Dr. Melissa Lem is a Vancouver family physician who also works in rural and northern communities within Canada. Also President-elect of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, she is a long-time advocate for the health benefits of nature and ecosystem conservation. A widely published writer, she was the resident medical expert on CBC TV’s hit lifestyle show Steven and Chris for four seasons and continues to appear on air as a regular contributor to CBC Radio and CTV News. Dr. Lem was a 2020 Joule Innovation Grant recipient, a 2021 World Parks Week Ambassador, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.

Prama Rahman is the Healthy By Nature Program Coordinator for the BC Parks Foundation, and has supported PaRx since 2019. Prama has an academic background in International Relations and English Literature. Her research interests include international organizations, development, global health, and the role of language and narratives in public policy. Most recently, she completed an MA in International Studies where her research focused on exploring international cooperation during global health crises. Prama enjoys creating art inspired by nature and landscapes.

Matt Waraich is the Head of Technical Product Development for the BC Parks Foundation and is leading the development of the Discover Parks and PaRx mobile applications. Matt has a background in tech and startups with a focus on software engineering. Previous to Matt joining the BC Parks Foundation team, he successfully launched his sports based startup, Treno, into the Android/Apple App Store. Matt’s passion for tech and the outdoors has led him to participate in the creation of these innovate applications.