Creighton University

By Sharyn Alden

Farming… Serving in Canada’s Grenadier Guard… Flying planes and practicing martial arts…

These are not necessarily the sorts of things you’d associate with a world-renowned surgical oncologist.

Unless, of course, you’re talking about Creighton University’s Brian Loggie, M.D., C.M., F.R.C.S.C., F.A.C.S.

Growing up in Montreal, Loggie excelled at science and biology. Recognizing his aptitude for these studies, his mother, a nurse, encouraged him to become a doctor. Meanwhile, his father thought dentistry might be a good fit for his son.

But by the time he reached his teen years, Loggie himself remained undecided about his career path.

He was nonetheless profoundly affected by his adventures every summer throughout high school. Lucky for him, he lived and worked on a beautiful farm in New Brunswick, Canada, near the scenic Bay of Chaleur.  This enriching experience helped develop Loggie’s strong work ethic, and gave him insights which would prove beneficial later in life as a physician.

Reflecting on this time in his life, Loggie comments: “It was a privilege to live and work in this beautiful area every summer, closely connecting with the people and the land.”

During the first few summers on the farm, Loggie’s work was done in a primitive manner.

“There was no running water. In fact, water was drawn from a well, and horses were used for everything,” he says. “We milked the cows by hand, split wood and chopped firewood from the nearby forest.” 

But farm life had a certain rhythm that kept Loggie coming back, summer after summer.  He enjoyed caring for the horses, cows and other farm animals, which made him consider  a career as a veterinarian. 

Loggie went on to earn a science degree at Montreal’s Loyola College, but before he graduated, he decided to gain some military training. He applied for a summertime position in the Grenadier Guard, and was accepted. Even in the stifling summer heat, Loggie was required to wear the Guard’s picturesque uniform -- a black bearskin hat and a bright red wool jacket. But the experience nonetheless built his character and discipline, and gave him a strong sense of purpose.

All of these great life experiences, along with his interest and aptitude in the sciences, ultimately took his career path in the direction of medicine.

He was accepted to McGill University’s medical program, where he earned his M.D. in 1979. Since then, his expertise has been in surgical oncology, and the treatment and management of rare cancers.

Today, Loggie is chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and director of the Cancer Center at Creighton University Medical Center.  He is world-renowned for his work with patients suffering from rare cancerous conditions that most medical institutions are unable to treat.

While most of Loggie’s professional life is spent in the deep end of surgery, he is never far from taking time to talk with his patients one-on-one. It’s not unusual for his patients to have a multitude of questions before or after Loggie performs 10 to 12 hours of complex surgery and treatment. He typically spends about two and a half hours providing patients an initial consultation.

“Patients commonly ask a lot of questions, and that’s good. I welcome it.” he says. Loggie’s patients find comfort in “joining forces” with him in battling cancer together as a team. 

He is a good listener who shows compassion for his patients’ frustrations and fears.

“Once you show people you respect them and their opinions, a connection develops,” he says. “It’s humbling and rewarding to be able to make a difference in their lives.”

Sometimes, in conversation with Loggie, the listener may hear him refer to a letter of the alphabet in navigational terms. This stems from the fact that he also happens to be a pilot.

Another passion in Loggie’s life is the Korean martial art taekwondo, which Loggie finds “physically and mentally stimulating.”

But ultimately, Loggie’s biggest passion remains cancer research.

Why?

“We would like to show cancer the door and never see these orphan diseases again,” Loggie explains. “But at the end of the day, research holds the key to that door.”