Alice Domes
April Lawrence
April Lawrence, Team Leader for the Provincial Divisions Team, works with her colleagues to help family physicians organize and collaborate with their government and community partners to improve patient care. The perks of the job include fantastic colleagues, the chance to travel all over this amazing province, 6 am flights and learning to stay calm when spotting bears on the way to meetings.
The same love of connecting people to each other also influences how she spends her spare time. The weekends and evenings usually find her filling her house with friends, old and new. Her hobbies also include not getting to the beach enough, meaning to exercise more and considering a more sensible diet.
Bill Mackie
Dr. Bill Mackie was born and raised in Vancouver. He started at UBC in Physical Education then transferred to the University of Michigan graduating with a B.Sc. in Physical Education "Magna Cum Laude" and then entered graduate school at U of M for a M.Sc. in Education, Physiology of Exercise. Since childhood, Dr. Mackie trained and competed in gymnastics and was also a member of the Canadian 1972 Olympic Team.
In 1977 he began practice in both Family Medicine and Sport Medicine in Victoria and coaching gymnastics at UVic. After 8 years, he moved to Vancouver in similar roles, becoming involved in the BC Gymnastics Association and later its President, as well as serving 3 years on the Board of Sport BC. In 1989 Dr. Mackie was elected as delegate for Vancouver in the BC Medical Association (BCMA), and in 2008 became President. Dr. Mackie became President of DASH in 1993. He has also taught extensively in UBC Medical School, Department of Family Practice and is a Clinical Associate Professor. He has been a Member of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine for about 30 years and was recognized as Canadian Community Sport Medicine Physician of the Year at 2010 CASM Meeting in June in Toronto.
Bill has 6 children, all physically active, and two grandchildren. His daughter Gael is also an Olympian, competing at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and youngest Charlotte, 16, competed in the 2007 PanAm Games in Rio and 2009 World Championships held at Venue O2 Center, site of the 2012 Olympic Gymnastics Competition.
Earl Kiley
Gene Pascuzzo
Gene and his wife Betty own and operate Cloverleaf Farm in the Cariboo. As primary producers, they grow forage crops, raise bees, and have a greenhouse and a large garden. As a patient with two chronic diseases - diabetes and chronic kidney disease - Gene balances the self management of these diseases with the management of the farm. A love for the land and all things related to agriculture provides Gene with the essence of a quality life style.
When not involved in farming activities, Gene spends time volunteering with a multiple of groups including the Knights of Columbus, Quesnel Power & Sail Squadron, Quesnel 4-H, and the BC Kidney Foundation. As a patient advocate for quality primary healthcare for B.C., Gene is an active member of Patient Voices Network (Steering Committee), Patients as Partners, and is receiving Peer Tutoring Training. In 2001 Gene was presented with the Golden Rooster Award as the volunteer of the year.
Harriet Rogan
Harriet’s professional careers involve having been a Registered Nurse employed in nursing management. She obtained a Master's degree in psychotherapy and an extra year of study to become a supervisor within the field. She has taught health care courses for Okanagan University College and has been an occasional lecturer at an Ontario university. Harriet has also been involved with consultation work in the far north and Eastern Europe.
Although Harriet has spent her working life in clinical and mental health in the North Okanagan, she has lived for many years now in the South Okanagan where she has required professional healthcare. Therefore, she has experienced firsthand the system’s strengths and weaknesses.
Having both personal and professional experience in the health care system, Harriet understands the importance of being involved in your own health care. She has been a part of system changes which have brought together the many talents of healthcare workers and citizens to achieve a common goal. She strongly believes that both large and small changes can occur when our passions and differences are channeled to improve the system.
Heidi Johns
Johanna Trimble
JohannaTrimble is a member of the steering committee and an active participant in the Patient Voices Network. She is on the board of directors for Patients for Patient Safety Canada (part of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute).
Johanna’s career experience is in the field of educational media. As business manager of the company she runs with her husband, who is a therapist, she acts as Executive Producer for counsellor training DVDs and corporate Conflict Resolution programs, which they produce together. She has participated four times on the funding jury for the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund for non-theatrical and documentary productions.
She can often be found grinding her teeth in front of the computer as she researches drug side effects for friends and her elderly relatives. She is passionate on the subject of over-medication of the elderly based on her experience with her own family. When not researching health issues she can be found gardening, reading (often about health) and downloading recipes from the Internet in time for dinner.
Kate Lekas
As a kinesiologist, Kate has a background in fitness and recreation programming and employee health promotion. She is currently the Health Enhancement Coordinator of the Fit City Program with the City of Vancouver and has been since 1991. She was a Fitness Programmer for the Vancouver Park Board for eight years and in 1988/1989, she was a member of the development team of Fit City - the City of Vancouver’s Health Enhancement Program.
She has developed and implemented the Active Civic Employees (ACE) Network as Coordinator of the Local Government Employees Health Promotion Project for 2010 Legacies Now and the Union of BC Municipalities in 2005/2006.
Kelly McQuillen
Kelly McQuillen is the Director of Patients as Partners, Primary Health Care Branch, with the BC Ministry of Health Services.
Kelly has 18 years experience as a director and strategic health care professional working for the federal, territorial (Yukon) and provincial (Manitoba and British Columbia) governments. She is a registered dietician who has an in-depth knowledge of public health, primary health care, health promotion and nutrition.
Kelly is committed to patient and family-centered care as an innovative approach to the care, redesign and quality improvement. This approach is grounded in mutually beneficial partnerships among individuals, families/caregivers, communities and providers.
Her current position enables and facilitates patient and family voice, choice and representation in the care, quality improvement and system redesign of primary health care in BC.
In her spare time Kelly enjoys travelling, running, exploring the island and spending time with her family.
Liza Kallstrom
Liza is currently the Executive Lead, Practice Support Program (PSP), in the Professional Relations department of the BC Medical Association. The PSP is a joint initiative of the BCMA and the government through the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC).
PSP is a large-scale quality improvement practice redesign initiative, involving close to 1,600 individual family physicians (half of all practising FPs), which is currently transforming and revitalizing family medicine in BC.
Liza also served as Co-Director of both province-wide chronic disease quality improvement collaboratives — on Diabetes and Congestive Heart Failure collaborative from 2003 – 2005.
Lucie McNeill
Lucie McNeill is the Director of the Community Engagement Department at Vancouver Coastal Health. She leads the team of professionals who are charged with supporting patient and public involvement with quality improvement, planning and decision-making at the health authority. Lucie is a graduate of McGill and UBC. She joined VCH in 2009 after working as a journalist with CBC Radio and as a consultant in international development assistance. Her lifelong commitment to, and experience with, making community voices heard in public debate and decision-making are a good fit for the role she now plays at VCH and with the Patient Voices Network.
Lucille Stoney
Lucille is Gitxsan from Kispiox, BC. A busy mother of 4 (including a set of twin girls!), Lucille also has three teenaged grandchildren. She is proud that all her children have graduated from high school and one daughter is a teacher, like Lucille. Lucille has been teaching for 23 years and one reason she was attracted to PVN was her fervor for healthy activities and healthy living behaviours in her school.
Lucille helped produce health booklets and helped the children get interested in health and healthy living. She invited guest speakers to the school and did workshops with the teachers. Passionate about her Gitxsan language, Lucille introduced healthy living quotes into the booklets and around her school in Gitxsan. Lucille is currently researching the history of Gitxsan and wants to help others learn more about their culture.
She became involved with PVN through her involvement with the Sun Run and “Honour Your Health”. She is an activated patient and Peer Coach, sitting on the PVN Steering Committee as a patient representative and having recently participated in a focus group with the provincial Shared Care Committee.
Mary Severson
Pearl Stewart
You won't find Pearl Stewart at home in the morning. She will be at waterfit and the gym.
Pearl is a retired nurse and military wife; mother of three and a grandmother of four. With her husband Bob, they have moved 24 times. They now live in Victoria with their dog Gypsy.
Mental health Nursing has been Pearl's specialty. After retirement six years ago, she has had more time to pursue her many hobbies: bridge, crafts, gardening and volunteer work. She recently finished five years as a volunteer coordinating the activities of the Victoria Osteoporosis Information and Support Group. Presently, she is a member of the Arthritis Society speaker's bureau.
In January, she became a member of the Patient Volunteer Network and attended the first training session.
Pearl believes that patients want and need a voice in decisions that affect their health. The Patient Voices Network has given her an opportunity to be involved
Rachel Nixon
Rachel became involved with the Patient Voices Network because of her interest to work and volunteer within the public health field and her passion to encourage others to lead healthier lifestyles. Rachel believes in leading by example so you will see her running on the seawall, hiking Grouse Mountain, and downhill skiing as her ways to stay active. She also commits to eating healthy and making time for friends and family as part of her healthy lifestyle. When she is not doing these things, you can find her lifeguarding and teaching swimming lessons at various pools within the Lower Mainland.
Trevor Hancock
Dr. Trevor Hancock is a public health physician and health promotion consultant who has worked for local communities, municipal, provincial and national governments, health care organizations and the World Health Organization. His main areas of interest are health promotion, healthy cities and communities, healthy public policy, environmental health, health policy and planning, and health futurism. He is currently a Public Health Consultant at the Ministry of Health in British Columbia, where he is working to implement core programs in public health, to increase preventive services in primary care, to foster a population health promotion approach, to develop a comprehensive self-care strategy and to ‘green’ the health care system.
Outside of his work life, Trevor is an enthusiastic Morris dancer — a traditional English folk dance, think ‘non-violent rugby’! — and a semi-professional outdoor photographer. He loves to travel somewhat adventurously and has sailed as voyage crew on a tallship in the South Pacific several times, enjoys diving — but only in warm water these days! — and has tried his hand at caving and blackwater rafting. He lives in Victoria BC with his wife Fran and their two dogs, where they have a small jewel of a garden — thanks to Fran, who does horticulture, while Trevor does infrastructure. They share a love of the arts, classical music, reading and, of course, their dogs — they are English, after all, as Fran is wont to remark!
Val Leblanc
Val is a retired high school/university professor and is a curriculum specialist. He has assisted in developing programs for schools and universities throughout Canada and the U.S. as well as the University of Tanzania. He is a member of a few organizations and is active in volunteer work.
Aside from having been a licensed mechanic and technical advisor for Ford Motor Company in Oakville and Detroit, he looks and plays the part of Santa, and has been doing so for some 50+ years.
