New Health Authority Community Liaisons!

Alison (Ali) Spry

Ali is a Canadian-born, British-trained midwife. Born in Alberta, she grew up on beautiful Vancouver Island before leaving Canada to backpack in the ‘90s. She spent 7 years travelling before settling in the United Kingdom, where she discovered Midwifery through her own pregnancy. She graduated in 2008 from Bournemouth University and practiced in the UK until returning home to Canada in 2018.

Contact: alison.spry@ubc.ca

Tay Ferrier

My name is Tay Ferrier. I’m a Registered Midwife and Lactation Consultant and work as a locum for clinics in the West Kootenays. I graduated from the UBC Midwifery program in 2022. I grew up in Castlegar and have now practiced in Kelowna, Nelson, and Trail – so Interior Health has been home to me for a long time! I am very thankful for the opportunity to work as a liaison for UBC to connect with and support midwife preceptors in IHA. When I’m not working to support midwives in this corner of the province, I can be found cross-country skiing, hiking, canoeing, reading, and cooking. 

Contact: tay.ferrier@ubc.ca

Tanya Momtazian

Tanya is a rural midwife living and working in the West Kootenays since 2007.  She helped establish the first BC collaborative rural maternity clinic in 2014 and has held numerous leadership roles within the region.  Tanya has an MPH (2011) from Johns Hopkins University, a BSc (2004), and BMw (2007) from UBC. Currently, Tanya is Chair of the Board of the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), which regulates over 70,000 health professionals.  She has been a preceptor to many students over the years and has had various tutoring roles with UBC MW.  Tanya loves the nature and culture of the Sinixt, Sylix and Ktunaxa lands where she resides and cherishes the time spent with her family, enjoying everything the region has to offer.  

Tanya Momtazian

Contact: tanya.momtazian@ubc.ca

Meghan Radebe

I was born and raised in rural South Africa and lived in many parts of the country, including Johannesburg, where I met my wonderful husband. In 2006 we moved to Canada to pursue our tertiary education. I was drawn to midwifery as a career after my own positive experiences birthing two babies with an extraordinary midwife in New Westminster. This experience, coupled with the stories of other women in my circle of friends, set my feet firmly on the path to becoming a midwife.

I began working with childbearing families as a doula and later as a prenatal yoga instructor before graduating from UBC and beginning my work as a midwife. What I love most about midwifery is that it is a model of healthcare that allows the time and space to truly hear people’s stories and to share knowledge in a way that empowers people to make informed decisions about their bodies and their birth experience. For me, practising the art and science of midwifery is about humility, accompaniment, and empowerment. I cherish the connections that I make with families and am grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside them on their path. 

I am excited to be joining the team at UBC as we learn more about how to better support students and preceptors so we can grow this wonderful profession! I gratefully acknowledge that I do my work on the traditional and unceded lands of the Semá:th First Nation and Mathxwí First Nation. Thank you to the original caretakers of this beautiful place we call home. 

Contact: meghan.radebe@ubc.ca

Anne-Marie Cayer

I was born on Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Chonnonton land and am thankful to have grown up in this territory.  I moved to the West Coast to learn midwifery 20 years ago, and I now live with my family in Daajing Giids, Haida Gwaii.  Prior to enjoying island life for the last 7 years, I lived and practiced in the Okanagan for 13 years, where I founded a midwifery clinic and birth house.  I deeply value living in a small rural community and I uphold the importance that midwifery holds in the rural/remote context. I look forward to connecting with midwives in Northern Health.

Contact: annemarie.cayer@ubc.ca

Stephanie Dow

My name is Stephanie Dow; I have been a registered midwife since 2013 and have worked at Strathcona Midwifery since 2014. I am a European settler, and I live with my partner, a four-year-old and a 15-month-old, on the unseeded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations. 

I have been instructing the UBC midwifery students in their intensive programs for the last several years, and I have a keen interest in ensuring our students have access to safe and robust learning opportunities in their clinical placements. I am excited to be a part of the clinical placement team in the Liaison role, and working towards graduating midwives with excellent experience and skills. 

Contact: stephanie.dow@ubc.ca

Elizabeth Bodner

Liz (she/her) lives and works in qathet/ Powell River, BC, on the traditional and treaty lands of the Tla’amin Nation. She has worked as a Registered Midwife in BC since 2016 and previously as a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Registered Nurse in the United States. She attended UBC’s Bridging Program in 2016. Liz is very happy to be supporting midwives and students in VCH. Apart from her midwifery work, you can find Liz enjoying bike adventures with children in tow, gardening, and spending quiet time at home.

Contact: elizabeth.bodner@ubc.ca