Return on

involvement

CPD

WELLNESS

INNOVATION

RECRUITMENT

Advocacy

AWARDS

We take strength from the pillars we stand on

Life is busy and we appreciate how much you are juggling every day. Our way of showing appreciation is to focus on what you told us matter most. These are our six pillars. They direct our focus and activity. They define how we deliver ROI: return on membership involvement.

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION | Keeping our knowledge and skills current

The medical profession is constantly evolving with new technologies, best-practices and innovations. It’s hard to stay on top of. CME is essential to career management in the ever-changing healthcare landscape.

Here’s how you benefit:

  • Refine skills to improve overall patient care
  • Stay current with the latest developments
  • Learn how others have addressed real-world challenges
  • Gain professional growth and a means to advance career status
  • Meet licensing/certification requirements

Here’s what we offer:

Your MSA offers a full suite of education rounds, journal clubs, and Grand Rounds.

WELLNESS | Building resiliency and celebrating achievements

We aim to support to the mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing of our medical staff to better serve patient care and our community.

Here’s how you benefit:

  • Fostering collegiality within and between departments
  • Connection with your colleagues outside of hospital life
  • Peer to peer support on complex issues

Here’s what we offer:

  • Medical Staff Association Recognition Awards for Outstanding Service and Teaching
  • Facilitated dinner events
  • Social gatherings
  • Opportunities to give back to the community through fundraising events

INNOVATION | Optimizing the function of our hospital

Broad medical staff engagement for creative solutions to ensure efficient and effective patient care and workflow processes at Penticton Regional Hospital.

Here’s how you benefit:

  • Ability to directly influence decisions and outcomes on a local and regional level
  • Collaboration and consultation with health authority and other key stakeholders
  • Capacity building within our hospital and physician community

Here’s what we offer:

Funding to support medical staff members to lead initiatives with meaningful impact on their work environment and patient care.

RECRUITMENT | Growing our professional community

Physician Recruitment, Retention and Retirement enables efficient and successful physician recruitment to our community, ensure physician-led retention support, and support physicians as they transition into retirement.

Here’s how you benefit:

  • Seamless support and flow for Department Heads and PRH MSA for recruiting and retaining physicians
  • Departments with sufficient staff to provide outstanding patient care

Here’s what we offer:

  • Locum housing resources
  • Coordination support for planning inter/Intra departmental recruitment dinners
  • Coordination support for community showcasing
  • Collaboration with Interior Health and Division of Family Practice
  • Supporting recruitment leads for all departments

ADVOCACY | Unifying and strengthening member voice

Representing the collective voice of medical staff members and bridging lines of communication to advocate on issues of importance to medical staff.

Here’s how you benefit:

  • A collegial voice to represent the interests of the MSA at a local, regional, and provincial level.

Here’s what we offer:

  • The MSA President acts as liaison between the MSA and the Health Authority, Doctors of BC, and LMAC to advocate on issues of importance to medical staff members

AWARDS | Making a contribution to our community

Each year, the Penticton Medical Staff Association awards two medical staff members for outstanding service and teaching in medicine. Award recipients are innovators in their field, provide exceptional patient care, go above and beyond the call of duty, and are dedicated to leading opportunities that promote and increase learning and knowledge exchange. The Medical Awards started in 2017 at Penticton Regional Hospital and the recipients are featured on a wall plaque inside the lobby at Penticton Regional Hospital. The MSA is proud to honour the following award winners who have made significant contributions to the field of medicine and to our community.

Dr. Danielle Weisgarber | 2023 Award Recipient for Outstanding Service in Medicine

The 2023 award for Outstanding Service in Medicine was awarded to Dr. Danielle Weisgarber, a dedicated physician and a strong patient advocate who continuously seeks out learning opportunities and practice improvements, striving to advance clinical care and provide the best possible patient outcome. Dr. Weisgarber takes on leadership roles, commits her time to various committees, is an advocate for fellow physicians, and helps to implement real change that improves practice.  

Dr. Andy Hamilton | 2023 Award Recipient for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine

The 2023 award for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine goes to Dr. Andy Hamilton, a dedicated educator who teaches at all levels of medical education, a physician who consistently encourages learners to seek opportunities for growth and expansion in his practice and an advocate for leadership development, and continued education. Dr. Hamilton is praised for his expertise in clinical skills and medical leadership. His commitment to education is evident in his recognition as an outstanding teacher.

Dr. John Surkan | 2022 Award Recipient for Outstanding Service in Medicine
Dr. John Surkan has been providing exceptional patient care for 38 years and counting! Over his career he has been a constant voice at both the Department of Family Medicine and Division of Family Practice meetings, tirelessly working on various committees. Leading by example defines how John Surkan has conducted himself throughout his career. He is positive and endlessly encouraging, and truly devoted to his craft. His adaptability and longevity are the result of his ability to change, think creatively, and innovate.
Dr. Alison Turnquist | 2022 Award Recipient for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine
Dr. Ali Turnquist’s passion is to help create supportive learning environments through the use of simulation-based education. Ali has put in many hours enthusiastically into bringing the simulation lab to Penticton Regional Hospital in the hopes that it will serve our medical staff as a teaching tool that will make a difference in team building and patient safety. Beyond that, she has consistently been providing excellent clinical care to the patients in the Emergency Room, and spends much of her free time enjoying the outdoors with her dogs, travelling with her partner Sabine, and pursuing her goal of becoming fluent in Dutch!
Dr. Tarinder Grewal | 2021 Award Recipient for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine

Tarinder was nominated for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine because of her deep commitment to the UBC Okanagan South Family Practice residency program. Tarinder provides learning environments that are safe for all residents and goes the extra mile in personally reviewing all feedback notes, summarizing patterns, red flags, and strengths – always with an encouraging tone. Tarinder consistently puts in extra work to provide invaluable tools for what to focus on in residency and for career goals. Tarinder has personally arranged additional time for residents at SOGH ER over the past 18 months to compensate for lost learning opportunities locally when the PRH ER rotation was closed to FP residents during COVID and during renovation related challenges. Tarinder is a founding primary care physician at the Penticton Foundry Youth Mental Health Clinic, has helped develop the physician presence there, and continues to be foundational in developing clinical algorithms for common presentations in youth mental health. Tarinder can always be counted on to quietly listen to all the arguments, then provide a straightforward and balanced opinion that somehow makes the way forward obvious. A true talent!

Dr. Chris Little | 2021 Award Recipient for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine

Chris was nominated for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine because he is a phenomenal teacher and for his openness to teaching anyone in the medical community. Chris is always adapting learning for residents and providing a good learning environment. Chris remains a very helpful colleague who is open to questions and education even after individuals finish their residencies. He is described by his colleagues as approachable and knowledgeable and as someone who gives concise, consistent, and good advice. Chris has been invaluable to physicians beginning their careers in medicine and is regarded as a great communicator by recent grads.

Dr. Jen Begin| 2021 Award Recipient for Outstanding Service in Medicine

Jen was nominated for Outstanding Service in Medicine because she is steadfast, persistent, and realistically optimistic. The job of Chief of such a large department, Family Medicine, is enormous and she continues to go above and beyond the call of duty through challenging times. Throughout the pandemic, Jen has led a diverse team of predominantly outpatient physicians, advocated for PPE for community physicians and worked tirelessly on committees, all while providing great quality of care to her patients. Despite all the challenges, Jen has continued to smile at every meeting and advocate for her peers and patients. She is dedicated to our hospital and bettering the family medicine group in our community.

Dr. Chad Dyck | 2020 Award Recipient for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine

Dr. Dyck has practiced medicine at PRH for the past 16 years and is recognized as an excellent clinical teacher with a welcome and encouraging approach. He is committed to ensuring learning opportunities are consistently available for residents as well as serving as a mentor to many of his departmental colleagues. Dr. Dyck has been described as a “builder of bridges – he understands the importance of tradition, and yet the significance of moving forward”.

Dr. Brian Forzley | 2020 Award Recipient for Outstanding Service in Medicine

Dr. Forzley works tirelessly to provide and promote exceptional patient care at PRH. He has served as the MSA President for the past two years, bringing enthusiasm to administrative leadership and shaping the MSA into a more enhanced and sustainable structure. Dr. Forzley has championed change for the MSA that has helped the Penticton medical community and patient care in general.

Dr. Jeff Harries | 2019 Award Recipient for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine

Dr. Harries is a ground breaking leader in BC, leading efforts to share knowledge and evidence on effective treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Dr. Harries has helped to teach thousands of people, including physicians, outreach workers, treatment providers and community members on under-utilized options for AUD and its management.

Dr. Niall Davidson | 2019 Award Recipient for Outstanding Service in Medicine

Dr. Davidson works tirelessly to go above and beyond the call of duty to support patients and colleagues in medical care, and has made significant improvements in physician recruitment, EEG, EMG and MRI. Dr. Davidson provides exceptional contributions in both inpatient wards and the Emergency Department and leads with a deep commitment to service, and a constant sense of humour!

Dr. Murali Venkataraman | 2018 Award Recipient for Outstanding Service in Medicine

Dr. Venkataraman has helped immensely with physician recruitment in Penticton, and provides outstanding patient care. Dr. Venkataraman offers consistent leadership in the hospital, community, and private medical clinic. He was involved in the creation of the Community Inpatient Service at PRH, and helped to lead development of the family medicine residency program.

Dr. Brad Raison | 2018 Award Recipient for Outstanding Service in Medicine

Dr. Raison contributed tireless effort and diligence in moving the David Kampe Patient Tower into completion. Dr. Raison continues to contribute efforts towards planning the build for the new Emergency Department in order to enable the best possible care for patients, safety for physicians and staff, and a positive work environment.

Dr. Christopher Krause | 2018 Award Recipient for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine

Dr. Krause spent countless hours building a robust Journal Club for his Emergency Department. Dr. Krause runs the monthly CME program, including reviewing and selecting papers, assisting with evaluations, inviting residents and other departmental colleagues and ensuring accreditation standards are maintained for both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Dr. Susan Tebbutt-Speirs | 2017 Award Recipient for Outstanding Service in Medicine

Dr. Tebbutt has exceptional leadership qualities. Having served as chair for the Medical Advisory Committee for several years, Dr. Tebbutt was able to tackle complex problems and find solutions. As the head of Laboratory/Pathology at PRH, she works tirelessly to ensure high quality services are available. Dr. Tebbutt was one of the key physicians instrumental in finding funding for the new patient tower.

Dr. David Kincade | 2017 Award Recipient for Outstanding Teaching in Medicine

Dr. Kincade provides invaluable and varied learning experiences both within and outside of a clinical setting. Dr. Kincade practices patient-centred care, and has an impressive and deep knowledge of evidence based medicine in multiple fields. Dr. Kincade treats his residents as full members of the team, displaying respect and appreciation for their work, and has been named one of the best role models that residents have experienced during their medical training.

Penticton Medical Staff Awards

We’re proud to honour the following award winners who have made significant contributions to the field of medicine and to our community.