“It doesn’t have to be all or nothing—that’s what I tell family or friends who are curious about plant-based diets,” said Dr. Harpinder Nagi, who has been following a vegan diet for the past seven or more years. “I was an omnivore for many years as well as a vegetarian. But I educated myself about the environmental impacts of mass agriculture and animal welfare and knew I had to change.” … Read More
Wellness survey responses now being analyzed
A huge thank you to the over 1,000 physicians who took part in our recent VCH-wide wellness survey; in an age of survey and email fatigue, this was a tremendous accomplishment. The results are now being compiled and we look forward to sharing the results with you as soon as they are available, likely in the fall. Vancouver Acute and Vancouver Community physicians accounted for over 600 of the responses. … Read More
June Lunch and Learn celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day
VPSA’s Engaging Physicians in Indigenous Cultural (EPIC) Safety Task Group took centre stage for our June 21 Lunch and Learn. Long-time committee member and family physician Dr. Jay Slater spoke on behalf of EPIC. Dr. Slater spent his residency in Newfoundland and Labrador, which was where he became aware of the inequity of health outcomes for Indigenous peoples. He now works in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, where he is often … Read More
New VPSA committee aims to transform our health-care system
“Health systems are starting to realize that the way we’ve done things in the past is not necessarily the most efficient nor does it provide the best patient experience. We want to change that.” Those are the words of surgical oncologist and head of VGH’s Division of General Surgery, Dr. Heather Stuart. She chairs VPSA’s newest committee, the Integrated Practice Unit (IPU) Implementation Focus Group. “We’ve been focusing on the … Read More
Leaders address wide variety of issues at June meeting
VPSA/VMDAS board and staff meet regularly with VCH senior leaders to develop a collaborative relationship between medical staff and the health authority. The June meeting focused on the current physician wellness survey and funding for physician recruitment and retention measures, as well as other opportunities to provide input on upcoming initiatives. VPSA wellness update Dr. Fahreen Dossa provided an update on current VPSA wellness initiatives with a particular focus on … Read More