The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce has launched its “40 Under Forty” for 2020.
This is the Kelowna chamber’s sixth year of searching for the city’s high achievers and bringing their stories to the public.
“In the past months, hundreds of healthcare workers and first responders responded quickly and willingly to the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. They have had to change their daily routines and time with their own families, cancelled vacations and other plans, and missed out on activities at home with their loved ones, homemade meals, and a sense of normalcy.
While many of us are staying safe and healthy at our own homes, we are thankful for our frontline workers who are confronting new risks from this virus at work, while keeping our community safe and sound. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to all of our frontline workers, both under and over 40, you are our saviors and thank you so much for serving our community and protecting us. Your sacrifice is greatly appreciated.”
Dr. Eric Li, Associate Professor, Faculty of Management at UBCO and previous Top 40 Under 40 Honouree.
For the past sixteen years, Dr. Anthony Kwan has been an Emergency Physician at Kelowna General Hospital. Following his university education at the University of Guelph, he attended medical school at the University of Toronto. After this, it was on to Queen’s University where he completed his residency in emergency medicine. It was a month of training that he completed at KGH during his time in residency where he fell in love with the Emergency Department at KGH and was offered a position at the hospital. The Whitby Ontario native then moved to the Okanagan and joined the hospital in 2004.
As an emergency physician, Dr. Kwan uses his training to assist patients in need of acute, and sometimes life-saving care. It is the pace, variety and immediacy of the job that drives his passion for emergency medicine. He notes that the KGH Emergency Department has been blessed with strong and effective leadership in the sixteen years since he first joined the team. The mentorship and support he has received from the career emergency department physicians and nurses has been invaluable in his development as an emergency physician. In particular, he wants to acknowledge Dr. Shawn Spellicy and Dr. Mike Ertel for the roles they have played in making the department what it is today. He paints a bright picture for the future of the department, with a focus on education and quality improvement and is excited to see what direction our young leaders take the department in the future.
Outside of work Dr. Kwan enjoys skiing, mountain biking and cooking. Particularly, he enjoys exploring Crawford, Gillard, and Smith Creek on his mountain bike, and skiing locally with the family at Big White and backcountry skiing in the Selkirks.
Q&A:
What started your career in healthcare?
Jeez that’s tough. I guess I just always knew I wanted to be a physician like my dad. In medical school after spending a summer in rural Ontario working at a hospital, I really gravitated towards emergency medicine.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most?
The best part of my job is the teamwork and the camaraderie that develops from dealing with challenging situations.
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