Biography:

Natasha Prodan-Bhalla obtained her MN/NP from the University of Toronto. She went on to work as a Nurse Practitioner on a cardiac surgery ward in Ontario. Before moving to BC in 2002, Natasha worked with Doctors Without Borders in Sri Lanka. Natasha has worked as both a Clinical Nurse Specialist and a Nurse Practitioner on the post operative cardiac surgery ward at St. Paul’s Hospital. In 2008 she started at BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre where she developed and implemented the Heart Program for Women, a primary prevention program for women at risk of developing heart disease. She is now working in both the Heart Program for Women as well as the Women’s Primary Care Community Clinics in the Downtown Eastside. She is an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Nursing, UBC and the University of Victoria and has taught at both UNBC and BCIT. She is the founding President of the British Columbia Nurse Practitioner Association and remains active in the organization. She is active in advancing the role of the nurse practitioners in BC which includes membership on several committees including the newly formed BC Coalition of Nursing Associations and the BC Medical Quality Initiative. She has worked with marginalized women for over five years and has a passion of understanding how to better deliver care to this population and started her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) to help develop some solutions. Her clinical and research interests include women’s health, primary prevention of heart disease, and working with marginalized populations and diverse cultures.