Non-partisan expert panel bios

Dr. Mei-Ling Wiedmeyer
Dr. Mei-ling Wiedmeyer is a primary care physician and family planning provider in the Lower Mainland. She is a Clinician Scientist with the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE), working on the IRIS project, a community-based research project that uses a mix of interviews and health system data to understand and improve health access for im/migrants in BC.

Dr. Rita McCracken
Rita McCracken (she/her) is a full-service family doctor and researcher living as an univited visitor on the unceded, traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Practice at UBC and studies the family doctor shortage and availability of primary care in BC. She chose medicine as a second career after 10 years working in Human Resources, finished medical school at the University of Calgary in 2006 and her doctoral studies at UBC in 2018. Twitter: @DrRitaMc

Dr. Lindsay Hedden
Lindsay Hedden is an Assistant Professor of Learning Health Systems in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University and is the Assistant Scientific Director of the Academic Health Science Network. She holds a Scholar Award from Michael Smith Health Research BC. Dr. Hedden leads a program of primary care research that focuses on how we can improve access for patients; how we can measure current and predict future supply and demand; and how we can address physician workforce issues. She lives as an uninvited guest on the unceded, traditional territories of the Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation. Twitter: @Lindsaykhedden

Dr. Damien Contandriopoulos
Damien Contandriopoulos (Ph. D.) is professor at the University of Victoria School of Nursing and acting director of UVic’s Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health. His main areas of research are focused on the analysis of health policy-making processes, the use of evidence in decision-making and the analysis of highly performing models of primary healthcare delivery. Between 2014 and 2019 he held one of Canada’s 14 CIHR Applied Public Health Research chairs.