International Women's Day 2022

VPSA celebrates the work of women physicians

International Women's Day is on March 8, 2022.  This is a day to celebrate the achievements of women.

As part of International Women’s Day in 2022, the VCH  Physician Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is highlighting just a few of the thousands of incredible women who make up our medical staff. VCH leaders were asked to consider and nominate women who have made contributions to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion throughout their careers through clinical care, research, leadership and education.

Dr. Eliza Chan

Dr. Chan believes in being a strong, compassionate clinician, a mentor, an advocate, and a leader for change. Her medical practice has spanned over 30 years, including various community and hospital settings.

Initially a family physician and raising her family, she obtained extra training in emergency medicine in 2004. For the last 18 years, she had been an emergency physician in Manitoba and B.C. She believes in strong mentorship for the medical community, and throughout her career she has regularly taught medical students and mentored trainees.

Dr. Chan is currently an emergency physician at Richmond General Hospital and became the co-department head of its Emergency Department in March 2020, coinciding with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is presently finishing her two-year term of leadership and stewarding the department during a time of much crisis and uncertainty.

Dr. Chan is a keen advocate for compassionate care for patients, viewing each through the lens of their unique physical and emotional needs and illness journey. She strongly believes in respect, civility and professionalism in the workplace and has tried to model and advocate for that.

She is passionate about the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as physician wellness. In the last few years, she has led several DEI workshops and physician wellness initiatives.

#BreakTheBias

Being a woman of colour and an immigrant, Dr. Chan breaks barriers by regularly speaking up, leading conversations, and being a mentor and leader to advocate for positive culture change in the workplace.

Photo credit: Dr. Cyrus McEachern