2025 Women of the Year Awards: Maryam Zeineddin

Change Maker: Maryam Zeineddin

President, BC Family Doctors; co-founder, Ambleside Medical Centre; founder, Zili Care

Community outreach 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. Eventually 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, Zeineddin made up her mind that she could impart change via medicine. “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 something that she does not recommend—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 Medical 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 recognizing that B.C. residents were missing vital evidence-based health resources, she founded Zili Care, a not-for-profit preventative health platform that helps women navigate the complicated 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 doctors’ 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 province. “I do have a message, and I am a very value-driven leader, who strives for the essence of health and wellbeing with gender equity as my north star,” she says.

Discover our full list of 21 BCBusiness 2025 Women of the Year award winners here.