Dr. Junella Lee on PCN steering committees, peer connection, and helping shape care in Vancouver
As a family physician involved in Primary Care Network (PCN) steering committee work through the Vancouver Division of Family Practice, Dr. Junella Lee sees physician engagement as one of the most meaningful ways family physicians can help shape care within their communities while also building stronger connections with colleagues.
Her own involvement with the Division began early in her career, shortly after entering practice around the same time the Division itself was being formed. At the time, she found physician events and peer engagement opportunities valuable not only from a clinical perspective, but personally and professionally as well.
“I found those events really meaningful,” she says. “Just to know who else was around and to support one another in terms of clinical knowledge as well as day to day life as a practicing physician.”
Her involvement started through the former Doctors’ Lounge Committee, which later evolved into broader membership work. Over time, that participation expanded into leadership opportunities connected to PCN steering committees and eventually the Division Board.
For Dr. Lee, one of the most valuable aspects of steering committee and committee involvement has been the opportunity to collaborate with other physicians working through similar challenges and to help shape initiatives that support both physicians and patients across Vancouver.
“The involvement in the Division is as little as you want or as much as you want,” she says. “Every family physician in practice in Vancouver has experience that’s relevant. Their input is valuable and appreciated.”
She believes these physician groups create important opportunities for family physicians to bring frontline perspectives into conversations about how care is organized and delivered locally.
“When you’re trying to make changes in the system, you realize you’re one small part of a very large, complicated system,” she says. “Being involved gives people an opportunity to understand how to better integrate in the system and advocate within it.”
One of the things she values most about the Division is the way physician-led ideas can grow over time through collaboration and support.
Early discussions around creating a repository of practical physician resources eventually contributed to what became Pathways, now widely used across BC. Smaller member-focused ideas also grew into meaningful initiatives, including a physician recognition pin program acknowledging years of service within Vancouver’s family physician community.
“It was pretty amazing to know that some of that grassroots work eventually became an important part of our work in BC,” she says.
For Dr. Lee, involvement through the Division is ultimately about more than projects or committees. It is about creating stronger connections between physicians, helping people feel supported, and giving family physicians opportunities to contribute in ways that fit their interests, experience, and availability.
Her message to colleagues is simple: involvement does not need to begin with a major commitment. Sometimes it starts with one meeting, one conversation, or one shared idea.
And over time, those small contributions can help shape meaningful improvements for both physicians and patients across Vancouver.
If you are interested in getting involved with the Vancouver Division of Family Practice, including through steering committees, visit our physician involvement page to learn more about current opportunities to connect, collaborate, and contribute.