We are honored to feature Dr. Chantal Chris, a distinguished member of our faculty whose expertise and dedication inspire both her students and colleagues. Her passion for palliative care continues to shape the next generation of thinkers and leaders. Discover more about Dr. Chris’s journey, achievements, and the incredible work she’s doing in her field.
- Site(s):
I work in Abbotsford at the BC Cancer Pain and Symptom Management & Palliative Care Clinic, and also in Nanaimo doing Palliative Care. I teach Palliative Care to the Family Practice residents from the Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Kelowna and North Okanagan sites. - What’s the best part about your job?
The patients. I love being able to help guide patients through their illness journeys, ensuring they understand what is happening and also what is likely to come so they can make the best decisions for them and their health. Being able to teach and advocate for them, and see that knowledge they gain and the treatments or investigations that we push for together improving their lives before my eyes is why I became a doctor. - Favourite song:
I’m actually more of an audiobook or podcast listener, but Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” almost always energizes me when it comes on, and I can’t help but sing along! - Favourite past-time activity:
I have always enjoyed drawing and painting, and about 6 years ago I decided to drop in to a local class and try watercolour painting for the first time. I was hooked. Every time I go it feels like a mini-vacation, like escaping from the realities of life for a bit, using different parts of my brain and giving others a rest.
One of Dr. Chris’s beautiful water colour paintings
- Favourite restaurant in your community:
I live in Chilliwack and we are really lucky to have a big selection of really great restaurants to choose from. Pho Galaxy is probably where I go the most often though. I am always in the mood for their food, and (bonus) it is really close to the hospital! - Favourite travel destination:
Too hard! I love everywhere I get a chance to travel to. But maybe I’ll give the answer that’s the most accessible for people to try out for themselves: My family loves to camp and we have some amazing provincial campgrounds in BC. Our top ones are not too far away: Monk Provincial Park in Merritt is a bit of a hidden gem and Manning Park is always fun. - A book or article you would recommend:
This is probably not very original; but whenever I am teaching anything around Palliative Care or about having Serious Illness Conversations I always recommend reading Being Mortal, by Atul Gwande. He really hits the nail on the head with what is wrong with healthcare, how we stopped seeing the forest (of patient needs and goals) for the trees (of treatments, “cures”, and false hope). I feel like it should be required reading for any healthcare professional. - What are you creating in the world right now?
Right now I’m attempting to create 2 kind and thoughtful humans who are passionate, stand up for what the believe in, and have fun while doing it! Currently I’m in the phase where you can tell it’s likely going to turn out pretty good, but some days you really need to stand back and squint hard to see it 😉 - Best piece of advice for new physicians:
I have two: Don’t be afraid to be open and vulnerable with your patients. “Compassion fatigue” is a misnomer, the correct term is actually “empathy burnout”. Compassion is actually the cure to empathy burnout. Compassion allows you to feel for your patients in a vulnerable way, but adds in that strong motivation to help. That ability to feel for and take action to help your patient is what can drive and sustain you throughout your career, while helping to stave off many of the patient-related causes of emotional exhaustion, decreased work satisfaction, and burnout.
Second: There are so many different ways to practice medicine (different areas, different styles, different paces, etc) – find the right way for you. It’s ok if it takes a bit to find it, and it’s definitely ok if it is not the same as many of your colleagues around you. But if you are able to find the right way for you, then your days will always be exciting, challenging, and rewarding.
Dr. Chris and her family in the mountains
Dr. Chris and her family
Dr. Chris stand up paddle boarding