Meet Simon

As a Pediatric Cardiologist, Dr. Simon Urschel cares for children with congenital heart disease or weakness of the heart muscle due to disease or an infection of the heart. He helps both inpatients and outpatients through their journeys by providing optimal medical care, organizing diagnostics, interventions and surgeries as needed, and supporting the patient with their non-medical needs.

As Director of Heart Transplantation, he has been able to provide more than 200 children from across Western Canada with a life-saving therapy for otherwise fatal disorders — and he has had the opportunity to see them thrive.

Outside of work, Simon loves the outdoors, having been an avid alpine skier since his childhood. He recently picked up single-track mountain biking, enjoying the Edmonton River Valley and other areas.

Music is an integral part of his life, although the heavy metal days of his youth have mostly evolved into acoustic and classic guitar playing, as well as (modest, in his words) singing.

Let’s learn more about Simon:

What do you like most about your job? 

Working with children, who are back to normal child behaviour as soon as they feel reasonably well despite facing serious illness and aversity, allowing for smiling, laughing and fun interactions in clinics and rounds every day. Giving the whole family hope and strength through their difficult journey is another blessing of my job.

Do you have a personal connection to the Stollery?

As father of three sons, the occasional need for the Stollery Emergency to deal with sports or accidental injuries is inevitable. Fortunately, none of my children have a serious or long-term health condition.

Do you have a standout Stollery memory?

Being here for 17 years, there are many memorable moments and interactions — and relationships with patient families that feel like friendships. Our heart transplant family camp that we will be running for the 15th time this year based on the volunteer work of Stollery staff and affected families alike is a unique testament of the strength, resilience and community building that can arise from facing an adverse health reality together.

Are you a Foundation donor or volunteer?

I am both. I have been donating to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation for many years and participated in organizing and conducting specific fundraising initiatives. Our transplant camp is organized solely on a volunteer basis, and my wife, three children and myself have volunteered every year for the past 15 years.

Have donor funds impacted the area you work in?

We have received Foundation funding for some of our clinical subspecialty fellows: pediatric cardiologists from Canada and around the world are trained in pediatric heart failure and transplantation, and in many cases return to their home-countries to establish or strengthen transplant programs for children.

Several of my own and our team’s research projects have received support from the Foundation though competitive grants and donor-directed initiatives. This has helped to establish us as one of the world-leading programs for pediatric heart transplantation. While the funds for the transplant camp are managed through the Foundation, we have always been able to cover the full budget with funds specifically raised for this initiative.

What is your favourite kid’s book?

Coming to Canada with small children, we brought a large collection of German children’s books with us and had a fixed ritual of reading every night; first, picture books together in the living room, and, later, chapter stories in the boys’ bedroom. We thoroughly enjoyed the stories of Robert Munsch, allowing for animated and noisy reading.

Do you have a favourite superhero?

My favourite superhero read is probably Batman, as it includes vulnerabilities, dealing with adversities and childhood trauma, and some self reflection.