A New Brunswick boy at heart, Jeremy relocated to Kelowna in 2013 after practicing in London, Ontario for several years. He is an avid runner and golfer and loves to spend time with his family (amazing wife and four kids). He is the incoming Division Head of Vascular Surgery at KGH and is extremely excited to contribute to the ongoing successes of the KGH Physicians Society in the year ahead.

Originally hailing from Regina, Dr. Podavin went to med school in Saskatoon, and then completed his family medicine residency at McGill. He relocated to Kelowna in 2012, after working for a few years with the Cree in Chisasibi, Quebec. He enjoys trail running, recreational hockey (entering a Kelowna team in the Vernon doctor hockey tournament for the past several years), and loves spending time with his wife and son. Dr. Podavin is looking forward to contributing to the continuing success of the KGH Physicians Society.

Dr. Meathrel moved to Kelowna in 2010 after fleeing her OB/GYN residency in Calgary. As the outgoing OB/GYN Department head at KGH,  she initiated the Early Pregnancy Loss Clinic as well as a Strategic Planning endeavour to help shape the future of women’s health at KGH. She holds an Executive Education Certificate from UBC Sauder Business school. Dr. Meathrel has a busy practice where she can be found engaging in nerf gun warfare. She has two mostly delightful children and enjoys sleeping through the night - and Tabasco sauce. Dr. Meathrel is delighted to contribute to the KGH Physicians Society.

Zeno Cescon is a seasoned senior healthcare administrator with 40+ years of experience in diagnostic imaging environments. He retired from Interior Health as the Executive Director of Diagnostic Imaging (DI) Services in May of 2017 having begun his career at Kelowna General Hospital as an X-ray technologist in the mid 1970’s. His leadership skills and experience working with physicians, coupled with his knowledge of Interior Health, will contribute to his success in this  leadership role with the Society. Zeno looks forward to the challenges of working for the Society, reacquainting with former colleagues and meeting new ones. As well, Zeno would like to focus on improving patient care, assisting KGH physicians to navigate thru quality improvement projects all the while focusing on their health, wellness and work satisfaction.

Jillian Wong is an Engagement Partner with Doctors of BC. In her role, Jillian provides advice and recommendations to facility and community-based physicians regarding support for engagement, and supports physicians and health authorities in their efforts to improve collaboration towards goals consistent with the Triple Aim.

Helga Wendt has significant experience in supporting Board of Directors and Committees as well as event planning and facilitation.  In her role as Administrative Assistant/Project Lead, Helga will provide assistance to the KGHPS Board of Directors and Working Group as well as support facility-based physicians in order to achieve the project goals of their facility engagement initiatives.