INTERNAL COMMITTEES
Resident Doctors of BC has several internal committees which focus on specific needs of the association and residents. The initiatives of these committees are the responsibility of the Board. Some committees are solely populated by Board members while others are open to the full membership. To join an available committee visit the Volunteer page to see available opportunities.
Awards Selection Committee
The Award Committee meets once per year to review the nominations for the annual Resident Innovation Fund and Awards of Excellence. The committee is formed each year in September. The committee consists of the President, Executive Director, Director of Resident Affairs and Wellness, Director of External & Labour Relations, and an additional Director selected at the first Board Meeting who will serve as chair. Individuals on the Selection Committee are not able to nominate or act as a reference.
2025-2026 Committee
Chair:
Dr. Quinten Clarke R5 - Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Board Director)
Members:
Dr. Parker Nann R3 – Emergency Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC President)
Dr. Suzanne Starkiewicz R2 – Family Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Claudine Henoud R2 - Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director of Resident Affairs & Wellness)
Ms. Lona Cunningham (Resident Doctors of BC Executive Director)
Council Of Program Representatives
The Resident Doctors of BC membership consists of many programs with varying interests and needs. It is the purpose of this Council to ensure that those interests and needs are addressed in the association.
For the membership making up the Council, please visit our Council page.
EDI Committee
The role of this committee is to support RDBC in establishing an EDI strategy that ensures the organization considers EDI issues in meeting its purpose and mission in alignment with its strategic priorities.
2024-2025 Committee
Chair:
Dr. Claudine Henoud R1 – Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director of Resident Affairs and Wellness)
Members:
Dr. Naomi Fuglem R1 - Family Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Xuan Zhao R4 - Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Alexa Caldwell R4 – Anesthesiology
Dr. Ateshia York R5 – Emergency Medicine
Dr. Danny Jomaa R2 – Emergency Medicine
Dr. Jason Kwan R2 – Dermatology
Dr. Jeffrey Toy R2 – Dermatology
Dr. Phoebe Ng R3 - Psychiatry
Dr. Abdel Tayem R1 - Psychiatry
Dr. Kaid Van Kampen R2 – Orthopedic Surgery
Dr. Kaiwen Song R5 – Psychiatry
Dr. Seiwon Park R4 – Dermatology
Dr. Selene Chen R2 – Pediatrics
Dr. Veronika Killow R5 – Radiation Oncology
Dr. Zahra Haq R2 – Pediatrics
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is made up of the executive members of the board and supported by the Executive Director. They discuss pertinent issues that arise relating to Resident Doctors of BC and resident issues between Board Meetings.
The Executive Committee membership is restricted to the Executive Members of the Board. If you would like to contact the Executive, please contact Resident Doctors of BC.
2025-2026 Committee
Chair:
Dr. Parker Nann R3 – Emergency Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC President)
Members:
Dr. Adeeb Malas R4 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Past President)
Dr. Zach Sagorin R4 – General Surgery (Resident Doctors of BC Director of Operations & Finance)
Dr. Claudine Henoud R2 – Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director of Resident Affairs & Wellness)
Dr. Abdel Tayem R2 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Director of External & Labour Relations)
Ms. Lona Cunningham (Resident Doctors of BC Executive Director)
External Relations Committee
The External Relations Committee is newly established to expand RDBC connections with stakeholders and external parties.
2024-2025 Committee
Co-Chairs:
Dr. Polly Ng R1 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Director of External & Labour Relations)
Dr. Abdel Tayem R1 - Psychiatry
Members:
Dr. Shikha Walia R4 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Ibrahim Sadiq R2 - Anesthesiology (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Francesca Bell Peters R3 - Emergency Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Zach Sagorin R4 - General Surgery (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Gina Peck R3 - Orthopedic Surgery (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Aishwi Roshan R3 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Andrew Jeong R2 – Family Medicine
Dr. Arif Arif R3 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Caitlin Blewett R3 – Family Medicine
Dr. Caleb Sypkes R3 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Daniela Di Francesco R2 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Helena Bentley R5 – Diagnostic Radiology
Dr. Himanish Panda R3 – Family Medicine
Dr. Irina Simin R4 – Pediatrics
Dr. Jason Kwan R2 – Dermatology
Dr. Jeffrey Toy R2 – Dermatology
Dr. Jungmin Park R3 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Kaiwen Song R5 – Psychiatry
Dr. Maichael Thejoe R5 – OB-GYN
Dr. Michelle Schneeweiss R3 – Pediatrics
Dr. Monica Hsieh R3 – Anesthesiology
Dr. Nadeesha Ruwanari R3 – General Surgery
Dr. Nikhil Anish R3 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Seiwon Park R4 – Dermatology
Dr. Simran Sandhu R2 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Veronika Killow R5 – Radiation Oncology
Dr. Zahra Haq R2 – Pediatrics
Finance Committee
This committee is populated by Board members and is responsible for developing guidelines for capital assets and funds. They also review financial statements and present the annual operating budget for the association.
The Finance Committee membership is restricted to the members listed. If you would like to contact the Finance Committee, please email Resident Doctors of BC.
2025-2026 Committee
Chair:
Dr. Zach Sagorin R4 – General Surgery (Resident Doctors of BC Director of Operations & Finance)
Members:
Dr. Adeeb Malas R4 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Immediate Past President)
Dr. Parker Nann R3 – Emergency Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC President)
Dr. Suzanne Starkiewicz R2 – Family Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Naomi Fuglem R2 - Family Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Quinten Clarke R5 - Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Ms. Lona Cunningham (Resident Doctors of BC Executive Director)
Governance Committee
This committee addresses issues pertaining to the Constitution and by-laws or Resident Doctors of BC and creates or updates polices that are directly related to the administration of the organization.
2024 – 2025 Committee
Chair:
Dr. Parker Nann R2 – Emergency Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director of Operations & Finance)
Members:
Dr. Xuan Zhao R4 - Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Betty Wen R5 – General Surgery
Dr. Caleb Sypkes R3 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Daniela Di Francesco R2 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Danny Jomaa R2 – Emergency Medicine
Dr. Irina Simin R4 – Pediatrics
Dr. Jason Kwan R2 – Dermatology
Dr. Jeffrey Toy R2 – Dermatology
Dr. Jennifer Ling R4 – Ophthalmology
Dr. Kaiwen Song R5 – Psychiatry
Dr. Philip Edgcumbe R5 – Diagnostic Radiology
Dr. Veronika Killow R5 – Radiation Oncology
Health & Wellness Committee
To develop and promote initiatives enhancing the overall wellbeing of the RDBC members.
2025-2026 Committee
Co-Chairs:
Dr. Claudine Henoud R2 – Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director of Resident Affairs and Wellness)
Dr. David Dru Sahai
Members:
Dr. Shikha Walia R5 - Psychiatry
Dr. Aishwi Roshan R3 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Arshia Alimohammadi R3 – Neurology
Dr. Ateshia York R5 – Emergency Medicine
Dr. Chin Vern Tan R3 – Psychiatry
Dr. Emmanuel Tse R3 – Psychiatry
Dr. Haaris Khan R2 – Ophthalmology
Dr. Jemimah Raffe-Devine R3 – OB-GYN
Dr. Nadeesha Ruwanari R3 – General Surgery
Dr. Natasha Tang R4 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Nicole Mar R2 – Pediatrics
Dr. Phoebe Ng R3 – Psychiatry
Dr. Rochelle Herrington R5 – Neurology
Dr. Roopal Rai R3 – Psychiatry
Dr. Sarah Yeo R4 – Internal Medicine
Dr. Suzanne George R2 – Anesthesiology
Dr. Talia Del Medico R3 – Family Medicine
Labour Relations Committee
The role of this committee is to address matters pertaining to the Collective Agreement in between negotiations cycles
2025-2026 Committee
Chair:
Dr. Abdel Tayem R2 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Director of External & Labour Relations)
Members:
Dr. Parker Nann R4 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC President)
Dr. Claudine Henoud R2 – Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director of Resident Affairs and Wellness)
Dr. Morgan Haines R5 Emergency Medicine
Ms. Lona Cunningham (Resident Doctors of BC Executive Director)
The Labour Relations Committee membership is restricted to the members listed. If you would like to contact the Labour Relations Committee, please email Resident Doctors of BC.
Negotiations Committee
The Negotiations Committee with the Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, actively negotiates the Collective Agreement based on priorities provided by the membership. This includes research, member consultation, proposal formation, and active bargaining. The resident membership of the Committee consists of 3 – 5 residents, one of whom may be an executive member of the RDBC Board of Directors, and one of whom may be a general RDBC Board Member. All resident members of the Negotiations Committee are selected by a separate selection committee of two board members and the Executive Director based on selection criteria.
2025-2026 Negotiations Committee
Dr. Polly Ng R2 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Ibrahim Sadiq R3 – Anesthesiology (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Zach Sagorin R4 – General Surgery (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Scott Bell R3 – Family Medicine Emergency (CCFP)
Dr. Matthew Yeung R2 – Emergency Medicine
JOINT COMMITTEES
Resident Doctors of BC participates in these committees to work directly with stakeholders to focus on specific areas of interest for residents.
Tri-Party Committee
As part of the Letter of Understanding (LOU) between Resident Doctors of BC, HEABC and UBC a joint committee has been created to address issues affecting all parties from the Collective Agreement; this includes issues relating to Leaves of Absence, Stat Holidays, Vacation, Scheduling and Call Stipends.
It has two representatives from each party, which meets four times per year. Resident Doctors of BC has one resident representative this year.
Dr. Parker Nann R3 – Emergency Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC President)
Resident OHS Committee
The purpose of the committee is to provide recommendations for improvements on safety issues related to Resident Doctors to ensure they have mechanisms in place to provide them safety, health and wellbeing support; and to provide advice to health authorities towards the implementation of programs and processes that recognize the need for provincial coordination. The committee includes representatives from all of the Health Authorities and the RDBC Executive Director.
Resident Representative: TBD
EXTERNAL COMMITTEES
Resident Doctors of BC members participate in these committees to represent residents as an important group of learners and healthcare service providers, and to support the work of these committees as they make policy decisions and conduct activities related to their missions.
PGME Committee
The PGME Committee approves PGME initiatives, facilitates governance and oversight of residency programs, supports the associate dean, PGME in planning, organizing, and evaluating all aspects of residency education, advocates for the resources and support needed for the functioning of quality residency programs, and ensures that residency programs are in compliance with the General Standards of Accreditation.
Per the terms of reference (TOR) of the PGME Committee, Resident Doctors of BC has three resident representatives to the PGME Committee every year.
Dr. Parker Nann R3 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC President)
Dr. Suzanne Starkiewicz R2 – Family Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Quinten Clarke R5 – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
PGME Executive Subcommittee
The PGME Executive Subcommittee recommends decisions to the PGME Committee related to policies, new programs, or substantive changes to programs, and acts on behalf of the PGME Committee between its meetings.
Per the terms of reference (TOR) of the PGME Executive Subcommittee, Resident Doctors of BC has two resident representatives to the PGME Executive Subcommittee every year.
Dr. Suzanne Starkiewicz R2 – Family Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Quinten Clarke R5 – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
PGME Review Subcommittee
The PGME Review Subcommittee supports the PGME Office in prioritizing areas for focus and development, conducts, evaluates and follows up on processes to support ongoing quality improvement of PGME, training sites and residency programs, and conducts, evaluates, and follows up on internal reviews of each residency program.
Per the terms of reference (TOR) of the PGME Review Subcommittee, Resident Doctors of BC has three resident representatives to the PGME Review Subcommittee every year.
Dr. Parker Nann R3 – Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC President)
Dr. Suzanne Starkiewicz R2 – Family Medicine (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Dr. Quinten Clarke R5 – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Resident Doctors of BC Director)
Resident Doctors of Canada
Resident Doctors of Canada (RDoC) is the national organization that represents over 10,000 resident doctors across Canada. RDoC collaborates with other national health organizations to foster excellence in training, wellness, and patient care. RDoC cultivates meaningful dialogue with its members and Provincial Housestaff Organizations to provide the perspective of resident doctors on national medical education issues.
Resident Doctors of BC has one resident representative to RDoC every year.
Dr. Adeeb Malas (Resident Doctors of BC Immediate Past President)
PGME Residency Allocation Advisory Council
The Residency Allocation Advisory Council (RAAC) brings together representatives from partner organizations to support the Ministry of Health in allocating ministry-funded residency positions across BC postgraduate residency programs.
As outlined in the RAAC Terms of Reference, Resident Doctors of BC appoints three resident representatives to the Council each year: one from family medicine, one from the medical specialties, and one from the surgical specialties.
Dr. Heidi Britton R2 – Ophthalmology (Surgical)
Dr. Davy Lau R2 – Internal Medicine (Medical)
Dr. Emma Prchal R2 - Family Medicine (FM)
Family Practice Services Committee
The Family Practice Services Committee is one of four joint collaborative committees that represent a partnership of the government of BC and Doctors of BC. As the leading collaborative table for primary care in BC, the FPSC is a vehicle for representatives of the Government, the Doctors of BC and the BC Family Doctors to work together on matters affecting the provision of services by Family Physicians (FPs) in British Columbia. The FPSC identifies changes in current physician service delivery that could result in improvements in patient care, more effective utilization of physician and other healthcare resources, and measurable savings in expenditures. It supports the integration and alignment of physician services with other health service delivery, and encourages appropriate collaborative practice with other physicians and integration of physicians with other health professionals. The committee also provides incentives for FPs to provide full service family practice and benefit patients.
Resident Doctors of BC has one resident representative to the FPSC every year.
Dr. Jose Alvero – Family Medicine