My Statement

Dear colleagues:

I am standing for election to serve you as President of the Doctors of BC, allowing me to use my vision and strong communication skills to achieve our collective goals. We are smarter together.

I am a family physician with skills in Anesthesia, Obstetrics and ER, and am a clinic owner. I have served in numerous Leadership capacities.

I live the frustration and angst of our profession every day. Scarce resources. Growing waitlists. Burnout. Most of us believe our system is broken in some if not most ways. Nonetheless, by continuing to serve our patients each day we show that healthcare is worth fixing.

I have spent my life and my career in service. I serve on the Rural Coordination Centre of BC’s (RCCbc) CORE, on the Shared Care Committee (SCC) and am Vice-Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues (JSC). I have represented our rural community on the General Practice Services Committee. I was president of the Medical Society on the Sunshine Coast then became the first Board Chair of our Local Division of Family Practice, and the GP4Me Lead. I have been department head of anesthesia, served on Provincial Dictionary committees, introduced simulation technology into the Sechelt Hospital, and was the local lead for the Rural Surgical and Obstetrical Network (RSON). My new role as assessor for registration for the College of Physicians and Surgeons, draws on this expertise.

My experiences have shown me that we physicians are stronger, smarter, and better together than apart. Our voices are potent and respected by the public. The government listens when our voices are unified and not divided.

Our relationship with the government is unique in Canada. The Longitudinal Family Practice model is an example for the rest of the country of what can be accomplished when we use our powerful voices for change. However, we cannot be complacent. Primary care is still in crisis, while specialists are using their voices to urgently signal the need for meaningful reforms. We cannot let up on the pressure on government to work with us to fix the crisis in the province’s emergency departments, address specialist wait times and close the yawning chasm between our health system and better performing systems globally.

My goal is to lead meaningful change while keeping Doctors of BC physician-strong and physician-centred. I will lead us towards a system where we can deliver optimal care, no matter where we are in the province.

I am guided by the Compassionate Leadership taught by Indigenous leaders Shawn and Heather Atleo. I believe in the importance of teams, building community, and fostering inclusiveness. We can incorporate our common goals of compassion, excellence, care and self-care which we learn from our patients

I believe in a profession that is smarter together, so we can be effective together.

Let’s fix healthcare together.