Leadership Team

Leadership Team

President

Dr. Jennifer Beaveridge, MScN, DNP, NP-F

Dr. Jennifer Beaveridge was in the inaugural class of British Columbia Nurse Practitioners (NP) graduating in 2005. Since that time Dr. Beaveridge has been and pioneer of the NP profession in BC. She has practiced in primary care for the last 17. 5 years with a attach panel of patients that have been impacted by social and health inequities. She has special interest and speciality with Mental Health and Substance Use, gendering affirming care, and Medical Assistance in dying. Dr. Beaveridge started her journey with leadership back in 2014 when she first took on her first official leadership role in the health authority where she works and since then has continued to grow in her leadership. In 2019 Dr. Beaveridge completed her Doctoral Degree (DNP) with a focus on Health systems leadership and Opioid Use Disorder. Currently Jennifer is Senior Medical Leader, chairing a health authority medical advisory committee, as well as the Executive Director of NPs. Dr. Beaveridge is the first non-physician medal staff and woman to chair her organizations Medical Advisory committee. She also works with the NP Regulatory body as the Chief Examiner of the NP OSCEs, and as a quality assurance reviewer, and is an adjunct professor and lecturer in the NP programs with the local Universities. She is mom, wife, sister, and Auntie. Dr. Beaveridge loves to bake in her spare time and is known for her layer cakes and cookies. On her days off she can be found camping in her tent trailer with her son, husband, and dog ‘Eckert’.

 

Professional Development Director

Nancy Clark, RN,BA,MN,ACNP,CCN(c)

Nancy Clark completed a BA in psychology as well as a BSc in Nursing from St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia. She graduated from the inaugural MN/ACNP program at the University of Calgary in 2003. Currently, she is the clinical lead acute care nurse practitioner (NP) for the coronary care unit and the cardiology NP manager at the Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, AB. She has been involved in both program development and implementation for advanced practice nursing roles within the Department of Cardiac Sciences since 2002. In 2021 she was awarded the Nursing Excellence Award for Innovation by the College & Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta. In December 2023, Nancy was nationally recognized with the NP Province/Territory Award of Excellence, representing the province of Alberta, by the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada (NPAC). She is currently a PhD student post candidacy with the Faculty of Nursing at UCalgary. Her research interest includes the experience of younger people who are diagnosed with a recurrent heart attack.

 

Membership Director

Caralee Anderson, MN, NP

Caralee Anderson is a Nurse Practitioner practicing in Calgary Alberta. She was raised in the East Kootenays, British Columbia, and has enjoyed opportunities to learn and work in both British Columbia and Alberta throughout her training and career. Her practice as an RN included working in a mix of intensive care and cardiac care roles. During those years, she had the opportunity to meet and learn from some inspiring nurse practitioners, and in 2022 she completed her own Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) degree and began her new practice as a nurse practitioner.

Caralee has diverse interests in areas of practice including corrections medicine, remote/austere environment medicine, and cardiac medicine. She is passionate about the nurse practitioner role and looks forward to connecting with and working alongside other nurse practitioners in this position.

 

Communications Director

Hannah Varto, MN, NP(F), SANE-A

Hannah has been a Nurse Practitioner since 2006 focusing her practice primarily on sexual reproductive health, adolescent medicine, forensic health care and women’s health. For the past 9 years Hannah has led the development of the Forensic Nurse Practitioner role with the Embrace Clinic, a part of Fraser Health’s Forensic Nursing Service in Surrey, BC. In addition to her expertise in providing post-violence care, Hannah also ensures access to reproductive choice in her community by offering general episodic reproductive health services. Hannah is also a Legal Nurse Consultant and an Instructor for BCIT’s Forensic Health Sciences.

 

NP Student Director

Hannah Hamilton BSc, BN, RN

Hannah Hamilton (she/her) is a registered nurse and student currently attending the Master of Nursing – Nurse Practitioner program at Athabasca University. She grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, attending the University of New Brunswick (UNB) for a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2012 before finding nursing. She graduated from the Bachelor of Nursing – Advanced Standing Program at UNB Moncton in 2017. Hannah’s experience as a registered nurse has been varied, including rural nursing, medical-surgical and cardiac inpatient nursing, oncology and ambulatory care clinics, and travel nursing. After graduation, she hopes to work in her hometown, focusing on primary care and sexual health. In her free time, you can find Hannah enjoying a walk or a game of ball with her American cocker spaniel, Clover.

 

Indigenous Development Director

Jacqueline Jules MN, NP (Khaashdaáxh Tláa)

Jacqueline Jules is an Indigenous Nurse Practitioner currently providing Specialized Geriatric Services in Whitehorse, Yukon. She has been an NP since 2019 and she has specialized her practice to work with the elderly population. Throughout her nursing career she has had the opportunity to work across health sectors, including acute care, long term care, homecare, and mental health and addictions. Throughout her career Jacqueline has worked with underserved and marginalized populations and because of her work experiences she has developed a special interest in health equity and creating effective and sustainable health processes, programs, and systems that work well for everyone.

 

NP Council Director & Chair

Dr. Laura M Housden, PhD, MN-NP(F)

Dr. Housden is a family nurse Practitioner in BC. She has been a nurse for 23 years, and an NP for 16 years.  She is the Executive Director of the Nurse Practitioners in Fraser Health Authority, supporting a team of over 175 NPs and leading the strategy, development and evaluation of NP roles across practice areas. Her current clinical practice is in Primary Care as a member of the Indigenous Health team working with families in Surrey BC.

 

Treasurer

Dr. Pavan Grewal, DNP, MN, NP(F)

Dr. Grewal is a Family Nurse Practitioner with 10 years of experience in various settings including inpatient units, primary care clinics, and urgent care centres. She achieved her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2019 at the University of Portland. She has a strong clinical background in chronic disease management and complex care planning with the geriatric population. Her passions include supporting NP students as an educator and providing coaching and mentorship to NPs working in challenging inpatient and primary care settings with complex patient populations.

She has held roles in NP leadership such as with the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC, has experience as a sessional instructor for the Master of Nursing NP program at University of Victoria, and proudly involved in the development and evaluation of Patient Assessment and Transition to Home (PATH) units (large inpatient sites) where NPs are most responsible practitioners for the first time in this setting within Fraser Health Authority. Additionally, Dr. Grewal is often involved in committee work such as NP quality committees and enjoys conducting QI projects and presentations for NP continuing education.

 

Past President

Dr.Stan Marchuk, DNP, MN, NP(F), FAANP

Dr. Marchuk is a Family Nurse Practitioner with a specialized practice in oncology in Vancouver, BC, Canada where he provides expert care to patients in need of radiotherapy to treat their disease. He holds adjunct faculty appointments at the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria. He has worked in leadership roles with the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada, and in BC with the recently reorganized British Columbia College of Nursing and Midwifery. His expertise in health policy led to full practice authority for NPs in BC where he collaborated with government leaders to remove numerous barriers to NP practice. He has served on Ministry of Health expert panels on NP integration. Among many awards of distinction and excellence he was inducted as Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. He remains an active global partner in advancing the role of the NP with the ICN NP/APN Network