Advocating for physicians, where you live and practice

Doctors of BC has taken an important step to ensure better advocacy on behalf of all physician members in local communities. 

Regional Advisors and Advocates (RAAs) are Doctors of BC staff who live and work in the regions of the province that align with Health Authority boundaries. Their primary goal is to act as a first point of contact for members who are seeking services or support from Doctors of BC, and to facilitate access to these services in a way that is easy and timely. And because the RAAs are spread throughout the province, they know and better understand local circumstances and challenges faced by you, our members.

The RAA’s have three primary functions:

• Informing you. The RAAs will keep you updated and informed on Doctors of BC initiatives and programs of importance to you in your community and more broadly within the profession.    
• Connecting with you. The RAAs will help connect you with the right people and the appropriate resources at Doctors of BC to get your questions answered. 
• Advocating for you. The RAAs will connect with Board delegates, the President, senior Doctors of BC staff, and others to support your local advocacy efforts so you can have your professional voices heard when important decisions are being made in your communities.

The RAAs role will complement the ongoing engagement work being done by your Board delegates. To date they have been involved in such activities as: working with Engagement Partners to help develop and launch the Facility Engagement Initiative in turn assisting in the launch of locally incorporated Medical Staff Associations (MSAs); developing and coordinating the first Doctors of BC Education Day  in Northern BC; aligning physician leaders and senior staff to advise members on how best to advocate for and find solutions to health care and/or Health Authority challenges.

The RAAs are Sara Taghipour in Fraser, Allyson Miller for the Island, Brent Weiss in the Interior, Nicole Newman for Vancouver and Coast and Farnaz Ferdowsi in the interim for the North. Each one is committed to helping meet your needs in your regions and local communities.  

To contact your Regional Advisor and Advocate click here.

November 2020 update: The Facility Engagement Liaisons, Community Liaisons, and Regional Liaisons are now referred to as Engagement Partners.