We are in a process of organizational transiton - wrapping up projects and joining forces with another organization(s) in the coming year (2025). Building communities and networks of health care allies acting on SDOH (& systemic violence that perpetuates inaction) is important to us - we are always happy to connect and collaborate.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Vanessa Brcic (interim chair & co-founder)

Dr. Vanessa Brcic is a settler due to family forced displacement who has benefited from white supremacy culture and financial privilege. She is also a family physician, somatic therapist, UBC Clinical Associate Professor, and community-based researcher with an interest in anti-oppression work and health inequities. She co-founded Basics for Health Society (B4H) alongside her esteemed colleagues Sarah and Manjit.

Her clinical interests are in interdisciplinary complex care and chronic pain, and she loves her work at the K’omoks First Nation Health Cente.  In 2011, she published a seminal study that conceptualized a screening tool to identify poverty in primary care settings. Since then, she has worked to further the ability of health care workers to address poverty and structural oppression in clinical settings, primarily through practice of trauma and violence-informed care.

She is a Research Associate with the BC office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, UBC (St. Paul’s Site) faculty for research, and has volunteered with Canadian Doctors for Medicare, the BC Health Coalition, the Public Health Association of BC, the Poverty Reduction Coalition, and Health Providers against Poverty. She completed her MSC at the UBC SPPH studying implementation of trauma and violence-informed care. In her spare time, she spends as much time as possible with her young daughter, and in nature.

Daniel Chernov (Treasurer)

Daniel is a cycling, camping, and local beer enthusiast, and a recent graduate of the Chartered Professional Accountants program. Through his studies and experience in public practice, he discovered a passion for advising and supporting individuals in achieving their business goals. Daniel is enthusiastic about being of service, and believes that companies and individuals have an opportunity to contribute to their communities and the people they serve.

Mandy Behnia

Mandy joined the Basics for Health Society board in May 2020. She completed her Master of Public Health degree at Queen’s University and is currently working as a Senior Program Coordinator at the Provincial Health Services Authority. Mandy is interested in chronic disease prevention, program planning and evaluation, and health policy development with a focus on health inequities and the social determinants of health.

Tiffany chiu

Tiffany joined Basics for Health in 2021, was the Board Secretary from 2021-23, and a board member after completing her term as secretary in 2023. She is in the process of completing her Master of Public Health Degree at the University of British Columbia.

Wesley Chu

Wesley Chu is a medical student at UBC and former support worker in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver who joined the Basics for Health Board of Directors in 2023 after working with with Basics for Health as a project team member.

Sharon mah

Sharon joined the Basics for Health Society board in September 2021. She currently manages the communications portfolio at SFU's Faculty of Health Sciences and spent more than a decade supporting rural health and family physicians in BC. Sharon is interested in: advocacy for improved access, equity and representation; health policy development and implementation; and, supporting community empowerment and action.

Curtis May

Curtis is a public health and preventive medicine (including family medicine) resident in Vancouver BC. He has an interest in the social determinants of health and its intersection with chronic pain, and has worked with Basics for Health on research projects on these topics since he was as a medical student. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the saxophone, making soap, chasing storms, and gardening. 

michael schwandt

Michael Schwandt is passionate about supporting good health through prevention and upstream health promotion, and is a former board member of Upstream Institute for a Healthy Society. Michael is interested in how the environments where we live, work and play affect wellbeing and equity in communities, including through clean air and water, access to healthy food, transportation options and sustainable community planning. He is trained as a Family Physician and a specialist in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, works as a Medical Health Officer with Vancouver Coastal Health, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor in UBC’s School of Population and Public Health. Michael’s interest in healthy public spaces extends to pastimes as an avid runner and fan of local music.

Paige Zhang

Paige joined the Basics for Health Society board in 2019. She is a psychiatrist who recently completed her residency at the University of British Columbia, after completing her MD at the University of Toronto. Previously, she has worked in international development and health promotion, and her current interests are in mental health, advocacy, and the medical humanities.

COLLABORATIONS (current and past)

  • First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society

  • University of British Columbia

  • Cloud Innovation Centre (UBC-CIC)

  • Centre for Effective Practice

  • BC College of Family Physicians

  • HealthConnection Clinic (North Vancouver, BC)

  • Pain BC

  • Reach CHC (Vancouver, BC)

PAST MEMBERS

We extend our sincere thanks to colleagues who have completed their terms and shared their diverse expertise and passions for SDOH:

  • Sarah Dobson (Co-founder, Operations Manager - bio below)

  • Manjit Chand (Co-founder, Program Manager, Volunteer Lead - bio below)

  • Sarah Kesselring (Chair, Public Health / PopDataBC)

  • Lyana Patrick (Chair / SFU Faculty of Health Sciences Assistant Professor, Centre for Restorative Justice)

  • Kasra Hassani (Vice-Chair / Public Health, Evaluations Analyst)

  • Charlotte Humphries (Executive Director / Community Planing and health promotion)

  • Shoshana Ward (Executive Director)

  • Lisa Allyn (Board member / Occupational Therapist)

  • Claire Doherty (Board member / Public Health & Management)

  • Joel Finlay (Founding Board Member / Finance)

  • Becky Gormley (Board Member / Public Health)

  • Donna Jepsen (Founding Board Member / Community Health Nursing / Nurse-Family Partnership)

  • Sheri Johnson (Board member / Social Work)

  • Jennifer Leavitt (Clinician Scholar Partner / Family Physician)

  • Sophia Ly (Board member / Psychiatry resident)

  • Shadi Mahmoodi (Board member / Public Health & Evaluation)

  • John Millar (Founding Board Member / Community Medicine)

  • Justin Neves (Board Member / Family Physician)

  • Cindy Nguyen (Board member / Social Work)

  • Erika Ono (Board member / PhD Candidate, Social Work)

  • Shovita Padhi (Board member / Community Medicine)

  • Kyle Pearce (Founding Board Member / Treasurer, Consulting)

  • Kristen Piper (Board member / Social Work)

  • Melissa Wan (Board member / Public Health & Community Medicine Resident)

  • Amy Antonsen (Medical student)

  • Nicole Hemphill (Medical student)

  • Richard Kramer (Connect for Health Volunteer Coordinator)

  • Asal Vahabimoghaddam (Connect for Health Program Assistant)

ADVISORY BOARD

  • John Millar

  • Lyana Patrick

  • Joan Hill


FOUNDERS

VANESSA BRCIC

MANJIT (JEET) CHAND

Manjit was the driving force behind the development and implementation of the pilot Basics for Health program and is a co-founder of Basics for Health Society.  Her background is in social work and community planning. She has been working in social and health services – locally and internationally – for over 20 years with a particular focus on volunteer management, cross-cultural communication, anti-oppression training, community development and adult education.  Jeet believes a better, more equitable world is possible and has been proud to be work with Basics for Health Society towards that goal.

SARAH DOBSON

Sarah has a Masters degree in community health research from the Université de Montréal and has spent the last decade in research management and grant development in universities across Canada. Since 2018 she has led a successful grant consulting and training business supporting researchers internationally in their work. She is also a researcher with an interest in health services, health professions education, health inequities, and the role that health professionals play as advocates. This work has been published and presented nationally and internationally. She has worked with the health advocacy curriculum development committee in the UBC Faculty of Medicine and has contributed to national medical education projects including the Future of Medical Education in Canada - Postgraduate Project and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's CanMEDS 2015 initiative.