Our Team

Heather graduated with her medical degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and completed her residency in Family Medicine at Western University. In 2019, Heather completed the Clinical Educator Fellowship Program at the UBC Center for Health Education Scholarship which also included a Masters of Health Professions Education from Maastricht University. Heather has worked in the area of faculty development for a long time and is drawn to the challenge and joy of lifelong learning. It is easy for her to love her work, and she attributes much of that to the supportive, intelligent, kind and inspiring colleagues she has the privilege to work with everyday.

When she is not working, she is spending time with her friends and family, which often involves walking, talking, and balking at her family’s recent addition of 10,000 bees.

heather.buckley@ubc.ca

Katherine is completing her PhD in Health Professions Education through Maastricht University where her research focuses on how health professions programs can effectively support and motivate faculty who teach. She also holds an MA from UBC’s Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, and Special Education. She is inspired by the thousands of faculty members who go above and beyond to teach learners in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, and is passionate about providing meaningful supports to help recognize their teaching efforts.

While “spare time” is rare with two young active sons, she loves trail running in BC’s beautiful mountains.

  katherine.w@ubc.ca

Erica completed her Master of Public Health degree from Simon Fraser University and Change Management Certificate at the University of British Columbia. She’s led the development and implementation of health promotion projects and faculty development of physicians and resident teachers. She was also a director on the board of 3H Craftworks Society, a non-profit organization that supported people with disabilities to gain skills in crafting and sewing for supplemental income. Most recently she was an Associate Director with Student Health and Wellbeing, supporting UBC to provide students with primary care, counselling, and health promotion.

Erica enjoys the collaborative team at Faculty Development to continuously support the medical education programs in the art of teaching. In her spare time, Erica likes to bake, watch stand-up comedy, and read memoirs of comedy writers.

  erica.a@ubc.ca

Marwan joined the Office of Faculty development in early 2023 bringing with him with ten years of leadership experience in medical education and advocacy. He is passionate about creating inclusive and accessible learning environments that empower both learners and educators to achieve their full potential. He accomplishes this by leveraging program management frameworks to develop and implement resources and programs for both learners and educators. 

In his free time, Marwan enjoys the outdoors, photography, yoga, cooking, learning new languages, and keeping abreast of new technological advances. He is dedicated to giving back to his community so he actively volunteers his time to support missions that align with his values.

Tejal completed her studies in Business Management and Applied Computing in Fiji. Prior to joining UBC, she worked as a Patient Care Coordinator at a Physiotherapy Clinic. With a strong background in healthcare, she brings extensive experience in various administrative tasks and is dedicated to providing high-quality support for organizational success.

Outside of work, Tejal enjoys online shopping, showcasing her interest in digital trends and consumer behavior.

 tejal.sharma@ubc.ca

Cristina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in Spanish from Simon Fraser University. She began her journey with UBC in the Department of Pathology where she provided invaluable administrative support to the department head, staff, and faculty. In addition to her administrative duties, she played a key role in planning and organizing major departmental events, as well as coordinating workshops and activities. Fluent in Spanish, Cantonese and proficient in conversational Mandarin, Cristina brings a rich linguistic and cultural perspective to her work.

Outside of her professional life, she is a passionate foodie who enjoys exploring new culinary experiences and savoring fine wine. She also takes great pleasure in organizing events for her family and friends, showcasing her talent for creating memorable and enjoyable gatherings.

 cristina.low@ubc.ca

Sharm completed her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology & Therapeutics from UBC in 2002, followed by her Doctor of Medicine from Queen’s University in 2006. She then completed both her residency and fellowship training in Internal Medicine at UBC. Sharm has more than a decade of experience as an attending physician in the Internal Medicine teaching environment at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), working extensively with medical students and residents. She enjoys fostering a positive learning environment, supporting teacher and learners in their growth and making new connections.

Outside of work, she is a mom to 3 wonderful children and enjoys fishing, running, gardening and cooking.

 sharmistha.das@ubc.ca

Clarissa is a semi-retired community endocrinologist, based at Royal Columbian hospital New Westminster. She has become captivated in late career by love of learning, including learning new ways to teach, coach, and mentor medical students. She is a course lead in year 1, and clinical academic advisor for year 3 and year 4 students. Clarissa loves being involved in learning and support for fellow clinicians and other faculty members in Faculty Development. Together we have a chance to reflect on our own experiences as students and how best to change and grow in relation to each generation coming behind us.

That flows over into my personal activities too, trying to understand and appreciate our changing world, bird by bird, and book by book.

clarissa.wallace@ubc.ca

Johnny graduated from the University of Sydney and his post graduate family medicine training at St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. He currently works as a rural family physician in Creston BC and continues to mentor medical students and residents. He loves working with learners especially focusing on patient centered personalized medicine. His secret goal in teaching is to recruit more family physicians to rural sites.

In his spare time, he enjoys tasting wine. He has his WSET level 3 and currently working on his diploma.

 johnny.chang@interiorhealth.ca

Dajana completed her BA at Simon Fraser University with a major in History. During her studies she worked part-time at a private post-secondary where she discovered how much she enjoyed working in education. She has been in the Faculty of Medicine for over a decade, starting in UGME before moving into Faculty Development. Dajana strives to improve processes, support teachers, while also improving the learning experience for students.

When not chasing after her two kids, she enjoys going swimming and tries to get a walk in every day.

 dajana.labas@ubc.ca

Kathy has a BA in Anthropology with a minor in English Literature from the University of British Columbia (UBC).  Before joining Faculty Development, Kathy held a variety of roles in sales, non-profit and property management. Kathy enjoys working in the collaborative and supportive environment created by the Faculty Development team, and it is that positive energy that inspires and motivates her work in Teacher Assessment.

When she’s not working on Teacher Assessment reports, Kathy can be found reading, gaming, dancing and spending time with her dog, Lucky.

  kathryn.bedard@ubc.ca

Diana holds a BA in Earth Science from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico with a specialization in environmental science and a MA in Resources, Environment, and Sustainability from the University of British Columbia, where she studied science communication training effectiveness. During her undergraduate studies, she developed a strong interest in environmental law and policy, climate change governance, and philosophy of science. As a teaching assistant for the philosophy and ethics of science course, she gained valuable experience in the field. Diana’s dedication to helping scientists improve their teaching skills is what brings her joy in being part of the Faculty Development office.

Diana loves to spend her free time at the beach and walking her dog Troy.

 diana.bedolla@ubc.ca

Sharon has graduated from the University of British Columbia (UBC) twice – first a B.A. in English Literature and then a Masters in Science & Technology Studies where she studied how medical educators collaborate with technology to teach medical education. Sharon has the honour of leading FacDev’s creative, brilliant, and fun team of Instructional Designers and strives for all our workshops, resources, and events to be informative, engaging, inclusive, and accessible. She is consistently inspired by the incredible faculty we collaborate with in the Faculty of Medicine and grateful for the opportunity to support their teaching.

Originally from California, she has a toddler named after Ryan Atwood of The O.C. and when not at work can be found chasing him around parks, beaches, trails, and playgrounds.

 sharon.doucet@ubc.ca

Jennifer holds a B.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology and Sociology from the University of Toronto, and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Educational Technology (MET) at the University of British Columbia to explore her passions for eLearning, open-education, and incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into course design. Her professional background includes program management, event coordination, and visual design. Jennifer strives to develop engaging, technology-enhanced learning resources for faculty development and health education through inclusive instructional design.

Outside of her professional and academic pursuits, Jennifer enjoys video games, cooking, and making art.

 jennifer.mckay@ubc.ca

Dave completed his BA at the University of British Columbia before going back later in life to do his MA in Learning and Technology at Royal Roads. Before joining Faculty Development, Dave spent his days in a classroom as an English as a Second Language teacher for 18 years. He has a long-standing love of technology and is interested in using and leveraging new developments and emerging research to enhance learning.

When he is not working on Faculty Development resources, Dave likes to travel, eat, and take photos, and is happiest when it’s all three at the same time.

 david.sanders@ubc.ca

Minori holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and an MA in Children’s Literature from the UBC School of Information. Through her previous roles with the UBC Library and the Public Humanities Hub, she has supported faculty and students by creating resources to encourage student success, digitizing research outputs, and hosting workshops. As a researcher of New Media and an Open Education enthusiast, she is passionate about highlighting interactive and accessible storytelling in educational materials.

Minori loves to spend her time sewing and writing stories, and she brings her creative flair to her Faculty Development work.

 minori.kato-hopkins@ubc.ca