Impact BC Board of Directors

 

Rick Roger
Chair of the Board of Directors
Governance and Nominations Committee
Finance and Audit Committee
Executive Task Force

Rick Roger is a semi-retired health service consultant, senior editor with Healthcare Policy and a frequent volunteer with local, provincial and national bodies. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Island Health Authority, the Capital Health Region and the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board. His background includes experience as the Associate Deputy Minister of Health in Saskatchewan and in a variety of health planning and finance roles. Rick has worked at the provincial and national levels in the development of funding, reporting, quality, safety and utilization management systems. He was a member of the Canadian Institute of Health Information Board from 1997 to 2004, completing his term as CIHI Board vice chair. Recently appointed to the Board of Worksafe BC as a public interest representative, Rick also sits on the British Columbia Institute of Technology Board and is active on the Board of the volunteer based Western Health Improvement Network. Rick has a keen interest in health services research and has served on a number of review panels for the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and for the Canadian Patient Safety Institute. He received a Masters in Health Administration from the University of Alberta in 1980. In 2007, he was honoured with the Canadian Healthcare Association award for distinguished service. He resides in Victoria, British Columbia.  

 

 

 

Penny Thomsen
Past Chair of the Board of Directors
Executive Task Force 

Penny E. Thomsen retired as the CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division, in the summer of 2004 after 11 years in the position. During her tenure as CEO, she led the organization through several strategic planning processes and successfully implemented an ambitious growth plan. She was with CCS at both provincial and national levels for a total of 18 years. In 2005, Penny was appointed the founding Chair on the Board of Directors of the Central Toronto Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), a position from which she resigned in 2006 when she relocated to Vancouver Island. Penny served on numerous boards, including the Board of Directors of Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre and the Orthopedic and Arthritic Institute Corporation before she left Toronto. Penny currently sits on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the North American Quitline Consortium and is it's Chair-elect. She is also on the Board of Directors of Beacon Community Services, which provides a broad range of programs and services to clients in the Capital Region District, sits on the Executive Committee and chairs its Quality Assurance Committee. 

 

 

 

Haydn Pritchard
Treasurer
Finance and Audit Committee
Executive Task Force 

Dr. Haydn Pritchard is a Professor and Program Developer of Graduate Studies, at the University of British Columbia, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and is an expert researcher in the genetic and environmental factors which govern cholesterol metabolism. He established the Atherosclerosis Specialty Laboratory at the Health Heart Program of St Pauls Hospital and has published over 150 peer reviewed articles. He has strong ties to the Biotechnology Industry in BC as a co-inventor of VisuDyne from Quadralogics, and as a Senior VP for Pharmaceutical Research at Forbes Medi-Tech Inc. He has broad based experience in the leadership of not-for-profit organizations, including a role as Director of the Mountain Equipment Cooperative and co-founder of Healthy Heart Society of British Columbia and Impact BC, amongst others. His is a well respected educator in UBC's Medical School and has trained several PhD research students who have gone on to become Canadian opinion leaders in lipid metabolism.

 

 

 

Sue Iles
Governance and Nominations Committee

After a 35 year career in healthcare, Sue Iles left public service and became Principal of "On Purpose Facilitation" providing consulting services to leadership teams on leadership skills, governance and accreditation. Previous to this, she was the Senior Quality Improvement and Accreditation Advisor to teams and leaders at all levels in the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA). Sue is a Certified Health Executive (CHE) with the Canadian College of Health Service Executives (CCHSE) and has undergraduate degrees in Occupational Therapy and  Health Care Administration at the Universities of Manitoba & Saskatchewan. She also has a Masters in Health Administration from the University of Colorado and graduated from the Royal Roads University program in Executive Coaching. Sue is currently on the Western Health Improvement Network Board, serving as the President.

 

 

 

 

Alan Gow
Governance and Nominations Committee 

Dr. Alan Gow graduated from the University of Glasgow, Scotland with a medical degree in 1971 and thereafter worked in various positions in Scotland - ncluding General Medicine, Surgery and Pathology - before entering Family Practice in 1975. In 1979, he immigrated to Canada to commence Family Practice in Fraser Lake, BC. He remained in practice in that location until 1998 developing a special interest in emergency medicine and mental healthcare. During this time he also worked as local Coroner for BC Coroner Service and provided consulting services to various organizations, including the RCMP.

In 1998, he moved to Salmon Arm to set up family practice in that community. Dr. Gow worked as a General Practitioner for two and a half years before taking a position as consulting Physician to Elderly Services in Salmon Arm, Enderby, Armstrong and Revelstoke areas. His work includes providing service in Residential Care as a Medical Director ,as well as working with community nursing and dementia of all types, including management of difficult behaviors associated with this disease. Dr. Gow teaches on all topics covering the care of the elderly. Other interests include involvement in the BC Medical Association (BCMA), where he presently holds the position of Chair on BCMA's Board of Directors.

 

 

 

 

 

Christina Krause
Finance and Audit Committee

Christina Krause brings a variety of healthcare experience to her role as Executive Director of the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council. In addition to supporting quality and safety initiatives within British Columbia, Christina currently serves as Director for the Safer Healthcare Now! Breakthrough Series Collaborative on MRSA and is a member of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute's Disclosure of Adverse Events National Working Group.  Most recently, Christina was the Safety & Improvement Advisor for the Western Node of Safer Healthcare Now! and the BC Patient Safety Task Force. Prior to this, Christina was the Quality and Safety Lead with the Health Quality Council of Alberta. During her time with HQCA, she was involved in leading the development of the provincial framework, Disclosure of Harm to Patients and Families and was certified as Faculty with the US Institute for Healthcare Communication to deliver the workshop Disclosing Unanticipated Medical Outcomes.  In addition to her work in disclosure, Christina has led initiatives in medication safety, specifically opioids management and prohibited abbreviations, as well as supporting quality improvement teams enrolled in the national patient safety campaign, Safer Healthcare Now! Originally from British Columbia, Christina has an MSc in community health and epidemiology from the University of Saskatchewan, and a BHE in family science and nutrition from the University of British Columbia.

 

 

 

 

Geoff Rowlands
Governance and Nominations Committee Chair 

Geoff's background in healthcare leadership in the UK and Canada includes executive and/or governance level experience in two healthcare systems - municipal and provincial governments - and in the public, private and non-profit sectors.  He is an independent consultant with an ongoing contract as Chief Executive of the Health Care Leaders' Association of BC, and is Project Director for the Leaders for Life Program: an innovative initiative to enhance senior leadership capacity for BC's healthcare system. He is a Certified Management Consultant, Vice-Chair of the BC Health Education Foundation and board member of CHLNet (the Canadian Health Leadership Network), Royal Roads University's Health Sector Advisory Board and several other health-related organizations. From 2001 to 2004, Geoff was Assistant Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Health Services, where he was responsible for a number of long term strategic initiatives. He was a member of the Canadian Federal/Provincial/Territorial Advisory Committee on Information and Emerging Technologies, and was on the Board of the Canadian Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment. Prior to this, he was CEO of a health authority which has now merged with Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. He was also previously a partner and co-owner of a successful health management and planning consulting company in British Columbia. Geoff also held a number of CEO and senior health administration positions in Canada and the UK, including Chief Executive roles in a number of UK integrated regional health organizations. His experience includes leadership and management in a wide variety of settings. He has been recognized in many organizations for his leadership abilities and has a track record of innovation in healthcare systems.

 

Troy Myers
Member at Large

Troy Myers is Cree/Dene from Cold Lake First Nations in Treaty Six, Alberta.  Troy currently holds a position with the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network as the International Relations Manager He was previously a Health Program Coordinator with the Union of BC Indian Chiefs/First Nations Health Council. Troy possesses a Master of Arts in Professional Communication with a specialization in Intercultural and International Communication; he also holds a diploma in Aboriginal Self-Governance Administration.  He has organized, facilitated and provided written outcomes for community consultation and engagement on numerous projects, including extensive experience and knowledge centered on Aboriginal community development and project management. While working across Canada, Troy has contributed to Aboriginal governance, health programming, technical support, and has organized as a consultant, health promoter, educator, advocate and lobbyist.

 

 

 

 

Philip Barker
Member at Large

Philip Barker is the Vice President of Information Management at Fraser Health Authority. He has more than 25 years of healthcare management and consulting experience in public and private sectors. At the national, provincial and healthcare provider organization level, Philip has led healthcare improvement initiatives that capitalize on sound information management practices, business process redesign, clinical transformation and emerging technologies. Throughout his past decade of experience, Philip has managed consulting services on a number of significant initiatives at Fraser Health, the BC Ministry of Health, and Alberta Health and Wellness. He served in senior leadership roles with the Simon Fraser Health Region, the Fraser-Burrard Hospital Society, the Calgary District Hospital Group and the University Hospital in Saskatoon.

 

 

 

 

Bev Gutray
Member at Large 

Bev Gutray has been the Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division for the last 15 years. Prior to that she was the Executive Director of the CMHA Winnipeg Region and the Central Alberta Region. Bev is active as a volunteer for the Disability Supports for Employment Committee and is a past volunteer on the Health and Social Development Committee of Vancouver Foundation. She is also a volunteer on the Working Together Sub-Committee of the Government/Non-Profit Initiative, a volunteer on the Child and Youth Mental Health Network and an advisory Board member of the Regional Treatment Centre in Abbotsford. Bev has presented on a range of public policy issues to government committees and conferences. Through her leadership, the Association was the founding member of the Mental Health Monitoring Coalition which later became the Mental Health and Addictions Alliance. The Association has been an advocate and leader in the inclusion of people with lived experience in all levels of the Association, from governance to program implementation.

  

Advisors to the Board

Dr. Dan MacCarthy
British Columbia Medical Association

Dr. Dan MacCarthy was born in Ireland and is a graduate of University College Cork, National University of Ireland (1972). Following post-graduate education in England and BC, he practiced for 23 years in family practice in Burnaby. Following membership on the Boards of the BC Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association, he stepped out of the role of President-Elect of the BCMA in 1999 to fulfill the role of Director of Professional Relations, which he has held since that time. In that role, Dan has had responsibility for the Reference Committee, the Patterns of Practice Committee (including the annual production of Physician Profiles), Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee and GPAC, the guidelines and protocols steering committee. From its inception, he has been the BCMA staff person responsible for the GPSC, the General Practice Services Committee, which in collaboration with government has targeted the majority of new general practice monies towards guideline based care for improved patient outcomes. Dan has also served as Co-Director of the BC Diabetes Collaborative, was a member of the Provincial CDM/QI taskforce and the e-Drug Steering Committee and was the Senior Medical Advisor to the World Federation on Mental Health International Meeting in Vancouver, 2002. His current work for GPSC includes 1) quality-driven incentives for complex and chronic diseases in primary care, 2) the Practice Support Program which is intended to bring transformative changes to physician offices and their patients, and 3) the initiation of Divisions of Family Practice (27 currently under development), all of which have led to significant restructuring of primary care and its Partners in British Columbia.

Valerie Tregillus
British Columbia Ministry of Health Services

Valerie Tregillus is the Executive Director of Primary Health Care in British Columbia's Ministry of Health Services. In that role, Valerie is responsible for the leadership, direction and support to the health system to build capacity and effectiveness of primary health care. Valerie co-chairs the General Practice Services Committee with the mandate under the 2006 Agreement between government and the British Columbia Medical Association to align $800 million with improvements in family practice. In her role, she provides leadership for the transformation of BC's primary health care system to improve patient health outcomes. This transformation includes formal linkages with the informal community infrastructure and the redesign of other health services to build capacity in primary health care. Valerie came to the Ministry of Health from the private sector where she worked as a consultant in Human/Health Impact Assessment. Valerie was born and educated in England with a degree in Business Administration. Valerie's work experience has been varied encompassing backgrounds in community health and business, including: Marketing Director of an international professional education company, Director of an innovative mental health agency in Ontario and Executive Director of BC's Office of Health Promotion. She is a provincial, national and international speaker and has been a guest lecturer at the University of British Columbia. Passion for life is Val's principle for living and she enjoys family, friends, kayaking, hiking, running, sailing, yoga, pushing the envelope at work, and travelling to wild and wonderful places.