Our President

Dr Ahmer Karimuddin, Doctors of BC President

Practicing as a general and colorectal surgeon in Vancouver with a special focus on colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, Dr Ahmer Karimuddin has helped care for thousands of patients across BC over the last 15 years. And while medicine was always his calling, it was during his surgical rotation in medical school that he realized he wanted to be a surgeon.

“I was always drawn to working as part of a team, and during my surgical rotation I realized that surgery was the ultimate team sport – and that surgeons were my people. Providing surgical patients with the care they need and deserve requires the careful coordination of several health care individuals, from the surgeons themselves to anesthesiologists, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, and innumerable others.”

Following another year of on-going health system challenges, Dr Karimuddin will focus on advocating for a truly collaborative health care system in which hospital-based doctors feel they are listened to and respected and primary care is finally stabilized. He also intends to amplify the voices of doctors around the province, and to strongly advocate for patients, the profession, and a renewed culture of compassionate leadership in health care. 

Dr Karimuddin cares deeply about physician health and well-being, particularly when the last several years have resulted in increased burnout, stretched resources, and “many physicians feeling increasingly alone and isolated.” To encourage physicians to reach out for help when needed, and encourage involvement in something meaningful, he will focus much of his presidency on the theme “Better Together, Never Alone.”
 
Dr Karimuddin became involved with Doctors of BC in 2012 as a member of the Specialist Services Committee (SSC), serving as co-chair for his last two years. Before that he held several leadership roles including President of General Surgeons of BC, President of the BC Surgical Society, President and Chief Negotiator for the Professional Association of Interns and Residents of Saskatchewan, and Vice President of the Canadian Association of Interns and Residents. He also served on Doctors of BC’s MOCAP Redesign Panel, Diversity and Inclusions Advisory Working Group, and the Tariff Committee.
 
Outside of the operating room, Dr Karimuddin dedicates his time to the future of medicine and the doctors of tomorrow. He provides his expertise as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at UBC and is the Co-Director of the General Surgery Residency Program.

To contact Dr Karimuddin, please e-mail and follow him @ahmerkarimuddin.