Yuriko Araki, MA (Gerontology)
Director of Research & Development, BC Alliance on Telehealth Policy & Research
www.bcatpr.ca
Yuriko Araki earned her Masters degree in Gerontology from Simon Fraser University in 2004. Her thesis examined the extent to which the clients and services in assisted living settings in British Columbia were consistent with the policy goals of the new Community Care and Assisted Living Act. Over the past six years Yuriko has worked for a broad range of Canadian research projects on health policy including primary health care reform issues; a review on the governance of medical devices, health technology and patient safety; and with community health workers and Health Authority decision makers. Yuriko has worked with the BCATPR since its inception and has been instrumental in its success thus far. Her primary responsibilities include proposal writing, grant application and research coordination and administration.
David Babiuk, MPA
Provincial Executive Director, Cardiac Services BC, Provincial Health Services Authority
www.phsa.ca
David holds a Masters of Public Administration, and a Bachelor of Business Administration. He has over 25 years experience in provincial governments in Saskatchewan and British Columbia working for the Ministries of Finance, Public Service, Culture, and Health. David joined the British Columbia public service in 1990 serving in a number of positions within the Ministry of Health including Associate Deputy Minister, Regional Programs, prior to joining the Provincial Health Services Authority.
In June 2002, David Babiuk was appointed Executive Director, Provincial Services Development and Support at the Provincial Health Services Authority. His responsibilities include: contract management process for selected tertiary and provincial programs within the Provincial Health Services Authority mandate and the project management of various province-wide development projects including telehealth and trauma.
Joanna Bates, MD
Director, Centre for Health Education Scholarship (CHES), Education in the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
www.ubc.ca
Joanna Bates graduated from McGill University in 1976. A family physician since 1983, Joanna holds a certificate with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP) and is a Fellow of the College since 1994. Her career has included leadership positions at St. Paul’s Hospital, and senior roles within the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia and the Medical Council of Canada. Appointed in 2002 as Senior Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education, she led the distributed expansion of the medical school that was implemented in 2004. She is highly regarded as an innovative educator and highly capable administrator.
Bernice Budz, MSN, RN
Director for Coordination of Cardiac Services, Provincial Health Services Authority, Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia and University of Washington
www.son.washington.edu
Bernice Budz holds a Masters of Nursing Degree from UBC and a post-Masters Adult Nurse Practitioner degree from the University of Washington. Bernice has over 25 years of cardiac and critical care experience in both clinical and administrative capacities in Canada and the USA.
Bernice is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia and the University of Washington Schools of Nursing. Bernice Budz is also the Director for Coordination of Cardiac Services at Provincial Health Services Authority. Her responsibilities include the planning, coordination, evaluation and funding of selected tertiary cardiac services. Her work focuses on the improvement of access and quality of care for British Columbians and she frequently gives presentations nationally and internationally on cardiac and quality improvement initiatives. She has been involved in clinical research studies with faculty from the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria.
Ron Carere, MD
Physician, Program Director, Heart Centre, St. Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care, Clinical Associate Professor, Cardiology, University of British Columbia
www.vch.ca
Ron Carere received a BSc from the University of Guelph in 1980 and his MD degree from the University of Ottawa in 1984. Ron then received his Fellowship in Internal Medicine 1988, Cardiology in 1990, and went on to complete a 2-year Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology and Research at Toronto General Hospital from 1989 to 1991. He then joined the Division of Cardiology at St Paul's in 1991 his clinical practice has focused on CCU medicine and Cardiac Interventions with a special interest in interventions in congenital heart disease. Ron served as the Associate Head of the Division of Cardiology from 1998 to 2000. In 2000 he became the Physician Director of the Heart Centre Program. In 2004 he also assumed responsibilities as the Regional Director of the Cardiac Program for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. He has been a member of the Provincial Advisory panel on Cardiac Health since 1995. Ron has maintained active clinical research interests in several areas including work with the BC Cardiac Registry database.
Dan Horvat, MD
Medical Lead, Primary Health Care for Northern Health Authority, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
www.northernhealth.ca
For the past three years Dan Horvat has been the Medical Director for the Northern Interior, he is now transitioning to Medical Lead, Primary Health Care for Northern Health. Over the past ten years Dan has been a family physician in Prince George, British Columbia and continues his practice a part-time basis. He also holds the rank of Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.
Dan has acted as a governor for organizations including; the Simon Fraser Health Region, the BC College of Family Physicians and the Western Healthcare Improvement Network. He has chaired or co-chaired numerous conferences bringing local and international leadership to British Columbia on health system improvement. Dan also worked with the BC Cancer Agency to assist with the launch of the Family Practice Oncology Network and has acted as a consultant to the Michael Smith Foundation as well as the BC Ministry of Health on Primary Care issues. He also acted as an invited ‘expert opinion’ to the Commission on the Future of Healthcare in Canada (the Romanow Commission).
Andrew Ignaszewski MD, FRCP(C), FACC
Head, Division of Cardiology, St. Paul’s Hospital, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of British Columbia, Medical Director, Healthy Heart Program, St. Paul’s Hospital, Cardiologist, Heart Transplantation and Heart Failure Programs, St. Paul’s Hospital
www.ubc.ca
Andrew Ignaszewski received his medical training in Poland. He arrived in Canada in 1983 and completed his Internal Medicine training at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia before moving to University of Alberta where he finished his Adult Cardiology training. In 1994, he was recruited for medical leadership of a premier cardiac rehabilitation and prevention program at St. Paul’s Hospital.
Andrew is the Medical Director of the Healthy Heart Program at St. Paul’s Hospital, a cardiologist with the Heart Function Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital designed to look after all aspects of cardiac care for patients with congestive heart failure and a Cardiologist with the Heart Transplant Program at St. Paul’s Hospital. Until November 1999, he was the Medical Director of the British Columbia Transplant Society.
Andrew’s research interests are cardiac rehabilitation and prevention, heart failure and patient outcomes following various cardiovascular interventions. He has published 37 papers and 72 abstracts in these areas. He is also involved in the teaching of medical students and medical residents at St. Paul’s Hospital and has received teaching awards from the University of British Columbia.
Sandra Jarvis-Selinger, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Associate Research Director, Division of Continuing Professional Development and Knowledge Translation, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Health Information Science, University of Victoria
www.ubc.ca
Sandra received her doctoral training in Human Learning, Development and Instruction from the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery and Associate Research Director in the Division of Continuing Professional Development and Knowledge Translation (CPD-KT), UBC Faculty of Medicine. Sandra’s research is in the area of technology-enabled knowledge translation as it relates to Aboriginal, Rural and Northern health.
Her work focuses on four themes: community engagement, health promotion and awareness, educational innovation and patient centred care. Research which brings together these aspects in a ‘knowledge into action’ approach is central to the work she does. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the School of Health Information Science at the University of Victoria where she teaches “Telemedicine in Action”. Sandra is a founding member of a Michael Smith Foundation funded research unit - The Technology Enabled Knowledge Translation Investigative Centre at UBC. In addition to the many projects she leads at CPD-KT she is also the recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research three-year grant to explore the development and implementation of a research project entitled ‘Community Learning Centres: A Model of Community Engagement in Health, Education and Training”.
Suzanne Johnston, PhD, RN
Vice President, Academic Affairs & Chief Nursing Officer, Northern Health Authority
www.northernhealth.ca
Suzanne Johnston obtained both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing from the University of New Brunswick and has just completed her doctoral studies at the College of Nursing, University of Arizona, in Tucson. Her area of research interests focuses on the use of technology for the delivery of health promotion education and mothering adolescent children affected with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Suzanne has more than 25 years of leadership experience in healthcare and government services and is currently the Vice-President of Academic Affairs and Regional Development at Northern Health. Prior to this role Suzanne held the position of Chief Operating Officer for the North West Health Services Delivery Area in Northern Health.
Suzanne has special interest in leadership development and has experience as a facilitator for education in this area of interest. Specifically, Suzanne has volunteered with United Way agencies to help build leadership capacity for non-profit boards. In her spare time Suzanne loves to spend time in the ocean going kayaking.
Annemarie Kaan, MCN, RN
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Heart Centre, St. Paul’s Hospital
Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia
www.vcha.ca
Annemarie Kaan holds a Master of Clinical Nursing (Cardiothoracic) from the Australian Catholic University, a Cardiothoracic Nursing Certificate from St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Australia, and a Registered Nursing Certificate from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Sydney, Australia. She is also a Certified Cardiovascular Nurse in Canada, and a Certified Clinical Transplant Nurse in the USA.
With over 23 years experience in cardiothoracic nursing, Annemarie is the Clinical Nurse Specialist for Heart Failure and Transplantation. Her roles include: case manager for complicated heart failure patients, in patient heart transplant patients and Ventricular Assist Device patients. Annemarie is an Adjunct Professor with the School of Nursing at UBC and is actively involved in the Masters and BSN program providing education in her areas of expertise including heart failure, heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support.
Annemarie is a member of the International Society for Heart Transplantation, Heart Failure Society of America, Canadian Council of Cardiovascular Nurses and is on Editorial Review Boards of Progress in Transplantation and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
Josée Lavoie, PhD
Assistant Professor with Community Health Programs, University of Northern British Columbia
www.northernhealth.ca
Josée holds a PhD from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, a Masters of Arts in Medical Anthropology from the Humanities and Social Sciences in Medicine program and a B.Sc. in Dietetics and Human Nutrition from McGill University.
She is currently an Assistant Professor with Community Health Programs at the University of Northern British Columbia. She holds an appointment with the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, and is affiliated with the Manitoba First Nations Centre for Aboriginal Health Research (MFN-CAHR).
Josée’s research interests focus on the policies and financing mechanisms set in place in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Colombia to support the continued development of indigenous primary health services and improve access to primary health care services. Josée has been working with indigenous controlled primary health care services since 1989, and continues to work closely with indigenous health organizations at the local, regional, national and international levels.
Scott Lear, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Adjunct Professor, Division of Cardiology, University of British Columbia, Assistant Academic Director, Healthy Heart Program, St. Paul's Hospital
www.sfu.ca
Scott received his doctoral training in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia in the area of cardiac rehabilitation. He is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University who also holds cross appointments at the University of British Columbia and St. Paul's Hospital. Scott holds a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award.
Scott’s research interests include the prevention of cardiovascular disease and management of those with disease. Scott is the BCATPR leader whose interest in telehealth began during his PhD training within the Healthy Heart Program at St. Paul's Hospital. While conducting research into cardiac rehabilitation programs, Scott recognized that physical access to these highly effective programs was a barrier for many patients to attend. Using the Internet as a medium for communicating with patients, Scott began his foray into telehealth research. His research is currently funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC and Yukon and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.
Adeera Levin, PhD
Provincial Executive Director, Cardiac Services BC, Provincial Health Services Authority
www.phsa.ca
Adeera is currently a Professor of Medicine at University of BC, and Co-director of the Clinical Investigator Program at UBC. She is the Executive director of the BC Provincial Renal Agency, an organization which manages and co-ordinates the care of patients with kidney disease in the province of BC, and which has developed and maintained the provincial registry for renal patients.
She is the Chair of Curriculum Committee for the National KRESCENT (Kidney Research and Education SCientist EducatioN Training program). In addition she is outgoing Chair of the NKF KDOQI guideline process, and is on the Board of Directors and Executive committee of the newly formed KDIGO, an international group providing collaborative structure for outcomes research and guideline development in CKD.
Her research and clinical activities focus on chronic kidney disease, co morbidities associated with CKD, mechanisms of disease and health outcomes research. She is active in mentoring young investigators in kidney related research, and holds numerous grants for clinical studies. She has received funding from CIHR ( NET Grant), Kidney Foundation of Canada, and is the principal investigator on a number of studies funded by industry but designed and developed by investigators. She was awarded a team planning grant from Michael Smith Foundation to develop a research strategy for the study of complex patients (INTEGRATION), and most recently a Health Innovation Fund Grant from the Ministry of Health, British Columbia for $6 million to develop and evaluate a model of coordinated specialist care for complex patients.
Margarita Loyola, ME, MA
Manager, Telehealth, Vancouver Island Health Authority
www.viha.ca
Margarita is a professional engineer in the province of British Columbia and manages the Telehealth program at the Vancouver Island Health Authority.
She was born in Mexico city where she studied engineering, and came to Canada to further her education. In 1986, she obtained a Masters in Engineering from UBC. She worked in the field of Clinical Engineering at various hospitals in BC and Calgary, Alberta. She then moved to Trail in 1995 where she managed both the West Kootenay Regional Biomedical Engineering program and the IT department for the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. Margarita became the manager of Telehealth when Interior Health (IHA) was formed in 2002. Based in Victoria, Margarita continues to implement teleheatlh services for the Vancouver Island Health Authority.
Margarita also has an MBA from Athabasca University and a Health Services Management Diploma. She enjoys traveling, playing the guitar, and spending time with family and friends.
Karen Mahoney, RN, MSN
Nursing Research Facilitator, Professional Practice and Integration, Fraser Health Authority
www.fraserhealth.ca
Karen Mahoney is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with the Renal Program at Fraser Health, and is currently in a position funded by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, acting as the Nursing Research Facilitator for FH. Karen has a longstanding interest in chronic illness, chronic disease management and patient education. Karen has conducted and participated in a number of research projects including urgent dialysis care, nursing ethics, self management and patient-clinician communication.
Karen has been involved in projects including the development of chronic care clinics and integrated specialty-care clinics, and streamlining end-of-life care for renal patients. Prior to her CNS role, Karen taught Nephrology Nursing at BCIT for 9 years, and continues to work as a front-line nurse with dialysis patients on a casual basis.
Byron Salahor, BA
Project Coordinator, Primary Care and Chronic Disease Development, Fraser Health Authority
www.fraserhealth.ca
Byron Salahor graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia. Since 1995, he has worked as a business technology professional in a variety of business sectors, including banking, legal, manufacturing, forestry, non-profit, and new venture enterprise. He currently works for the Fraser Health Authority in the field of Primary Care and Chronic Disease Management. Byron's primary interest in telehealth is focused on extending the reach of health information to patients, providers, and allied health care professionals using leading-edge technology solutions, such as social networking, shared information sources, and system inter-operability.
Tara Wong, MSc
Research Coordinator, BC Alliance on Telehealth Policy & Research (Prince George)
www.bcatpr.ca
Tara obtained her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2007, and has just completed her Master’s degree in Chemistry at UNBC. Throughout her graduate degree, she participated in a number of health science seminars and conferences, including the Many Faces of Health Research colloquia series. She is currently the northern research coordinator for BCATPR, and is implementing the virtual Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (vCRP) in Prince George.
Loretta Zilm
Telehealth Coordinator, Interior Health Authority
www.interiorhealth.ca
Loretta Zilm is a telehealth and health informatics professional with more than ten years of experience in the field of health care. She is currently employed by the Interior Health Authority, a $1.6 billion public health care organization in the province of British Columbia.
Loretta is an active member of the Canadian Health Informatics Association (COACH), the BC TeleHealth Development Committee, Cardiac Services BC – Heart Failure Working Group for Telecommunications Strategies, Emergency Telemedicine Special Interest Group, and the Interior Health Stroke Leadership Committee.
She is also in the Bachelor Degree Program for Technology in Technology Management at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
