Orthopedics, to fight the pain of chronic problems
By Claudine Auger
Originally from the very French-speaking city of Quebec, Paul Beaulé did all of his primary education there... in English! "In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a lot of political pressure and my father, a forward-thinking and concerned man, believed in the importance of being bilingual in North America," says Beaulé, who went on to study medicine at the University of Ottawa at a time when there was no French-language program. After completing his residency in orthopaedics, the young specialist went to the United States, to Los Angeles, to further his knowledge in orthopaedic hip surgery. "I have always been fascinated by orthopedic surgery, perhaps influenced in my youth by a family friend who practiced this specialty. I have an analytical mind, but the ability to concentrate on a prolonged procedure... is not in my genes," says the man with the dynamic temperament who prefers action. "I like clear diagnoses, predictable and efficient manual procedures. And it's true that orthopedics is so rewarding: through reconstructions and rehabilitation, we radically change people's quality of life!"