Stefan Grzybowski, MD
RHSRNbc Director
Dr. Stefan Grzybowski is a rural health systems researcher and the principal investigator of the CCEDARR Canada study, funded by the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine. Prior to moving to research at UBC, he practiced as a family physician for twelve years on the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii. Dr. Grzybowski’s current research focus is on advancing rural community resilience to climate change and ecosystem disruption, and the development of rural BC health services catchment maps.
Dr. Grzybowski is a Senior Scholar with the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Professor in the Department of Family Practice at UBC, co-director of the Centre for Rural Health Research, and director of the Rural Health Services Research Network of BC.
Kishore Hari
Research Network Coordinator
Kishore Hari recently completed his Master of Public Health degree at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of British Columbia. In the past, Kishore has worked as a Digital Health Researcher and also completed a practicum project focused on the provision of medical abortion care from an administrative and clinical perspective within BC. He is passionate about improving health service delivery for under-served populations, particularly those living within rural settings.
Rajdeep Dhaliwal
GIS Analyst
Rajdeep Dhaliwal is a GIS Analyst. She recently completed her Advanced Diploma in Geographic Information Systems from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Geography, specializing in Environment & Sustainability from the University of British Columbia. Her research experiences are in the areas of equity, diversity, inclusion, climate change, and civic education. As a GIS analyst, and climate justice advocate, Rajdeep has a particular interest in examining how harmful industrial pollutants adversely impact racialized communities. Rajdeep’s other interests include spending time with her elderly grandparents and listening to their stories about life in the village.
Alexandra Bland
Rural Community Resiliency to Climate Change Research Coordinator
Alexandra Bland is the Research Coordinator for the Co-RIG project examining rural resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic. She holds a BA in International Relations from the University of British Columbia and an MSc in Health and International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her past research has primarily focused on global health and health disparities in low and middle-income countries. The topic of her MSc dissertation was evaluating effective pneumonia prevention strategies to reduce under-five pneumonia mortality in high burden countries. She is passionate about health equity, health systems strengthening and the social determinants of health. Outside of work Alex loves to bake and go hiking with her dog Alfie.
Elyse Tsang
RHSRNbc Research Assistant
Elyse Tsang is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Physiology and Immunology at UBC. Her experience working with rural families in Guatemala has fueled her passion for advancing health equity through research, education, and community engagement. She currently volunteers with several health-related non-profit organizations and aspires to make a positive impact on eliminating global health disparities.
Salina Edwards
RHSRNbc Student Research Assistant
Salina Edwards is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and minoring in English Literature. Having grown up in a rural area around Fort St. John, BC, she has seen firsthand the disparities rural communities face. With these experiences, she has grown a passion for working to improve support in these areas by building relationships in smaller communities and amplifying their voices. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in mental health focusing on improving access to health services in rural areas. Outside of this, she is a creative writer, runner, and coffee enthusiast.
Azlina Tima
RHSRNbc Student Research Assistant
Azlina Tima (she/hers) is a second-year student in the Midwifery program at UBC. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in English and minoring in Health & Society, also from UBC. Always knowing she would end up in healthcare, Azlina came to realize midwifery’s immense potential to bridge major gaps in equitable access to safe and respectful care for clients (and their families) and wishes to serve equity-denied populations in the ways that they wish to receive her care and/or support. She takes a particular interest in public health communications and knowledge translation and hopes to harness the power of social media to increase health literacy, especially in rural settings. When not busy with school or work, she can be found soaking up some sunshine or exploring new restaurants/cafes.
Sarah Kelly
RHSRNbc GIS Analyst Assistant
Sarah Kelly recently completed her Bachelor of Arts in Geography at the University of British Columbia, majoring in Environment and Sustainability and minoring in Geographic Information Science (GIS). Sarah is interested in topics such as climate change, environmental justice, natural hazards, and conservation, and makes use of GIS to help address these issues. Outside of work and school, Sarah enjoys going on runs and hikes, spending time at the beach, and making art.
Julia Do
CCEDARR Research Assistant
Julia Do is a third-year undergraduate student double majoring in Political Science and Chemistry at UBC. Her experiences in rural healthcare communities across Ontario motivated her to address the systemic barriers these communities face. She hopes to use her education to create meaningful change in healthcare policy for marginalized groups. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring Vancouver, kayaking and rowing.
Kathleen Lieuson
RHSRNbc FLEX student
Kathleen is a second-year Medical Student at UBC. Born and raised in Vancouver, she completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry at the University of British Columbia. She is passionate about solving puzzles, spending time with kids and the outdoors – especially on the water. Kathleen has particular interest in optimising and improving the healthcare system through creating order out of the chaos of data and systems. Her current research project is examining how geographic system mapping and rural-based population catchments can be used to identify and measure healthcare needs.
Rachel McTavish
RHSRNbc FLEX student
Rachel is a first year medical student at UBC. She was raised in northern British Columbia and completed her undergraduate degree in nursing at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George. With 8 years of nursing experience, most of which was in rural centers, Rachel is passionate about rural healthcare and improving working conditions for healthcare providers in these communities. Her current research is focused on exploring BC physicians’ and nurses’ lived experiences with teamwork in the rural emergency department.
Ali Mohamed
RHSRNbc FLEX student
Ali is a first-year medical student at UBC. He was raised in Toronto before moving to Waterloo, Ontario to complete his undergraduate degree in Spanish, and then his Bachelor of Education in French and Master’s in Developmental Psychology and Education at the University of Toronto. Ali spent a large part of his teaching career working overseas including the UK, Spain, China, and Australia. His research looks to understand the differences in rural physician training in Australia and Canada to see what we can learn from one another.
