RNFBC is pleased to welcome Vera Caine and Cindy Elliott to the RNFBC Board. Both bring extensive experience, a deep dedication to the nursing profession, and a strong commitment to advancing healthcare in British Columbia and beyond.
Vera Caine is a Professor at the School of Nursing at the University of Victoria. She has been extensively engaged with community organizations and individuals to address structural inequities. Her work has been funded by national and provincial Canadian funding bodies. Her research efforts are a response to issues identified in communities and developed alongside peoples whose lives are most impacted.
She has made significant contributions to the development of qualitative methodologies, particularly narrative inquiry and community-based research. She has supervised six post-doctoral fellows and over 90 graduate students. She received graduate supervision awards and is regularly approached to assist students and faculty in the design of narrative inquiry studies or community-based research.
Vera has chaired several boards, including the community health center board for the Boyle McCauley Health Center (BMHC, now Radius) in Edmonton. She established the New Canadians Health Center (NCHC) in Edmonton and was the inaugural board chair. She was the president for the Canadian Association of Nurses in HIV/AIDS Care (CANAC).
Cindy Elliott has over twenty-five years of healthcare experience including operational and professional practice expertise. With a clinical background as an Emergency Nurse, Cindy has been in leadership roles with increasing responsibility for nearly twenty years. Experience includes Patient Care Manager, Practice Consultant, Director of Professional Practice, Program Director for Emergency, Access and Flow at Providence Health Care, Site Director, Mount St Joseph Hospital and Regional Director, Emergency Services VCH.
Cindy’s current role as Executive Director, Professional Practice and Learning at Island Health provide system level influence, responsibility and opportunity to improve the care experience for patients, families, staff and physicians. Cindy focuses on opportunities to increasing best practice including equity, respect and inclusion in healthcare.
Current responsibilities include a multi-million-dollar annual budget, oversite for Practice and Education for Nursing and Allied Health Providers and Executive sponsorship of performance indicators related to improving Quality and Safety.