• arun.garg@fraserhealth.ca

Areas of interest

Integrative Medicine and Chronic Diseases; Catalyst for developing health focused networks between Canada and India; Biomarkers in Chronic Inflammation

Biography

Arun was born in 1946 in Agra, city of Taj Mahal, India. After receiving a Master of Sciences (1964) in Chemistry from Agra University, he moved to Saskatchewan, Canada where he received a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biochemistry in 1970. Arun graduated from the University of British Columbia medical school in 1977. After an internship at St. Paul’s Hospital and a residency in Clinical Pathology at Vancouver General Hospital, he completed academic training. He received his Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC) in 1980 and was made a Fellow of the American College of Pathologists (FACP) and American Society of Clinical Pathologists (FASCP).

He was a partner in the medical practice of Dr. C. J. Coady Associates from 1979-2011. Currently, Arun is the Medical Director of Medical Biochemistry at Fraser Health and Clinical Professor of Pathology in the Faculty of Medicine and Program Director for Global Outreach Cooperation and Engagement office in the Department of Pathology Medicine of the University of British Columbia.

Arun has been active as a professional and volunteer in many community organizations. As a member of the BCMA Board of Directors from 1981 to 1995, he served as Chair of the Board (1986-89) and President (1993-94). He was Co-Chair of the Guidelines and Protocols Advisory Committee of the Medical Services Commission from 1996-2006, a core committee under the joint management between the province of BC and the BC Medical Association. This committee was responsible for the development of Evidence/Quality based guidelines for use by medical professionals in the province. He was also Chair of BCMA’s Council of Health Economics and Policy (1996-2002), and chaired the group on Future of Medicare “Turning the Tide”. In September 2004, the Association asked him to Chair an ad-hoc committee to review Governance for the Association and make recommendations for changes in Representation, and Governance for the future direction of BCMA. In 2008, Arun co-chaired a committee for collaboration between Government of BC and BCMA. In 2010, he was appointed to the new Institute of Health Care System Sustainability and Transformation.

Arun was elected as the first chair for the region-wide Medical Advisory Committee of Fraser Health in 2004 (HAMAC) and served until December 2007. He was a member of the Canadian Medical Association Board of Directors from 1988-1993 and chair of its Council on Health Policy and Economics (2000–2004). He also Chaired the CMA Task Force which developed the position paper “Prescription for Sustainability” for presentation to the federal Commission on Health Care Reform (Romanow’s Commission).

He founded the Section of Clinical Pathology for the Canadian Association of Pathologists and was its Chair from 1980-1984. He was also a founding member of the Canadian Physicians with Interest in South Asia (PISA) of BC (1986) and Canadian Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage (2007).

Arun served on the Board of Directors of the BC Institute of Technology from 1992-1999 and Chair from 1995-1999. In 2003 he was appointed to the Board of Governors of the University of British Columbia, and serves on its Audit (2003-2007), and People and Governance committee (Chair 2008).

In 2006, the Government of BC appointed him Chair of the India Marketing Advisory Group under the Asia-Pacific Trade Council, an advisory Committee to the Premier of British Columbia. The report was released in January 2007, with recommendations on supporting the province's blueprint for a trade policy with India. He also co-chaired the Simon Fraser University President’s Advisory Committee on India (2006-2010). To promote stronger links between Canada and India, Arun conceptualized and Co-Chaired the August 2013 Canada-India network Initiative on Cardiovascular Health (CINI2010) and founded the Canada India Network Society to build strong economic, trade, educational and cultural links between Canada and India (www.thecins.org). A follow-up conference (CINI2014) was organized in June 2014. He is the Medical Director of the Fraser Health South Asian Health Institute and Special Advisor to the Dean of Health Sciences at British Columbia Institute of Technology on India.

He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Laurier Institute, a non-partisan “Think Tank” devoted to cultural diversity and public policy (2000-2007) and advisor to Asia Heritage Month (2004–2007).

The Class of 1977 chose Arun for the Medical Alumni’s inaugural Silver Anniversary Award in recognition of outstanding service and distinguished achievements in 2002. In 2003 he was recognized by the Government of Canada with the award of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal for service to the community. In 2005, Dr. Cam Coady Foundation awarded him the medal of service for his contribution and service to the medical profession and in 2007 British Columbia Medical Association bestowed their highest honour of silver medal of service. In February 2008, the Government of India awarded him its Distinguished Visitors award. Arun is the first Canadian to receive this award. In March 2008 the Vancouver Sun, a major daily newspaper of British Columbia, chose him as one of the most influential Indo-Canadians in the province. In 2008, Fraser Health Authority awarded him its Above and Beyond Award in the collaboration category. The University of BC, Medical Alumni chose Arun for its 2009 Wallace Wilson Leadership Award and in June of 2010, the British Columbia Institute of Technology conferred an honorary Doctorate of Technology to Arun. In 2011 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC honoured him with their award of excellence. The BC Medical Association bestowed on Arun its inaugural Dr. Don Rix Leadership award, their highest recognition and award.

Arun and Lori have one son, Davin. Arun enjoys golf, stamp collecting, and the practice of Yog.