She was born and grew up in Krakow, Poland, where she studied medicine at the Jagiellonski University, graduating in 1977. After graduation, she had the privilege to work at the university hospital in research and teaching, in addition to her duties as a resident in the obstetrics and gynecology program.

In 1981, she emigrated to British Columbia, Canada, to marry her husband. It took eight years to get her diploma certified and complete an additional four years of residency training.  In 1989, she started her own practice near the Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH), where she has had privileges since that time.  By then, she and her husband had two beautiful boys; Michael was then 4 years old and Peter was 7 months. They were just settling down to enjoy family life when her husband was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away in 1992.

At this point, Dr. Bleszynski had second thoughts about the practicality of staying in Canada. However, her husband loved Canada and her boys inspired her to stay. She is very grateful for her mother, who came from Poland to help take care of her children and manage the house. This allowed her to concentrate on her practice, take on-calls at SMH and maximize quality time with her sons. Both boys are great athletes, and enjoy skiing, tennis and rugby. They have both followed her love of medicine, and are in healthcare.    

 When she first graduated from medical school in Poland, she had no preconceived ideas of how her career might evolve. She enjoyed research and teaching, and missed it when she moved to Canada. However, since SMH has become more connected with the University of British Columbia (UBC) over the years, she has had the pleasure of teaching and mentoring students and residents. It was a great honor to recently receive a certificate from the UBC Faculty of Medicine recognizing her “excellence in clinical teaching.”

From the start of my practice, she has been interested in furthering a better understanding of women’s health issues.

She was a very good student when it came to chemistry, and it was her dream was to teach.  Her professor thought she was destined to give more of herself, so she went into medicine. While in Africa, she saw poor women in awful conditions, and her professor encouraged her to go into this field; she went back to Poland for her degree.  

She studied medicine at Jagiellonski University, and graduated in 1977. She then spent two years in Africa before coming to Canada and doing residency training in Vancouver, and transferring to Ottawa. 

She has had to overcome a lot of obstacles when she moved to Vancouver. Being a Polish woman in this field, being a widow and juggling her education, career and family were tough. She loves her profession and was committed to not letting anything stand in her way. She had great mentors from Africa and Poland who encouraged her to pursue my passion.

While in Poland she did a lot of research on menopause; she offers free clinics for educating women on menopause.  

Her greatest accomplishment is raising her two sons. As a widow, she raised her sons alone. She could not be any more proud of the great men that they have become.  

As a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia, she plans to get more involved in education; teaching is another passion of hers.

Her professors in Poland and Africa were very influential in her career. 

She wants to be remembered as a doctor who gave all of herself to the medical field. She leaves the legacy of her two sons, who are great role models and respectable citizens.  

 Fellow, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC); The North American Menopause Society; American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society; The International Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists

Certificate for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, UBC Faculty of Medicine

She supports all local charities, and is very active at events pertaining to the hospital.

She enjoys skiing, tennis, playing bridge and traveling with her family.