In this episode, we are featuring the Physician Quality Improvement (PQI) program’s provincial alumni co-leads, Dr. Lawrence Yang and Dr. Hussein Kanji. Dr. Yang practices in a ‘family-family’ practice alongside his wife and brothers, providing cradle-to-grave care in Surrey, BC. Dr. Kanji is a critical care physician that works primarily in the ICU at Vancouver General Hospital and is passionate about developing the ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) programming there. Both Drs Yang and Kanji came to the PQI program though a need to solve their own frustrations with the healthcare system. After graduating from their respective level 3 PQI cohorts (which is equivalent to the Virtual Action Learning, aka ‘VALS’, series offered by Northern Health PQI) and engaging with PQI for several years, they collectively took on the roles of provincial alumni co-leads. All physicians in BC that graduate from the PQI trainings join the provincial alumni network, which provides these physicians who are now experienced and knowledgeable in quality improvement methodologies and tools, to continue to apply their skills and passions to ongoing system improvement, while also engaging in a province-wide community. As provincial alumni co-leads, Drs Yang and Kanji work together (Kanji describes himself as the ‘yin’ to Lawrence's ‘Yang’) to support, embody, and connect with all quality improvement enthusiasts across the province, and facilitate ‘cross-pollination’ of ideas to drive positive change. They also share their love of all of the spectacular nature we are blessed to have in BC and share their strategies for preventing burn-out and maintaining mental health while working in such fast paced careers.
