After a one-year leave of absence, the IWK Health Centre’s only pediatric heart surgeon has informed the hospital that she has accepted a position in Texas, and she will not be returning to Halifax.

For 13 years, Dr. Camille Hancock-Friesen performed life-saving surgery on the tiny hearts of Maritime children. Her new position is in Austin, Texas as the medical director of pediatric cardiovascular surgery. The city's population is double that of Halifax and, according to Hancock-Friesen, is growing by about 110 people per day.

“It's a young population that's drawing people to it and so, as a congenital surgeon, to be able to keep up skillsets, the volume is a critical part of this role," Hancock-Friesen told CTV Atlantic.

She says part of her reason for leaving the Maritimes is its aging population, which she says is a challenge for anyone who works in pediatrics.

“If I had the solution, I wouldn't have left, obviously,” she said.

The IWK’s vice-president of Medicine and Academic Affairs says while there has been an increase in the region’s aging population, there has not been a decrease in children's population. 

“We need to be mindful and to watch that and to look and see what our services look like, but at this time I don't really have any concern,” said Dr. Krista Jangaard.

Hancock-Friesen says creative strategies will be necessary to retain doctors.

“I started my career there fully intending to finish my career there,” she said. “So my heart is still there.”

Jocelyn Covert has so much love for the woman who fixed her daughter Rachel’s heart, she named her next daughter Camille.

“I'm kind of scared. I mean, she is my cardiac rock,” said Covert in June 2016. “You know, I’ve got four children and Rachel’s heart problem was a congenital problem, so the other three have been technically clear by cardiology, but they'll never fully be clear 100 per cent.”

The IWK has replaced Hancock-Friesen with two qualified surgeons.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell