It’s a bright new year and the Resident Wellness Office is excited about what 2024 will bring for the Peer Support Program! The RWO will be looking forward to organizing a Peer Support appreciation dinner in the spring, as well as potentially offering another training in late 2024 if demand is there. Additionally, the wellness counsellors look forward to sharing more about the Peer Support Program during site visits and workshops to various distributed and local sites.
And with the excitement of a new year, we’re introducing January’s Peer Supporter of the Month, Dr. Grace Qiao! Dr. Qiao is a staff Peer Supporter Ophthalmologist in Vancouver and UBC alumni. She first participated in the Peer Support training in 2021 with Dr. Jo Shapiro, and has since provided 3 reach outs, averaging one per year. She has expressed kindness and compassion when extending support to residents and does not hesitate to share resources that have been helpful to her during residency, like the Physicians Health Program. We are so grateful for our supporters like Grace who are willing and able to provide care and support to residents in need!
As we reflect on the past 8 months of highlighting a Peer Supporter of the Month, it has been evident that there are many wonderful residents and staff who are willing to give their support whether that be through sending an email, providing a listening ear on the phone or sharing a laugh about the struggles of residency. We are so grateful to Dr. Jo Shapiro who has worked alongside the RWO for the past 3 year to train and support the integration of the program at UBC. We look forward to more opportunities to match residents in need.
