Operational Leaders
Dr. Catherine Patocka Clinical and Academic Department Head of Emergency Medicine
Born and raised in Edmonton, Catherine came to Calgary in 2013 after completing medical school and FRCPC residency training at McGill University. She works clinically at all four Calgary EDs and previously served as the FRCPC residency program. In 2024, she completed her PhD in Medical Education and continues to have a strong interest in medical education, education scholarship, and its connection to clinical practice. Her current academic interests center on pattern theory and performance feedback for practice improvement. As Department head she is committed to equity, operational sustainability, and a culture of learning and feedback in the DEM. Outside of medicine she likes to read, hike, ski, and spend time in nature with her husband and 3 children.
Dr. James Andruchow Deputy Department Head for Emergency
Dr. Andruchow was raised on a mixed family farm northeast of Edmonton, Alberta but did some medical tourism, completing his medical degree at McGill and emergency medicine residency and fellowship at Harvard. His experience in the US created a strong interest in evidence-based practice, reducing unnecessary testing and treatment and pragmatic health policies. His prior research included a randomized controlled trial of electronic decision support for CT imaging, validation of rapid diagnostic protocols for acute myocardial infarction using high-sensitivity troponin, and implementing a multidisciplinary chest pain pathway across the Calgary zone before moving on to administration. When he’s not working, Dr. Andruchow can be found outdoors, enjoying mountain biking, wildlife photography, hiking and spending time in nature with his wife Rachel and daughter Ella.
Dr. Andrea Boone FMC Site Lead
Dr. David Mainprize FMC Assistant Site Lead
Dr. Meira Louis PLC Site Lead
Originally from Toronto, I finished an undergraduate and masters in Ontario before moving to Calgary for my MD and FR residency in emergency medicine. I have worked as a staff physician at the PLC and FMC since graduating in 2014. Soon after starting work, I took over as the coordinator of Elective and Off Service Education. Recently I have also taken over as course chair for electives in the Undergraduate Medical Education program. In my spare time I help my amazing husband juggle our four kids.
Dr. Haley Cochrane PLC Assistant Site Lead
Dr. Haley Cochrane is the assistant site chief at the Peter Lougheed Emergency Department. She completed medical school at the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia. She completed a four year Emergency Medicine residency at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine residency in Boston, Massachusetts and an extra year of Emergency Medicine Training at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to obtain her FRCPC. Clinically she has an interest in hospital administration, point of care ultrasound and medical education. Outside the hospital you will find her spending time with her husband and daughter, traveling, painting and cooking.
Dr. Nancy Zuzic RGH Site Lead
Dr. Nancy Zuzic continues as the Site Chief at the Rockyview General Hospital. Dr. Zuzic received her MD at the University of Ottawa in 1997 and then completed her CCFP-EM residency in Calgary in 2000, working clinically at the Rockyview ED ever since. Nancy is fortunate to work with a cohesive and supportive administration team at the RGH ED that continues to find innovative ways to improve flow and patient care.
Dr. David Fu RGH Assistant Site Lead
David is from Edmonton and obtained his MD from the University of Alberta. He then ventured to Ontario where he trained in Emergency Medicine at Western University and completed a Masters of Science in medical education at the University of Toronto. David enjoys listening to podcasts, going to the gym and smoking meats on his kamado grill.
Dr. Daniel Joo SHC Site Lead
Dr. Daniel Joo took on the role of Site Chief in June of 2021, proceeding three years as Assistant Site Chief. Dan is a graduate of the University of Calgary (MD 2008, CCFP-EM 2011), and after spending a few years working in Vancouver and Ottawa, returned to Calgary in 2014. He enjoys teaching residents, particularly in the areas of ultrasound and simulation. Dan maintains balance by enjoying the outdoors, playing sports, reading, and spending time with his wife and kids. He laments the loss of his beard - a casualty of the COVID-19 induced requirement to frequently don a N95 respirator.
Dr. Carly Hagel SHC Assistant Site Lead
Dr. Carly Hagel graduated from University of Calgary Medical School in 2012. She completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at Queen’s University in Kingston. Following completion of her Royal College certification she embarked in a 15 month locum working in New Zealand. She returned to Calgary in 2019 and stared working at the South Health Campus. She now works a split line with SHC and PLC. She took over the position of Deputy Site Lead in September of 2021. Her other interests include medical education and simulation. When she’s not at work she can be found reading, bike riding, walking with friends or hiking in the mountains.
Dr. Colin Bell Ultrasound POCUS
Dr. Christine East Treatment Plans Physician Lead
Christine East is an Emergency Physician at Rockyview General Hospital, having completed the CCFP(EM) program in Calgary in 2017. She has led the Calgary Zone ED Frequent Visitors Program (ED Treatment Plans) alongside Ken Mont (Nurse Clinician, RGH) since 2017. In this role, Christine leads a multidisciplinary team including EMS, social work, nursing leadership, physicians and others to identify frequent ED visitors and develop individualized care plans to improve safety and redirect care into the community whenever possible. In 2022, Christine and her team were awarded the RGH Medical Staff Association Innovation Award for this important work. Outside of work, Christine loves getting outdoors with her husband Scott and her two boys, Cooper and Gus.
Dr. Chris Hall Connect Care and Physician Builder Lead & Medical Informatics Lead
Chris is a 13 year member of the Calgary Zone Emergency Medicine team. Since moving here after completing his residency in Hamilton, he has dabbled in a number of roles over the years, including contributions to the Royal College residency training committee, various hospital and zonal quality improvement initiatives, and the Clinical Knowledge and Content Management division of AHS. This year he took over the Medical Informatics Lead role for emergency medicine in the Calgary Zone. In his spare time he enjoys skiing, mountain/road biking, and spending time with his wife and three kids.
Dr. Marge McGillivray Geriatric Care Lead
Dr. Margaret McGillivray graduated with her MD from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2002. She subsequently completed her family practice residency at the UBC Prince George site and her EM fellowship at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver graduating in 2005. Since then she has worked in various Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Centres across Canada including Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre and Sheldon Chumir Urgent Care. Dr. McGillivray has worked at the SHC ED since 2018 where she has been involved with various geriatric initiatives including the development and implementation of the SUPER (SUPporting seniors in the ER) volunteers.
Dr. Adam Oster Quality Improvement and Safety Lead
Dr. Adam Oster graduated from the RCPS EM Program via University of Calgary in 2006, through the FRCPC program. He enjoys cross-country skiing and biking in his spare time.
Dr. Tania Principi Section Chief Pediatric
While at SickKids, Tania was the Director for Strategic Operations as well as the Director of Quality Improvement for the Pediatric Emergency Department. She is a Pediatric Emergency Physician who enjoys working with others to problem solve and leverage data to improve care delivery and the patient experience within the hospital through continuous improvement. She has implemented several strategies to improve operations including the use of artificial intelligence to improve ED flow and optimize inpatient and ED capacity planning. Tania received her MD and Pediatric training at the University of Western Ontario and pursued her subspecialty training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at SickKids. In addition to completing her Masters in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University and a fellowship in Quality Improvement, she has recently completed her MBA at Rotman.
Dr. Mark Yarema Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology
Dr. Mark Yarema is the Section Lead for Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology and the Medical Director of the Poison and Drug Information Service (PADIS). He is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and a member of the O’Brien Institute of Public Health at the University of Calgary. His research interests include acetaminophen poisoning, pharmacogenomics, drugs of abuse, and toxic alcohols.