Awards

Dr. Robert Fox, Chilliwack Division of Family Practice

Dr Robert Fox received the 2023 Award of Excellence in Rural Medicine – Lifetime Achievement from The Rural Coordination Centre of BC. Recipients of the BC Rural Health Awards are selected for developing innovative and collaborative solutions to local health care issues.

Dr Charles Helm, Chief of Staff Tumbler Ridge Community Health Centre, North Peace Division of Family Practice

Dr Charles Helm received the 2023 Award of Excellence in Rural Medicine – Lifetime Achievement from The Rural Coordination Centre of BC. He is a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and serves on the teaching faculty of the University of British Columbia.

Dr David May, qathet Division of Family Practice

Dr David May received the 2023 Award of Excellence in Rural Medicine – Lifetime Achievement, from The Rural Coordination Centre of BC. The BC Rural Health Awards recognize rural doctors for their inspiring contributions to improving the health of rural people and communities across BC. He was a founding member of Pain BC as well as a board member of Powell River Hospice Society.

Dr Arielle Roberts, Campbell River and District Division of Family Practice

Dr Arielle Roberts received the BC College of Family Physicians Dr. Manoo and Jean Gurjar Award, which is awarded to two resident physicians in the UBC Family Practice Residency Program.

Dr Julia Robson, Campbell River and District Division of Family Practice

Dr Julia Robson was awarded the Peter Grantham Teaching Award from the UBC Faculty of Medicine. This is awarded to a first-year resident who has demonstrated interest and excellence in teaching.

Dr Nique Seper, Cowichan Division of Family Practice

Dr Nique Seper received the BC College of Family Physicians Dr. Manoo and Jean Gurjar Award, which is awarded to two resident physicians in the UBC Family Practice Residency Program. She is the Co-Site Lead Resident of UBC's Indigenous Family Practice Residency Program.

Dr Trina Larsen-Soles, East Kootenay Division of Family Practice

Dr Trina Larsen-Soles received the 2023 Award of Excellence in Rural Medicine – Lifetime Achievement from The Rural Coordination Centre of BC. She has served as the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada’s (SRPC) president in addition to several roles within the SRPC including as the co-chair of the SRPC/CPFC task force on advancing rural family medicine.

Dr Ken Burns, Ridge Meadows Division of Family Practice

Dr Ken Burns received the 2022 Doctors of BC Silver Medal of Service in January 2023. The medal is awarded to physicians who have made outstanding contributions to medicine and/or the improvement of British Columbians’ welfare. Dr Burns started his full-service family practice in Maple Ridge in 1980. He was the inaugural chair of the Ridge Meadows Division of Family Practice and former president of both the Ridge Meadows Hospital Medical Staff Association and the site’s Physician Engagement Society. Dr Burns retired in 2022 after 42 years in the Ridge Meadows community.

Dr Hyman Fox, Fraser Northwest Division of Family Practice

Dr Hyman Fox received the 2022 Doctors of BC Silver Medal of Service in January 2023. The medal is awarded to physicians who have made outstanding contributions to medicine and/or the improvement of British Columbians’ welfare. He was recognized for his outstanding record of service with Doctors of BC and BC Family Doctors over the last four decades. He has 14 years of experience on the Doctors of BC Statutory Negotiations Committee, and he currently still serves on the Negotiations Coordinating Group.

Dr Alysson Hamilton, Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice

Dr Alysson Hamilton received the 2022 Dr David M Bachop Silver Medal in general medical practice from Doctors of BC in January 2023. The medal is presented annually to the UBC family practice resident or the practice-eligible British Columbia registered general practitioner who achieves the best overall result in the Family Practice Certification. Dr Hamilton is a resident family doctor in the Kootenay Boundary Family Practice Residency Program.

Dr Shannon McDonald, Senior Medical Officer, Vancouver Island

Dr Shannon McDonald received the 2022 Dr David M Bachop Gold Medal from Doctors of BC in January 2023. The medal is given to a BC doctor who has made an exceptional contribution in the field of organized medicine and/or community service. Dr McDonald is an exemplary medical leader in Indigenous health, and she has co-led the First Nations Health Authority for the past seven years. She received the 2022 National Healthcare Leadership Award from Health Care Excellence Canada and the First Nations Health Managers Association.

Dr Remi Oyedeji (Dawson Creek), South Peace Region, Chief of Staff of the Dawson Creek and District Hospital

Dr Remi Oyedeji received the Best of the Best Reader's Choice Award 2022 for Best Doctor from the Dawson Creek Mirror. Passionate about teaching, Dr Oyedeji is a Clinical Instructor for the MD Undergraduate Program at UBC Faculty of Medicine. He teaches third-year medical students during their rural family medicine rotation. Dr Oyedeji works out of Dawson Creek Medical Clinic and is the Deputy Chief of Staff at Dawson Creek and District Hospital.

Dr Magda Du Plessis (Dawson Creek), South Peace Region

Dr Magda du Plessis received the 2022 Dawson Creek Citizen of the Year Award from the City of Dawson Creek. Dr du Plessis has a passion for women’s health, pre and post-natal care and aesthetics and works in the Mile Zero Family Practice clinic as well as ER/OR/Obstetrics. Dr du Plesis was instrumental in recruiting a group of new doctors to the community. In addition to her clinical practice, she initiated the new maternity care clinic, Chickadee, and she has stepped into the role of Medical Director to serve the needs of the South Peace region.