PHSA’s executive team is a group of experienced and innovative leaders in management and administration, health care, education and research.
Dr. David Byres has over 25 years of experience in the health sector, most recently as the associate deputy minister, clinical leadership for the B.C. Ministry of Health. He has held responsibility across a number of divisions in the Ministry including Primary Care, Pharmaceutical, Lab and Blood Services, Specialized Services, Population and Public Health, Health Sector Workforce and Beneficiary Services, and the Office of Indigenous Health.
Previously, David served as the executive vice president for Providence Health Care and later as the chief nurse executive for the Ministry of Health. His health career began in community mental health and as a registered nurse in medicine, mental health, community, and emergency settings.
David is actively involved in research and is currently a co-principal investigator examining a health equity intervention framework to promote the provision of equity-oriented care for Indigenous people in B.C.’s emergency departments.
David holds a doctorate in nursing practice, a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and a bachelor and masters of science degree in nursing. He is an adjunct professor with the School of Nursing at UBC and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Victoria. He is a certified health executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders, recipient of the Dean's Medal of Distinction from the UBC Faculty of Applied Science and was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing.
Dr. Kim Chi leads BC Cancer as executive vice president and chief medical officer. He is focused on supporting teams of dedicated professionals to provide timely access to high quality cancer care services and in doing so, improve health outcomes for British Columbians, province-wide.
Dr. Chi has been a practising medical oncologist and clinical researcher in B.C. for more than 25 years, allowing him to bring important clinical and patient care perspectives to health system decision-making and implementation of the B.C. 10-year cancer care plan announced in February 2023. Dr. Chi’s research is in the area of genitourinary cancers with a focus on prostate cancer and investigational new drugs, including outcomes, Phase I-III clinical trials, neoadjuvant studies and mechanisms of treatment resistance.
He has had peer-reviewed grant funding from the Canada Institutes of Health Research, National Cancer Institute of Canada, Canadian Cancer Society, the US Department of Defense, Movember and the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada. Dr. Chi also serves as Shrum Chair in Applied Genomics Research for Prostate Cancer and has an appointment as Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University.
In her role as executive vice president, health system intelligence, data governance & analytics, Lexie supports PHSA, along with its health authority partners, in making “data-informed” decisions that support the needs of both patients and care providers.
With 25 years of experience leading complex projects related to analytics, decision support, performance evaluation, funding and reporting in B.C. and Ontario, Lexie is well-versed in leading organizations through strategy, operations and policy development. Her hands-on experience is supplemented with a strong academic background, including an MBA and advanced statistical and research, business, and finance training.
Dr. Leanne Heppell joined PHSA in July 2021 from her position with Providence Health Care as chief operating officer acute care & chief of professional practice & nursing in April 2015. Prior to this role, Leanne was the vice president, patient safety and innovation; and chief of professional practice and nursing.
Leanne brings to her role over 20 years of senior leadership experience, including with Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and the BC Ambulance Service. She is a registered nurse with a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Victoria. Leanne graduated from UBC as a clinical nurse specialist in the masters in nursing program, and completed a masters in leadership from Royal Roads University in 2003. She is also an academic supervisor of leadership studies at Royal Roads University. Leanne is a values leader with a focus on putting patients and families first. Leanne completed a doctorate of business administration in 2016.
Shannon is a highly skilled health informatics leader, passionate about transforming health care through patient engagement and experience in strategic planning, portfolio/program management, and systems implementation. In this executive role, she supports our local and provincial systems and partners with the Ministry of Health to deliver digital strategies, including the latest work delivering the IMMS BC solution, vaccine passport and Health Gateway.
Shannon returned to PHSA in 2019 from TELUS, where she was principal for patient engagement leading strategy and development of TELUS Health’s patient-facing applications, including Personal Health Record, Home Health Monitoring, and EMR Portals. Previous to TELUS Health, Shannon was director, clinical solution delivery for PHSA. She led the delivery of major clinical IM/IT projects across PHSA, Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Healthcare. She also led the teams responsible for the project portfolio management office, budget planning and management, and performance management and benefits evaluation.
Shannon is currently president of the board of Digital Health Canada. In November 2021, she was awarded a Top Forty under 40 award from Business in Vancouver.
Christine Massey provides leadership to the BC Centre for Disease Control and supports efforts to work in collaboration with partners across PHSA and the health-care system to advance the health and wellbeing of communities in ways that are meaningful and impactful, as well as culturally safe, anti-racist and equitable.
Prior to joining PHSA, Christine held senior roles in the B.C. government, most recently as the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. She has a long record of dedicated public service, working with the Ministries of Children and Family Development, Advanced Education and Health and leading initiatives including the regulation of private post-secondary institutions, the Seniors’ Action Plan as well as a number of legislative initiatives. Her experience implementing complex policy and programs has led to an appreciation of the intersection of the social determinants of health and public health policy, planning and initiatives.
From 1995 to 2009, Christine worked in the post-secondary sector. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Ottawa and a Master’s degree from Simon Fraser University.
Dr. Maureen O’Donnell is responsible for provincial planning and coordination, clinical policy, innovation and research, with a focus on leading collaborative work to create and execute on system-wide strategies. Her portfolio includes Health Improvement Networks, Provincial Clinical Programs, Provincial Laboratory Medicine Services, Provincial Medical Imaging Office and pharmacy services.
These apply clinical excellence, data and analytics, discovery and technology to solve challenging and complex issues, act on opportunities for innovation and, with input from patients, care providers and researchers, seek to enact evidence-based improvement in health and health care across B.C.
With the Transformation Leadership Office, Maureen is dedicated to advancing PHSA’s organizational priorities and strategies, in alignment with the Ministry of Health’s goals.
In addition to her role with PHSA, Maureen is supporting the Ministry of Health during a three-year appointment as Associate Deputy Minister, health system innovation, working collaboratively to provide a stronger focus, for both the ministry and the broader health sector, on driving innovation and effective strategy management.
Maureen is an experienced health-care leader, clinician and academic. She is a subspecialist pediatrician with a master of science in clinical epidemiology and is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. She has served as chair for a number of national and international boards and national executive committees.
She supports her clinical sub-specialty area of pediatrics through her participation with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada on the examination committee. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
Susan Wannamaker leads clinical delivery programs that support direct patient and client care, including BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services, BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre. Her portfolio also includes Health Emergency Management BC.
Susan has held diverse executive roles in her 40-year career in health care, including clinical background as a nurse, operational experience in running hospitals, leading significant transformation initiatives and 20 years in leadership roles at Vancouver Coastal Health. Susan has been "hands-on" at virtually every level of the B.C. health-care system; as a result, she has a deep understanding of how different roles and professions work together and appreciates how important relationships within and across health authorities are to achieving lasting, positive outcomes.
She played a significant role in shaping B.C.’s 10-year cancer care action plan announced in February 2023 and immediately prior to her current role, she was president of BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre. Before that, she was senior vice president at Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington, Ontario, responsible for all hospital operations and ensuring operational readiness for a new hospital expansion.
Laurie Dawkins is responsible for internal and external communications across all PHSA portfolios; including media relations, social media, brand, content services and web strategy.
Laurie has more than 25 years’ experience in the communications industry, and holds the international professional designations of accredited business communicator and strategic communications management professional. In 2017, she was named a Master Communicator of Canada by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)– Canada. Laurie is an active member of IABC locally, nationally and internationally, a frequent mentor to new communicators, and she holds more than 26 industry awards and honours for her professional work and volunteerism.
Prior to joining PHSA in November 2018, Laurie served for 17 years with Vancouver Coastal Health in increasingly senior roles, including interim vice president, communications, public affairs & community engagement. Before that, she was privileged to work with organizations like the University of British Columbia, Industry Canada and Placer Dome Mining, among others.
In this new executive role, Joe Gallagher will guide the further development and evolution of PHSA’s Indigenous health and cultural safety strategy, lead the delivery of cultural safety and humility education, and support PHSA’s Indigenous Health and Human Resources Plan.
Joe is Coast Salish from the Tla'amin First Nation and has already made extraordinary contributions to B.C.’s health-care system over the course of his career. Joe was the founding chief executive officer of the First Nations Health Authority, the first and only health authority of its kind in Canada, and served as CEO from 2009-2019. Prior to this role, Joe held senior leadership roles at a number of governmental and First Nations organizations, working in areas including health care, community development, economic development and intergovernmental affairs.
In the last year, Joe has provided executive-level consulting support to B.C. health regulatory colleges and other institutions as they work to address Indigenous-specific racism and achieve cultural safety and humility in health-care settings.
Michael Lord is responsible for finance and business operations at PHSA. He offers strategic leadership and counsel to the president and CEO, PHSA’s Board of Directors and its committees, and the executive leadership team on both current and future financial directions. He is accountable for all aspects of financial management, including the effective and efficient use of operating and capital budgets. His responsibilities include financial strategy, management, and reporting. Michael also oversees supply chain and procurement, capital projects, facilities management, planetary health, biomedical engineering, and integrated protection services.
Michael brings over 20 years of senior leadership experience in finance, service delivery, and policy development to PHSA. Prior to joining the organization, he served in the B.C. public service as assistant deputy minister in several ministries including Jobs, Trade and Technology, and Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. More recently, in Saskatchewan, he led the development of provincial accessibility legislation and played a key role in shaping the future of community housing.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science, is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants, and has the Institute of Corporate Directors designation from the Rotman Directors Education Program.
Kendra McPherson leads clinical improvement and transformation, which includes the health improvement networks and PHSA’s coordinating role in primary care. Through the Transformation Leadership Office, Kendra is focused on where PHSA is going from a system perspective, driving our executive leaders to meet milestones and deliver outcomes critical to the transformation of PHSA and the B.C. health-care system overall.
Kendra has led and managed a number of large, system-wide transformation initiatives provincially, across Canada, and in the United States. Through these experiences, she has developed a deep understanding of issues impacting the continuum of care and insights into what it takes to achieve and sustain strong gains in efficiency, patient care, and clinical outcomes. Kendra holds a bachelor of arts in family and nutritional sciences from the University of British Columbia, a master of healthcare administration from Seton Hall University and numerous professional certifications.
Kris Nielsen is accountable for programs supporting the people of PHSA, including workplace and employee health services; people experience and workplace wellness; human resource services and labour relations; diversity, equity and inclusion; talent solutions; workforce strategies and systems transformation; and Sanya’k̓ula, the Indigenous recruitment and experience team. Under Kris’s leadership, the People and Culture portfolio strives to provide trusted, quality services to PHSA’s specialized teams and create an equitable, anti-racist and culturally safe health system where everyone thrives.
Kris has held diverse leadership roles in health care over the past 20 years, including specific experiences in primary and community care, business development, languages services, digital health, finance and human resources. Prior to rejoining PHSA, Kris held progressively senior roles at Island Health to advance their electronic health record strategy, transform workforce scheduling and business supports, and develop and implement a muti-year health human resources (HHR) sustainability strategy including leadership of BC’s HHR Strategy. He has also worked in various branches of the BC Ministry of Health, was part of HealthLinkBC’s redevelopment and worked in Ontario at a downtown Community Health Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital.
Kris is passionate about transformation in health care and lifelong learning. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science in Medical Anthropology from the University of Toronto and University College London (UK), respectively, as well as an Advanced Human Resources certificate from Queen’s University and certification in change management from PROSCI.
Dr. Natasha Prodan-Bhalla is responsible for providing strategic leadership to nursing and allied health professionals across PHSA, for leading the development of a quality framework that includes patient engagement and experience, the PHSA policy office, accreditation, and ethics and spiritual care.
Prior to this role, Natasha was the collaborative practice leader for nurse practitioners with PHSA and still works as a nurse practitioner at BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre one day a week in the Heart Program for Women and the Access Clinic. Natasha completed her doctorate in nursing practice from the University of Colorado, holds a master of nursing, adult nurse practitioner degree from the University of Toronto, and a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Western Ontario. Natasha also holds a post masters family nurse practitioner certificate from the University of Massachusetts, is a North American menopause practitioner, and holds a cardiovascular nursing certification from the Canadian Nursing Association.
Natasha is a fellow of both the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the Canadian Academy of Nursing. She is an adjunct professor in the Schools of Nursing at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. She was a founding board member of the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC and is the current co-chair of the National Principle Nurses Advisors Task Force. Separate from her role at PHSA, Natasha serves in an advisory capacity as the provincial chief nursing officer with the B.C. Ministry of Health.
Zulie Sachedina is responsible for overseeing the legal, risk, privacy, patient care quality, and technology development offices at PHSA.
Zulie has devoted more than 30 years to public service as a leader, lawyer and human rights advocate. She acquired her masters in health administration and her law degree from the University of Toronto and her LL.M in Global Health Law and Governance from Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. She is a Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
As Corporate Secretary, Zulie supports the Board of Directors of PHSA, the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission and the BC Emergency Health Services Commission in fulfilling their governance responsibilities.
Zulie is an active community volunteer and recently completed a six-year term as a Governor of the Law Foundation of British Columbia, an organization with the legislative mandate to fund access to justice initiatives, support law reform and public legal education. As the former Chair of the Ismaili International Conciliation and Arbitration Board, she led this global dispute resolution organization, which provides mediation services in 20 jurisdictions across the world.
Dr. Sean Virani is responsible for PHSA medical affairs, physician compensation and engagement. He also leads quality and safety for medical staff, including physicians and nurse practitioners, infection prevention and control, the BC Medical Quality Initiative, and has oversight for PHSA’s Health Authority Medical Advisory Committee.
Dr. Virani is a respected physician and a key opinion leader for heart failure in Canada, bringing more than two decades of medical experience to the role. He also serves as head of the division of cardiology for Providence Health Care (PHC) and physician program director with the Heart Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital.
Dr. Virani previously served as the provincial medical director for Cardiac Services BC, a past-president of the Canadian Heart Failure Society as well as associate professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He is co-chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Heart Failure Guidelines Panel and co-chair of B.C.’s Provincial Advisory Panel on Cardiac Health. He also serves as medical director for HeartLife Foundation.
He completed his internal medicine and cardiology training at UBC before embarking on a sub-specialization in heart failure and cardiac transplantation at Stanford University. Dr. Virani also has a masters degree in public health from Columbia University with a focus on health-care management.
