2026 VMDAS Annual Awards

The VCH ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) program is one of the first and remains one of the largest regional STEMI programs in Canada. It was created by Dr. Graham Wong and Dr. Krishnan Ramanathan at VGH.

STEMI is the most serious form of myocardial infarction and is caused by the thrombotic occlusion of a coronary artery leading to ischemic injury of myocardial tissue. Historically, STEMI has up to a 20 per cent mortality rate if untreated. The cornerstone of STEMI therapy is prompt, complete and sustained reperfusion of the occluded artery. This can be achieved via mechanical or pharmacological strategies; the choice between these two strategies is complicated and influenced by several potentially modifiable factors.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reported in 2007 that STEMI mortality rates in the Lower Mainland were amongst the highest in Canada (12 per cent). This program was initiated in response to these data and was tasked with improving all aspects of STEMI care with the goal of reducing mortality and morbidity for this condition.

Prior to 2007, STEMI treatment in the Lower Mainland was disorganized, highly variable and in many ways was driven by physician bias. There was no standardized approach to when to choose pharmacological or mechanical reperfusion nor any standardized use of adjunctive treatment of STEMI nor post discharge care. Complicating these issues was the finding that there was no database to track any aspect of STEMI care, making ongoing QI virtually impossible.

Given these finding, the VCH STEMI program embarked on a three-phase process to improve all aspects of STEMI care across the Lower Mainland. The impact of this program has resulted in a reduction of regional STEMI mortality by over 50 per cent since 2007. The group published the impact of the program in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology in 2016 which led to its national recognition.

Following this Dr. Wong was chosen to be the co-chair of the inaugural Canadian Cardiovascular Society STEMI Reperfusion Guidelines 2019. The national recommendations incorporated many aspects of the VCH program, which increased the scope of the Vancouver experience to a national level.

The program was then used as a template to create a standardized provincial STEMI treatment algorithm under the umbrella of Cardiac Services BC; Dr. Wong served as the medical lead for the coronary artery disease population group at that time.

The VCH STEMI database has permitted ongoing clinical research to further our understanding of optimal STEMI treatment Over 25 publications have utilized data from this database, many of which have led to incremental improvements to how we deliver STEMI care.

Drs. Wong, Ramanathan and Fordyce continue to actively lead in this program and continue to oversee the VCH STEMI QI program. The program started off small with humble roots and has grown to an extremely respected and robust program that has truly revolutionized STEMI care not only in the Lower Mainland, but throughout the province and in Canada.

Nominated by Dr. Vic Huckell

Dr. Gray’s career began with an MD from UBC in 1977, followed by a rotating internship at Dalhousie University and certification with the Canadian College of Family Physicians in 1983. He practiced family medicine in Tennessee before returning to UBC for Internal Medicine residency, during which he served as chief medical resident at Vancouver General Hospital. He went on to complete fellowship training in gastroenterology through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, became a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and undertook further subspecialty training as a Research fellow at the University of Edinburgh. This trajectory makes Jim one of a small number of physicians at VGH who hold triple certification in family medicine, internal medicine, and gastroenterology—a foundation that has given him an unusually broad and grounded perspective on patient care, one that has informed his clinical judgment and his teaching throughout his career.

Since joining the active medical staff at VGH in 1989, Dr. Gray has been a clinician of the highest calibre and the consultant of choice for colleagues both within and outside VGH for decades. Even now, well into his seventies, he continues to carry a full share of on-call responsibilities for the Division of Gastroenterology, including ward management, emergency endoscopy, and Emergency Department consultations—on a service that is among the busiest GI on-call rotations in western Canada. He also continues to maintain an active outpatient practice at the Diamond Health Care Centre. This sustained commitment, late into a long career, reflects a work ethic and a sense of duty to patients and colleagues that is genuinely remarkable.

As a clinical teacher, Dr. Gray has trained generations of residents and trainees and has received teaching awards within the Division of Gastroenterology. Those who have worked alongside him on rounds describe a distinct and valuable teaching style. One colleague put it this way: “During rounds I find he asks questions that maybe many of us are thinking but do not ask, and I think it is very valuable to the learners.”

Another noted that Dr. Gray “brings a perspective and asks questions that certainly liven meetings and make the rest of us sit up and think.” This willingness to ask the uncomfortable or overlooked question, combined with genuine warmth, has made him a memorable and formative teacher for many.

He is also known across VGH for treating every patient and colleague with the same dignity and respect, regardless of status or circumstance—a quality that has earned him deep and lasting respect throughout the institution. Beyond his clinical and teaching contributions, Dr. Gray’s record of service to the gastroenterology community in British Columbia and nationally is extraordinary in both its breadth and its duration.

He served as president of the BC Society of Gastroenterology for over two decades (1991–2012), then as its economics representative until 2022, and now serves as its treasurer. He was an elected provincial representative on the Board of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (2008–2014) and was named a fellow of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology in 2019. He chaired the Gastrointestinal Subcommittee of the Guidelines and Protocol Advisory Committee for the BC Medical Services Commission for over a decade, and later co-chaired GPAC itself for nearly ten years—work that has shaped clinical guidelines used by physicians across the province. He has also served for decades as chair of the Medical Advisory Board for the GI Society of Canada, contributing to public education and patient-facing resources for the broader community.

Nominated by Dr. Ian Gan

Dr. White has made exceptional contributions to clinical care, education, research, leadership, and quality improvement over more than two decades in British Columbia. His work has transformed the care of individuals living with severe mental illness while advancing psychiatric practice locally, provincially, and internationally.

Since 2012, Dr. White has served as clinical director of the BC Psychosis Program, a provincial tertiary service based at UBC Hospital that provides specialized care for individuals with treatment-resistant psychotic disorders from across British Columbia. Under his leadership, the program has become a centre of excellence that integrates patient care, education, and research. He has led the development and dissemination of evidence-based clinical pathways for clozapine-resistant psychosis and the management of clozapine-induced myocarditis, improving access to specialized care throughout the province.

Dr. White is also an outstanding educator whose influence extends well beyond his own clinical practice. Throughout his academic career, he has supervised more than 100 medical students, mentored psychiatry residents and fellows, developed undergraduate and postgraduate curricula, and contributed extensively to continuing professional development. For more than a decade, he has co-chaired the Pacific Psychopharmacology Conference, one of western Canada's premier educational meetings in psychiatry, attracting hundreds of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other health professionals each year.

Dr. White's scholarly contributions have likewise been substantial. His extensive record of peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and collaborative research has advanced understanding of treatment-resistant schizophrenia, clozapine optimization, genetics, cognition, and the impact of extreme heat on individuals living with schizophrenia. His research consistently bridges scientific discovery with improvements in patient care.

Perhaps Dr. White's greatest impact has been through his leadership of system-wide transformation. As medical director of Vancouver Community Mental Health and Substance Use Services from 2018 to 2026, he led several major quality improvement initiatives that have fundamentally improved care for people with severe mental illness. He co-led the Treatment Optimization of Psychosis initiative across Vancouver Community teams, resulting in one of the highest rates of evidence-based clozapine prescribing in Canada and the implementation of standardized clinical pathways embedded within the electronic medical record. He also spearheaded the integration of substance use treatment within community mental health teams, ensuring psychiatrists and multidisciplinary teams developed the expertise to provide opioid agonist therapy and integrated care for patients with concurrent mental illness and substance use disorders. These initiatives have become models for evidence-based system redesign.

Dr. White also helped establish innovative new models of care, including the Vancouver Acute Home-Based Treatment Team and the Transition Day Program at UBC Hospital, strengthening continuity between hospital and community services for patients with complex psychiatric illness.

Equally important has been his commitment to equity and physician leadership. Throughout his tenure as medical director, he actively recruited, mentored, and supported physician leaders from diverse backgrounds, fostering leadership that better reflects the communities we serve while promoting an inclusive and collaborative culture.

Dr. White's influence extends well beyond Vancouver Coastal Health through national and international invited lectures, professional organizations, public education, and advocacy on behalf of people living with severe mental illness. He has consistently demonstrated that excellence in psychiatry requires not only exceptional clinical expertise but also a commitment to education, innovation, collaboration, and system improvement.

Nominated by Dr. JJ Sidhu

Dr. Chang's engagement in our community is both broad and sustained. Since 2000, she has served numerous VGH and departmental committees dedicated to improving patient care,  including the VGH Department of Radiology Patient Safety and Quality of Care Committee, the VGH Co-Management Committee, committees for the purchase of new MRI and prostate fusion systems, the Cerner CST Committee for VGH Radiology, and the VCH Wellness Committee.

She currently chairs the UBC Department of Radiology Professionalism and Wellness Committee and serves as wellness co-champion for the department. In October 2025, she stepped in as acting head of the Department of Radiology at VGH and UBCH, reflecting the trust her colleagues placed in her capabilities.

Her leadership and impact within our community are equally distinguished. Dr. Chang established the abdominal MRI program at VGH, now the largest and most comprehensive in the province, and served as its head from 2000 to 2023. As radiologist lead for the MRI-US fusion prostate biopsy program since 2010, she built the only dedicated prostate fusion system in the province and, more recently, led the transition from transrectal to transperineal prostate biopsies, the first radiology department in British Columbia to do so, with the aim of reducing post-biopsy sepsis.

As UBC radiology program director from 2011 to 2017, she led the turnaround of a program facing low morale, guiding it to full accreditation with no cited weaknesses, the strongest result in the department's history, and was twice nominated by residents for the Royal College Program Director of the Year. Furthermore, as vice chair of Wellness and Professionalism, she leads a twelve-member Departmental Wellness Committee focused on cultivating a respectful and inclusive workplace, addressing resident burnout through targeted intervention studies presented at the Canadian Association of Radiologists Annual Scientific Meeting, and securing funding for departmental coffee wellness breaks and administrative support.

Dr. Chang has consistently worked to advance equity and inclusion within our community and beyond. She serves on the British Columbia Radiological Society board, having held the roles of programs lead and EDI lead, and is now the president elect. Dr. Chang actively champions women in radiology by mentoring early medical students and sharing her expertise as a featured speaker for the UBC Medicine Women's Health Initiatives Career Panel and the Federation of Women in Medicine. Her tele-ultrasound initiative is explicitly directed at addressing health-care inequities in rural and remote communities, improving imaging access for underserved populations across the province.

Nominated by Dr. Savvas Nicolaou

Few providers bring a record as extensive, or as deeply lived, as Dr. Masuhara's when it comes to advocating for underrepresented and marginalized communities. As a family physician and the inaugural regional medical director for diversity, equity and inclusion at Vancouver Coastal Health, she has spent decades breaking down social and cultural barriers to care—and has brought that experience to bear on building a unified, coordinated approach to DEI across the organization.

As co-chair of the VCH Medical Staff Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, Dr. Masuhara has worked to identify where meaningful DEI work is already happening across VCH and to bring these efforts together strategically, recognizing that wellness, psychological safety, and equity are deeply intertwined. Her approach is thoughtful and data-driven, grounded in a commitment to measuring real progress rather than settling for good intentions.

Dr. Masuhara's commitment to equity is perhaps best demonstrated by her 25-plus years with VCH Community Older Adult Mental Health and Substance Use Services, where she has focused extensively on the needs of Chinese older adults. Alarmed by rising rates of untreated mental illness and emergency visits within this community, she headed a physician-led quality improvement project to address the language barriers, mistrust, and stigma preventing Chinese seniors from accessing mental health care. Through direct community engagement, she and her team built a network to better support family physicians and meaningfully improve outcomes for this underserved population—a model of equity work grounded in listening and relationship-building.

Dr. Masuhara brings not only professional expertise but also profound personal insight to this work. As a racialized person with lived experience of the barriers, she works to dismantle, she approaches DEI leadership with authenticity and humility. She was also a key figure in the fight for same-sex marriage rights in British Columbia, contributing to the 2003 B.C. Court of Appeal decision that helped pave the way for legalization—a powerful reminder, in her own words, that even small groups of dedicated individuals can achieve big results. Her ongoing volunteer work with Women Transforming Cities further reflects her lifelong dedication to gender, racial, and social equity beyond the walls of medicine.

Colleagues of Dr Masuhara immediately note her calm, kind and strategic approach to problem-solving. She approaches this field not as one with easy answers, but as a constant work in progress—one that requires mindfulness, learning from mistakes, and sustained commitment. This spirit of grounded, patient leadership has made her an invaluable mentor and changemaker within VCH and the broader community.

Nominated by Dr. Jennifer Buck

Since joining Raven Song Primary Care Clinic in 2017, Dr. Coetsee has been a dedicated clinical teacher. He has a genuine passion for teaching; he eagerly welcomes learners in and openly shares his deep knowledge of working with patients who face immense barriers, from homelessness and substance use to complex end-of-life care. He was previously recognized with the Peter Grantham Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence, and his recent evaluations reflect his ongoing love for teaching.

Appointed as a clinical instructor in the UBC Department of Family Practice in 2019, Dr. Coetsee has guided multiple learners through their family medicine residency at Raven Song Primary Care Clinic. In addition, as a preceptor for the BC Centre for Substance Use (BCCSU), he provides opioid agonist treatment (OAT) training and clinical mentorship to community doctors, nurse practitioners, and nurse prescribers.

Dr. Coetsee’s residents emphasize how much they value his approach, with one noting that he is “an amazing preceptor, an incredibly thoughtful person, and a phenomenal role model." Another comment was that he “consistently treated me throughout my residency as a colleague,” giving them the “confidence and freedom to manage patients on my own.”

His current resident, Dr. Daniel Budgell, highlights that Dirk can balance independent autonomy with approachable support. He notes that even when he asked the same question numerous times, Dr. Coetsee would “patiently walk me through the same topic until I understood it completely.” Trainees frequently summarize their experience by stating, “I couldn't have asked for a better preceptor to work with and learn from during my residency.”

As an experienced provider and the former medical director for the VCH Assisted Dying Program, Dr. Coetsee has led specialized case rounds for the MAiD program. Dr. Vicki Klassen, who nominated Dr. Coetsee for this award, wrote, “On a personal level, Dirk was my preceptor and mentor when I went through MAiD training last year. I valued his availability, his kindness, and his nonjudgmental approach. Watching him teach showed me firsthand how he approaches every single patient with the utmost dignity and care, creating a safe space for learners to reflect and debrief after these emotionally complex cases.”

Dr. Coetsee is a member of the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers (MAP) and presents case studies for the BCCSU. He co-authored the 100 Limbs Project, directly mentoring a resident physician through global health research. He is generous with his students—even handing down his own spare laptop to a resident whose computer broke so they could finish their projects.

Dr. Coetsee does his teaching on the frontlines, where patients face massive social barriers like trauma, addiction, housing instability, and poverty. On day one, Dr. Budgell remembers Dr. Coetsee welcoming him in a "FEMINIST" T-shirt, immediately modeling what real patient advocacy and equity look like. His OAT students praise his insight into vulnerable populations, noting his “unique ability to break down the complexities of substance use and addiction, making it both understandable and deeply human.” Trainees state that his thorough workbook reviews and case discussions give them the practical confidence they need to prescribe independently.

Dr. Coetsee shows his students how to be kind, compassionate, and highly competent doctors through his daily actions.

Nominated by Dr. Vicki Klassen

Dr. Belga joined the Vancouver Acute Division of Infectious Disease in July 2019, bringing specialized expertise in transplant infectious disease. In the relatively short time since her appointment, she has demonstrated outstanding performance across multiple domains.

Dr. Belga is an integral member of the Transplant Infectious Disease team. She manages some of the most critically ill patients within the hospital, applying a rigorous approach grounded in evidence-based medicine and individualized patient care. She invests time ensuring her patients are aware of their diagnosis and treatment options and establishes strong therapeutic relationships. She reaches out to other physicians for particularly difficult cases. As a result, we have been able to access novel therapies in the United States for transplant recipients that are not available in Canada at no cost.

Dr. Belga is also deeply committed to medical education. She has served as clinic lead and supervisor for the last five years for our Infectious Disease fellows in their fourth year of training. Additionally, she has mentored 19 trainees across all levels of medical education for multiple research projects—including pharmacists, medical students, residents, and fellows. Under her guidance, her mentees have published in high-impact journals such as Clinical Infectious Diseases and presented abstracts at large, international conferences.

Dr. Belga is highly sought after as a lecturer on infections in immunocompromised hosts, delivering presentations not only to infectious disease fellows but also to ICU, BMT, hematology, and renal transplant fellows. Three years ago, she was honoured with the UBC Adult Infectious Disease Program Faculty Award of Excellence, recognizing her as the staff member who made the most significant positive impact on infectious disease fellows. Two years ago, she won the UBC Department of Medicine Clinical Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. This past year, she won the ACCOLADE Award (Award for exCeptional COntribution to Learning AnD Education -- Off-service Faculty Member) for her excellence in teaching to the UBC Critical Care Medicine Training Program.

Dr. Belga has achieved remarkable success in research while managing her demanding clinical duties. She is the principal investigator for two studies and has contributed as a co-investigator across 14 multi-center trials. These large-scale studies address critical infectious disease topics, including COVID-19 and cytomegalovirus (CMV). She has 19 papers where she is either the first or senior author out of 50 peer-reviewed publications. Although her initial projects were supported by local grants, she now has protected research time as the recipient of a Michael Smith Health Research BC Award in 2025, recognizing her growing impact as a clinician-scientist.

Dr. Belga has cultivated a broad network of research collaborations. Locally, she is a clinical researcher with the Immunity and Infection Research Centre in British Columbia, and internationally , she has formed a connection with the Johns Hopkins Transplant Research Center in the United States.

Dr. Belga has been recognized within the wider transplant ID community both nationally and internationally. She actively contributes to the Cell Therapy Transplant Canada Health Canada/Viral-Specific Cell Therapy Working Group, which focuses on advancing cellular therapies to treat challenging infections. Additionally, she co-leads the clinical stream of the Canadian Phage Working Group Steering Committee, dedicated to developing novel therapies for some of Canada’s most resistant and difficult-to-treat infections.

On the international stage, Dr. Belga serves as a member of the IDSA Immunocompromised Host Community of Practice Leadership and the Transplantation Society Transplant ID Section’s research committee. She has also been elected as a councillor for the Transplant Infectious Disease council of the Transplantation Society, reflecting the high regard in which she is held by her peers. She has been recognized for her expertise as an invited speaker at international conferences such as the American Transplant Congress.

Nominated by Dr. Alissa Wright

Dr. Sheikh is clinical professor and vice chair, Continuing Medical Education, in the UBC Department of Radiology, and serves as director of research, musculoskeletal imaging, at VGH and UBC Hospital. Since joining the Vancouver Community of Care in 2020, he has distinguished himself as a national leader in diagnostic radiology, an innovative clinical investigator, and a dedicated educator.

Dr. Sheikh has authored 91 peer-reviewed journal articles and nine book chapters, and has delivered 234 scientific presentations, including 110 international, 84 national, and 40 local presentations. Nationally and internationally, Dr. Sheikh's leadership includes serving as the 2026 president of the Canadian Society of Skeletal Radiology and president of the Canadian Emergency, Trauma and Acute Care Society. He has further contributed as chair of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 3D Printing Special Interest Group and as a member of the RSNA Educational Council, nominated by the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR). Additionally, he is a fellow of the CAR and the American Society of Emergency Radiology, an associate editor of 3D Printing in Medicine, and a reviewer for Radiology and the American Journal of Radiology. His scientific work has been recognized globally, including gold medals at the Asian Musculoskeletal Society meetings in 2013 and 2016, a bronze medal from the American Roentgen Ray Society, and repeated RSNA certificates of merit alongside invitations to publish in RadioGraphics. He has shared his expertise globally, holding eight visiting professorships across Thailand, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, and the United States.

As an investigator, Dr. Sheikh has secured over $3.1 million in externally peer-reviewed grant funding, including major awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research ($866,865) and the Canadian Space Agency for the MARROW study ($1,136,333) and long-duration bedrest investigations ($687,901). His research spans transformative clinical domains, from high-impact discoveries on bone marrow adiposity published in Nature Communications to foundational work on musculoskeletal imaging guidelines for the CAR Journal and pioneering evaluations of artificial intelligence applications in emergency and musculoskeletal radiology.

Dr. Sheikh’s work appears consistently in the highest impact venues available to his discipline and beyond it. His collaborative study on bone marrow adiposity modulation after long-duration spaceflight was published in Nature Communications, and related work has appeared in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Within radiology he publishes in RadioGraphics, the American Journal of Roentgenology, the British Journal of Radiology, Skeletal Radiology, and the CAR Journal, where he has authored seven papers, including the national CAR Musculoskeletal System Diagnostic Imaging Referral Guideline. He is a co-author of the RSNA 3D Printing Special Interest Group appropriateness-criteria consensus statements. Furthermore, his research brings needed rigour to clinical AI adoption; this includes evaluating deep learning for supraspinatus tear detection, as well as assessing the limitations of GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 under Fleischner Society guidelines in the CAR Journal.

Dr. Sheikh’s research productivity is inseparable from his mentorship. Many of his recent publications and award-winning presentations are first authored by the residents and fellows he supervises, with Dr. Sheikh as senior author; his trainees have won the UBC Radiology Research Day Best Research Presentation Award in 2021, 2023, and 2024, and he has twice received the Best Musculoskeletal Fellow Teacher award. He has also co-authored published research on ethnic and gender diversity in the physician workforce. Through international visiting professorships and course directorships, he has extended research and education opportunities well beyond Vancouver.

Nominated by Dr. Savvas Nicolaou

Dr. Tukker's most distinctive contribution to special service is his role as physician and mentor in the Street2Peak Project, part of the Streetfront Alternative Program at Britannia Secondary School. Streetfront serves Vancouver’s most marginalized youth from the Downtown Eastside: students facing poverty, foster care, mental health challenges, substance use, and social isolation. The program’s results speak for themselves, with a 96 per cent high school graduation rate among participants. The program builds confidence through physical pursuits, training students to run marathons and half marathons as a foundation for tackling greater challenges.

Since joining Street2Peak in 2013, Dr. Tukker has served as team physician on three international expeditions: Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (2015), Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile (2017), and the mountains of New Zealand (2019). Each trip brought a new cohort of 18 students, many of whom had never left Vancouver, to environments of extraordinary challenge. Throughout each expedition, he conducted medical checks for the group, managing altitude sickness, physical exhaustion, and the demands of wilderness travel across three continents.

In New Zealand, the group spent time with the development leader of New Zealand’s national Māori rugby team, exploring how reconnection with cultural identity drives resilience. This was a particularly meaningful experience for the Indigenous students in the group.

Back home, Dr. Tukker combines his passion for running with his role as a physician at the Strachan Hartley Legacy Foundation annual fundraising run. This community event has raised over $750,000 since 2007 in direct support of the Streetfront and Street2Peak programs, providing encouragement at moments when young people most need someone to believe in them. Since 2013, Dr. Tukker has dedicated his time to inspiring teenagers from the Downtown Eastside who could not have imagined they were capable of what they ultimately achieved.

Despite the demands of a full-time clinical practice at Vancouver Coastal Health, Dr. Tukker has made substantial contributions at the provincial level. He has served as president of the BCMA Section of Hospital Medicine and as program director for the HSR Interdisciplinary Learning Reviews and Chart Club. He was a key participant in the BC Hospitalist VTE Prevention Collaborative, which increased appropriate prophylaxis rates from 58 per cent to 93 per cent across British Columbia. He has contributed to physician negotiations through Doctors of BC and currently serves as regional medical director, Quality, Safety and Experience, a role that reflects the well-earned trust the institution places in his judgment.

Dr. Tukker has routinely chosen to invest his time in youth who face the steepest odds. By walking alongside them across three expeditions and countless training runs, he has demonstrated what genuine inclusion is in practice. His work has changed the trajectories of these at-risk youth and helped shift the broader community’s understanding of what marginalized young people can achieve when someone is steadfastly in their corner.

Dr. Rod Tukker is a physician who has given of himself quietly, consistently, and over a remarkable span of time. His impact, from the summit of Kilimanjaro to the trails of Patagonia to the quality offices of Vancouver Coastal Health, is lasting.

Nominated by Drs. Philip Chan & Vandad Yousefi