250-721-7479
kunliu@uvic.ca
Kun joined the University of Victoria (UVic) in 2010 and worked for several units in Student Affairs before joining the Island Medical Program (IMP) in 2020. Kun is a CPA and is managing the finance for both the IMP and the UVic Division of Medical Science.
Ms. Eckard (she/her) joined the Island Medical Program supporting the curriculum for the MD Undergraduate Years 1 and 2. She completed a curriculum and instruction post-graduate diploma at the University of Victoria (UVic) and was a laboratory instructor in the biology department. Roberta attended UVic for her Master of Science in biology. She works as the Post Graduate Residency Site Coordinator for the Victoria site of the University of British Columbia as the Coordinator for the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Curriculum. She enjoys being kind to other animals while hiking and sailing around unceded territories of BC First Nations.
250-721-6373
impfac@uvic.ca
Helena Zhang (she/her) completed her BA and MA degrees in finance, accounting and management at the University of Nottingham in UK. Prior to joining the Island Medical Program in 2020, Helena has worked as both an executive assistant and as a service coordinator and office administrator in the financial services sector, and for the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria as the Client Service Specialist for Indigenous and International Programs.
250-472-4542
cmorrow@uvic.ca
Dr. Chris Morrow is an emergency physician in Victoria. He was born in N. Ireland and immigrated as a young child to Canada, where he grew up in Ontario and then Victoria. He studied biology at the University of Victoria, followed by medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He then completed his family medicine residency in Calgary. Dr. Morrow enjoyed a career in full spectrum family practice in a rural community before specializing in emergency medicine.
Dr. Margaret Manville graduated from the UBC Faculty of Medicine in 1997 and the Victoria Family Practice Residency in 1999. She completed a Care of the Elderly Fellowship at University of Ottawa in 2002 and has worked in rural, remote, and urban settings in Ontario and on Vancouver Island. Her clinical practice is now focused on long-term care in Victoria. In addition to her role as Site Director, Family Practice at the Island Medical Program, Dr. Manville is the Medical Director of Long-Term Care for Island Health.
250-472-5507
jmacm@uvic.ca
Jennifer MacMillan (she/her) is currently the Senior Manager of the MD Student, Patient, and Physician Education Programs at the Island Medical Program (IMP). She has been with the IMP since its inception and she had the honour of being part of the graduation of the very first class in 2008! “Since that time, the program has grown and there have been so many changes,” she says. “What hasn’t changed is working with a team that is committed to giving our IMP students the best medical education we can offer. The work of organizing such a complex program has its challenges, but the rewards and satisfaction at the end of each busy day cannot be understated for me, which is why I am still here looking forward to attending the graduation of the class of 2026!” The other part of Jennifer’s life is also busy with her family. She and her husband have three grown daughters and two grandsons. Jennifer enjoy beaches, yoga, and karaoke (in that order)!
250-519-7700 ext. 13663
darin.abbey@islandhealth.ca
Darin is the Director of CICSL at Royal Jubilee Hospital. As an emergency nurse, Darin galvanized his career around a passion for excellence in resuscitation and an ongoing commitment to assuring improved clinician, patient, and organizational outcomes. Central to this work is the belief that in healthcare, communication, teamwork, and followership are best viewed as a set of skills that can be enhanced through careful consideration and practice. Darin is an Advanced Practice Lead in the Office of Island Health’s Chief Nurse and Allied Health Executive.
Following his medical career in neurosurgery in the UK and Malaysia, Dr. Richard Veerapen undertook law studies, finally obtaining a PhD in Law and Society at the University of Victoria (UVic) Faculty of Law. As well as returning to grad studies after moving to Victoria in 2004, he administered health/social development services for a Saanich First Nations community for five years. Dr. Veerapen has taught Ethics in Public Health and Global Health at Simon Fraser University and UVic. He is currently completing a textbook on the management of conflict in healthcare environments. His interests centre on informed consent, shared decision-making, and inter-professional relationships in clinical practice.
1-250-737-2063
tom@rimmer.com
Dr. Tom Rimmer is a family physician who lives, works, and plays on the traditional unceded territory of the Cowichan People. He is passionate about sustaining full-service longitudinal care and sees family medicine as the best job in the world. He is a founding member and former chair of the Cowichan Valley Division of Family Practice. In 2013, he was awarded The College of Family Physicians of Canada’s Family Physician of the Year Award for British Columbia. Teaching has always been an important and enjoyable part of Dr. Rimmer’s work. He has been an active clinical instructor and preceptor for more than 23 years.
Dr. Laura Farrell is the Regional Associate Dean, Vancouver Island, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Academic Director, Vancouver Island, UBC Distributed Programs, University of Victoria (UVic). She completed her undergraduate education at UVic, her MD at UBC, and her internal medicine residency and fellowship in Calgary. She received her Master’s of Medical Education through the University Dundee in 2015. She has been practising since 2008 as a general internist. Laura has various research interests, including goal-oriented feedback, autoethnography, goal co-construction, and coaching.