Dr Nadine Rena Caron

Dr Nadine Rena Caron of Prince George is one of 14 exceptional people being appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2022, the province’s highest form of recognition. As the first Indigenous female general surgeon in Canada, Dr Caron has devoted her career to providing better access to culturally safe health and wellness care and improving medical outcomes for Indigenous patients.

A member of the Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, born and raised in Kamloops, Dr Caron completed her BSc in Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University and received the Gordon M. Shrum Gold Medal as a top undergraduate student before becoming the first female Indigenous student to complete an MD at the UBC Faculty of Medicine, again at the top of her class.

Dr Caron also completed an MA in public health from Harvard University, and further to surgical residency and fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, returned to Canada to establish a clinical practice at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia in Prince George. As a professor, she teaches in UBC’s Northern Medical Program and at the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health.

In January 2020, Dr Caron was named the founding First Nations Health Authority Chair in Cancer and Wellness at UBC. This new position, supported by $3 million in funding, was created to improve cancer outcomes and wellness among Indigenous people by examining the stories and needs of Indigenous cancer patients and their families. Her main areas of interest are Indigenous health and Canadian health policy.

Among many professional accolades, Dr Caron is a recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of the Fraser Valley, an honorary degree from Simon Fraser University, and the Thomas Dignan Indigenous Health Award from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. For information on all 2022 recipients, visit https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/OBC_Bios_2022.pdf [9].

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