Name: Robert Gignac Job Title: Care Aide Years of Service: 35 Worksite: Parkview Place Community: Enderby Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc Nation Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “It’s better to give than to receive.” Since joining Parkview Place in 2012, Robert Gignac has left his mark on the long-term care home. He has greeted people with a smile as a screener, helped things run smoothly behind the scenes, and most recently, has been serving residents as a care aide.  Most importantly, Robert always tries to leave residents smiling after an interaction. “When I work with some of my residents, they ask, ‘What is your name?’ When I say, ‘Mr. Wonderful,’ they burst out laughing,” Robert says. 

Name: Bettina Panio (she/her/hers) Job Title: Certified Practice Registered Nurse (RN) Years of Service: 13 Worksite: Blue River Health Centre, Clearwater, Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital & Kamloops Royal Inland Hospital (ED & ICU) Community: Louis Creek Ancestral Territory: Secwepemc Favourite Quote: I love quotes that touch me and call to me. There are too many to chose from but since this is about nursing, I really like this quote, “Value what you do and add value by what you do.” Advice to Live By: Be like a tree: Stand tall and proud. Stay grounded. Connect with your roots. Turn over a new leaf. Bend before you break. Go out on a limb. Drink plenty of water. Be content and enjoy your unique natural beauty. Keep growing. Enjoy the view. A desire to expand the scope of her practice, coupled with great family support, has led Certified Practice Registered Nurse Bettina Panio to try a new position at Interior Health (IH) in the remote community of Blue River. Since November 2024, Bettina has been providing care two days a week for clients at the Blue River Health Centre. The centre, located between Clearwater and Valemount along Highway 5, is based out of the historic Blue River Outpost building which was established as a first aid clinic in 1948.

Name: Mike Robinson (he/him/his) Job Title: Urologist Years of Service: 10 Worksite: Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) Community: Trail Ancestral Territory: Sinixt, syilx and Ktunaxa  Raised in the small lakeside town of Christina Lake, B.C., Dr. Mike Robinson always knew the West Kootenays would be part of his story. What he didn’t know, as a young student passionate about human physiology, was that he would one day become a cornerstone of surgical care in the region he calls home. After completing his undergraduate degree in Human Kinetics and Exercise Physiology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Dr. Robinson continued to medical school through UBC’s Northern Medical Program in Prince George, as part of only the second cohort of this innovative, community-based initiative.  He later returned to Vancouver for a surgical residency at UBC and spent a year working locum positions in Vancouver before ultimately finding his professional home in Trail.

Name: Hilary Brotherhood (she/her/hers) Job Title: Urologist Years of Service: 5 Worksite: Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Community: Trail, B.C.  Ancestral Territory: syilx territory Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Dr. Maya Angelou Born and raised in Kamloops, B.C., Dr. Hilary Brotherhood always knew she wanted to serve others in a meaningful way. Now a urologist based at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, Hilary has spent the past five years delivering specialized, compassionate care to patients across the Kootenays.

Name: Devon Anne Zimmerman (she/her/hers) Job Title: Administrative Assistant Years of Service: 8 Worksite: Remote Community: Fernie, B.C. Ancestral Territory: Ktunaxa  Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: You are who you are today because of what you experience in your life. That doesn't mean you are better or worse than anyone. It only means that you have knowledge and lessons to share. Everyone is different and that's what makes the world so exciting. If everyone was the same, the world would be a very boring place. Devon Zimmerman has been working in various positions at Interior Health (IH) since 2017, and as an administrative assistant to the director of Health System Planning (HSP) for the past two years. She lives in Fernie, B.C. with her two teenage sons, and works remotely from home.

Lenora holds the Interior Salish Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls staff on May 27, 2021, at the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc gathering after they confirmed the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children who were students at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Name: Lenora Anne Starr, “Cílcelnak” Job Title: Indigenous Cultural Safety Practice Lead Years of Service: Five months Worksite: Merritt Community: Interior Health region Ancestral Territory: Home: St’át’imc Nation; Current residence: Nlaka’pamux Nation Favourite Quote / Advice to live by:  “Cw7áozas lhápenem ta nt’ákmenlhkalha múta7 ta nqwaluttenlhkálha” (We will not forget our way of life and our language) “Ci wa lh kalth ti tmicwa” (The land is ours) “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and ever stop fighting.” - E.E. Cummings St’át’imc is Lenora’s home Nation and where her heart will always reside, and she still frequents regularly. Nlaka’pamux is Lenora’s husband’s Nation and where they currently reside.  Lenora has been with Interior Health (IH) for less than a year as the Indigenous Cultural Safety Practice Lead. Lenora has two sons, a loving husband, a daughter-in-law, one granddaughter, horses, cats and one very entertaining French Bulldog. Lenora spends most of the working day in a home office elbows deep in policy work, taking the smudging guidelines into a more formal policy for IH.  Lenora and her husband, Arnie Lampreau, have been on evacuation from their community of Shackan since 2021 due to the atmospheric river that left their ranch below the new flood plain. Lenora says that negotiations with Indigenous Services Canada for safer new reserve lands is painfully slow and being forced to live in a rental in town is extremely frustrating. Lenora looks forward to eventually getting re-established in a new home, with a renewed sense of permanency and stability, having horses in the back yard again, and seeing the family enjoy the ranching lifestyle once again.  This spring, Lenora looks forward to getting into IH hospitals to research existing and needed culturally safe spaces and assisting in bringing improvements to fruition.

Name: Jarred Kelly (he/him) Job Title: Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – Trauma and Critical Care Years of Service: 7  Worksite: Kelowna General Hospital Community: Okanagan  Ancestral Territory: syilx Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Treat others as you wish to be treated and you'll never go wrong!” Work plans can change at a moment’s notice for clinical pharmacy specialist Jarred Kelly, who provides clinical pharmacy services for trauma, critical care and emergency patients at Kelowna General Hospital.  “That’s what inspires me—no two days are the same. There is always something different and exciting happening,” he says. Depending on the number of patients and emergencies, such as helping to resuscitate a trauma patient, Jarred’s morning routine varies. Generally, he completes bedside rounds with the health-care team which involves reviewing patients’ medication lists for efficacy and safety, developing pharmaceutical care plans, resolving drug therapy problems and educating patients. 

Name: Carnation Nonhlanhla Zhuwaki (she/her/hers) Job Title: Knowledge Facilitator Years of Service: 4 Worksite: Vernon Health Unit Community: Vernon Ancestral Territory: syilx/Okanagan Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: My favourite quote is from my mother, "Approach life with a humble and teachable spirit, because life is a wheel: sometimes you're at the top, sometimes you’re at the bottom." Carnation Zhuwaki works for Interior Health (IH) as a knowledge coordinator based at the Vernon Health Unit. She started working at IH four years ago as an Emergency Department registered nurse and transitioned to her current role in 2021. Carnation believes everyone has a gift and a purpose—something they are good at. “Some people are aware of it, and some need a little encouragement to own their gift,” she says. “I enjoy identifying and encouraging others to explore their gifts.” She envisions a world where every person can show up as their authentic self, be seen and feel accepted.

Name: Amelie Darblade (she/her/hers) Job Title: Project Manager, Digital Health Years of Service: 2.5 Worksite: Remote Community: Kimberley Ancestral Territory: Ktunaxa Amelie Darblade immigrated to Canada from France in 2015. With a one-year visa in hand, she had plans to explore a new country but didn’t know what would come next. She fell in love with B.C, the great outdoors and its ancestral lands. She discovered backcountry skiing and mountain biking, met amazing people, made great friends, and in 2022, had a daughter. She has built a family and fulfilling career.