ABOUT

A pediatrician is a specialist in the care of babies, children, and youth. Pediatricians complete a minimum of 4 years of specialty training (called residency) after they finish 4 years of medical school and may have additional training or expertise beyond that. Some pediatricians are sub-specialists which means they have completed a fellowship (additional 2-3 years of training) in a specific area, for example, pediatric rheumatology.

Pediatricians see referred patients to consult and advise on a particular question or issue asked by a family physician or primary care provider. It may be a one time visit, or may include long term follow up for a defined set of problems, but does not replace all health care needs.

At Hillside Pediatrics we are consultant pediatricians. This means that we do not provide routine services such as well-baby exams, check-ups, or immunizations. We do not do pre-op assessments, nor do we provide emergency or sick visits in the office. To see a patient in consultation MSP (BC medical services plan) requires that we have an active referral (within the last 6 months). Patients are referred to us for advice on a specific problem. We then assess that problem, typically by asking questions, examining your child, and sometimes ordering tests or recommending a treatment/medicine. After we see your child we provide a letter back to the referring doctor with our findings and suggestions. Sometimes patients are seen only once, other times they need to be followed for a longer time. Your pediatrician will determine whether your child needs to be seen again and with which frequency. If it has been 6 months or more since you were last seen you will need a re-referral before your next visit as per MSP rules. This can be obtained from your primary care provider. A walk-in clinic or one of the telemedicine services such as Babylon or Medimap can be used if you do not have a primary care provider.

When we are not working in the office we are working as part of a larger group providing care 24 hours a day 7 days a week at Victoria General Hospital. Some of us work in other specialized clinics as well through Island Health or elsewhere. We are a clinical teaching site and involved in teaching medical students and residents at the local medical school (UBC’s Island Medical Program), at the hospital and in the office. You may see a medical student or resident doctor as part of your visit. We also use our expertise to advocate for children on various local, provincial, and national committees.

Dr. Jennifer Balfour, MD, FRCPC

Dr. Balfour has a medical degree from the University of Alberta and completed her pediatric residency and a year of fellowship training in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at British Columbia Children’s Hospital. She has practiced in Comox, in Nanaimo, and has been in Victoria for more than 15 years. She values the wide range of medical and developmental problems that a generalist consultant pediatrician sees, including but not limited to eczema, diabetes, endocrine problems, autism, chronic complex medical issues, and problems to do with asthma, headaches, growth, and recurrent infections. Medical education is a top priority, as well as community involvement and advocacy. In addition to running her practice, Dr. Balfour is the Co-Medical Director of Ambulatory Care for Island Health, supervises medical students in Victoria, and is the program director for Victoria’s local Pediatric Residency Program. Dr. Balfour also serves on the executive board for the BC Pediatric Society (provincial advocacy group) and is a member of the Centre for Health Promotion with the Doctors of BC committee that works for system change and health promotion for vulnerable members of society

Dr. Roxana Bolaria, MD, FRCPC Pediatrics and Pediatric Rheumatology

Dr. Bolaria grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where she completed her medical school education at the University of Saskatchewan. She pursued a residency in general pediatrics in Saskatoon and completed residency training at the Montreal Children’s Hospital which also included a final year fellowship in Intensive Ambulatory Care. Dr. Bolaria then went on to do a pediatric rheumatology fellowship at BC Children’s Hospital. She has lived in Victoria and enjoyed a pediatric rheumatology and general consulting pediatric practice here since May 2002. She also enjoys working and caring for pediatric patients at Victoria General Hospital in the pediatric ward, neonatal intensive care unit, and pediatric daycare unit, as well as the Victoria Arthritis Centre where she works as part of a multidisciplinary team in caring for children with juvenile arthritis. Dr. Bolaria is a member of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Rheumatology Investigators (CAPRI) and collaborates on clinical research with her colleagues from across Canada.

Dr. Lauren Kitney, MD, FRCPC

Dr. Kitney received her medical degree from the University of Alberta and completed her training in Pediatrics at the University of Toronto/The Hospital for Sick Children. She works as a consultant general pediatrician seeing children with a wide range of medical and developmental problems from newborns to adolescents. She provides a range of services in our community including hospital work at Victoria General Hospital and working in the multidisciplinary cleft lip and palate clinic at Queen Alexandra Centre. In addition to running her practice, Dr. Kitney is the Island medical program Director of Clinical Skills. She has an interest in medical education and works closely with medical students and residents teaching, evaluating, and providing mentorship. She is the Workplace-based Assessment Lead for the MD Undergraduate Program at UBC. She is an active member of various committees within the hospital, university, and beyond and has a special interest in literacy promotion. 

Dr. Brett Schrewe, MDCM, MA, FRCPC

A proud Islander since 2018, Dr. Schrewe received his MDCM from McGill University and completed his first three years of pediatric residency at the Montréal Children’s Hospital. After heading to Vancouver originally to complete a clinical educator fellowship and an MA in interdisciplinary studies at UBC, he ended up staying and completed residency at BC Children’s Hospital. Brett splits his professional time between life as a consultant general pediatrician, PhD candidate in educational studies at UBC, academic activities in the UBC Faculty of Medicine, and research, teaching, and mentoring in medical education. He is a founding executive member of the Canadian Association for Health Humanities, and as a board member for RésoSanté Colombie-Britannique, is pleased to offer clinical services in French to members of the growing Franco-Columbian community.