Bertha Okun who had surgery for Ulcerative Colitis in 1957 graduated from the Cleveland Clinic as an Enterostomal Therapist under the supervision of Dr. Rupert Turnbull becoming the first Canadian Enterostomal Therapist. She went on to be a founding member of the North American Association for Enterostomal Therapists in 1968, now known as the Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurses Society.