Committee Members

The FPSC is a partnership of the Government of BC and Doctors of BC that works on behalf of doctors to strengthen full-service family practice and patient care in BC.

The committee is comprised of six representatives from the Doctors of BC and six representatives of the Government of BC, and has guest members from each health authority and BC Family Doctors.

Doctors of BC and Ministry of Health Representatives*

Please click on name for member biography.

Ted Patterson (Co-Chair)

Ministry of Health

Ted Patterson is the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) of the Primary Care Division at the Ministry of Health. Prior to this appointment, Ted seconded a number of ADM portfolios in the Ministry, including Primary and Community Care policy, as well as the Health Sector Workforce. Previously, Ted was Executive Director at the Public Sector Employers' Council (PSEC) Secretariat in the Ministry of Finance, where he was responsible for collective bargaining and compensation strategies for the Health, K-12 and University sectors. In this role, Ted also served as a member of the Board of Directors for the BC Public School Employers' Association and represented government at a number of major negotiation tables.

Ted has also worked in a number of other senior level positions within the Ministry of Health, including Director of Labour Relations and Special Initiatives in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer.

Ted holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Political Studies, both from the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr Sari Cooper (Co-Chair)

Doctors of BC

Dr Sari Cooper is the physician Co-Chair of the Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC). She has been a member of the Committee since 2019, and was appointed to the Co-Chair role in 2022. She looks after a panel of complex patients in Victoria, and has been practicing longitudinal family medicine since finishing her residency in 2001.

Sari has worked in several different models of primary care across different provincial systems, and she understands from experience the value of team-based care, system evolution, and collaboration. In 2010 she was part of the development team that created a thriving family medicine residency program in Barrie, Ontario, which has been a driving force of recruitment and retention in the area. During her time as a family medicine residency preceptor in Barrie, Sari received a teaching award for Role Modeling Clinical Excellence from the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto. 

She moved to British Columbia with her family in 2014, and holds a clinical appointment at UBC. She previously served as a Division Head for Geo 4 with Island Health's Department of Family Practice.

Outside of her medical career, Sari has a busy and active family, and she has recently become a published author of a middle-grade novel.

Mark Armitage

Ministry of Health

A social work graduate from the University of Victoria, Mark Armitage is the Assistant Deputy Minister of Integrated Primary and Community Care in the Health Services Policy and Quality Assurance Division, Ministry of Health. Mark’s main areas of focus are collaboration with provincial health authorities related to physician care and services, the transformational work within primary care, mental health and substance use programs, the stewardship of provincial policy on home and community care, and the implementation of recommendations from the ombudsperson’s report on seniors.

Prior to his current role, Mark spent a decade as a Probation Officer with the Community Corrections Branch of the Ministry of Attorney General, during which time he was awarded a Solicitor General’s Corrections Exemplary Service Medal. Subsequently, he spent 15 years with the Ministry of Children and Family Development in various management and executive roles, and as acting Assistant Deputy Minister for regional operations on Vancouver Island and in the Interior.

Mark is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration. He enjoys spending time with his three adult sons and his German wire-haired pointer, playing the guitar and mandolin, and exercising.

Danielle Daigle

Ministry of Health

Danielle Daigle is a Family Nurse Practitioner providing longitudinal primary care in Campbell River, BC at the North Island Medical Clinic and with the Positive Wellness North Island team. Dani works with vulnerable and medically complex populations including those who are homeless, experience issues with mental health and substance use, women at risk, First Nations, and those living with hepatitis C and HIV. She holds a subspecialty certification from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV care.

In 1996, Dani obtained her Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Manitoba and worked collaboratively at the bedside and held various nursing leadership roles, both in acute care and in the community. In 2014, Dani graduated with her Master of Nursing from the University of Victoria and brings to her NP practice a passion for patient advocacy and an earnestness to ensure low-barrier access to primary health care. Since the Ministry of Health’s announcement in May 2018 to improve access to and the provision of primary health care, Dani has provided leadership and dedication to ensuring the success of this strategy at both the community and provincial levels. Dani brings to her leadership the insight and perspective from a primary care provider lens working collaboratively within a Primary Care Network (PCN) community. Dani also played an instrumental leadership role in the development and implementation of the first PCN NP Primary Care Clinics (NP-PCCs) in British Columbia.

In her previous role as Executive Director with Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC (NNPBC), Dani was responsible for the innovative programming associated with the Nurse Practitioner Provincial Initiatives and Programs (NP-PIP) portfolio funded by the Ministry of Health. NNPBC's NP-PIP provides a regional NP leadership program and a practice support program to support NPs working in PCN settings, along with funding for NPs to participate in Quality Improvement and PCN planning. Dani has been known to wear many leadership hats including co-chairing the Ministry of Health/NNPBC NP Provincial Services Committee, serving as President for the NP Council of NNPBC, being Director on the NNPBC Board of Directors, and was the former BC Nurse Practitioner Association's NP Conference Chair.

Dani enjoys skiing at Mount Washington and has volunteered for the Mount Washington Ski Patrol Association for 14 years. She also has two children and loves to get out on the water kayaking with her family. 

Dr Jaron Easterbrook

Doctors of BC

Dr Jaron Easterbrook is a family physician at Three Cedars MD in Sidney, BC. He attended medical school at the University of Calgary and completed his Family Medicine Residency at UBC’s Faculty of Medicine in 2018. Dr Easterbrook also has a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Victoria and an MBA in International Marketing from the University of Toronto.

Before he started practicing medicine, Jaron spent 15 years in marketing, most recently as a National Marketing Manager for Apple and a Product Manager for EMR & Integration with Canada Health Infoway. He made the switch to medicine after shadowing an ICU physician.

Jaron currently co-chairs the FPSC Information Sharing Task Group and the Greater Victoria COVID Community Task Group. Among other medical leadership activities, he was Vice Chair of his Division as a resident, previously on the board of the Health Data Coalition, and is the Treasurer for BC Family Doctors (formerly the Society of General Practitioners; which he led through a successful rebrand).

He is passionate about knowledge transfer, sharing tools, and resources to reduce workloads and improve practices for family doctors across the province. He is committed to longitudinal family medicine; he recently opened a new clinic in Sidney and is working as a hospitalist at the local community hospital on the peninsula. 

Dr Janet Evans

 Doctors of BC

Dr Janet Evans is a family doctor and medical director at CGB Medical in Kelowna, BC. She graduated from family medicine at the University of Alberta.

Among Janet's passions are billing education, team-based care, and quality improvement. Chair of the Patterns of Practice Committee with Doctors of BC since 2020 (and committee member since 2016), Janet has also been very active in the Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice, where she helped pilot the nurse-in-practice initiative and mentored doctors on team-based care as part of the division’s primary care network working group.

She continues to mentor family doctors across B.C. on team-based care and is always on the lookout for practice innovations that make family doctors' work more efficient and enjoyable.

At home, Janet is mom to four boys: Denzel (26), Theo (23), Julian and Gabriel (17).

“I am looking forward to working on FPSC to help find solutions to the current challenges facing family doctors,” says Janet. “I believe changes can be made to improve and make family practice sustainable.”

Dr Mitch Fagan

Doctors of BC

Dr Mitchell Fagan is a family physician at Murrayville Family Practice in Langley, BC and is also the medical director at the Langley Lodge. Mitchell is the former head of family practice at Langley Memorial Hospital, previously served as a CSC chair, and was the vice-chair of the Langley Division of Family Practice for five years. 

After working in a two-doctor practice for six years, Mitchell partnered with the Fraser Health Authority to develop and lead an inter-professional multidisciplinary team in a private primary care clinic in 2002. Since inception, the clinic’s team-based care approach has strengthened the delivery of full-scope primary care. The clinic works closely with home health, and cares for over 200 frail seniors through the Residential Care Initiative. In addition to his Division involvement, Mitchell has provided strategic insight to local government, non-profit organizations, health authorities, and universities through his involvement in regional and provincial committees and initiatives.

Mitchell has two children and two massive Newfoundlander dogs. He is also a farmer to more than 20 llamas.

Kelly Gunn

Ministry of Health

Kelly Gunn is Vice President, Primary and Community Care and Chief Nursing Executive for Northern Health. She has 26 years of experience in the health care field, having worked as a nurse in both acute and speciality acute care, as well as in community health.

Kelly spent eight years in Medical Affairs with Northern Health before assuming her current role in 2014, and later assuming responsibility for professional practice in her role as Chief Nursing Executive.

Shallen Letwin

Ministry of Health

Shallen Letwin was appointed Vice President, Clinical Operations IH South beginning in April 2019. In this role, he leads clinical services for IH South, including: the Kootenay Boundary, Central and South Okanagan, as well as several IH-wide clinical programs and networks. These include: cardiac; home and community care; long-term care; cancer; and the Southern Medical Program – operational liaison.

Shallen has wide-ranging operational and leadership experience in the areas of acute care, community/primary care, long term care, pharmacy services, and cancer care across the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia spanning over two decades. Shallen has previously served as the Vice President Regional Operations for BC Cancer and Vice President, Clinical Operations for Fraser Health where he has provided leadership and direction to clinical services in regional cancer centres, hospitals and community services.

Shallen holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Alberta and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of BC. He is also a Certified Health Executive.

John Mah

Ministry of Health

John Mah serves as the Vice President, Health Benefits and Services with the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia. He is responsible for delivering a variety of health services (Pharmacy, Dental, Medical Transportation etc.) to over 155,000 First Nations residing in British Columbia. He also has responsibility for Primary Care and E-Health with the goal to transform access to primary care services through a combination of First Nations led Primary Care Clinics and Virtual Services. 

He was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Alberta. He has since obtained his master's in business administration from Simon Fraser University.

He began his career in indigenous health as a clinical pharmacist with Bigstone Cree Nation in Northern Alberta. He then transitioned into health administration by joining First Nations and Inuit Health Branch in Health Canada. He operated the Federal Drug Warehouse before working as the Director of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program before joining the First Nations Health Authority.

He is a husband and father to three adult children. In his spare time, he loves to find and try new recipes and then work it all off by walking multiple rounds of golf when weather permits.

Dr Tracy Monk

Doctors of BC

Tracy is a generalist family physician practicing in Burnaby/Coquitlam. She completed her medical degree at McGill University, followed by a rotating internship at St Paul’s Hospital.

Tracy has served as president of the Society of General Practitioners of BC from 2012 – 2013, chair of the Health Data Coalition Clinical Data Stewardship Committee from 2016 - 2018, and board member of the Fraser Northwest Division of Family Practice from 2011 – 2014. She currently serves as Physician Lead for the provincial Pathways initiative, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Practice Research Office at UBC. In 2013 she was honoured with the BC College of Family Physicians Award for Excellence in Family Medicine.

Tracy has a passion for policy and believes that the FPSC has been a shining example of bringing policy into action. She feels strongly that health care initiatives that increase the delivery of Barbara Starfield’s 4 C’s of primary care—Contact accessibility, Coordination, Comprehensiveness, and Continuity—are key to building sustainable health systems and improving population health.

Dr Baldev Sanghera

Doctors of BC

Dr Baldev Sanghera provides longitudinal patient care at a multicultural, full-scope community-based family practice in Burnaby. He brings with him 25 years of experience in a wide range of settings including community practice, long-term care, obstetrics, and in-hospital patient care. He is a founding board member of the Burnaby Division of Family Practice and continues to be actively involved in the work of the division.

Baldev was enrolled in the pharmacy program at UBC when he decided to shift to medicine.

He has maintained his community-based practice since 1998 and has a special interest in employing technology to improve delivery of care. Baldev also has experience working with all levels of government, health authorities and community agencies, with a focus on building community wide team-based care and advocating for vulnerable citizens through improving social determinants of health.

Health Authority Representatives

Division of Family Practice Representatives

Support Staff

Partners

Additional Representatives