Board Members

Board as of October 2024:

• Dr. Rogan Thavarajah, Chair
• Mr. Brian Corcoran, Vice-Chair
• Nancy Mathias, Treasurer
• Dr. Jennifer Griffiths, Secretary
• Dr. John Phillips, Director
• Dr. Manpreet (Micky) Cooner, Director
• Dr. Mildred Chang, Director
• Dr. Susan Lee, Director
• Dr. Quinn Gentles, Director
• Dr. Pritam Brar, Guest
• Dr. Robyn McKnight, Guest 

Dr. ​Rogan Thavarajah (Chair)

​Dr. Rogan Thavarajah is a Family Physician at Hilltop Medical Clinic and the Board Chair for our Division. He moved to White Rock-South Surrey in 2016 from England, where he graduated from the University of Leicester and went on to work abroad for several years. Dr. Thavarajah worked for Medecins sans Frontieres in Sudan, did volunteer work in Sri Lanka, and worked in Australia for two years. He subsequently spent five years doing pediatrics training in England before completing his family practice training. 

 

 

Mr. Brian Corcoran (Vice-Chair)

Brian Corcoran is Partner at the Law Firm PLLR Lawyers in Richmond and Vice-Chair for our Board. Brian assists many physicians with their corporate matters in his daily practice and is excited to lend his knowledge of corporate law and governance to our Division Board. Before moving west, he graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School and practiced law in Toronto. A long-time resident of South Surrey, Brian enjoys travelling, walking his dog, and spending time with his family and friends.
 

Dr. Jennifer Griffiths (Secretary)

Dr. Jennifer Griffiths is a Family Physician at Hilltop Medical Clinic and a Director of our Board. She attended medical school at Yale and trained at UW Madison in Wisconsin and then was a Professor of Family Medicine there for close to seven years. She practiced as a General Practitioner in New Zealand for two years before moving to Washington, US. In 2018, Dr. Griffiths moved to Canada to practice in White Rock-South Surrey, where she enjoys walking to work and drinking Tim Horton’s coffee. Outside of her practice, she also likes hiking, biking, running, reading , and doing crossword puzzles.

Dr. John Phillips (Treasurer) 

Dr. John Phillips is a Family Physician at Highroads Medical Clinic and the Treasurer for our Board. He graduated from the University of Virginia (BA) and Virginia Commonwealth University (MD). After completing his residency in Family Medicine, he practiced in Virginia before moving to White Rock-South Surrey in 2017. His professional interests include medical education, sports medicine, and cardiology. Dr. Phillips enjoys helping to develop our community's Primary Care Network and serving on our Patient Medical Home Working Group. He also works as a Hospitalist at Peace Arch Hospital part-time and is interested in improving transitions in care. Outside of work, he loves spending time with his family and running new trails here in BC. 

 

Dr. Manpreet (Micky) Cooner

Dr. Manpreet (Micky) Cooner is a Family Physician at Hilltop Medical Clinic and a Director of our Board. She emigrated to the White Rock-South Surrey area in 2012 with her family from the UK. She trained at the Royal London Hospital (UK) and graduated with her BSc (hons) and MBBS (UK) in 1996. Over the years she has developed interests in many areas of Medicine including academic General Practice where she taught at the University of Birmingham, Musculoskeletal Medicine and Medical Acupuncture, Medical Education, and teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Most recently she has developed an interest in peri-menopause and menopause care. Dr. Cooner loves spending time with her family and baking them delicious treats. She loves enjoying the beautiful outdoors here in BC. 

Dr. Mildred Chang (Director)

Dr. Mildred Chang is a Hospitalist at Peace Arch Hospital and a Director of our Board. She attended medical school at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario during the last millennium. After training in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, she worked in Winnipeg where she was a lecturer at the University of Manitoba. In 1992, she joined the White Rock-South Surrey medical community, where she practiced family, emergency and hospital medicine, and served as the department head of HM for the past several years. She has an interest in quality improvement, and enjoys mentoring medical students and residents as a clinical assistant professor at UBC. Her main "hobby" for many years had been raising their three children with her husband. She continues to enjoy learning, and now looks forward to reading more novels, playing with her grand-dogs, hiking, watching wildlife, and sleeping in on her days off.

Dr. Susan Lee (Director)

Dr. Susan Lee is a Family Physician at Well Health Morgan Crossing Medical Clinic and a Director of our Board. She received both her HBSc and Masters degrees at the University of Toronto before getting her medical degree at the University of British Columbia. She trained at NYGH in Toronto and since 2008 has been providing care to patients in White Rock and surrounding areas. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Lee is involved in Pathways and medical education. When not working, she can be found training on her Peleton bike to one day re-visit the Hartside Pass in the UK. 
 

Division Staff

Cary Sheppard, Executive Director

As Executive Director, Cary is passionate about supporting local physicians to make quality improvements within primary care and strongly believes in fostering collaboration, advocating for system change, and leveraging the strength of teams. Cary joined the Division in 2017 and has over 23 years of experience in leadership and organization development, and project management within government and non-profit agencies. She holds a Masters of Arts degree from Royal Roads University and is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (CPHR). She and her family are grateful to have the opportunity to engage in all sorts of sports, cultural, and community activities that White Rock-South Surrey has to offer. Cary can be reached at csheppard@wrssdivision.ca
 

Danielle Edwards, Program Manager 

Danielle manages Division programs including Patient Medical Home and Maternity Care. She has worked with Divisions of Family Practice since 2014 and is delighted to have joined the White Rock-South Surrey Division. She has managed multiple, collaborative health programs and projects at local, regional, and national levels. She has a passion for health promotion and disease prevention, community development, and quality improvement. She holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and a Certificate in Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Management. Danielle can be reached at: dedwards@wrssdivision.ca 
 

Susan Kirk, Communications Manager

Susan is the Division's Communications Manager as of May 2021 and joined the team in January 2020 in a Coordinator role. She has several years of experience working in communications and is extremely interested in healthcare and wellness. Susan has a Bachelor of Arts, major in economics, degree from UBC, and a Communications Management certificate from Royal Roads University, and a Marketing Communications Certificate from BCIT. Susan lives in the White Rock-South Surrey community with her family and enjoys so many aspects of the area with ocean swimming all year round being one of the highlights. Susan can be reached at skirk@wrssdivision.ca
 

Andrea McCorkell, Program Manager

Andrea joined the Division in November 2021 as our Office Manager and is currently a Program Manager, focused on physician recruitment and member services. Andrea was previously the Coordinator of Seniors programs at Sources Community Resources Society. Her background includes sales with a home care company, grant management (Peace Arch  Hospital Foundation) and resident services coordination for care homes (in BC and in Ontario). She holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Social Services Work (Gerontology) from Sheridan College. Andrea enjoys yoga, stand-up paddle boarding, CrossFit, rowing, and travelling. She is a passionate member of the White Rock-South Surrey community and enjoys volunteering and giving back to the community. Andrea can be reached at amccorkell@wrssdivision.ca
 

Gurveer Sidhu, Administrative Coordinator

Gurveer joined the Division in January 2022 as an Administrative Coordinator focused on compliance, reporting and finance. She has over three years of experience working in finance and administration. Gurveer has completed a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of New Delhi and a Finance Diploma from Douglas College; she is currently pursuing a CPA. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and exploring new places to travel. Gurveer can be reached a gsidhu@wrssdivision.ca

Sherry Sinclair, Program Manager

As Program Manager, Sherry, values creating space and welcoming people to the conversation in order to provide meaningful support for local physicians and their patients. Sherry is wholehearted about reconciliation and the work of decolonization that encircles relationships, diversity, equity and inclusion.  Sherry joined the Division in 2022 and has over 25 years of engaging in community development and leadership in non-profit member-led organizations. She holds a Masters of Education in Health Education and Active Living from Simon Fraser University and is a Certified Health and Life Coach. She and her family love to play outdoors and be part of the neighborhood. Sherry can be reached at ssinclair@wrssdivision.ca
 

Meghan McCrea, Coordinator

Meghan joined the Division in February 2023 as a Coordinator. She contributes to the organization’s projects and programs to enhance the relationship between the Division, physicians, and the community. Meghan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia and brings to the role over 25 years of marketing and community relations experience. In her free time, she enjoys walking, playing tennis, travelling, and connecting with friends and family. Meghan can be reached at mmccrea@wrssdivision.ca
 

Honelen Chan, Office Manager and Executive Support (on maternity leave)

Honelen joined the Division in April 2023 as the Office Manager and Executive Support. She has a multi-faceted career and brings extensive experience in office management, accounting, IT support and HR. Honelen holds a Diploma in Operations Management and an Associate Certificate in HR Management, both from BCIT. She is also currently pursuing a certificate in Strategic HR Leadership from Cornell University. Honelen practices yoga, and enjoys spending time with her family. Honelen can be reached at hchan@wrssdivision.ca

 

Tione Dhesi, Coordinator

Tione Dhesi joined the Division in December 2023 as a Coordinator, bringing over a decade of experience in clinical and community chronic disease management, through rehabilitation programs and developing, coordinating, and providing patient education. She holds a Master of Business from Athabasca University and a Bachelor of Kinesiology from the University of the Fraser Valley. Tione is passionate about anything related to health and wellness, and enjoys skiing, skating, lifting weights, and reading in her free time. Tione can be reached at tdhesi@wrssdivision.ca

 

Ujala Masood, Coordinator

Ujala Masood joined the Division in December 2023 as a Coordinator. Ujala has moved over from London, UK and brings with her over seven years of various experience working in the private healthcare sector in the UK. She is very passionate about bettering healthcare in all aspects. Ujala loves travelling and has traveled to over 20 countries within the last eight years. Ujala can be reached at umasood@wrssdivision.ca

 

Kulpreet Singh, Program Manager

Kulpreet Singh joined the Division as a Program Manager in December 2023. Prior to the Division, he led resource development and program coordination with the South Asian Health Institute, as part of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Services at Fraser Health Authority. Singh has been a passionate advocate for health equity and community capacity building for 13 years as the founder of the South Asian Mental Health Alliance, and recently as an advisor to local non-profit agencies such as Students Overcoming Substance Use Disorder and Addictions and the Canadian Mental Health Association. Kulpreet can be reached at ksingh@wrssdivision.ca 

 

Eugene Apienti, Program Manager

Eugene Apienti joined the Division as a Program Manager in January 2024. Before this role, he held diverse positions at Dalhousie University, serving as a Program Lead at the Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research (C3LR). His responsibilities included overseeing simulation-based learning and assessment, notably during the undergraduate performance exams—OSCE. Eugene has a passion for sports outside of work, particularly soccer and basketball. You could also find him immersed in novels. Eugene can be reached at eapienti@wrssdivision.ca
 

Amy Baumann, Office Manager & Executive Support 

Amy joined the Division in January 2024 as Office Manager & Executive Support while Honelen Chan is on maternity leave. Most recently, Amy worked as the Community Operations Manager at Amica White Rock where she furthered her skill set in office management, HR, accounting, and managing teams. Previously, she worked for the City of White Rock in both community recreation and special event management for close to 10 years. Originally from Ontario, Amy relocated to BC in 1997 after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Following this, she attended Simon Fraser University in Vancouver to pursue a post-baccalaureate in Gerontology. In her spare time, Amy can be found cheering on her two boys at the hockey rink or connecting with family and friends.  Amy can be reached at abaumann@wrssdivision.ca