MARYAM ZEINEDDIN P R E S I D E N T, B C F A M I LY D O C T O R S ;
C O - F O U N D E R , A M B L E S I D E M E D I C A L C E N T R E ; F O U N D E R , Z I L I C A R E
"The only
thing that
really has true
longitudinal
care is family
practice."
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B C B U S I N E S S . C A
J U N E 2 0 2 5
C
COMMUNIT Y OUTRE ACH
has been central in Maryam
Zeineddin's life from the very
beginning. Her father worked
for the Red Crescent (Iran's
equivalent of the Red Cross)
when war broke out in her
homeland. When her family
eventually moved to B.C. by
way of Athens and Sweden
because her dad wanted to
continue to make an impact,
Zeineddin paid attention. Even-
tually it was her turn to decide
what sort of contribution
she'd want to make, and she
knew that attending UBC was
the right place to start. "The
inclusiveness of it and the
multiculturalism... something
was drawing me to Canada,"
she explains.
As an undergrad, Zeined-
din made up her mind that she
could impart change via medi-
cine. "As a doctor, the level of
impact, relationship with your
patients, collaboration and
teamwork with other health
care providers and leadership
in the health system is immense
and that's why I chose this," she
says. After completing medical
school, Zeineddin did some-
thing that she does not recom-
mend—she took over a small
primary care practice the day
after graduation.
Zeineddin stuck with that
practice for five years. But when
the lease was up, she knew she
wanted to create a group clinic,
so she and partner Nicole Barre
established Ambleside Medi-
cal Centre. That was 15 years
ago, and the practice has
grown to eight physicians and
eight staff, which collectively
care for 10-15,000 patients.
"The only thing that really has
true longitudinal care is family
practice," she says.
In 2017, after seeing many
women turn to social media for
health information and recog-
nizing that B.C. residents were
missing vital evidence-based
health resources, she founded
Zili Care, a not-for-profit pre-
ventative health platform that
helps women navigate the com-
plicated health-care system by
providing information and tools
to advocate for themselves. In
2024, Zeineddin hosted a Zili
conference aimed at educating
women in leadership positions
on how to provide those same
resources to their employees.
Zeineddin has been part of
BC Family Doctors since 2019,
advocating for changes to doc-
tors' fees and hours in order
to improve conditions for both
physicians and their patients.
Her impact led to her being
elected president, where she—
along with four other doctors—
successfully attained a new
payment model with the prov-
ince. "I do have a message, and
I am a very value-driven leader,
who strives for the essence of
health and wellbeing with gen-
der equity as my north star,"
she says.–D.W.
CHANGE M AKER
