PHYSICIAN & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
MEET THE ‘HOME TEAM’
The future of health care in our community is people.
For over eight years, Dr. Kathryn Brown has played an important role on a team of celebrated cardiologists at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH). Lately, though, Dr. Brown has found herself a place on another team; a volunteer cabinet of 39 health care professionals from multiple KGH medical specialties, huddling up to create the playbook for the biggest philanthropic effort in KGH Foundation history. Together with an additional 17 community leaders, the cabinet, aka the ‘Home Team’, is actively helping to inform priorities towards a new era in health care, at KGH and across the community. Each has demonstrated leadership and vision in their area of specialty, and a willingness to forge strategic collaborative partnerships to advance health care in innovative and exceptional ways.
“It has been exciting to be part of reframing the conversation around health care in our community. We are co-creating a path forward that provides real hope for patients and clinicians,” says Dr. Brown. “Whether it’s cardiac care, brain health, surgical excellence, cancer… this is the first time we’ve really worked together for an outcome that will ultimately benefit us all.”
“The KGH Foundation’s Closer to home than you think campaign represents a much-needed shift in how we view and plan for the future of health care,” says Dr. Brown. “A sustainable system will not only require physical equipment but also the clinicians and leaders to guide how best to explore new horizons of care.”
A wide variety of perspectives are needed to identify gaps, articulate issues, and identify opportunities to help re-imagine a system of care that is inclusive, sustainable and accountable.
“We are so fortunate to have leaders not only from our local health care community but with a variety of experience and backgrounds,” explains Allison (Allie) Young, KGH Foundation CEO. “They infuse our campaign with diverse perspectives. They are not only champions in our community; they also serve as vital connectors, spreading the word and forging meaningful connections throughout the region.”
A new era in health care means that transformation isn’t something that will be achieved in silo or isolation. It is informed by patients, their loved ones and caregivers. It considers the important perspectives of the program providers, clinicians, administrators, doctors and nurses who are doing the work every day. It will only be accomplished by aligning priorities and working together.
The future of health care in our community is people. It’s closer to home than you think.
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To learn more about our Volunteer Campaign Cabinet, please visit kghfoundation.com/campaign-cabinet
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Dr. Devin Harris, Executive Medical Director, Quality and Patient Safety, Interior Health and Dr. Deanne Taylor, Corporate Director of Research, Interior Health are the campaign’s co-chairs.
Dr. Harris has provided vital leadership and insight informing the development of the campaign’s vision, regional funding priorities and ultimately, what the future of care in the BC southern interior (and regional jurisdictions around the world) could look like. He is local, from Penticton, but also spent a good part of his career working in Vancouver at St. Paul’s Hospital. He is highly regarded as a physician and a leader in quality improvement and has rapidly advanced in leadership roles, including holding the Chief of Staff position at KGH, in the past decade.
Dr. Harris, along with Dr. Deanne Taylor, has been a lead clinician spokesperson. He spoke convincingly at the KGH Foundation’s Heart of Gold gala in September, which raised $1.6 million for the Brain Health component of the campaign.
Dr. Taylor is an advocate and active role model for the cultivation of Learning Health Systems thinking and application in the delivery of regional health care using evidence-informed practice and decision-making. Dr. Taylor provides leadership and vision for the proposed BC Centre for Health Systems Learning and Innovation at KGH. She currently leads KGH’s team of physician researchers and cultivates and facilitates a range of research and knowledge translation activities at Kelowna General Hospital.
Dr. Taylor has been instrumental in the initial concept stages of the campaign, in particular, the specific focus on research and innovation. She has spoken at a number of donor events and works very closely with the KGH Foundation team in support of the fundraising effort, transformational and lead gifts.
Campaign Cabinet
Cabinet Co-Chairs
Dr. Devin Harris
Dr. Deanne Taylor
Health Care Cabinet
Health System Innovation
Andrew Hughes
Dr. Michael Humer
Dr. Neil Long
Dr. Katrina Plamondon
Dr. Sana Shahram
Dr. Alex van Duyvendyk
Dr. Cara Wall
Clinical & Surgical Excellence
Shelby Bichel
Jaymi Chernoff
Dr. Nevin De Korompay
Dr. Brenda Farnquist
Dr. Ryan Foster
Donna Jansons
Dr. Michael Partrick
Kevin Peters
Bev Sieker
Brain Health
Cory Bendall
Pamela Hruska
Dr. Aleksander Tkach
Dr. Michael Tso
Dr. Daryl Wile
Bone & Joint Care
Dr. Cassandra (Lane) Dielwart
Dr. Steven Krywulak
Cancer Care
Dr. Chris Baliski
Dr. Dante D’Urbano
Karen Leach-MacLeod
Dr. Josh Wiesenthal
Mental Health Care
Ginny Becker
Ellen Boelcke
Danielle Cameron
Mike Gawliuk
Shelagh Turner
Cardiac Care
Dr. Kathryn Brown
Robyn Goplen
Dr. Frank Halperin
Women’s Health
Dr. Amber Burridge
Community Cabinet
Brett Aynsley
Kevin Bradshaw
Dallas Chelick
Allyssa Costerton-Grant
Roberta Fidalgo
Janine Karlsen
Ken Kilcullen
Eric Ledding
Christy Lovig
Karina Munroe
Patrick Ng
Darrell Porubanec
Margaret Porubanec
Bruce Sprague
Steven Tuck
Ray Warren
Dawn Wrightson
