Dr. Melanie van Soeren was born right here at St. Paul’s and raised in beautiful BC.   Her medical education took her from coast to coast to coast in Canada; She is an alum of UBC medical school’s Island Medical Program, she completed her residency at Memorial University in the Nunafam program in St. John’s and Iqaluit, and she was the first fellow with the Care of Underserved Populations enhanced skills program at MUN where she worked in Labrador, Nepal and with marginalized groups in St. John’s. Having recently moved back to the West Coast she’s thrilled to be working with diverse communities in the lower mainland, providing full scope family medicine, addictions medicine and maternity care.  She is currently involved in academic work regarding the health impacts of reconciliation, access to culturally sensitive palliative care services for Innu in Labrador, and poverty interventions in primary care.  When not at work she can be found cycling, skiing, sailing, or trail running with her partner and their husky-collie mix, Fogo.