Burnaby Division of Family Practice

Staff Members

 

Georgia Bekiou, Executive Director

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Georgia Bekiou is an accomplished health care leader with over 20 years of senior leadership experience in government and public-sector organizations, specializing in health care and population health at the community level.  Prior to her current role as Executive Director, she was the Executive Lead for the Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC), a joint initiative of Doctors of BC and the BC Ministry of Health, transforming the delivery of primary care services in communities across BC. Georgia has also held leadership roles in Fraser Health (FH), FH South Asian Health Institute (SAHI), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Advanced Education, and Ministry of Education.

 

Erica Corber, Director, Primary Care Network & Patient Medical Homes

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Erica joined the team in April 2015. Erica is a Public Health graduate with global and local work experience. Her work has involved research coordination and management in the area of chronic disease, as well as monitoring and evaluation activities for improving HIV/AIDS and TB programming.

She is now the Director of Primary Care Networks & Patient Medical Homes.

In her free time, Erica enjoys hiking with her dogs and spending time with her friends and family.

 

Aalia Chatur, PCN Manager

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Aalia Chatur joined the Division in January 2020 as one of two Primary Care Network (PCN) Managers. She has a Masters of Public Health and has spent 10 years establishing and managing primary care, health systems strengthening and medical supply chain projects in international and local settings.
In her previous role with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), Aalia led the end-to-end design and roll-out of a primary care expansion strategy to establish 30 primary care centres across Tanzania - from facility design, to business model and clinical operations. Thereafter, she worked at Doctors of BC on the Shared Care Polypharmacy Risk Reduction Initiative. In her most recent role, Aalia relocated back to East Africa to establish and run the Country Office for Results for Development (R4D), while leading a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation project to increase access to essential medicines nationally. As R4D’s Tanzania Country Manager, she facilitated dozens of partnerships with government institutions, UN agencies, international development agencies, and community and private sector partners. 
Aalia is most energized when active outdoors and traveling with people she loves. In her free time, she enjoys discovering new coffee shops, reading, photography, yoga and playing with her dog.  

 

Andrea Creamer, PCN Manager

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Andrea Creamer is an experienced community organizer with a Masters of Visual Studies from the University of Toronto, and currently holds the role of PCN Community Engagement Coordinator with Burnaby Primary Care Networks. She has held programming, outreach, engagement, and facilitator roles with a number of not-for-profits, arts organizations, and at Simon Fraser University in the Vancity Office of Community Engagement. She is passionate about the intersection of politics, urbanization, community-based art practices, and is invested in creating equitable opportunities for systemic and social change through the arts.

 

Azra Bhanji, Shared Care Project Manager

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Azra joined the Burnaby Division in May 2020 as a Practicum student evaluating the Burnaby Central Park Covid-19 Testing Site. As she completed her Masters of Public Health program, she continued working with the Division as a consultant offering program evaluation and coordination services. In October 2021, she transitioned into the role of a Project Coordinator for the Division. 
Azra is passionate about community service and promoting health equity for marginalized populations. She currently supports arts- based research with newcomers to Burnaby and women living with HIV globally. In her free time, she enjoys connecting with family and friends, practicing yoga and going to the gym.

 

Dino Govender, Project Manager, PCN and PMH Initiatives

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Dino joined the Division in August 2020 with an extensive career in Industrial and Process Engineering, Architectural Design, and Portfolio Management. Originally from South Africa, he has been responsible for design and construction, and has led the implementation of whole communities. With key roles in workflow processes, Dino brings creativity and resilience to the Project Manager role, with a flair for people motivation.
In his free time, he is either traveling, biking, hiking, or waiting to travel.

 

Elena Domasheva, Patient Attachment Coordinator

Elena joined the Burnaby Division in August 2023 as our new Patient Attachment Coordinator.
She brings years of international experience in Human Resources and administration in the healthcare sector, as well as local experience in administration, customer service, and data entry. She has interest and passion to be part of the Canadian public healthcare system.
Elena holds a diploma in Healthcare Office Administration and has completed an MOA practicum.
In her free time, Elena enjoys spending time with her family and friends, getting out into nature and exploring beautiful places near Vancouver. She also enjoys travelling, reading, and practicing yoga.
 

Georgiana Ioica, PCN Central Intake Lead

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Georgiana joined the Burnaby Division in February 2020. She brings previous experience in private and public healthcare organizations supporting Family Physicians and their practice teams, managing and overseeing day-to-day operations of various departments. She has a strong interest in Quality Improvement, clinical operations, health policy and is passionate about inspiring and driving change and translating complex processes into clear, actionable steps. Outside of work, you can find Georgiana enjoying nature, reading, traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

 

Huyanne Le, PCN Community Program Manager

Huyanne joined the Burnaby Division in June 2022,  Huey (preferred) is an experienced community programmer in both municipal government and not for profit settings. With a B.A. in Political Science from Simon Fraser University, Huey has been working in DTES community services and local asset development in various capacities since 2009. She currently holds dual role of PCN Community Engagement Coordinator with Burnaby Primary Care Networks, and Shared Care Project coordinator with Burnaby Division of Family Practice. Bringing an intersection of experience from Food Security Programming, Mental Health outreach, Family and Seniors engagement, Recreation advocacy, and Project facilitator roles; she is committed to a holistic and systems approach to community care. 
Huey’s out of work passions are reading a book a week and exploring BC trails with her dog.

 

Jaskirat S. Kochhar, Information Technology Coordinator

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Jaskirat joined the Burnaby Division in May 2020 as an Information Technology Coordinator. He has expertise in Computer Science, having recently completed a post-graduate degree from Douglas College. He is also a graduate of Punjabi University, Patiala, India. Jaskirat enjoys living in British Columbia and is excited to be working with the Division.

 

Leona Cullen, Division Coordinator / Office Manager

  Leona Cullen, Division Coordinator / Office Manager
Leona joined the Burnaby Division in September 2013 as a part-time administrative assistant and quickly took on additional responsibility. She is currently the Office Manager and Division Coordinator. Leona brings more than 25 years administrative support experience in such diverse industries as non-profit, recreation, recruiting and academia. Her most recent roles included communications manager with the BC Chiropractic Association and office manager with Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver.  
Leona's passions include events, social media and opportunities to connect with members. In her free time, she enjoys music, movies, volunteering and impromptu adventures with friends and family.

 

Maninder (Manny) Sahota, Project Administrator, CME & MOA Program Coordinator

Manny joined the Burnaby Division in October 2017 as the Project Administrator.  She worked at the BC Patient & Quality Council from 2011 to 2017 as the Program Assistant.  She brings more than 15 years' experience in office administration and customer service.  She also served as an executive assistant for the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce in the UK.  Her office administration skills are combined with experience in employee training.  Manny holds a Business Administration Diploma from CDI College.

Manny is a mom to two boys and in her spare time loves traveling and being with her family.

 

Matthew Cooper, Program Services, Seniors Initiatives

Matthew Cooper, Program Services, Seniors Initiatives
Matthew (Matt) is leading all seniors initiatives for the Division, including the Long Term Care Initiative (LTCI). Matt brings financial oversight, business management, and relationship development expertise to this role with the goal of applying these skills to help improve the delivery of care to seniors in Burnaby.  

He is an avid reader, a keen swimmer, and enjoys getting out into nature tech-free with his Labrador 'Benson' as often as he can.

 

Melissa Sharp, PCN Communications Coordinator

Melissa Sharp is a writer, mediamaker, and communicator on xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) lands. She joined the Division in June 2022 as the Communications Coordinator for the Burnaby Primary Care Networks. She comes with experience in university-community engagement, public relations, program coordination, event planning, and multimedia production.

 

Natasha Cholowsky, Project Coordinator

Natasha is a Master of Public Health graduate of Simon Fraser University. She has previously worked on an initiative to promote equitable extreme weather response in Burnaby. Natasha joined the Division in June 2023 as a Project Coordinator. 
Natasha is especially passionate about promoting planetary health and mental health. In her free time, she reads, runs and hikes, and spends time with her snake (Simon) and cat (Wilson).

 

Robbie Lacuna, Recruitment & Retention and Data Management Coordinator

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Robbie joined the Burnaby Division in August 2020 initially as a MOA/Site Navigator. After a few months, he took on the role as Site Coordinator for the Burnaby Central Park Covid-19 Testing Site.
In May 2021, he became the Recruitment & Retention and Data Management Coordinator for the Division. Robbie brings with him years of experience in customer relations, business development and data management. He has a strong interest in public health and passion for community service. Robbie aims to help and improve healthcare in the Burnaby community.
In his free time, Robbie enjoys snowboarding, discovering new food and traveling the world with friends and family. 

 

Sanja Radulovic, Project Coordinator

Sanja joined the Burnaby division in June 2022 as a project coordinator. She brings many years of experience with her background in medicine, teaching medical undergrads at UBC, research experience with kids with autism and development delays, as well as working as a coordinator with the mobile team with Fraser Health during the pandemic.
She enjoys spending time with friends, her poodle benny and enjoying the outdoors with her teenage daughters.

 

Veronica de Jong, PCN Manager

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Veronica draws on several years of interdisciplinary inquiry, first in academic research, and more recently within health service delivery. As a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funded Masters student at McGill University, Veronica investigated the psychological effects surrounding pharmacological prescribing and the doctor-patient relationship. Through her epidemiological and clinical trial work with Simon Fraser University’s Community Health Research Team, she had the privilege of listening to the experiences of many people dealing with chronic disease, or more broadly, their lives. Through an intersectional lens, she has lead implementation and evaluation work in secondary prevention telehealth programming with Fraser Health, among a wide array of public, private, and community partnership projects. Having joined the Burnaby Division of Family Practice in the throes of COVID-19, Veronica is thrilled to bring her insights into the broad reach of primary care. Happiest in the kitchen in the company of others, her wish is to promote wellness and build community through endeavours that nourish what we all share as humans.