Irene Cybulsky is a Canadian lawyer and former cardiac surgeon. She was the first woman in Canada to be appointed head of a cardiac surgery division. After being dismissed from this position, she "represent[ed] herself in a human rights tribunal case against her former hospital", which was ultimately successful.[1]
Cybulsky grew up in Toronto and was a member of the first co-education class at the University of Toronto Schools. She received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Toronto. After a one-year surgical internship, Cybulsky applied for a residency position, which she did not receive, potentially due to her gender. She completed a master's degree in research science before being accepted to a general surgery and later a two-year cardiovascular and thoracic surgery residency at McMaster University.[1]
By 1995 Cybulsky was employed at Hamilton General Hospital, starting as a clinical assistant and later becoming the director of the cardiac surgery residency program. She faced significant gender-based discrimination from male colleagues at the hospital. When she developed a deep vein thrombosis during a pregnancy in 1998, the administration initially refused to allow her to take sick leave but instead suggested she start maternity leave early. According to a profile in Toronto Life, "the experience taught her a lesson: organizations need policies to protect employees from discrimination".[1]
Cybulsky was named head of cardiac surgery at Hamilton Health Sciences in 2009, becoming the first woman to ever hold such a position in Canada. In this role she led a reform of the referral process, which was unpopular among physicians; a later contentious hiring process she managed caused further unrest. Prompted by complaints from the unit's surgeons (including one who threatened to resign), Cybulsky's supervisor launched a divisional review process which recommended that Cybulsky receive communication training and coaching.[1]
In 2015, Cybulsky's new supervisor informed her that he was "opening her position to new applicants"; she was ultimately dismissed in July 2016. She submitted a complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario regarding her treatment by Hamilton Health Sciences. She then closed her surgical practice to begin a law degree at Queen's University, while representing herself in the tribunal process.[1]
Cybulsky completed a Master in Public Administration at Queen's in 2010 and in 2020 received her law degree.[2] In 2021 the human rights tribunal concluded that Hamilton Health Sciences breached Cybulsky's rights by ignoring her concerns regarding gender discrimination.[1] [3]