Board Members

New Board for 2022/2023:

• Dr. Rogan Thavarajah, Chair
• Mr. Brian Corcoran, Vice-Chair
• Dr. Sanjay Singh, Treasurer
• Dr. Bryan Prentice, Secretary
• Dr. Jennifer Griffiths, Director
• Dr. Ashdin Tavaria, Director
• Dr. Mildred Chang, Director
• Dr. Susan Lee, Director
• Dr. Pritam Brar, Guest
• Dr. Robyn McKnight, Guest 
• Dr. John Phillips, Guest 
   

Dr. ​Rogan Thavarajah (Chair)

​Dr. Rogan Thavarajah, a family physician at Hilltop Medical Clinic in White Rock-South Surrey and the Board Chair for our Division. He moved to White Rock 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 Division. Brian assists many doctors 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. ​Sanjay Singh (Treasurer) 

Dr. Sanjay Singh is a family physician at Highroads Medical Clinic in White Rock-South Surrey and is the Treasurer for our Division Board. He has a special interest in chronic disease management and office-based procedures. Outside of practice, Dr. Singh enjoys sports, travelling and spending time with family and friends. 
 

 

Dr. Bryan Prentice (Secretary)

Dr. Bryan Prentice is Secretary for our Division Board. He graduated from UBC in 1980 and completed a two-month rotation sponsored by the family physicians at Peace Arch Hospital. The collegiality at Peace Arch Hospital motivated his return to the community and he began his family practice in 1985 in White Rock. During his practice, he worked in anesthesia, emergency, maternity and covered his patients in hospital. After 32 satisfying and happy years of practicing family medicine, he retired. Dr. Prentice enjoys working with the Division to support family physicians and patients in the community.
 

Dr. Jennifer Griffiths (Director)

Dr. Jennifer Griffiths is a family physician at Hilltop Medical. 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 prior to moving to Washington. In 2018, Dr. Griffiths moved to Canada to practice in White Rock, 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. Mildred Chang (Director)

Dr. Mildred Chang is a hospitalist at Peace Arch Hospital. 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 of UBC. Her main "hobby" for many years had been raising their 3 children with her husband. She continues to enjoy learning, but now looks forward to reading more novels, playing with her grand-dogs, hiking, watching wildlife and sleeping in on her days off.

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
 

Michelle Naimi, Program Evaluator

Michelle joined the team in 2020 as an evaluator, leading the development and implementation of evaluations for initiatives within the Division. Prior to that, she was with UBC’s School of Population and Public Health, working on the evaluation of BC’s Violence Prevention Education program for frontline healthcare providers in emergency departments across BC.  She has also worked as a consultant on numerous evaluations, with a specialization in the health and education sectors. Before transitioning to evaluation, she was a senior researcher with Indigenous Affairs Canada for 10 years conducting research on Canada’s residential school system in support of the IRS Settlement Agreement.  She is actively involved with the Canadian Evaluation Society, both locally and nationally. Michelle holds a Master of Evaluation from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Certificate in Program Evaluation from the University of Victoria. She lives in South Surrey and enjoys spending time outdoors, at beaches and parks with her family. Michelle can be reached at mnaimi@wrssdivision.ca
 

Danielle Edwards, Program Manager 

Danielle manages Division programs including Long-Term Care, 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 
 

Sharon Coneen, Program Manager

Sharon is working with the Division while Danielle Edwards is on maternity leave. Her portfolio includes the following initiatives: Patient Medical Home, Long-Term Care and associated Quality Improvement (QI) projects, Maternity Care, Education, and, with an anticipated start in the new year to facilitate and support the planning process to set up a Pain Clinic. Sharon has a background in business and program management, primarily in the aerospace and aviation industry. She holds a Business degree from Bishop’s University in Quebec, and various certificates ranging from Intercultural Communications, Real Estate, Legal Administration and Investment Securities. Originally from Montréal, she has lived in White Rock over 20 years except for a couple years in Dubai, UAE. A fun fact about Sharon is that she has summitted Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain at 19,364 ft (5895 m). Sharon can be reached at sconeen@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
 

Halla Elmobayad, PCN Program Manager

Halla joined the Division in August 2022 as the Primary Care Network (PCN) Program Manager and has worked in public health and research for over 15 years. She obtained her Master’s degree in Health Administration (School of Population and Public Health) from the University of British Columbia (UBC) where she focussed her thesis on chronic disease prevention. This inevitably shaped her career interest towards community-based public health work. Prior to joining our Division, Halla worked in several different capacities at Children and Women’s Hospital, BC Cancer, UBC and the Vancouver Division of Family Practice. In her past role at the Vancouver Division, Halla was the Strategic Director for several program initiatives and played an integral part in growing the Division, its programs and overall membership. She enjoys all the natural beauties that BC has to offer, whether it be hiking, swimming, biking, or strolling along the endlessly beautiful coastlines. Halla can be reached at helmobayad@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
 

Allain Stefan, Coordinator

Allain joined the Division in February 2023 as a Coordinator. She brings a variety of experience to the team with a background in management, customer service and flight operations. She has previously worked in the health and wellness industry, as well as the aviation sector. Allain started her education journey studying Business and Tourism Administration and then completed a certificate in Patisserie. She is fluent in both English and Spanish. In her spare time, Allain enjoys spending time with her family, being out in nature, and baking. Allain can be reached at astefan@wrssdivision.ca
 

Honelen Chan, Office Manager and Executive Support

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