July 29, 2026
Long-time cardiac nurse reflects on career
After more than 40 years of nursing, Deb Lundberg, BN, still considers the field one of the best, particularly when it comes to options.
“Throughout my career, I have had the chance to do so many different things,” she said. “I never stagnated and the diversity has gotten me to where I am.”
A nurse-clinician who has worked at multiple Calgary sites, Lundberg has been a valued member of the Cardiac Sciences team since 1998 when she joined the interventional cardiology group as a research nurse working with Dr. Merril Knutdson, MD.
Now set to retire, Lundberg was honoured at the 2026 Libin Cardiovascular Institute/Cardiac Sciences Awards where she received the Department of Cardiac Sciences Achievement Award.
Lundberg’s nursing journey began in Edmonton. She graduated from the University of Alberta Hospital Program in 1980 and worked in the northern city for four years.
In 1984, Lundberg moved to Calgary and took on a position in the intensive care unit at the General Hospital. She worked as both a front-line nurse and manager in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and rheumatology and respiratory, until the hospital closed in 1998. During this time, she also earned her Bachelor of Nursing degree through the ĢƵ.
“I actually helped move from the General Hospital to the Peter Lougheed Hospital, where I ended up back in intensive care,” she said, adding she held a nurse clinician role in the ICU and was on the dialysis team.
Shortly after making the switch to the Peter Lougheed, Lundberg took on a new challenge when she began working on Knudtson’s team as a research nurse.
It was a career-changing move that extended into working with all the interventional cardiology groups with activities like researching devices and medications, organizing workshops and developing health education materials.
“That was an exciting time, because my job gave me the opportunity to try so many things,” says Lundberg.
She went on to help develop Calgary’s STEMI (STEMI / Vital Heart Response (VHR) Program) and TAVI (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) programs. Both were new and exciting, opening up “whole new worlds” for Lundberg.
For the last 10 years, Lundberg has assisted in setting up numerous clinics, such as the Fabry Clinic, Biscuspid Valve Clinic and the Complex Aortic Clinic. She also helped develop Calgary’s Mitral Clip Program.
Looking back over the years, Lundberg is amazed at her career journey.
“When I think back I wonder, ‘how did I end up here?’” she says. “Then I realize it’s the diversity of opportunities of nursing, and the people who I have worked with who are very special and want what is best for patients.”
Lundberg says although nursing can be overwhelming, she recommends it as a wonderful career for anyone who is compassionate, empathetic, collaborative and who can step back when work-life balance gets difficult.
“The gamut of opportunities in nursing is phenomenal,” she says. “It’s going to be the best profession you can have.”