I was born and raised in BC largely living in Abbotsford and Victoria. From a young age I developed an interest in medicine to have the ability to help people when they were in need. This developed from my direct experiences as a patient as well as seeing family members undergoing various treatments. I always found that the care and compassion delivered by the health care team helped me to deal with often very difficult and stressful periods in my life. As a result of this I developed a passion to pursue medicine so that I could bring the same level of care, compassion, and empathy to people that are often in some of the most difficult times of their lives. I wanted to be able to help people not only become well again but to also strive to help them to maintain their health to give them the chance to live the life that they wanted.

My journey in Medicine has been a bit different to the typical journey that you see or hear about. After highschool I attended the University of British Columbia where I completed my BSc in Biochemistry. Following this I undertook graduate studies completing my Master of Science in Cell Biology. I did this as I wanted to develop a better understanding of research process and design as well as to contribute to the current scientific knowledge base. My research was ultimately published in the Journal of Neuroscience which was an amazing accomplishment for me. Once I finished my MSc I began to look into options for medical school and I made the decision to travel to Australia to undertake this. Part of the reason for this was that by the time I had finished my MSc I had missed the application deadline for UBC medical school admissions and was not wanting to wait for another round of applications. The other reason was that I had always wanted to travel to Australia and I figured that by studying there I would get a better appreciation for and experience in the country. This turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life as it gave me the chance to meet my wonderful wife with whom we have had 3 beautiful daughters. After completing medical school I went on to complete my postgraduate medical training through the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine as a Rural Generalist Anesthetist. This training allowed me to work in a variety of clinical settings around Australia as an anesthetist, emergency doctor, as well as a family practitioner. In addition to my clinical involvement, I have also had a strong interest in health administration, health systems, health policy development, and clinical education. This interest has seen me work as an Acting Director of medical services, chair of the board of directors of the Remote Vocational Training Scheme which is an innovative program that trains GPs in rural and remote locations around Australia which allows them to get the training they need where they are located so they are still able to care for their local patients. In addition, I have been a medical educator for ACRRM as well as a clinical instructor for medical schools in Australia and BC. This interest has ultimately led to me pursuing additional education and I have completed a Masters of Public Health as well as a Masters of Health Leadership and Management. All this experience has contributed to my approach to medicine in that patients must always come first. At times this focus can be obscured by the deepening levels of bureaucracy, and we can lose sight of the fundamental purpose of medicine which is to look after the health of our patients. By maintaining a patient-first and patient-centered approach we can improve the outcomes and health of our patients

Outside of medicine I maintain my commitment to community and helping others. I have served as a volunteer with St John Ambulance Australia for several years. During this time, I provided first aid at numerous events which was always a rewarding experience. No one goes to events with the expectation that they are going to get sick or injured so if this happens it is often quite a stressful experience. Being there as a first aid volunteer helped me to ensure that, even in these difficult times, the patients were assured that they would be well cared for in times of need and would be able to still enjoy the event. During my involvement I was promoted to a number of leadership roles including Division Manager, Operations Officer, Recruitment Officer which provided me with invaluable experience in team leading, development, and management. In addition, it provided extensive experience in developing event policies and event management plans, experience that has translated over to my health administrative work.

I have also been a scout leader both in Canada and in Australia. I find this work to be incredibly rewarding as I love to help youth to learn new skills which in turn helps their overall growth and development. I was inspired to become a leader as I was a scout when I was younger and always loved all the activities that we were able to do and fondly remember the wonderful leaders that I had who helped me to learn and develop in scouting. Since I loved my time in the organization, I wanted to have the chance to give back to the community and to help the next generation of scouts on their journey.

These experiences have been incredibly rewarding and thoroughly enjoy having the opportunity to give back to the community. I grew up in BC and in particular the Fraser Valley and even though I left the region to pursue my education and training I always had the intention of returning to the area to raise my family. The opportunities for exploration are endless with the boundless natural environment that surrounds us. In addition it is a wonderful and welcoming community that lives in the Fraser Valley. While I was in Australia I always felt that something was missing, that something did not feel right. Then each time I came back to BC to visit family I felt like I was home. I finally convinced my wife, after 10 years of trying, to move to BC and we have settled in Chilliwack to be close to my family who live here.

However, when we returned to BC it did not feel the same as when I left. It used to have a healthcare system that was enviable across Canada and the world, the streets used to be safe and free from open drug use and crime, the cost of living wasn’t an insurmountable hurdle that prevented people for being able to afford the basic necessities or forcing people out of their homes to live on the street, the education system used to look after our children with parental involvement and inclusion. With all of these major issues I felt worried that I had made the wrong decision to move my family back to BC. I was worried about the future of the province and whether my children would have a future here. I then made the decision, that instead of staying on the outside and complaining about everything that was wrong, that I needed to get involved at the top level to help drive policy reform that will get BC back on track to being the best place to live in Canada. To achieve this, I decided that running to become the next MLA for Chilliwack North would give me this opportunity and will allow me to fight for my community to improve these issues. I have decided to run for the BC United Party as they have the track record of achieving results and getting projects completed in BC, they have policies around healthcare, free-enterprise, public safety, education, and resource management (to name a few) that align with my values and personal outlook. We are the best team to fix the issues in BC and to get BC back on track.

Chilliwack is now our home and I care deeply for the community. I believe in policies that prioritize the well-being of our community. I'm honored to bring my experience as a physician to politics by running for MLA with BC United. I want to ensure that patient care always comes first  

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve our community. Your trust means everything to me, and I will work tirelessly to make Chilliwack North a better place for all of us. I'm back home, and I want to put things back the way I remember, making it a place we're all proud to call home and where our children will have a great future.