Board

Emmanuel is an international medical doctor with a master’s degree in bioethics. He is currently pursuing his PhD in public health with a concentration on epidemiology. For the past five years, his work to improve the quality of care to vulnerable populations has included the development of clinical campaigns providing assistance to under-serviced areas around Latin America. Emmanuel has a vested interest in medical equality for all, and has dedicated his professional career to this pursuit. He is honoured to be a part of the Pain BC board.

Dr. Chawla is a physiatrist and pain medicine specialist. He is the co-founder of Canadian Pain & Regenerative Institute and holds cross appointments in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Department of Anesthesia for the Pain Clinic at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre, Surrey Memorial Hospital, and the Transitional Pain Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital. He teaches as faculty at the University of British Columbia at the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor and is a member of the Pain Medicine Subspecialty Committee at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He joined the Board of Directors at Pain BC to advocate for people living with chronic pain and facilitate systems level change for pain services.

Nellie is a health care leader with over 30 years experience in business and in a variety of health-related fields, including public health, primary care, specialized programs in service of people living with chronic conditions, research, and policy innovation strategy. Nellie is passionate about leading transformative system change that is made possible by community members and interdisciplinary leaders engaging in co-creation of strategies and programs that improve health outcomes. Informed by her own living experience and from working with equity-seeking populations impacted by pain, she is personally and professionally committed to the mission of Pain BC in advancing beneficial changes across systems and enhancing quality of life.

Anna-Maria is a Chief Human Resources Officer for SureWerx, a global tool, safety and equipment company. She has dedicated years to creating passionate caring cultures, promoting professional and career development, creating equitable programs and solutions and driving safety cultures and discipline around safety. She serves as an executive member of the Executive Health and Safety Council of BC and on the Railtown board. She is also a wife and a proud mother of two daughters living with life-threatening allergies and dyslexia. Anna-Maria herself has been living with a herniated disk since her early 40s and lives with daily chronic pain. She is honored to be a member of the Pain BC board, in addition to being an advocate for people living with chronic pain. This year, Anna-Maria and her daughters are training for a 5K and 10K run.

Gary is an Associate Portfolio Manager at Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel. He works closely with a diverse group of pension plans, government entities, universities, not-for-profits, corporations and professional organizations on their investment strategies, as well as day-to-day client servicing. Prior to Leith Wheeler, he was an Investment Management Associate at a boutique hedge fund that specializes in derivative strategies designed to mitigate market volatility and generate additional portfolio yield. Gary attained a BCom with Honours from the University of British Columbia and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) designation. He currently serves as a Board Member for MOSAIC BC and previously co-chaired the CFA Society Vancouver Mentorship program.

Michael is a senior partner at Deloitte with over 20 years of audit experience as a partner and a track record of serving large multinational clients across various industries. Michael has worked in various geographies including South Africa, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands and now Canada. Michael is a Canadian Registered Public Auditor and holds the CPA designation.

He is passionate about communities and the development of youth and the impact that arts, sports and the broader access to good education has amongst children. Michael previously served as a board member of The Stellenbosch Outdoor Arts Trust and was key in the development of their educational outreach program. He was also a trustee of the Stellenbosch Heritage Trust which was responsible for eleven historical buildings in one of the oldest towns in South Africa.

Caterina is a Senior Advisor, Workplace Experiences at Habanero Consulting Inc with over 24 years experience working with her organization and their clients on leadership, healthy teams, culture and change activation. She is an expert facilitator, experience designer and communicator. She currently sits on the CSA Caregiver Friendly Workplaces Technical Committee and is Vice-Chair on The Cultch Board. She has dealt with her own chronic pain for the last five years and has seen the effect of pain on close family and friends. Travel is a longstanding passion for her, and in 2015, she took a year’s leave to travel the world; 2 years ago she walked 800 km on the Northern Camino Route in Spain, has 4 weeks' walking in the British Isles this year and has a number of other walks planned for the years to come! She is very pleased to be helping to support the success of Pain BC's mission.

Joel is a senior communications leader with over 25 years of experience spanning corporate communications, global public health campaigns, digital strategy, change management and partner relations. Currently Director of Communications for Island Health’s regional advancement of electronic health records, Joel has worked in diverse public and private sector settings, including as a key communications leader and training facilitator for the World Health Organization, based in Geneva, Switzerland. Joel is honoured to contribute to the realization of Pain BC’s mission as a member of the Board. Joel lives in Victoria, B.C.