital, tackling the world’s problems.
Over lunch shared at their monthly Family Feast Friday, the 13-member team dives into conversations about everything from the complexities of Canadian healthcare to challenges immigrants face becoming Canadian citizens, and the politics deeply intertwined in it all.
Their work troubleshooting and repairing the equipment that keeps patient care running smoothly across all Niagara Health sites is urgent and vital. But these gatherings are just as essential, giving them space to connect as people, not just colleagues.
It’s a culture shaped by manager Richard Sit -- one grounded in respect, shared purpose and a genuine love for not only the work they do but the people doing it. Here, relationships matter more than differences of opinion, and teamwork makes healthcare work.
“We manage thousands of pieces of medical equipment but these are just numbers,” Richard says. “This brings the team together. We love Family Feast so much because of the conversation. The topics are random but we don’t stop talking for the whole hour, and we get to know each other better as a team.”
That includes getting to know individual stories, like Reem Hussin’s, and not just viewpoints.
The biomedical engineering technologist was determined to work at Niagara Health after giving birth to her son at Marotta Family Hospital in 2021. Not long after a caesarean delivery, she and her newborn were readmitted when he struggled to nurse because he was tongue-tied.
The care they received left a such a lasting impression, Reem wanted to give back. Her background in biomedical engineering would allow her to do that, but Reem applied to every job posting – even those outside her field – “just trying to get in the door.”
“In all these years, biomed has achieved all these milestones. I’m very proud to work here.”
In December 2021, she joined the biomedical team and, fittingly, was assigned to care for the equipment in Women’s and Babies, including the neonatal intensive care unit.
“Now when I’m working in the department, I see all these nurses who helped me and my son,” Reem says. “I feel like I’m home.”
There are other reasons for that feeling, thanks to the inclusive environment Richard has nurtured. In addition to Family Feast Fridays, which offer a break from the introverted work of equipment repair, the biomedical team takes opportunities to learn together and from one another.
Every quarter, they convene for an activity outside the hospital to connect more personally, including a recent trip to the Niagara Parks Power Station.
They mark Niagara Health’s Celebrate Diversity Month with a team lunch every April. This year, they shared family origin stories and their journeys to Canada while they ate.
Reem Hussin
Hong Ji
Abdul-Qoyyum Adekitan
During Black History Month, they celebrate together and choose a Black History Month star for the team.
Blue Shirt Monday adds a lighthearted way to start the week. It began after several team members coincidentally showed up wearing blue and turned into a tradition that builds unity.
This week, to celebrate National Biomedical and Clinical Engineering Week, they’ll gather for their annual cornhole tournament, playfully trying to end Richard’s three-year winning streak.
But there’s also the work itself and the feeling that they have impact at work.
Hong Ji works with Operating Room staff and fields calls daily to help physicians and nurses with equipment questions.
“I really feel the work is meaningful work,” says Hong, who has worked at Niagara Health since the opening of Marotta Family Hospital in 2013. “We work really closely with clinical staff on patient care. It’s meaningful for me to feel like my specialty is contributing to healthcare and providing a service.”
No one is left to their own devices on the job, either – especially new hires.
“When you finish school, you learn all theoretical stuff but you want to go to a place where you will keep learning and not get thrown into the ocean,” biomedical technologist Abdul-Qoyyum Adekitan says. “That’s Niagara Health. They train you and make sure you’re comfortable.”
That approach has paid off. The Niagara Health biomed team was peer reviewed by the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society in 2015 and 2019, which recognized them for meeting national standards of practice. Niagara Health was the first organization to achieve the recognition twice.
“In all these years, biomed has achieved all these milestones,” Hong says. “I’m very proud to work here.”
They celebrate personal milestones, too, like when Abdul got married last fall. And then there are the “Biomed Babies” – the children of team members who’ve become familiar faces to the whole group.
Reem says even her husband knows the name of everyone in her department and their kids.
“That doesn’t just build a team, it builds a family,” she says.
“Credit to Rich,” Abdul adds. “It’s all his ideas. He makes us see each other as family.”
But Richard, who was recently honoured with an Excellence in Practice – Leadership Award at the annual Interprofessional Practice Awards, is quick to give the praise to his team instead.
“I want people to know how awesome we are as a group,” he says. “I love my team. I love every second here. This group is amazing and I love working with them.”
