Chair, Primary Care & Rural Medicine

Dr. Tracey Parnell, MD, is a rural Canadian physician and researcher with a passion for advancing care models that empower both patients and providers. She currently serves as Teladoc Health Canada’s Chair for Primary Care and Rural Medicine, while maintaining an active and diverse clinical practice. She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia and previously served as the Research Evaluation and Quality Improvement Sector Lead for the Rural Coordination Centre of BC, an organization that works on behalf of the Joint Standing Committee to advise the Government of British Columbia and Doctors of BC.

Deeply committed to improving access to care for underserved populations, Dr. Parnell has dedicated much of her career to supporting rural and remote communities. Her work has focused on strengthening care delivery through research, quality improvement initiatives, and innovative models that address the unique challenges faced by patients and providers outside urban centres.

Dr. Parnell is also driven by a strong humanitarian commitment. Since 2022, she has travelled multiple times to Ukraine to provide care in war-affected regions, supporting some of the most critically injured and vulnerable patients on the front lines. These experiences have further shaped her perspective on equitable access to care and the resilience of patients and healthcare systems in crisis settings.

Believing strongly that patients deserve clear answers to what is affecting their health and how it can be addressed, Dr. Parnell’s clinical and research interests include restorative reproductive medicine, with a particular focus on conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis. Her work aims to identify and address underlying causes of disease, supporting improved fertility outcomes and long-term health.