Dr. Emily Macphail

As Director of External and Government Relations, Tara oversees PARA’s advocacy and stakeholder/government relations portfolios. With PARA since 2015, Tara collectively has more than 25 years of communications and advocacy experience in the regulatory and professional association environments, much of it within health care.

 Tara is passionate about the power of community and is a committed community volunteer. She is also a self-proclaimed word nerd, avid hockey fan, shoe connoisseur and travel addict. Her perfect day would include copious amounts of coffee, a beautiful landscape, a good book and non-stop tunes. She is also avidly anti-Oxford comma (and relishes the chaos this stance brings).

Dr. Simran Sharma is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine resident physician at the University of Calgary. She joined the PARA Executive to advocate for her friends and colleagues in residency. As the Alberta Medical Association Ambassador, she aims to foster collaboration between PARA and AMA, thereby advancing the interests of residents and supporting the future physicians of Alberta. Dr. Sharma enjoys astronomy, sudoku and exploring the mountains. She recently took up film photography to document her adventures.

As the staff lead for the Nomination and Awards Committee at PARA, Ravneet oversees the distribution of awards to resident physicians, physician preceptors and allied staff. This role includes managing wellness research funding and administering conference sponsorship awards. Additionally, Ravneet is responsible for agreement compliance, dues management, the taxi reimbursement program, excess call and academic half-day presentations on the Agreement. She also organizes PARA Assembly meetings, Executive Board retreats and ensures representation at external committee meetings.

Ravneet has been with PARA since 2016, bringing years of dedicated service and expertise to the Association. In her free time, Ravneet enjoys outdoor strolls, loves traveling and cherishes daily long-distance phone calls with her mom. She also values spending quality time with her boys.

Dr. Stephanie Gibbon is an Orthopaedic Surgery resident at the University of Calgary and is excited to serve as the Vice President of the Leadership and Education Committee.

She says that, “as physicians we hold a large space within the medical community. Optimizing non-clinical skills is essential to the success of individuals and the medical community. The Leadership and Education role exemplifies and aligns with my value of being a well-rounded clinician and in this role, I hope to help facilitate the same for other resident physicians.”

Her aim as VPLE is to align Royal College goals and activities of transition to practice and collaborate with other provincial resident physician governing bodies to enhance a cohesive, engaging and meaningful program for individuals transitioning out of the safety of residency and into practice.

Outside of residency, Stephanie enjoys wine pairing, weightlifting, gravel biking, fly fishing and spending time outdoors with her friends and family.