BCSC Program Team
Ryan Flannigan, MD FRCSC
Director of Supportive Care
Dr. Flannigan is an Associate Professor at the UBC Department of Urologic Sciences and Director of the Reproductive & Sexual Medicine Centre within the M.H. Mohseni Institute of Urologic Sciences. An internationally recognized expert in sexual health, infertility, and andrology, Dr. Flannigan leads an active clinical and translational research program in these fields. His many honours include the 2026 Matthew P. Hardy Young Andrologist Award from the American Society of Andrology, and he holds multiple leadership roles in national and international urologic organizations.
As Director, Dr. Flannigan envisions a truly integrated, patient‑centred Supportive Care Program for patients with prostate and bladder cancer throughout British Columbia. He will work to strengthen the program’s research mission, renew collaboration with key stakeholders across all BC health authorities, and guide its expansion to serve patients with other urologic and pelvic cancers.
Marie-Pier St-Laurent, MD
Program Lead
Dr. St-Laurent is a urologic oncologist and assistant professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She graduated from Laval University in Quebec City and completed a 3 year fellowship in Urologic Oncology at UBC, with a research focus on urothelial carcinoma. She is interested in developing a career in translational and clinical research. She developed Neo-BLAST, a clinical trial investigating a novel comprehensive clinical restaging approach for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer following neoadjuvant therapy, comparing the safety of active surveillance with standard of care. She is also the Program Lead of the Bladder Cancer Supportive Care Program.
Peter Black, MD, FRCSC
Director
Dr. Black is Director of the Vancouver Prostate Centre, and Professor and Head of the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia. He holds the Goldenberg Family Chair and the Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Urologic Sciences. Dr. Black is a urologist with a clinical subspecialty interest in the treatment of urologic cancers, including especially bladder and prostate cancer. He leads the clinical trials unit in the Vancouver Prostate Centre and has an active research program in bladder cancer and prostate cancer.
Monita Sundar, MA
Provincial Program Manager
Monita is the Provincial Program Manager for the BCSC & PCSC Programs. Monita worked in Cardiology at VGH for over 19 years where she held diverse roles such as clinical research coordinator and project consultant. Monita earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Arts in Gerontology from SFU. Her strong passion revolves around educating older adults about their health conditions and actively implementing strategies and programs aimed at improving their well-being and overall quality of life.
Meghan Lui, RN
Sexual Health Clinician
Meghan is a registered nurse with a background in spinal cord injury, bowel and bladder management, and adult/older adult community health. She is passionate about providing holistic, patient-centred care. Meghan joined the BCSC Program as a Sexual Health Clinician to help support patients navigating changes to sexual health and sexuality.
Nicholas Pratap, BSc, CEP
Clinical Exercise Physiologist
Nick is the Exercise Clinical Lead for the BCSC Program. Nick completed his BSc in Kinesiology at SFU with a concentration in active health and rehabilitation. He is currently certified as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Cancer Exercise Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine. In addition to working with patients in the BCSC Exercise Clinic, Nick is an Exercise Physiologist for Cardiac Rehab at VGH. Nick looks forward to working with the BCSC team and using his knowledge to help patients use exercise as a staple in their treatment.
Joy Egilson, CSEP-CEP, CATA(C)
Clinical Exercise Physiologist
Joy is a certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist with an interest in lifestyle exercise for older adults. She has training and experience in working with men who have prostate cancer, and currently leads an exercise group for men through the Island Prostate Centre in Victoria, BC. Joy is also a certified Athletic Therapist with clinical experience in rehabilitating acute and chronic injury. Joy will be seeing patients remotely from Victoria.
Natalie Fujisawa, BSc, CEP
Clinical Exercise Physiologist
Natalie is a exercise physiologist for the BCSC Program. She completed her BSc in Kinesiology at SFU with concentration in active health and rehabilitation. She is a Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist with the American College of Sports Medicine and a Registered Kinesiologist with the British Columbia Association of Kinesiologist. Previously, she worked for 2 years in cancer exercise and rehabilitation research at UBC. She is passionate about helping people use lifestyle changes to take back some control over their health and improve their quality of life.
Eleah Stringer, RD
Research Dietitian
Eleah is a Research Dietitian with a specialty in cancer nutrition who has recently joined BCSC. She is interested in nutrition strategies that support cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship. Her research explores how dietary interventions influence metabolism and patient outcomes, with a particular interest in translating evidence into practical, patient-centered care.
Sara Chan, CD
Clinical Dietitian
Sara is a Clinical Dietitian with Vancouver Coastal Health, where she practices patient-centred nutrition care across a variety of specialties. She holds two BSc in Food, Nutrition, and Health from UBC, where her thesis explored how the concept of dietary diversity and how it is measured in research. Sara practices with a weight-neutral approach and is dedicated to supporting patients in optimizing their quality of life as they define it. She is passionate about collaborating with patients to co-develop realistic, sustainable dietary practices that promote long-term health and wellness.
Calvin Wong, MPT
Registered Physiotherapist
Calvin is a registered physiotherapist with a keen interested in helping people with pelvic health issues including bladder and bowel incontinence training, pelvic girdle and genital pain, and musculoskeletal pain in the lumbo-pelvic-hip region. Calvin’s work has allowed him to connect with and assist patients from a diverse array of cultural, gender and sexual backgrounds. He uses a clientcentered and evidence informed approach when helping patients to achieve their goals. Calvin holds a Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) from the University of Western Ontario and has been a practicing physiotherapist for over 10 years. He is currently completing his Master of Rehabilitation Science at UBC.
Sean Lee, BSc, MPT
Registered Physiotherapist
Sean is a physiotherapist who is passionate about using movement to help people get back to doing the things they love. He completed his Master of Physical Therapy at UBC in 2018, and since then has pursued additional training in pelvic health and Clinical Pilates. Sean practices using a whole person, evidence informed approach and treats both musculoskeletal and pelvic floor disorders. In addition to practicing as a physiotherapist, Sean is also a teaching assistant for Calibrate Clinical Pilates Education, and teaches mat Pilates at the Robert Lee YMCA.
Taha Beigi, MPT
Registered Physiotherapist
Taha holds a Master of Physiotherapy (MPT) from the University of Queensland and has been practicing since 2022, including nearly three years in Australia with a dedicated year in Men’s Health. He is currently pursuing advanced professional development in both Men’s Health and orthopedics to continue expanding his expertise and providing evidence-based, client-centered care.
Daniel Munns, MC, RCC
Clinical Counsellor
Daniel is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master’s degree in Counselling from City University of Seattle, serving the Vancouver region. He has spent the last twenty years providing wellbeing through the interconnected modalities of counselling, mindfulness, yoga and somatic therapies. Prior to his work in Vancouver, Daniel spent 15 years in Asia, studying and teaching meditation and yoga. He
uses a person-centered, inter-relational approach that seeks to create a safe space with full presence for the reflection and communication of the unique challenges that men with chronic illness experience. These skilled methodologies will be applied by Daniel within the BCSC Program.
Frederick Crawford, MA, RCC
Registered Clinical Counsellor
Fred is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors, a designation he has held since 2001 after completing his Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in November 2000. He is currently a pre-doctoral candidate in Counselling Psychology at UBC, where his dissertation focuses on the lived experiences of treatment for prostate cancer. In his clinical practice, Fred takes a multi-modal, client-centred approach, working primarily with individuals affected by cancer. His work is grounded in humanistic principles and, at times, draws on existential perspectives to support clients in navigating complex emotional and life challenges.
Saron Tesfai, BSc
Program Coordinator
Saron is the Program Coordinator for the BCSC Program. She holds a BSc in Health Sciences from SFU. She worked as an optometrist assistant, which has significantly shaped her dedication to patient-centered care. Her academic background and practical experience has fueled her passion for enhancing patient outcomes through compassionate and attentive care. She is dedicated to advancing patient-focused initiatives and collaborating within multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
Emily Yan, BKin
Program Coordinator
Emily is the Program Coordinator for the BCSC Program. Emily graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Kinesiology, and has also obtained her Project Management Certificate from UBC. Prior to joining the BCSC, Emily gained diverse experience in healthcare and research, having worked in various positions such as senior program assistant, pharmacy assistant, and research assistant. Emily is committed to delivering patient-centred care and is passionate about promoting physical and mental well-being. In her free time, Emily competes competitively in dragon boat and hikes with her dog.
Sheetal Kaul, MSc-PhD
Research Associate
Dr. Kaul is a scientist with over a decade of experience in clinical and translational infectious disease research. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, and recently completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she led research investigating regulatory RNA mechanisms in tuberculosis, and screened novel compounds against M. tuberculosis. Her work has contributed to securing approximately $500K CAD in funding, including support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and involved research collaborations across Canada, India, and South Africa. Her passion lies in translating scientific discovery into accessible treatments that make a real difference for patients.
Rosalie Ho, MSc, CCRP
Research Operations Lead
Rosalie is the Research Operations Lead for the BCSC Program. She graduated from UBC with a Master of Science and is a certified Clinical Research Professional. Before joining the BCSC, Rosalie worked in various positions, including regulatory program specialist, research assistant, and COVID lab assistant. Rosalie is passionate about promoting mental wellness and inclusivity through supporting patients compassionately.
Madison Ong, MSc
Clinical Research Coordinator
Madison is the Clinical Research Coordinator for the BCSC Program. She graduated from UBC with a Master of Science. Prior to joining the BCSC, Madison gained diverse experience in research and clinical settings, having worked as a research coordinator, clinic administrator, and research assistant. She is passionate about leveraging knowledge translation to promote overall well-being and is committed to supporting patients through compassionate, patient-centered care. Madison looks forward to contributing to the BCSC’s multidisciplinary team.
Abby O’Connor, BSc
Clinical Research Assistant
Abby is the Research Assistant for the BCSC Program. She holds a BSc with Honours in Applied Animal Biology from UBC. During her studies, she completed a Directed Studies project evaluating the clinical significance of genes implicated in autism using drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) as a model. Before joining the PCSC, Abby had formal research experience from working in a genetics lab at UBC, at an aquatic lab at the University of Victoria, and she has tutored children for three years in a variety of math and English levels. Abby is passionate about the future of personalized health care and supports the research team at the BCSC in data entry, administrative tasks, and support studies.
Divya Dhingra
Clinical Research Assistant
Divya is a fourth-year Biology student at the University of British Columbia. She will be completing a one-year Co-op position here at BCSC. She has a strong interest in clinical research, health equity, and advocacy. She previously worked as a volunteer research assistant at Public Health Together as well as a student research trainee in the BC Children’s Hospital Emergency Department. Divya is also the President of the UBC Women in Science, a club she continues to foster and grow. She is incredibly excited to bring her support to grow and collaborate with the BCSC Team for this upcoming year.
Zora Heer
Clinical Research Assistant
Zora recently completed his third year studying Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of British Columbia and is joining the team as our new Co-op Clinical Research Assistant. He previously volunteered as a Research Assistant in the Prisman Lab. Outside of work and school, Zora volunteers at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and serves as Vice President of the UBC Bhangra Club, a cultural and philanthropic student organization. In his free time, he also enjoys spending time outdoors, especially playing golf with friends. He is looking forward to contributing to the program’s research and continuing to learn from the team.
Jasmin Jeong, BSc
Administrative Assistant
Jasmin is the Administrative Assistant for the BCSC program. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science, gaining experiences in clinical research and administration. Drawing from these experiences, she is passionate about delivering personalized care for patients. She is excited about the holistic, patient-centered care offered by the program and looks forward to bringing her experiences to provide administrative support.
CONTACT
Phone: 604-875-4485 | Phone (toll-free): 844-483-1449
Fax: 604-914-3003
Email: pcsc@vch.ca
