Interior Health CEO mourns loss of Board Chair Dr. Doug Cochrane
By Lone Sheep Publishing
In a statement Tuesday, president and CEO Susan Brown said Interior Health is mourning the loss of Interior Health Board Chair Dr. Doug Cochrane.
Brown said as Chair of Interior Health Board of Directors, Dr. Cochrane demonstrated a deep commitment to continuous improvement of patient care, quality and safety knowing it would lead to improved health outcomes for the people we serve since joining IH in 2017.
“Doug leaves a lasting legacy as he guided our reconciliation efforts from a personal commitment to listening and learning from Indigenous peoples in the Interior, their histories and how the current systems in place have impacted them directly,” Brown said.
“Indigenous health and wellness were of particular importance to Doug as he served as Co-Chair of both the First Nations and Métis partnership leadership tables.”
Brown said Cochrane’s contributions to British Columbia’s health-care system overall are unparalleled, having chaired the BC Patient Safety Task Force from its inception in 2003 to the creation of the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council (now known as Health Quality BC) and as the provincial patient safety and quality officer from 2008 to 2019. Doug was also past chair of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.
“Doug was a highly esteemed mentor and educator, with more than three decades of clinical expertise as a paediatric neurosurgeon,” Brown said.
“He was appointed Professor Emeritus by the UBC department of surgery in 2016 and served as faculty for the Health Quality BC Quality Academy and Clinician Quality Academy programs, as well as the Sauder Physician Leadership program at UBC.”
“I will miss Doug as a colleague, mentor, and friend and remember him for his kind and gentle approach to leadership, always willing to take on the toughest of challenges in the most human of ways,” Brown added.
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health said with a heavy heart he announced the passing of Dr. Cochrane following a brief illness.
“At a personal level, Doug was a mentor to thousands of people who work in our public health system, including me,” Dix said in a media statement.
“He was a brilliant doctor and scientist who made everyone around him better, as colleagues and people. I am grateful to have known him.”
Dr. Cochrane passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Saturday. He was 73.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
