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ANDREA YU
CASA MEDICAL DIRECTOR, ZONE CLINICAL DEPARTMENT FACILITY CHIEF OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY, ROYAL ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL AND GLENROSE REHABILITATION HOSPITAL AGE 37
Andrea Yu was born and raised in Alberta, but her parents came from Hong Kong. Yu says she
grew up around conservative view- points of mental illness — and even all illnesses. The stigma was so strong that one of her aunts strug- gled to even talk about her cancer around others before she died.
“It felt very shameful. Cancer garners a lot of sympathy, and yet she still did not want to share that, let alone anything she experienced, mental health-wise,” says Yu.
Those early experiences made Yu want to change things for the better so that mental health would simply be an important aspect of a person’s overall health, something to be honoured rather than dismissed.
Now, Yu is a child psychiatrist and leads a team of 22 physicians
as one of the youngest members of the CASA Senior Leadership Team while she also oversees 12 child and adolescent psychiatrists at Alberta Health Services.
She’s passionate about bridging the gap between different cultural experiences and Western medicine.
“That’s part of the treatment plan — looking at how clients per- ceive community supports; you’re looking at spiritual components and remembering, and recognizing and honouring cultural heritages as well. How do you treat someone as a whole?”
The most rewarding aspect of her job is seeing kids find connection and warmth with family. “They are actually able to have fun, which
is actually huge in our program, because they’ve been through so much hardship.”
— CAROLINE BARLOTT
EB
JUDGES
TRUDY CALLAGHAN
is the publisher of Edify. She has been a judge in the Top 40 Under Program since its inception 16 years ago.
IRFAN CHAUDHRY
is a Top 40 Under 40 alumnus, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at MacEwan University, and is Hockey Canada’s vice-president, diversity and inclusion. He also sits on the Edmonton Police Commission.
HEATHER THOMSON
is the vice-president, strategy, research and engagement at the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the Top 40 Under 40 class of 2023.
GREG BOTT
was a member of Top 40 Under 40 in 2022. He’s
a governance and leader- ship expert and his current roles include co-chair of the Prairie Oats Growers Association, past-chair of Boyle Street Community Services,
and is a publicly elected member of the University of Alberta Senate.
MELODY MCARTHUR
was in last year’s Top 40 Under 40. Her musical repertoire stretches from country to hip-hop. She’s had numerous songs appear on the National Indigenous Music Countdown.
MICHAEL WALTERS
is a former Edmonton City Councillor and contributes to Urban Af- fairs. He is a partner with Berlin Communications. He is also a Top 40 Under 40 alumnus.
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