On May 6, 2019, the Resident Doctors of BC conferred an Award of Merit on Surrey-based physician Dr. Jesse Gill. For the past four years, Dr. Gill has built a reputation as a skilled and multifaceted teacher, attracting top medical students and residents to Surrey to learn at Veralife Health Centre, the clinic he co-founded in 2015.

Dr. Gill’s holistic and comprehensive approach stems from his diverse career working as both a family physician and an ER doctor, as well as his experience as a resident learning from world-class mentors at Toronto’s Mt. Sinai hospital.

Because of this unique combination of experiences, Dr. Gill has a well-rounded understanding of the complexities of the health care system — how a patient flows through the system, and the role of the family physician within the complete health care picture.

“I can see it from the emergency perspective, but also from the community perspective,” says Dr. Gill. “This helps not only when it comes to teaching clinical skills, but also with valuing and respecting colleagues who are working in different disciplines.”

The approach that Dr. Gill takes with his residents includes encouraging them to do procedures in-office, providing a great deal of hands-on experience and focusing on their own health and wellness - a critical skill for preventing future burnout and ensuring residents will perform at their best, not only in their residency but throughout their careers as family physicians.

Navid Pooyan, a resident who has trained with Dr. Gill describes his experience in these terms: “Dr. Gill has been more like a mentor to me than a preceptor. He has a holistic approach to medical education which encompasses some often-overlooked aspects of training such as trainees’ wellness, and management skills in future independent practice. I believe this approach can be a new model for modernizing medical training.”

The Residents of BC Award of Merit is awarded annually to physicians who have “shown outstanding initiative” improving the education or well-being of resident doctors, or in promoting the role of residents in BC’s health care system. More information can be found here: https://residentdoctorsbc.ca/2018-awards-of-excellence-recipients/

Dr. Jesse Gill is a member of the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice - an organization of family physicians that seeks to improve patient care by addressing systemic and root challenges facing family physicians.

More about Veralife Health Centre

Veralife Health Centre was founded in 2015 by Dr. Jasdeep Gill and Dr. Rajbir Klair. The vision of Veralife is to provide excellent, evidence-based health care that makes a positive change in the community through integrity and patient-centred care. The clinic focuses on providing timely, comprehensive care, valuing both patients and staff. Veralife strives to continuously evolve and to provide a personal and unique healthcare experience. 

More information can be found here: http://www.veralifehealthcentre.com/

More about the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice

Established in 2010, the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice is comprised of nearly 400 physicians at various career stages, 40 resident doctors and 200 Medical Office Assistants from across Surrey and North Delta. Members work collaboratively to improve patient access to local primary care and to provide continuous professional support. 

The Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice is a member-driven non-profit society, created by and for doctors, who understand the needs and realities of serving a community as large and diverse as Surrey and North Delta. 

The Division is funded by the Government of BC and Doctors of BC.

More information can be found here: https://www.divisionsbc.ca/surrey-north-delta