Dr. Krystyna Wojakowski passed away suddenly after a lengthy illness on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in her 87th year. Krystyna Halina, née Bernasowska, was the beloved wife of Dr. Bruce Murray, lovingly remembered by her daughter, Dorothy (Dot) and her husband, Andy Cuk; predeceased by her husband, Alf Wojakowski; and sister, Helen Doren.
Born in 1936, to Wiktor and Maria Bernasowski in Radom, Poland. She received her medical education at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, achieving both a medical degree and a Ph.D. She continued on to specialize in pediatrics.
Krystyna left Poland in 1968 with her marriage to Alf Wojakowski, a professional engineer and Polish refugee in Canada, taking up residence in Toronto, where her daughter, Dorothy, was born, and in the early 1970s, moved to London. Krystyna was adamant about continuing her career and worked to requalify as a physician in Canada, subsequently training as a psychiatrist with a specialty in child and adolescent psychiatry.
She was a dedicated clinician, working with children and families in various settings in London, including Children's Psychiatric Research Institute (CPRI), Victoria Hospital Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic, Children's Aid Society London and Middlesex Medical Clinic, and Telepsychiatry Western Hub, in addition to a private practice consulting and advising London pediatricians.
She was an enthusiastic teacher, proud to be a mentor to psychiatric trainees. She introduced medical students to the psychiatric discipline and assisted in teaching the history of medicine course at Western University. Dr. "Woj" epitomized to her students that women could have both a family and a career in medicine.