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Presenter Bios

PICNet  >  Events   >  Past Conferences & Events   >  PICNet 2017 Educational Conference  >  Presenter Bios

Plenary Session Presenters

Lydia Bouroiba, PhD
Assistant Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Prof. Lydia Bourouiba is the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Professor at MIT. She directs the Fluid Dynamics of Disease Transmission Laboratory, in which the research focuses on the interface of fluid dynamics and epidemiology. Her research group is dedicated to the fundamental understanding of the physical mechanisms and fluid dynamics shaping the transmission dynamics of pathogens in human, animal, and plant populations where drops, bubbles, multiphase, and complex flows are at the core. More on her recent work can be found at https://lbourouiba.mit.edu/.

Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin MD, FCFP, MHSc, FRCPC
Executive Medical Director, Infection Control and Medical Health Officer, Fraser Health Authority
Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin began her career practising family medicine in small towns in Ontario and British Columbia. In 2004 she entered the UBC Public Health residency program, and in 2007 began work as a Medical Health Officer in Fraser Health. She worked primarily in the area of communicable disease control, focusing on large outbreaks of measles, mumps, and pertussis. In 2012 she accepted an offer to become Medical Director of Fraser Health’s Infection Control program, and today leads a team of 50 practitioners and consultants, delivering infection control services at Fraser’s acute and residential sites. She also co-instructs a course in epidemiology for infection control at UBC.

Elizabeth Bryce, BSc, MD, FRCPC
Regional Medical Director, Infection Control/Medical Microbiology, VCH Acute Care; Clinical Professor, Medical Microbiology, Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC; Co-Medical Director, PICNet
Dr. Elizabeth Bryce is the Regional Medical Director for Infection Control at Vancouver Coastal Health Acute, and has been involved in the field of infection prevention and control for the last 20 years. She is dually qualified in Medical Microbiology and Internal Medicine and is a Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia. She is a past co-chair of the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program and the current co-chair of the Provincial Infection Control Network of British Columbia. Dr. Bryce is one of the founding members of the UBC Certificate in Infection Control, as well as several online educational modules on this topic

Shawna Buchholz, RN, MPH
Clinical Nurse Educator Health Protection, First Nations Health Authority
Shawna was born into the Arrow Lakes and Okanagan Nation of the Interior, from the large Louis family, rich in tradition, story-telling, and history. She has been an RN for 17 years, and has a Master’s in Public Health from Ontario. Shawna has worked the majority of her career helping to advance First Nations health and wellness. Shawna is currently working as a Clinical Nurse Educator with the Health Protection team of First Nations Health Authority. She has a fondness and expertise in tuberculosis, where she worked with the BC Center for Disease Control for 9 years. Shawna has a passion for teaching and learning from others, and helping to bridge a cultural appreciation and perspective with all colleagues. She is known for her collaborative work teaching nurses and students through a story telling lens with Indigenous views, knowledge and history, which helps bring voice and context to those experiences.

Carolyn Canfield
Independent citizen-patient and Honorary Lecturer, Department of Family Practice, UBC Faculty of Medicine
Carolyn works across Canada and internationally as a citizen-patient to transform healthcare culture for better patient outcomes and worker satisfaction. Her passion is for expanding opportunities for patients and families to partner with healthcare professionals in every aspect of care. Since 2011, Carolyn has volunteered for the BC Patient Voices Network as a partner in system-level healthcare improvement. She teaches UBC undergraduate medical and nursing students, clinician-researchers, and graduate students. Her energetic full-time commitment to better healthcare arises from premature widowhood in 2008 following preventable harm, unacknowledged as a system failure and ignored for organizational learning. Carolyn is an honorary lecturer in the Department of Family Practice at UBC. In 2014, she was recognized as Canada’s first individual Patient Safety Champion by Accreditation Canada and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.

Barley Chironda, RN, CIC
National Sales Director and Infection Control Specialist, Clorox Canada
Barley Chironda is a Nurse and also the Healthcare National Sales Director and Infection Control Specialist at Clorox Canada. He is certified in Infection prevention and control (CIC) and has worked extensively as an Infection Preventionist. He takes pride in sharing information via social media and is often engaging the public on Twitter and LinkedIn, partaking in resource distribution related to innovative and novel infection prevention strategies. Barley has served as the Education Chair for the Infection Prevention and Control Canada-Greater Toronto Area (IPAC-GTA) Chapter and currently holds the role of Social Media Manager (IPAC-Canada) and Past President (IPAC-GTA) and volunteers as Infection Control Specialist with the C Diff Foundation.

Jim Gauthier, MLT, CIC
Senior Clinical Advisor, Infection Prevention, SealedAir
Jim Gauthier serves as the Senior Clinical Advisor, Infection Prevention to the North American Healthcare Team of Sealed Air Diversey Care. In this role, Jim serves as an Infection Prevention and Control resource, and an industry liaison with organizations, to assist with the expansion and improvement of environmental hygiene solutions and science-based best practices. Prior to joining Sealed Air in 2015, Jim was an Infection Control Practitioner (ICP) for 12 years at Providence Care in Kingston, Ontario. Jim has more than 35 years of experience in medical laboratory technology and infection prevention. His focus has been across many healthcare areas including acute, ambulatory, behavioral health and long term care. He has played many active roles in consulting and bringing expertise to stakeholders across the infection control spectrum, as well as delivering lectures and training to many institutions and organizations throughout the world. Jim has also been active with Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Canada as a member, a board member, and president throughout his career. Jim has been board-certified in infection prevention and control since 1990..

David Goldfarb, MD, FRCPC
Medical Microbiologist, BC Children’s Hospital; Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UBC
David Goldfarb is a Medical Microbiologist and Pediatric Infectious Disease specialist based at BC Children’s Hospital. He is a Clinical Associate Professor at University of British Columbia. Dr. Goldfarb’s current research focuses primarily on novel diagnostic, management and prevention strategies for pediatric infectious disease in resource limited settings.

Dr. Linda Hoang, MSc, MD, DTM&H, FRCPC
Medical Microbiologist, Program Head, Public Health Advanced Bacteriology/Mycology Lab, BCCDC Public Health Laboratory; Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UBC; Co-Medical Lead, PICNet
Dr. Linda Hoang received her Master’s and Medical Degrees from UBC, and is FRCP(C) qualified in Medical Microbiology (UBC). She also obtained a diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Epidemiology, UK. Dr. Hoang has been formally based at the BC Centre for Disease Control as the Program Head for Bacteriology & Mycology Laboratory since 2006. She is also Co-Medical Lead for PICNet. Dr. Hoang has successfully led and implemented the BC CPO Surveillance Program and is currently introducing genomics tools for CPO outbreak investigations. Her other clinical and academic interests include bioterrorism and containment level-3 pathogens, healthcare-acquired infections and antibiotic resistant organisms, Cryptococcus gattii, and enteric bacterial pathogens related outbreaks in BC. She also enjoys teaching, and is the BCCDC site-supervisor for the UBC Medical Microbiology Residency Training Program.

Arden Krystal, RN, MHA
Executive Vice President, Patient and Employee Experience, Provincial Health Services Authority
As PHSA’s Executive Vice President of Patient and Employee Experience, Arden Krystal’s portfolio includes human resources; management, leadership & organizational development; quality, safety and outcome improvement; chief nursing office and professional practice; and strategic change and improvement. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Nursing, and holds a Certified Health Executive designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders, a Masters of Health Administration from UBC, and has certification from the Harvard Business School Managing Health Care Delivery program.

Christine Lee, MD, FRCPC
Medical Microbiologist, Island Health
Dr. Christine Lee obtained her MD from the University of Toronto, and completed her residency in infectious diseases and medical microbiology also at University of Toronto. She is currently a professor at the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University, and clinical professor at the University of British Columbia. She has been performing fecal microbiota therapy (FMT) for recurrent C. difficile infection and active ulcerative colitis since 2008.

Isobel McDonald, RN, BScN, MEd
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Public Health, First Nations Health Authority
Isobel McDonald is Clinical Nurse Specialist in Public Health for First Nations Health Authority. She has been a member of PICNet’s Education Committee since 2009, and has presented at the annual PICNet educational conference several times. Her work with infection control is oriented to education with unregulated healthcare workers in remote and rural communities. In her spare time, she is working on an oral history of the influenza of 1918 in the Comox Valley.

Short n Snappy Presenters

Gail Holmes, RN, BScN, MHA
Gail has been a Registered Nurse for 40+ years, primarily in the operating room. She is a past-president of the OR Nurses Group, and has held senior leadership positions in Rural, Community and Urban Hospital settings. Gail has vast experience in the OR/PAR/PAC/Emergency, Staffing and Residential Care settings. She has worked as a College Instructor in Nursing, and has expertise in policy development, continuous improvement, and Accreditation Standards. Currently Gail is the Project Lead for the Value Analysis Team Project at BC Clinical and Support Services where she works with teams in nine varied clinical areas.

Fraser Health Authority – Surrey Memorial Hospital Infection Prevention and Control Practitioners:

Sheena Badh  BSN, RN
Sheena worked at Abbotsford Regional Hospital on a medical unit and in the High Acuity Unit (HAU) for four years before transitioning to Surrey Memorial Hospital’s HAU in 2012. She started working in Infection Control at the start of 2016.

Ka Wai Leung BSN, RN, MPH, CIC
After graduating nursing school, Ka Wai worked as a nurse at Vancouver General Hospital’s neurosciences, and vascular and general surgery units. Just prior to working at Surrey Memorial Hospital, she also worked as an Infection Control Practitioner at BC Cancer Agency.

Lesley Pike BSN, RN
Lesley moved to Vancouver from Newfoundland. Prior to working in Infection Control, she worked in the Intensive Care Unit for five years, the last two of which were spent at Surrey Memorial Hospital.