Slide 1
Meet Our Team
Dr Aaron Barrie
Originally from a farming community in southwestern Ontario, Dr. Aaron Barrie first completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Guelph, before graduating with a Doctor of Optometry from the University of Waterloo in 2007. He first practiced in Kelowna in family optometry and refractive surgery before heading to the Kootenays and practicing in Nelson. He finally settled in the Vernon area in 2010 and has been caring for his patients here ever since.
Dr Barrie currently lives in Coldstream with his wife Lauren and two young children. An avid volunteer, he has been a member of the Lavington Firehall for the past decade and volunteered for two seasons as an adaptive ski instructor for the Silver Star Adaptive Sports program. Dr Barrie spends his fall and winter seasons coaching his kid’s hockey teams. He is also an avid skier and enjoys weekends skiing with his family at Silver Star and riding his mountain bike in Kal Park.
Deb
Deb is a licensed optician who has been helping people find that perfect pair of glasses or contact lenses for over 30 years. Deb uses her wealth of knowledge and experience, combined with today’s technology to help make your vision even better in contact lenses and glasses. She is excited to be working with Dr Barrie and is a valued member of the Monashee Optometry team! On weekends, you can find Deb outside running, hiking, skiing and, enjoying everything the Okanagan has to offer.
Lauren
Lauren, our operations manager, worked alongside Dr Barrie to establish Monashee Optometry. She wears many hats at the clinic, with her main focus being the behind the scenes of the clinic, but she also enjoys interacting with people. Picking out frames with patients is one of her favourite parts of the job! On weekends, if she’s not catching up on paperwork, you will find Lauren running on the trails at Kal Park or volunteering in her kids’ sports!
Michelle
Michelle brings experience and a genuine passion for people to Monashee Optometry. As an Optometric Assistant, Michelle combines her exceptional customer service skills with a desire to help others and create meaningful connections. Outside of work, Michelle is on Kal Lake paddle boarding, hitting the rail trail on her e-bike and snowshoeing, as well as spending time with friends and family.
Makenzy
Makenzy is one of our valued optometric assistants, and our unofficial IT-tech here at Monashee Optometry. You will find Makenzy in our clinic pretesting patients of all ages, and helping our patients find that perfect pair of glasses. A whiz at anything computer related, Makenzy has a background in graphic design. She is also an artist, spending her free time painting.