Our Members
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Dr. Larry Dian
Dr Dian’s interest is in promoting high quality of care for the frail elderly working regularly with undergraduate and postgraduate trainees in Medicine, with ongoing research in osteoporosis and falls in the frail elderly.Dr Dian’s interest is in promoting high quality of care for the frail elderly working regularly with undergraduate and postgraduate trainees in Medicine, with ongoing research in osteoporosis and falls in the frail elderly.
Dr. Leo Lai
Dr. Lai completed his Internal Medicine residency and Geriatric Medicine fellowship at UBC. He enjoys advocating for better care for older adults, particularly in the area of falls and fracture prevention. He works at the Geriatric Assessment Program in Richmond and at the osteoporosis clinics in Vancouver.
Endocrinology
Dr. Sabrina Gill
Dr. Sabrina Gill earned her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences followed by her Medical degree at University of British Columbia (UBC). After completing her Internal Medicine training at the University of Alberta and subspecialty training in Endocrinology and Metabolism at UBC, Dr. Gill pursued her post-doctoral research training in Women’s Health at the Reproductive Endocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Gill also completed her Masters degree in Public Health in clinical epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is currently the Medical Director of the Metabolic Bone Clinic and Endocrinologist at St. Paul’s Hospital and Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at University of British Columbia.
Dr. Akshay Jain
Dr. Jain is an endocrinologist practicing in Surrey, BC. He is triple board certified in Endocrinology, Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine. He has special interest in the treatment of osteoporosis as well as management of bone health in people with cancer.
Dr. David Kendler
Dr. Kendler graduated from the MD program at the University of Toronto in 1977. After completing a rotating internship in Toronto, he practiced for several years in Canada, Botswana, and New Zealand. He returned to Internal Medicine training in 1983 in Christchurch, New Zealand and in 1984 joined the Internal Medicine program in Halifax, Canada. In 1985 he moved to Vancouver to complete Internal Medicine and Endocrinology training at the University of British Columbia. After a 2-year thyroid immunology Fellowship in New York, he returned to the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine where he is now a Professor of Medicine in Endocrinology. He has led osteoporosis programs at Children and Women’s Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital. He is the director of Prohealth Clinical Research, a major North American centre for clinical trials in the area of osteoporosis. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Council of Osteoporosis Canada and Chairs the Western Osteoporosis Alliance. He is a Past-President of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry. He is a member of the Committee of Scientific Advisors of the International Osteoporosis Foundation and is co-Chair of the Western Osteoporosis Alliance. He has been awarded the John Bilezekian ISCD Global Leadership Award and the IOF President’s award. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Menopause Society. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed papers on osteoporosis therapies, osteoporosis risk assessment and autoimmune thyroid disease.
Dr. Priya Manjoo
Dr. Manjoo is a specialist in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology. She is a diplomat of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and a Certified Hypertension Specialist. She is Co-Director of the Victoria Cardiometabolic Collaborative Clinic, and Chair of the Science Committee and Adult Clinical Committee of Obesity Canada. Dr. Manjoo has a special interests in the management of osteoporosis and calcium disorders as well as cardiometabolic disease.
Dr. Monika Pawlowska
Dr. Monika Pawlowska is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the Division of Endocrinology at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She completed her Endocrinology fellowship at UBC and an additional year of subspecialty training locally and at Columbia University in New York City. In 2014, she was awarded the Dr. Fernand Labrie Fellowship Research Award from the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism. She sees osteoporosis patients at her private office in downtown Vancouver and at the Metabolic Bone Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital.
Dr. Richard Phillips
Dr. Phillips currently practices Adult Endocrinology in Kelowna, BC. After completing his fellowship in Endocrinology at the University of Alberta, he worked in Victoria for the next 20 years. He has a particular interest in metabolic bone disease
Dr. Supna Sandhu
Dr. Supna Sandhu is an Endocrinologist with a special interest in metabolic bone disease. She completed extra clinical training at UBC and Columbia University and now works in Surrey and Richmond.
Rheumatology
Dr. Anick Godin
Dr. Anick Godin practices general rheumatology in Kelowna. She has special interests in musculoskeletal ultrasound and osteoporosis. She is passionate about improving osteoporosis care in BC and advocating for vulnerable patients. Dr. Godin leads the Central Okanagan Osteoporosis and Bone Health Clinic with her colleague Dr. Nima Shojania.
Dr. Raheem Kherani
Dr. Raheem B. Kherani is a clinical rheumatologist active in general rheumatology and osteoporosis care of patients, in Richmond and Vancouver. He has a keen interest in health professions education and has collaborated with colleagues in forwarding osteoporosis initiatives to positively impact the community.
Dr Jacqueline C Stewart
I am a Rheumatologist practicing in Penticton, BC. I have been in practice over 30 years and have had an interest in Osteoporosis since I started practice. I currently have an Osteoporosis clinic where I see Osteoporosis patients and encourage referrals for patients who have had fragility fractures. I obtained my MD at University of Toronto and did my residency in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology in Toronto. I practiced in Ontario at St Jospeh’s Health Centre and in Mississauga, ON at Credit Valley Hospital. I have been practicing in Penticton for 16 years. I have an appointment at UBC, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine. I also have a very busy Rheumatology practice. In Penticton I am the chair of the Local Medical Advisory Committee and am the South Okanagan Representative for the Health Authority Medical Advisory Committee.
Dr. James Yeung
Dr. James Yeung is a clinical rheumatologist practicing general rheumatology and osteoporosis care in Richmond. He has a keen interest in steroid-induced osteoporosis and has collaborated with colleagues in improving osteoporosis care in the community.
Geriatrics
Dr. Derrick Chan
Dr. Derrick Chan works in geriatric medicine supporting frail, older adults and promoting healthy aging throughout the Fraser Valley.
Dr. Larry Dian
Dr Dian’s interest is in promoting high quality of care for the frail elderly working regularly with undergraduate and postgraduate trainees in Medicine, with ongoing research in osteoporosis and falls in the frail elderly.Dr Dian’s interest is in promoting high quality of care for the frail elderly working regularly with undergraduate and postgraduate trainees in Medicine, with ongoing research in osteoporosis and falls in the frail elderly.
Dr. Leo Lai
Dr. Lai completed his Internal Medicine residency and Geriatric Medicine fellowship at UBC. He enjoys advocating for better care for older adults, particularly in the area of falls and fracture prevention. He works at the Geriatric Assessment Program in Richmond and at the osteoporosis clinics in Vancouver.
Internal Medicine
Dr. Susan Purkiss
Dr Purkiss is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine., UBC. She is a general internist who works at BCWH in Obstetric Medicine, and has an osteoporosis practice at PGG (Pacific Geriatricians, and Internists Group) in Vancouver. She has a longstanding interest in women’s health through the lifespan, particularly osteoporosis, and postmenopausal health and has worked with colleagues at the previous Osteoporosis clinic at BCW Hospital for many years. She completed two years of fellowship including Osteoporosis, Women’s health as well as Obstetric Medicine. She has worked together with her colleague Dr Kendler to obtain a grant for the BC COP collaborative project, which has assisted in bringing together physicians with a special interest in osteoporosis from many parts of the province. We are working together to advocate for and help improve care for osteoporosis patients in British Columbia
Gynecology
Dr. Kerstin Gustafson
Dr. Gustafson completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alberta in 2006. In addition to general Gynecology, Dr. Gustafson had focussed her practice on management of menopause, and osteoporosis. She cares for patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis in her own clinic, and at the Peace Arch Hospital Healthy Bones Program. She is also a North American Menopause Society (NAMS) certified menopause practitioner. She is an Assistant Professor at UBC in the department of Ob/Gyn.
Family Medicine
Dr. Sonia Singh
Pharmacy
Dr. Alan Low
Dr. Low is Clinical Associate Professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC and a Executive Director at the Medicines Access Coalition. He is also practicing pharmacist at BioPro Biologics Pharmacy with a strong interest in patient-centred care and interprofessional collaboration. He has practiced in may areas including hospital pharmacy, pharmaceutical industry, academia, research, and community pharmacy practice. In addition to having authored many publications and leading studies, Alan is one of the co-authors of a self-management book call Osteoporosis Book: Bone Health in its 4th Edition. He works with a variety of stakeholders in health and strives to develop solutions to close gaps in health care so that patients achieve optimal health outcomes and an increased quality of life. As an advocate for patients and patient-centre care, Alan trains and educates health care students and patients as well as guides people so they can optimize their access to medicines and derive the most benefit and minimize the negative impacts of their treatments
BCCOP Partners
Dr. Famida Jiwa
Dr. Jiwa is the President and CEO of Osteoporosis Canada, and has been with the
organization since 2006. Prior to joining Osteoporosis Canada, Dr. Jiwa was the former
Provincial Osteoporosis Co-ordinator, employed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and
Long Term Care and charged with rolling out all aspects of the $5 million annual Ontario
Osteoporosis Strategy. Prior to this and after leaving her private practice in Orlando,
Florida, Dr. Jiwa was a Program Consultant for the Acute Services Division of the
Ministry of Health, where she played a significant role in project planning,
implementation and evaluation of a number of provincial health initiatives, including
chronic kidney disease, asthma and age-related macular degeneration.
In 2020 Dr. Jiwa was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Osteoporosis
Foundation, representing North America, for a term of 4 years. In 2017, Dr. Jiwa was
re-elected chair of the Patient Societies Subcommittee of the Committee of National
Societies (CNS) of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). In 2016, she was
awarded the President’s Award from the International Osteoporosis Foundation. She is
also the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Dr. Jiwa has also
attained the designation of Certified Health Executive from the Canadian College of
Health Service Executives, and in 2017 she completed the Strategic Perspectives in
Nonprofit Management program at Harvard Business School.
She holds a Masters Degree in Health Administration from the Department of Health
Policy, Management and Evaluation from the University of Toronto, a Doctorate of
Chiropractic from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto, as well as an
Honours Bachelor of Science, Genetics and Psychology from the University of Toronto.