We are pleased to introduce five individuals who will lead injury prevention initiatives in each of the regional health authorities. Tobin Copley, Kirvy Quiambao, Neil Arason, Megan Klammer, and Jeanette Foreman hold the role of Lead, Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion.

These are BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) positions embedded within the regional health authorities that will complement and support health authority injury prevention priorities and efforts. The leads will collaborate with provincial, regional, and local stakeholders in the development, implementation, and evaluation of injury prevention strategies, working with BCCDC and health authority colleagues, Indigenous and local communities, the BCIRPU and others. The leads are also members of the BCIRPU, who will support the leads by providing expertise and resources.

Meet the leads:

Neil Arason, Island Health Authority

Neil has a diploma in social work, a BA in Urban Studies, and an Advanced Graduate Diploma in Management. He brings almost 30 years of experience with the BC Government, including five years in the Ministry of Health and over 15 years in injury prevention. He also has experience in road safety and safe systems thinking.

In his new role, Neil will work with the Island Health Public Health team, and provincial, local, and regional key partners. He will receive co-leadership from Megan Oakey, BCCDC Provincial Injury Prevention Manager, and Cole Diplock, Island Health Manager for Health Protection.

Neil lives with his family on the traditional land of the Lekwungen People, also known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, and the Victoria Metis Chartered Nation, or the area many know as Victoria. He enjoys writing, contributing to research projects, and hiking.

Tobin Copley, Fraser Health Authority

Tobin has a MA in Medical Geography from McMaster University. Prior to coming to Fraser Health in 2015, Tobin had been a career-long population health researcher with a focus on prevention, both at UBC at the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research and later spending over a decade running his own applied social research firm.

In his new role, Tobin will work with the Fraser Health Environmental Health Services & Healthy Built Environment Program, and provincial, local, and regional key partners. He will receive co-leadership from Megan Oakey, BCCDC Provincial Injury Prevention Manager, and Sandra Gill, Fraser Health Manager for Environmental Health Services & Healthy Built Environment Program.

Tobin lives in Vancouver. He lives to be active and outside. Tobin has spent decades riding bicycles for transportation, recreation and competition, and supporting youth high performance athlete development. He used to be fast. He also enjoys skeleton, and skate skiing badly.

Jeanette Foreman, Northern Health Authority

Jeanette has a BA (Hons) in psychology and a MPH in health promotion. She has worked for over two decades in applied health research, evaluation and quality improvement. At Northern Health (NH), Jeanette has played a key role in a wide range of safety and quality initiatives, including Care in the Right Place, regional acute admission assessment standardization, and development of the NH Quality Management framework. Over the past eleven years, she has supported NH’s falls prevention strategy.  

In her new role, Jeanette will work with the NH Injury Prevention team, and provincial, local, and regional key partners. She is thrilled to shift her attention full-time to health promotion and injury prevention, and will apply a health equity lens to her work. She will receive co-leadership from Megan Oakey, BCCDC Provincial Injury Prevention Manager, and Sabrina Dosanjh-Gantner, NH Regional Manager, Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention.

Jeanette lives in Smithers with her husband and has two daughters attending university. Her favourite leisure activities include camping, hiking, and alpine skiing. She also loves sustainable interior design.

Megan Klammer, Interior Health

Megan has a Bachelors of Nursing from the University of Northern British Columbia and a Masters of Public Health from the University of British Columbia. She has 27 years of experience in health care and over 14 years of experience in injury prevention, safety promotion, harm reduction and knowledge translation within Northern Health, Island Health, and Interior Health. Megan also has extensive experience integrating equity into her roles within public health.

In her new role, Megan will work with the Interior Health’s Healthy Communities Healthy Families Team, and provincial, local, and regional key partners. She is thrilled to shift her attention full time to health promotion and injury prevention and will apply a health equity lens to her work. She will receive co-leadership from Megan Oakey, BCCDC Provincial Injury Prevention Manager, and Heather Deegan, Interior Health Director of Population Health.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, backpacking, motorcycling, learning to sail and keeping up with her daredevil sons on ski hills. The activity helps offset her love of baking.

Kirvy Quiambao, Vancouver Coastal Health

Kirvy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Developmental Studies from the University of Winnipeg and received his Master of Public Health (International) degree from the University of Liverpool.

In his new role, Kirvy will work with the Vancouver Coastal Health Population Health team, and provincial, local, and regional key partners. With this new opportunity, he is thrilled to further advance his knowledge of injury prevention work. He will receive co-leadership from Megan Oakey, BCCDC Provincial Injury Prevention Manager, and Juan Solorzano, Vancouver Coastal Health Executive Director of Population Health.

Kirvy is looking forward to spending more time outdoors and trying new activities in BC. He plays competitive badminton, explores new hiking trails, takes his paddleboard in the lake, checks out waterfalls, and goes camping with his partner and friends.