Over nine months in 2023/24, eight pairs of VCH physicians met as part of the VCH Physician Leadership Mentorship Program that is supported by the Facility Engagement Initiative. The program, which aims to assist aspiring or new/emerging physician leaders from equity-deserving groups, received great reviews from both mentees and mentors and is now recruiting for its next cohort. Interested physicians can learn more and apply here.

Mentors for this cohort are Dr. Eliza Chan (Richmond Hospital), Dr. Lynn Straatman (VA/VC), Dr. Jennifer Yao (VA/VC), Dr. Joy Masuhara (VCH), Dr. Chad Kim Sing (VCH), Dr. Anita Early (Lions Gate Hospital), and Dr. Nava Aslani (Lions Gate Hospital).

A mentee’s perspective

“I’d encourage anyone new to leadership—or even just curious about leadership roles—to apply,” said Dr. Colin Siu, who was a mentee in the last intake. “It’s an incredibly valuable program. It can be hard for those coming from equity-deserving communities to take that initial step into a leadership role. The program is a good opportunity to do just that.”

Dr. Siu, who is now the program medical director of primary care and chronic disease management in Fraser Health as well as that health authority’s regional department head for family practice, was partnered with mentor Dr. Finn Austin, a senior medical director in VCH’s Richmond Community of Care.

“They were an excellent mentor,” recalled Dr. Siu, “guiding me through a time when I was applying and interviewing for leadership roles as well as accepting and starting a new role. We met for coffee once a month and I was able to use them as a sounding board to tackle some of the challenges I was taking on. Having that relationship was crucial as we were able to talk about some of those issues from both a content and leadership standpoint.”

Dr. Siu believes that mentees must drive the relationship and take responsibility for organizing the meetings. He would find articles about leadership from the Harvard Business Review that piqued his interest and share them with Dr. Austin a couple weeks prior to each meeting. They used the articles as a jumping off point for conversations that drew in their own experiences.

A mentor’s point of view

Dr. Lynn Straatman was one of the VPSA members who acted as a mentor. She is the Cardiac Function Clinic’s medical director as well as the interim medical coordinator for the Vancouver Community Palliative Care Program.

“I didn’t have any mentors in my leadership journey, and I’d seen others who had had mentors who had benefited significantly from that relationship,” said Dr. Straatman. “I’d provided informal mentoring for a couple of years and found that beneficial for both parties. When I was approached by the EDI team to be a formal mentor, I felt it was important to give back.”

Dr. Straatman was paired with mentee Dr. Anita Early, who was a newly appointed leader of Lions Gate Hospital’s hospitalist group. The two met monthly, alternating Zoom meetings with get togethers over dinner.

“We decided at our first meeting that one of our goals would be leadership styles and our common desire to determine and enact a style that resounded well with our personal values,” said Dr. Straatman. “I got a lot out of taking part in the program including a better understanding of my own leadership style. Each of our meetings had a focus and we both tried to put those learnings into action over the next month. There was also the satisfaction of seeing my mentee grow and be able to assert herself as a leader. Early leaders need to be brave, and they need to be bold.”

Dr. Straatman and Dr. Early continue to meet occasionally and both will be acting as mentors for the upcoming cohort.

Photo: Dr. Lynn Straatman (left) and Dr. Anita Early.