Staff

Dr. Lauren Bilinsky brings critical experience and continuity to the President role, after completing two years as the Vice President of Leadership and Education. As a senior public health resident physician, Dr. Bilinksy has had unique training in governance, program planning and project management, in addition to pandemic response and crisis communications. She knows that resident physicians want communication, connectedness and to better understand the role of their resident physician association in this tumultuous time. Along with the talented team of PARA staff and the strong Executive Board, Dr. Bilinsky will continue to work on creating a positive and supportive residency experience for you.  

Dr. Kieran Steer is very excited to continue his journey with PARA as the VP Community and Internal Relations (VPCIR). Throughout medical school and residency, he has been highly involved with medical community affairs and feels the VPCIR position is an exciting opportunity to advocate for resident physicians, expand PARA initiatives and support resident physician wellness. This past year has seen numerous significant changes to the health care system, drastically affecting physicians. More than ever, Kieran sees a great importance in supporting the resident physician community through these challenges, by strengthening resident physician voices as advocates and continuing the incredible progress made in wellness initiatives.

Dr. Laura Morrison grew up in London, Ontario and then moved to Hamilton, Ontario while attending McMaster University. She competed in Cross Country, Track and Rugby as a McMaster Marauder and completed her undergraduate and medical degrees. Laura then made the big move out west to pursue a residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Calgary. Since then, running and rugby have been replaced with mountain biking, hockey and Crossfit. She is currently enrolled in the Clinician Investigator Program where she is pursuing a Master of Medical Education. Next year, she will return to her final three years of Orthopaedic Surgery residency!

Dr. Tamara Yee looks forward to working alongside an incredible PARA Executive team and brings her experience in leadership, project management and finance. She has previous experiences as an executive on various student groups, managing national and international research projects and quality improvement initiatives. 

Dr. Lenka Stafl is delighted to serve her fellow resident physicians as the Calgary and Southern Alberta Ambassador (CSAA). She enjoys the fast paced learning of her internal medicine residency and always loves the opportunity to run into and connect with fellow resident physicians from all specialties on the wards. She is an avid mountain enthusiast and enjoys spending her free time scaling peaks with her husband and one-year-old daughter and drinking a hot cup of tea in the alpine. Lenka feels honoured be part of an incredible team of executive members invested in the well-being and empowerment of resident physicians. 

Dr. Qaddoura did his undergraduate studies at McMaster and medical school at Queen’s University. He had several electives in Calgary and Edmonton that led him to come to Alberta and he is currently an Adult Infectious Diseases resident physician at the University of Alberta. He enjoys cooking, tennis and has recently gotten more into hiking during COVID-19. -- 

Dr. Victoria Nkunu’s experience in advocacy started early in her undergraduate training at Queen’s University, where she led a 150-member campus organization for two years to advocate for increased supports for minority black  students on campus. Her role mainly involved presenting minority black student interests to key  stakeholders at the University, including the University Principal and advocating for academic and social supports to ensure a successful university experience for students. The advocacy efforts were  recognized by being awarded the Queen’s University Employment Equity Award in 2013. Since then, she has been involved in different roles, expanding on her advocacy experience, including being the Manager of a Free Clinic in Calgary and Elections Coordinator for the Calgary Medical Students’ Association. 

Dr. Franco Rizzuti says it is a privilege to serve on the PARA executive as your 2021-22 Past-President. Dr. Rizzuti has been involved with PARA since his first year of residency; this will be his fourth year on the executive board; first as VP-OF and then two-terms as President. Through these roles, he has seen the significant impact PARA has on resident physician education, health system advocacy and particularly on resident physician wellness. 

Working within student governments to promote supportive learning and working environments has been an interest of Dr. Rizzuti’s since 2010. From these past leadership roles, he brings experience with finance, governance and medical education. Throughout his medical education, Franco has had the opportunity to represent learners as a Past-President of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) and as a trainee representative on the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) board of directors, Resident Doctors of Canada (RDoC) board, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) board, the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) board and on committees within the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) and Royal College. Dr. Rizzuti additionally brings a unique perspective of trainees with disabilities or requiring accommodations as President of the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities (CAPD).

Dr. Rizzuti says a highlight of working with PARA is meeting resident physicians across the province; the stories of both successes and of struggles are inspiring. He looks forward to continuing to support PARA members, while advancing residency education and enhancing the work and learning environments. 

Outside of medicine you will find Dr. Rizzuti rock climbing, camping, playing with his dog, catching up on the latest political news, (re)posting on various social media platforms or lost amongst a wardrobe of paisley.

As the Chief Executive Officer, Rob is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Association’s Strategic Direction, including its Strategic Priorities. 

Rob oversees the day-to-day operations of the Association, including providing support to the staff team working on behalf of resident physicians training in Alberta. He works closely with the PARA Executive Board in the development of current strategies to continue to move the strategic priorities forward. 

Rob is involved in the Negotiation Committee and often works directly with PARA’s partners to ensure that the challenges encountered by resident physicians during training are resolved in ways beneficial to all parties.

Tara has been with PARA since 2015, overseeing the Association’s communications, as well as playing a key staff role in advocacy efforts and initiatives, including the Diversity/Inclusivity portfolio and PARA advocacy related to PracID restrictions and physician resource planning. 

Tara is a passionate communicator and self-proclaimed word nerd, as well as a committed community volunteer. She is also an avid hockey fan, shoe connoisseur and travel addict. Her perfect day would include copious amounts of coffee, a beach, a good book and non-stop tunes.

Kiersten loves creating pieces that showcase the stories of Alberta’s resident physicians. She does this by designing and writing PARA’s communications, publications and promotional materials, as well as maintaining the PARA website and managing PARA’s blog and social media channels. Kiersten is also the Staff Lead for the Leadership and Education Committee, where she helps plan and organize events such as Resident Physicians in the Legislature, Leadership Workshops and Transition to Practice.

Kiersten spends her time with her husband, daughter and dog and says that becoming a mom is her greatest adventure yet. She loves to travel, read and bake.

Robin works closely with the Vice President of Community and Internal Relations and the Community and Wellness Committee, organizing well-being related activities and initiatives, as well as overseeing wellness grants and event funding. She is also a staff liaison to the Inclusivity and Anti-racism Working Group.

In addition, Robin works in the areas of Agreement Compliance and organizing Letters of Understandings annually. If you have any questions on the Agreement, she is more than happy to help! Robin sits on Health and Safety Committees with AHS and other unions.

Robin moved to Alberta from Ontario a few years ago and although she misses the Great Lakes and raccoons, taking trips to the mountains and the antics of magpies help fill the void in her heart. She enjoys cooking, growing all varieties of tomatoes and listening to 99% Invisible, ideas and Planet Money.

Ravneet is the staff lead for the Nomination and Awards Committee, where she oversees the distribution of awards to resident physicians, physician preceptors and allied staff, as well as administering conference sponsorship awards.

As a Member Services Coordinator, Ravneet works in the areas of Agreement Compliance, excess calls, organizes PARA’s half-day presentations and oversees the Taxi Reimbursement Program. If you have any questions on any of the above, please reach out to her!

When Ravneet is not working, she loves spending time with her son and husband. She loves going for long walks (only when it’s warm outside), traveling and watching Netflix.

Adrienne Hill currently does not have a biography.

Having just started in September 2021, Emma is brand new to PARA and is here to help with any and all member queries.

In her off time, Emma loves to travel and has spent the last four years travelling and living overseas. Some of her favourite places include Greece, Croatia, Italy and Australia, where she resided for the last two and a half years; she is fearful of her first Canadian winter back! Emma loves dogs (ALL of them) and has a three-year-old Greyhound whose photos take up 99% of her phone storage.