I am a Dakelh (Carrier) physician who grew up in Northern BC close to my traditional territories in both rural and inner-city communities. We were always with family and community, helping one another, participating in gathering traditional foods, and sharing whatever we had. Teachings like “the pride of one is the pride of all” guided me to continuously work to be the best version of myself, as I knew that I reflected onto my family and community. In turn, I knew my culture, family, and ancestors always walked with me. Many weekends were spent at celebrations and cultural revival events.
Loyal readers of this publication will recall that in 2021 and 2022 I was Mother of the Year (MOTY). In 2023, I was the runner-up, temporarily losing my crown to Jennifer Garner when she was able to get the sugar content of her white broccoli brown sugar cookies below 1 gram while mine remained at 4 grams.
Thank you, Dr Chahal, for your editorial “Stop, collaborate, and listen” [BCMJ 2024;66:5]. I would suggest that many of us in family medicine and beyond have been doing this for many years, and now that we have the Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model, we can dust off some of the projects we’ve dreamed about for years that stalled and failed due to inadequate remuneration.
Dr Rob Hewko, a well-loved clinical professor in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Psychiatry and the former medical lead for the consultation-liaison service at Vancouver General and UBC Hospitals, passed away in December 2023. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of dedication to clinical service, education, and leadership in medical psychiatry.
A new clinical point-of-care pathway from BC Children’s Hospital supports primary care and specialist physicians and nurse practitioners to provide care to children and youth presenting with possible or confirmed eating disorders. Developed in association with Shared Care, the pathway provides guidance and care navigation for a patient population who providers may not deliver care to on a regular basis.
