A message from Dermot Kelleher, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Vice-President, Health, UBC.
Today, I’m writing to share that Dr. Roger Wong, Vice Dean, Education, has accepted a new and exciting role at Vancouver Coastal Health as Vice President, Medicine and Academic Affairs, beginning this September.
While it’s never easy to say goodbye to someone who has made such a meaningful impact at the Faculty of Medicine, we are truly pleased for Roger as he steps into this new opportunity.
Roger has been a key member of the Dean’s Executive Team for nearly a decade as Vice Dean, Education, and prior to that, for five years as the Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education. Over the years, his steady leadership and significant contributions have helped guide our Faculty through periods of great change and growth.
During his tenure, Roger helped shape and lead a number of important initiatives. Together with his team and colleagues at the distributed sites across the province, he led and collaborated with government and health partners to expand undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, including across the health professions in physical therapy, occupational therapy, midwifery, speech-language pathology, and genetic counseling. Roger oversaw innovation and new approaches to how we teach and train, including strengthening existing pathways and developing new ones for students from rural, remote, Indigenous and Black communities to pursue a career in medicine. All of this has been done while fostering a culture grounded in respect, compassion and equity.
Roger’s work has left a lasting mark on our organization, and the impact will be felt well beyond his departure. As he transitions to his new position, we look forward to continuing our close collaborations with him and VCH leadership.
Please join me in thanking Roger for his exceptional service and congratulating him on this well-deserved next chapter.
In closing, the search for a new Vice Dean, Education will begin immediately, led by our Faculty HR team. Details about the posting and application process will be available shortly on our website here.
This message was sent to all faculty, staff and learners in the Faculty of Medicine.
