We are a community of health professionals, caregivers, and youth devoted to cultivating mindfulness and compassion in all aspects of hospital culture and care at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH).
About Us
About Us
Who we are
Who we are
Our Values
Our Values
Compassion
Compassion
Compassion is an inherent dimension of mindfulness and mindful ethics, providing a way of meeting pain and suffering with love.
Community
Community
Mindfulness is not only an individual activity. We aspire to help build mindful communities that nurture and support our practice and wellbeing together.
Sustainability
Sustainability
We aspire to embody a mindful culture for generations to come. By bringing awareness to our relationship with our beloved planet, we are inspired to take actions to protect and preserve planetary health.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (JEDI), Truth & Reconciliation
Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (JEDI), Truth & Reconciliation
We believe in mindful and compassionate action for individual transformation and systemic change to promote justice, reconciliation, and collective healing. We hope to contribute to eliminating anti Indigenous racism and achieve Indigenous cultural safety and humility.
Our Story
Our Story
The Centre for Mindfulness (the Centre) began with a vision to share mindfulness and compassion with the hospital community as a way of enhancing the well-being of staff, patients, and caregivers. Through initiatives such as partnerships, programs, and space transformations, the Centre has evolved into a hub for mindfulness activities, opportunities for connection, and innovative research.
The Centre for Mindfulness is supported by the generosity of donors through BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. To learn more: www.bcchf.ca
2000 - 2019
- Work done by the pioneers in mindfulness at BC Children's Hospital & Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre
- MARS-A (Mindful Awareness & Resilience Skills for Adolescents)
- MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy)
- Mindful Healing
- Breathr app release
- Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre mindfulness web resources
2019
- Opening of BC Children's Hospital Centre for Mindfulness
- Community Building - Mindfulness Council
- Established the Centre for Mindfulness Research Team
- Research award Varela grant from the Mind and Life Institute received
2020
- Mindful Awareness & Resilience Skills for Parents & Caregivers (MARS-PC) Pilot Project
- Thankful Thursdays Program Launch
- Wake up Wednesday Program Launch
- Research study launch: Mindfulness for both parents in postpartum families (online pandemic-era stage)
2021
- Breathr App 2.0 release
- Health Care Summit 2021
- Established provincial and national partners
- The Centre's Research Team joined Interpersonal Mindfulness Research group
2022
- MARS-PC Program Launch
- The Centre for Mindfulness Newsletter Launch
- More Mindful Hospital card deck for Health Professionals Release
- Published research paper - journal BMJ Open
2023
- Mindful Healing for Health Care Professionals Program Launch
- Breathr App 3.0 release
Highlights
300
mindfulness opportunities
4,000
participants
9
mindfulness programs
20
partnerships
Partners
Join the Centre for Mindfulness community as we cultivate a more mindful hospital.
Meet the Core Team
Meet the Core Team
Dr. Dzung Vo
Co-Director
Dr. Joanna McDermid
Co-Director
Char Black
Co-Director
Jeanette Fong
Project Coordinator
Centre for Mindfulness Council
Centre for Mindfulness Council
The Council is a community of diverse professionals, including administrators, clinicians, researchers, and specialists across different departments of BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH). The Council works like a “mindful potluck”, with Council members bringing their talents and vision to the table. Our Council members support the mission of the Centre by building and cultivating a mindful culture throughout BCCH and beyond.
- Lori Brotto, Executive Director, Women's Health Research Institute
- Ashley Biggerstaff, Manager, Research Education, BCCH Research Institute
- Philip Crowell, Spiritual Care Leader at BCCH
- Royce Dueck, Clinical Counsellor, Reproductive Mental Health Program
- Halima Elmi, Program Coordinator, PHSA Health Promotion
- Sabrina Gill, Practice Leader, Psychological Health ＆ Safety
- Helen Kennett-Bacon, Nurse Clinician, Outpatient Child, Youth & Reproductive Mental Health Programs
- Jake Locke, Psychiatrist, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Michelle Man, Communications & Engagement Coordinator, Department of Pediatrics, UBC & BCCH
- Theresa Newlove, Executive Director, People Experience & Workplace Wellness, Human Resources
- Carina Perel-Panar, Psychiatrist, BC Mental Health and Addiction Services
- Susan Poitras, Project Manager, ChildKind, BC Children's Hospital
- Leslie Louie, Counsellor/Social Worker, Patient Support
- Barbara Shulman, Psychiatrist, Reproductive Mental Health Program
- Fulroop Sidhu, Psychiatrist, Infant Psychiatry Clinic & Reproductive Mental Health Clinic
- Tatiana Sotindjo, Clinical Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, UBC & BCCH, Co-Lead, Equity, Diversity and Education, Department of Pediatrics, UBC & BCCH
- Caron Strahlendorf, Head, Division of Hematology and Oncology & BMT, BC Children’s Hospital Deputy, Department of Pediatrics, UBC & BCCH
- Sandy Tatla, Director, Learning and Development
- Veronika Spencer, Strategic Partnership Officer, BCCH Foundation
Executive Committee
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee facilitates organizational commitment and sustainability and advises on strategy. The Committee supports the Centre’s vision to integrate mindfulness and compassion into the hospital's culture for a “more mindful hospital.”
- Andrew Tugwell, Executive Director, Health Promotion & Health Literacy
- Sharlynne Burke, Provincial Executive Director, Children’s & Women’s Mental Health Program, Mental Health
- Dr. Theresa Newlove, Executive Director, People Experience & Workplace Wellness, Human Resources
- Dr. Evelyn Stewart, Research Director for the BCCH Child, Youth & Reproductive Mental Health program