Physician burnout and workforce attrition threaten the sustainability of rural healthcare. Hybrid care models, where virtual physicians support on-site teams in real time, reduce workload and improve professional well-being. Drawing on preliminary evidence from partnered hospitals and 2024 national provider survey results, findings show improved morale, work-life balance, and coverage stability. These results establish a foundation for ongoing evaluation with updated data to be included at next year’s conference.
Presented by:
Katherine Atkinson, Director, Health System Partnerships
Katherine Atkinson brings over 12 years of experience in health technology commercialization and a background in public health and epidemiology. Katherine has led multimillion-dollar partnerships with organizations, including the Gates Foundation, Pfizer, Sanofi, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Known for her strategic leadership, she has played a key role in developing business strategies, launching first-to-market products, and shaping conversations at global healthcare conferences. As Director of Health System Partnerships at Teladoc Health Canada, she collaborates with healthcare leaders across Canada to advance virtual care and improve access through innovative partnerships.
Dr. Tracey Parnell, MD, Chair for Primary Care and Rural Medicine
Dr. Tracey Parnell is a rural Canadian physician and researcher with a passion for medicine that empowers patients and providers. She is currently the Teladoc Health Canada Chair for Primary Care and Rural Medicine, while still maintaining an active and diverse clinical practice. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia and was previously the Research Evaluation and Quality Improvement Sector Lead for the Rural Coordination Centre of BC, which works on behalf of the Joint Standing Committee, an entity that advises the BC government and the Doctors of BC.
She has a heart for providing care for underserved communities, especially those in war torn environments; she has been honoured to care for the most injured and vulnerable on the front lines of Ukraine multiple times since 2022. Believing strongly that patients deserve answers to their question of what is wrong and how can it be fixed, her clinical and research work includes restorative reproductive health, particularly PCOS and endometriosis, focusing on addressing underlying issues contributing to fertility.
Jennifer Brunet, Clinical Operations Supervisor, Teladoc Health
Jennifer Brunet is a Canadian Registered Nurse with over a decade of experience in high‑acuity clinical environments, including intensive care units and emergency departments across Canada and the United States, as well as public health practice in Jamaica. She currently serves as the Clinical Operations Supervisor at Teladoc Health, where she provides operational and clinical leadership to the patient flow team supporting virtual acute care programs nationwide. In this role, Jennifer also plays a key role in the planning and execution of new hybrid care program launches across Canada, bridging frontline clinical expertise with scalable, innovative care delivery models.
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