Meet the Team
Caroline Baldwin, MD, CCFP(PC)
Physician, Palliative Care Program
Caroline Baldwin completed her undergraduate medical training at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2008 and also completed her family practice residency at UBC (Victoria site) in 2010. She then went on to complete the year of added competency in Palliative Care through UBC, during which time she learned a great deal from the Palliative Care team at Providence Health Care (PHC). Since 2012 Caroline has been working as a Palliative Care Physician at PHC and divides her time between the Palliative Care Unit, the Palliative Outreach and Consult Team (POCT) at St Paul's Hospital and Mount St. Joseph Hospital and attending at St. John Hospice. She enjoys teaching residents and is a clinical instructor with the Department of Family Practice at UBC. Caroline is the co-author of the 2016 article "Palliative Care: Therapy for the living", published in the BC Medical Journal. In this article, Caroline writes about how suffering can be relieved and that patients can live well until they die, when palliative care is involved early and integrated into the management of serious illness.
Jenica Burns, RN, BSN, CHPCN (c), GNC
Nurse/Patient Educator, Palliative Care Program
After graduating from the University of Victoria in 2005 with her degree in Nursing, Jenica began her career working on the Palliative Care Unit at St. Paul’s Hospital. Since 2010 Jenica has enjoyed her role on the Palliative Outreach and Consult Team, trying to help build palliative care capacity within the residential care setting. In 2011, Jenica had the opportunity to partner with Providence Health Care, World University Services and Uniterra to volunteer her time in Malawi, Africa as a Palliative Care Advisor; Jenica worked with local nurses and doctors in a rural community called Mulanje where she supported people at end of life. Jenica continues to work within residential care across Providence Health Care and is committed to integrating and supporting a palliative approach to care in this setting. Jenica has her certification through the Canadian Nurses Association in Hospice & Palliative Care as well as Gerontology.
Lauren Daley, MD, CCFP(PC)
Physician, Palliaitve Care Program
Lauren works as a Palliative Care Physician at a number of different locations including St. Paul's Hospital, St. John Hospice, Cottage Hospice and the Portland Hotel Society. After completing her undergraduate medial training at McMaster University, she went on the pursue a residency in Family Medicine at the University of British Columbia (St. Paul's site). She then did a year of added competency in Palliative Care, also at UBC. Lauren is particularly interested in serving vulnerable populations and is especially curious about the intersection between mental health, addiction and end-of-life care. Lauren has an interest in primary care reform and currently sits on the Vancouver Division of Family Practice Board of Directors. Lauren is pasionate about elevating the quality of conversations had with patients struggling with serious illness and enjoys teaching medical learners and colleagues about the value of these conversations. Lauren ensures balance in her life by being an outdoor enthusiast with trail running and hiking with her dog Marvin.
Michelle Davis, RN, BSN, CHPCN (c)
Nurse/Patient Educator, Palliative Care Program
Michelle has been involved in palliative care since 2002, practicing clinically at St. Paul’s Hospital in medicine and HIV prior to working on the Palliative Care Unit. She obtained her Hospice and Palliative Care certification during that time and was a group presenter at the 2003 National Conference of Hospice Palliative Care in Quebec. Working in the community as a Home Care Nurse and nursing internationally in Australia offered Michelle the ability to further develop her experiences while promoting palliative awareness. Michelle currenty works with the Palliative Outreach and Consult Team at Mount St. Joseph Hospital, in both acute care and residential care. Having worked in Brock Fahrni and Youville residential care sites for five years, Michelle knows first hand what is needed to provide palliative support to our elder population. Michelle focuses her efforts on increasing capacity to broaden understanding through mentoring and educating all team members with integrating a palliative approach to long term care. Her passion and commitment is to continue to ensure that those living with a life limiting illness and their families receive quality palliative care, timely and meaningful goals of care conversations and a dignified, peaceful death.
Ashley Doty, RN, BSN, CHPCN (c)
Nurse/Patient Educator, Palliaitve Care Program
Ashley joined the Palliative Outreach and Consult Team (POCT) in 2017 working within Providence's Long Term Care sites. She completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology at UBC prior to completing her Nursing Degree at BCIT, where she became interested and focused on a career in Palliative Care. Ashley worked in Acute Medicine, Palliative Care Unit and at St. John's Hospice for three years prior to joining the POCT Team. Ashely has a passion for understanding human nature and providing patient and family centered care. She is excited to be a nurse educator that helps teach the interdisciplinary team about an early palliative approach, respectful and dignified end-of-life care. Ashley is an active member of the Elder Care Ethics Committee and is always seeking new areas of opportunity to learn and implement change that focuses on improving palliative care, for all patients. Ashley is a champion for teaching and demostrating the use of the Serious Illness Conversation guide. She recently completed her hospice and palliative care specialization through the Canadian Nurses Association.
Rose Hatala, MD, MSc
Physician, Palliative Care Program
Dr. Rose Hatala is a general internist at St. Paul's Hospital and an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She completed her clinical training, as well as her MSc focused on educational research, at McMaster University and was clerkship director for internal medicine.
Emily R. Harrison, MD, CCFP
Physician, Palliative Care Program
Emily earned her medical undergraduate degree from Western University in 2015 and compledted a residency in Family Medicine at the University of Toronto in 2017. She then went on to complete a year of added competency in Palliaitve Care at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Emily is happy to return to St. Paul's Hospital where she first served as a volunteer with the Renal Program back in 2007.
Gil Kimel, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Physician Program Direcor, Palliative Care Program
Gil Kimel is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Palliative Care. Dr. Kimel is the Physician Program Director for Palliative Care for Providence Health Care. His clinical practice is focused on palliative medicine at St. Paul's Hospital, Mount St. Joseph Hospital and St. John Hospice at UBC. He has completed subspecialty training in medical oncology and a fellowship in palliative medicine at UBC. His area of interest is heart failure supportive care and he has established, along with the heart transplant team, a multidisciplinary clinic specializing in the care of patients with advanced heart failure. He is the UBC principal investigator for the CIHR-funded qualitative study assessing the experience of patients being treated for heart failure. Gil is very active in teaching medical students and residents with a focus on communication skills. Dr. Kimel is one of the physicians spear-heading the development of a out-patient palliative care clinic, now operating at St. Pauls Hospital. The clinic aims to help support Providence Health Care patients living with advanced disease, by addressing symptoms and discussing goals of care that effect the quality of life for the patients we care for.
Michelle Orr, RN, BSN, CHPCN (c)
Nurse/Patient Educator, Palliative Care Program
Michelle joined the Palliative Outreach and Consult Team (POCT) in 2015. She brings with her 13 years of clinical experience, working as an bed side nurse on the Palliative Care Unit at St. Paul’s Hospital for 8 years before joining the POCT team. She is a certified Hospice Palliative Care Nurse with the Canadian Nurses Association. Her goal is to deliver person-centered care that focuses on enhancing the quality-of-life of those living with chronic, progressive and life-limiting illnesses, whether it is in a residential or an acute-care setting. Michelle works collaboratively with the POCT members to continuously support and reflect a person’s end of life needs as well provide education to inter-professional teams, the people we serve and their families. In 2016, Michelle participated in the research project "Integrating a Quality of Life Assessment and Practice Support System in Routine Clinical Practice" conducted by Trinity Western University at St. Paul's Hospital. The project used hand-held electronic tablets to administer standardized quaility-of-life questionnaires to both patients and families receiving palliative support by POCT. It aimed to test the feasibility and utility of using tablets in the clinical setting. Michelle tries to find balance in her life with no-internet-connection-camping in her Airstream Trailer with her family.
Jonathan Pearce, MD, CCFP(PC)
Physician, Palliative Care Program
Jonathan Pearce is a Palliative Medicine Physician working primarily at St. Paul's Hospital, Mount Saint Joseph Hospital and St. John Hospice. He is a clinical instructor in the Division of Palliative Care from the University of British Columbia and has interest in medical education of residents and students in the palliative care setting. In the Fall of 2017, Dr Pearce, along with a team of physicians and healthcare workers from several countries initiated education, lectures, mentorship and clinical training for both physicians and nurses in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Joanthan has an interest in helping to advocate for access to medications and care needed for symptom management in resource-limited areas, particularly the post-conflict setting of Sri Lanka. Jonathan is the co-author of the 2016 article "Communication in life limiting-illness. A practical guide for physicians", published in the BC Medical Journal. In this article, Jonathan writes about how challenging but essential patient-physician conversations about advance care planning, goals of care, and final days of life can help dying patients receive the best care possible.
David Williscroft, MD, CCFP(EM), AAHPM Fellowship
Physician, Palliative Care Program
Dave is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Division of Palliative Care. He is a graduate of the St. Paul’s Emergency Medicine Program and completed a Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Stanford University. He currently divides his time between clinical Emergency Medicine at Lions Gate Hospital and at St. Paul’s Hospital where he is one of the Palliative Medicine Physicians. Areas of interest include the interface between Emergency Medicine and Palliative Care, ultrasound utilization for Palliative Physicians, and in international relief work. Dave has trouble keeping up with his growing family of three young kids and a very patient wife.
