Regional Leadership
The Regional Medical Director and Senior Director, Regional Clinical Operations roles act in partnership for the management of BC Cancer’s services and programs within each of its
six regional centres. This dyad partnership requires collaboration, flexibility, innovation and efficient and effective decision making to meet the changing needs of multiple stakeholders, including patients, families, staff and agency partners.
Senior Directors, Regional Clinical Operations oversee management and administration of operations for respective regional centres, and for the development, implementation and assessment of strategies, programs and services. They develop priorities that support the integration of community, regional and provincial patient-centred care and ensure that standards of care and quality are maintained across services. They also oversee resource requirements such as equipment, space, staff and supplies and plan, monitor and report on specific aspects of administrative and clinical services budgets.
Regional Medical Directors are responsible for comprehensive delivery and management of medical programs for BC Cancer’s regional centres, including quality, safety, professional practice, medical staff development and support. They establish a framework and infrastructure for program delivery and planning and allocate and manage medical resources in the region, anticipating future changes that will affect service delivery. They drive the planning and delivery of medical services, and develop effective partnerships that enable the best patient outcomes and experiences.
For details about the
leadership team in your area, click the location below or call the appropriate administration office:
Tammy Currie completed her Radiation Therapy training at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and has practiced in Ontario and British Columbia. Starting at BC Cancer as a radiation therapist in 1995, she has since been in numerous leadership roles including Regional Professional Practice Leader, Radiation Therapy at BC Cancer – Surrey and Abbotsford, Director of Clinical Operations, Radiation Therapy at BC Cancer – Abbotsford and eventually assumed provincial responsibility for Regional Operations and Systemic Therapy. She has been active in the radiation therapy profession, obtaining advanced certification, including a Bachelor’s of Science in Therapeutic Radiography and a Computed Tomography Imaging Certification in Radiation Therapy. She is an active volunteer and course author for the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists. Most recently, Ms. Currie completed the Risk Management and Safety in Health Services program through the Canadian Healthcare Association, and a Lean Leader Certification and Fellowship through the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement Executive Training Program.
Dr. Muhammad Zulfiqar has served as a Medical Oncologist as well as the Medical Director for clinical trials at BC Cancer – Abbotsford since 2010. He was also a member of its Medical Advisory Committee for two years. Dr. Zulfiqar was trained in Internal Medicine at the affiliated hospitals of University of Michigan and completed his Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship at the University of Kansas Medical Center. During his Fellowship, he was awarded a National Institutes of Health scholarship for academic development, completing formal training in epidemiology, biostatistics and clinical trial design.
John Larmet holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Saskatchewan. He has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including child, adolescent, adult and forensic psychiatry, trauma and plastics surgery and burn units. He has broad operational leadership experience spanning almost 15 years leading various departments, including clinical, surgical, emergency and ambulatory care units in Saskatchewan and British Columbia. His areas of interest are operational planning and delivery, emergency management, quality improvement, process design, clinical research and patient and family experience. Mr. Larmet has participated in various collaborative research projects through the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business, Operations Research, Health Quality Council of Saskatchewan – Provincial Breast Health initiative and the Saskatchewan Provincial Emergency Department Patient Experience survey, Mercuri Research group, with the School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan. He is also a member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders, currently completing his Certified Health Executive designation.
Dr. Ross Halperin, FRCPC, obtained his MD at the University of Alberta, completing his Radiation Oncology residency at the Cross Cancer Institute (CCI) in Edmonton, Alberta. After residency, he did a fellowship in lung cancer three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) at Washington University Mallinckrodt institute. Post fellowship, he joined the Radiation Oncology department at CCI in Edmonton, subsequently moving to Kelowna in 2003 to join BC Cancer – Kelowna’s Radiation Oncology department where he commenced its prostate brachytherapy program. Dr. Halperin has served as Regional Professional Practice leader of Radiation Oncology at BC Cancer – Kelowna as well as Interim Vice President for Radiation Therapy, Functional Imaging, Surgical and Oral Oncology at BC Cancer. He is a past president of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology and is a board member of the Canadian Radiation Oncology Foundation.
Kathy Giene obtained her Registered Nursing and Psychiatric Nursing degrees from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and has held a variety of bedside and health leadership roles throughout British Columbia and Saskatchewan for the past 35 years. She has worked in a variety of healthcare settings, including acute care, mental health, long term care, home and community care, aboriginal care and cancer care. She has held senior leadership roles, including Vice President of Operations, General Manager, Administrator, Director of Nursing and Director of Care. Ms. Giene has her Project Management Certification and has been a Surveyor with Accreditation Canada since 2008. She is also a member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders and the Health Care Leaders Association of British Columbia.
Dr. Stacy Miller is a Radiation Oncologist and former Physician Leader at BC Cancer – Prince George (Centre for the North). As a physician leader in the North, she has focused on the BC Cancer's vision to bring cancer care closer to home, including development of Telehealth systems to support this work. Dr. Miller is originally from the west coast and moved to Prince George in 2012 for the opening of BC Cancer – Prince George (Centre for the North). She trained at the University of British Columbia with a residency at BC Cancer and a subsequent international fellowship in Sydney, Australia. Clinically, She is involved in the treatment of several types of cancer with a special interest in genitourinary and lymphoid malignancies as well as brachytherapy and rapid access to palliative radiotherapy.
Cherie Taylor holds Masters of Social Work and an undergraduate degree from University of Victoria. She came to BC Cancer from Fraser Health with a strong background in clinical operations, including inpatient and outpatient oncology with many years of leadership experience helping to advance clinical care, service development, redevelopment opportunities and quality improvement. Ms. Taylor has more than 27 years of combined acute and community experience leading many successful operational and project initiatives. She held several leadership roles at Fraser Health, including Director of Surrey Memorial Hospital Medicine Program, Director of Ambulatory Medicine Outpatient Clinics at Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgical Centre and Director of Clinical Operations for Ridge Meadows Hospital and Community. She takes pride in building strong, collaborative partnerships and linkages between teams and stakeholders with resulting improvements for patient and family-centered care.
Dr. Gary Pansegrau is a Medical Oncologist at BC Cancer — Surrey. He completed his medical school training in Toronto and his Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology training at the University of British Columbia. He started working at BC Cancer in 2004 with a primary focus on breast cancer and has served as the regional Professional Practice Leader for BC Cancer – Surrey. Dr. Pansegrau is also the current Chair of the Priority and Evaluation Committee for BC Cancer.
Zahida Esmail has a Master of Health Administration and an undergraduate degree in pharmacy from the University of British Columbia. She has worked as the Operations Director, Colon Screening Program at BC Cancer, Regional Practice Initiatives Lead for Vancouver Coastal Health, Project Support Consultant for the BC Medication Management Project sponsored by the BC Pharmacy Association and the BC Ministry of Health, and as a Quality Outcomes Specialist for the College of Pharmacists of BC. Recognized as a top emerging leader in Canada under the age of 40, Ms. Esmail is the recipient of the 2012 Emerging Leader Scholarship sponsored by Aramark Corporation, Emerging Health Leaders and the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL). In 2011, she also received the Robert Wood Johnson Award from CCHL for showing promise of making a noteworthy contribution in the field of Health Services Administration. An avid volunteer and an engaged member of CCHL and many other organizations, Zahida has been recognized by the College of Pharmacists of BC for making an outstanding contribution to the profession through ongoing commitment to volunteering.
Dr. Kim Chi is a Medical Oncologist and Director of Clinical Research for BC Cancer. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, medical director for Clinical Trials at BC Cancer – Vancouver, and the Co-Director of Clinical Research at the Vancouver Prostate Centre. Dr. Chi is the Chair of the Genitourinary Disease Site Committee for the Canadian Cancer Trials Group and the co-Chair for the Canadian Uro-Oncology Group. His 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.
Kelly Nystedt has an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto and completed Radiation Therapy training at Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre. She is the recipient of the L.J. Cartwright Award and Joan Beaverstock Radiation Therapy Student Essay Award, Certificate of Merit, for her graduating class. She also holds a post graduate Certification in Adult and Continuing Education at University of Victoria. Kelly moved to BC as a new graduate in 1992 and has practiced her entire career within BC Cancer – Victoria. Starting as a clinical Radiation Therapist, she transitioned through progressive leadership positions including Dosimetrist, Radiation Therapy Educator, Clinical Instructor, Director of Clinical Operations for Radiation Therapy, Regional Director and now Senior Director, Regional Clinical Operations. She has been an active advocate for her provincial and national professional associations: British Columbia Association of Medical Radiation Technologists and Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT), respectively serving two full terms (six years) as Director for BC and two years as Finance Director for CAMRT. She is currently participating in the Canadian College of Health Leaders Mentorship Program.
Dr. Sam Kader, Regional Medical Director, BC Cancer – Victoria
Dr. Sam Kader obtained his medical degree in Cairo, Egypt, later moving to the United Kingdom where he trained and qualified initially as an Internist and subsequently as Clinical Oncologist in Radiation and Medical Oncology. In 1995 he moved to Canada and joined BC Cancer – Victoria as a Radiation Oncologist. His practice has focused mainly on gynecological, breast and head and neck cancers, also engaging in clinical research on those tumour sites. Formerly, Dr. Kader was Radiation Oncology Professional Practice Leader for BC Cancer – Victoria where his focus was on ensuring a collegial and collaborative environment for a productive and thriving team, both clinically and academically.
