Dr. Matthew Thiessen, President
Matthew (He/Him) is a PGY-4 Rheumatology resident. He is Winnipeg born and raised, and completed his undergraduate and medical training here in Manitoba. He has served on PARIM the past two years as Social and Wellness Committee chair and as a medicine group representative. He is excited to take on the challenges and opportunities of the PARIM presidency this year.
Outside of work Matthew is a proud nerd, with a passion for board games, choral singing, sneakers, novels, video games, and baking. He is a world champion in two games at the World Boardgaming Championships, which he competes in annually. Check out his amazing community choir Horizon, where he sings Baritone.
Matthew has been a strong advocate for systemic and cultural changes to improve resident wellness and will continue that work in his new role. However, he is most excited to champion PARIM’s focus on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization as we work to dismantle structural inequity and decrease discrimination. He looks forward to being an unwavering advocate for resident rights. He can’t wait to hear from residents what their priorities are for this year, so please reach out!
You can reach him at [email protected].
Dr. Danielle Stepnuk, Vice-President
Dr. Danielle Stepnuk, PGY 4 Obstetrics & Gynecology, is PARIM’s Vice-President for the 2023-2024 academic year. She can be reached at [email protected].
Dr. Kaien Gu, Treasurer
Kaien is a PGY-5 in Adult Rheumatology. He is thrilled to continue serving as PARIM’s Treasurer and maintaining the organization’s longstanding tradition of fiscal responsibility. Over the past years, Kaien has worked to enhance many of PARIM’s back office financial functions and he aims to continue ensuring that the organization has adequate resources to support its mission of empowering residents in providing exemplary patient care and championing their personal and professional development and well-being. His involvement in PARIM dates back to the beginning of his residency as a member of PARIM’s Finance, Audit, and Risk Committee and has continued to grow year by year.
Originally from Winnipeg, Kaien is no stranger to medical education, healthcare, and residency in Manitoba, having completed both medical school and his Core Internal Medicine training in Winnipeg. He has also spent significant periods to date both east and west of Winnipeg.
Beyond his duties through PARIM and residency, Kaien enjoys trying new restaurants, riding his Peloton bike (a necessity due to the former!), and playing with his two cats. He looks forward to addressing your questions, hearing your ideas, or just chatting with you. You can reach him at [email protected]
Dr. Matthew Bzura, Secretary and President-Elect
Matthew is a PGY-3 in Internal Medicine and currently one of the Lead (Chief) Medical Residents of the program. In this capacity he has served in various volunteer, community, and leadership roles to advocate for and represent over 60 Internal Medicine residents with respect to rotation scheduling, program development, academic experience, resident wellness, and policy design. Prior to his career in Internal Medicine he completed a Family Medicine residency at the University of Saskatchewan where he served as Chief Family Medicine resident as well as the Resident Doctors of Saskatchewan (RDOS) representative for the Family Medicine program. Outside of residency, he is a family man through-and-through and most enjoys spending his free time with his lively Polish-Trinidadian family. Through his life experiences, Matthew treasures and holds true to the adage “never forget the concept of a team, together everyone achieves more.”
He can be reached at [email protected].
Dr. Rachel Bethune, Past President
Rachel is a PGY-4 Resident in Pediatrics and PARIM Past-President. Originally from Calgary, she completed her Master of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan before returning to the University of Calgary for medical school. Rachel has been involved with PARIM since the first weeks of PGY-1 and credits so much of her leadership development, advocacy skills and sense of belonging to a wider community to her time on the Board.
In addition to pursuing a career in Pediatric Complex Care, Rachel is passionate about improving mental health resources and residents supports during times of difficulty. She wants to thank all residents for their truly essential and incredibly hard work caring for Manitobans all across the province. She looks forward to supporting the amazing PARIM Board this year. Please reach out anytime if you have questions or concerns.