Highlights
Happy retirement to Dr. Jeffrey Simons
On May 14, 2019, Dr. Jeffrey Simons career was recognized at the UBC Retirement Celebration at Academic Gowns Event.
Dr. Simons played an important role in increasing connections between UBC and BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) that allowed him to build UBC pediatric infrastructure in the north and improve the care of the children in that region.
After 18 years as Head of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario critical care team, Dr. Simons moved to Prince Rupert, BC to serve as: 1) Chief of Staff (2000-2003), 2) Consultant Pediatrician (2000-2014), and 3) Locum Consultant Pediatrician (2014-2015) at Prince Rupert Regional Hospital. He held concurrent roles with Northern Health, specifically the Northwest Health Services Delivery Area (NW HSDA) as; 1) Medical Director (2002-2005) and 2) Head, Department of Pediatrics (2006-2014). Dr. Simons was a Clinical Associate Professor with the University of British Columbia (UBC), Department of Pediatrics (2002-2018).
Happy retirement and thank you for your contributions Dr. Simons!
Congratulations to Dr. Garth Meckler!
CAEP’s Annual Awards recognize excellence in specific areas within emergency medicine, including advocacy, education, research, and professional practice. Nominated by their peers, the final award winners are selected either by a CAEP committee* and/or or the CAEP Board of Directors.
This year’s Marilyn Li Pediatric EM Leadership Award was given to Dr. Garth Meckler.
Dr. Meckler is an Investigator with BC Children’s Hospital, Head of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, BC Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor with the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.
Congratulations to Dr. Meckler!
Dr. Alfonso Solimano awarded the 2019 Distinguished Neonatologist Award at CPS conference
The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) recognized outstanding contributions to child and youth health on June 6-9 in Toronto.
This year’s Distinguished Neonatologist is Dr. Alfonso Solimano, a medical graduate of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia where he also learned physiology and biophysics as a biology student of Dr. Carlos Monge, a world leader in high altitude research. He completed his residency in paediatrics at Rush University in Chicago, and his fellowship in neonatology at The Hospital for Sick Children where he was a research fellow in respiratory physiology under Dr. A Charles Bryan. [more]
Congratulations to Dr. Solimano!
The Pharmacy Informer – Spring 2019 Edition
The Spring 2019 edition of the Pharmacy Informer is hot off the press!
The Pharmacy Informer is a quarterly newsletter that contains important updates and highlights from the Children’s & Women’s Health Centre of BC, Department of Pharmacy.
Oral immunotherapy safe for preschool-aged children with peanut allergies
Congratulations to Dr. Edmond Chan, Head of the Division of Allergy & Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and his team for their work advancing research into pediatric allergies.
“… our findings confirm in a real-world setting that this treatment is not only safe but is well-tolerated in a large group of preschool-aged children.”
New data published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice suggests that oral immunotherapy is safe for preschool-aged children with peanut allergies. [see more]
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2019.04.010
Authors: Lianne Soller, PhD, Elissa M. Abrams, MD, Stuart Carr, MD, Sandeep Kapur, MD, Gregory A. Rex, MD, Sara Leo, MD, Per G. Lidman, MD, Joanne Yeung, MD, Timothy K. Vander Leek, MD, Mary McHenry, MD, Tiffany Wong, MD, Victoria E. Cook, MD, MSc, Kyla J. Hildebrand, MD, MScCH (HPTE), Thomas V. Gerstner, MD, Raymond Mak, MD, Nicole J. Lee, MSc, Scott B. Cameron, MD, PhD, Edmond S. Chan, MD
VIDEOS:
https://www.btvancouver.ca/videos/study-gives-hope-for-kids-with-peanut-allergies/
RADIO:
OTHER:
https://www.bcchr.ca/news/oral-immunotherapy-safe-preschool-aged-children-peanut-allergies
The Tragic Side of Tide Pods
The colorful laundry packets have become one of P&G’s biggest blockbusters. There’s only one problem—too many kids are getting poisoned by them.
For an 8-year-old to be exuberantly goofing off, performing cartwheels and splits while grownups are talking, is nothing out of the ordinary. But as her mother, Katie Mancillas, is explaining, in Bella’s case, it’s almost miraculous.
Six years ago, when Bella was 2, she was rushed to the hospital because she was vomiting so uncontrollably that she inhaled fluid into her lungs, blocking her airways. Not long after she arrived, Bella stopped breathing and briefly flatlined. “Oh, my God, I think Bella’s gonna die,” Katie remembers telling her sister.
The cause of Bella’s near-death experience wasn’t a nasty stomach virus or a toxic pesticide. According to Katie, it was a squishy, multicolored packet that’s an increasingly common presence in American homes: a Tide Pod. Link to Link to Full Article
Dr. Mariana Brussoni was interviewed last Fall about Tide Pods and the article was just published in Fortune Magazine.
Dr. Brussoni is an Investigator with BC Children’s Hospital an Academic Scientist, BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit, an Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Associate Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.
In addition to her affiliations with the BCIRPU, University of British Columbia, and the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Dr. Mariana Brussoni is also a board member of the Child & Nature Alliance of Canada. Trained as a developmental psychologist, she investigates child injury prevention. Current research interests include the influence of geographic, cultural and social places on parenting related to risk and safety; developmental importance of children’s risky play; the impact of injury on children’s health-related quality of life; injuries among Aboriginal populations; and injury surveillance.
Mariana’s research has been featured extensively in national and international media. She currently leads CIHR-funded research to develop an index of the playability of the built environment; and Lawson Foundation-funded research to develop an online tool to reframe parents’ risk perceptions with the goal of facilitating children’s access to nature-based risky play. Further details can be seen at http://brussonilab.ca/.
The Power of Play
The ‘Power of Play’ highlights the many important benefits of just playing around.
The Power of Play, a documentary episode on CBC Nature of Things (https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/the-power-of-play), puts forward fascinating scientific evidence that all animals play and the critical importance of play for healthy development and survival. In children, research is mounting on the many aspects of development that are affected by play, including the brain, the socio-emotional learning, mental health, physical development, and resilience. The documentary highlights changing childhoods, where opportunities for outdoor play and risk taking have gone down. Outdoor risky play lets kids explore the world on their own terms and test their limits in freer and positive environments, which is one of the best things we can do to keep them safe.
The Power of Play features Dr. Mariana Brussoni, a developmental psychologist at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Pediatrics and School of Population and Public Health, and the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Brussoni and her research team focus on child injury prevention and risky play. Dr. Brussoni’s Playability study – highlighted in the Power of Play – examines how children use their neighbourhoods for play in order to develop a ‘Playability’ index to assess how playable a neighbourhood is for children’s outdoor play, and how best to design for play-friendly neighbourhoods.
In the documentary, Dr. Brussoni discusses common parental fears that limit children’s opportunities for play. Her Go Play Outside! study addresses these fears, providing a tool for parents, OutsidePlay.ca, to reframe their perceptions of risk and change parenting behaviours. Parents are taken through a journey featuring a series of tasks carefully designed to coach them to reflect on their attitudes and fears to develop a personalised action plan for making changes to their parenting/caregiving approach. A recently completed randomized controlled trial study confirmed the effectiveness of the tool in changing mothers’ perceptions and parenting behaviours.
For more information on Dr. Brussoni’s research:
- visit https://brussonilab.ca/
- follow us on FB, Instagram and Twitter @PlayOutsideUBC
Congratulations to Drs. Dzung Vo, Joanna McDermid, Jake Locke and Ms. Sabrina Gill!
(From left to right:) Ms. Sabrina Gill, Drs. Joanna McDermid, Dzung Vo, and Jake Locke.
Congratulations to Drs. Vo, McDermid, Locke and Ms. Gill, members of the MARS-A Mindfulness Awareness and Resilience Skills for Adolescents program (MARS-A) at BC Children’s Hospital.
The MARS-A Team were awarded the PHSA+ Award for 2018. The PHSA+ Awards were created with a goal of recognizing and celebrating the passionate contributions our staff make to province-wide health-care solutions. This award is the highest honour within PHSA.
MARS-A Mindfulness Awareness and Resilience Skills for Adolescents program (MARS-A) is an 8-week outpatient training program to teach adolescents (age 15 – 19 years) mindfulness skills to cope with psychological distress, including depressive and anxiety symptoms, chronic pain, and chronic stress. MARS-A is a partnership between Adolescent Medicine and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at BC Children’s Hospital.
Mindfulness video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk7IBwuhXWM
Congratulations All!
Congratulations to Dr. Niranjan “Tex” Kissoon!
Dr. Kissoon is a recipient of the Society of Critical Care Medicine Presidential Citation Award.
This award honors the extraordinary contributions of time, energy and resources to the Society of Critical Care Medicine during 2018.
Congratulations Dr. Kissoon!
Dr. Hal Siden Featured in Today’s Parent Magazine
Congratulations to Dr. Hal Siden, PI of the Optimizing the Management of Pain and Irritability in Children with Severe Neurological Impairment project, for being featured in an article published by Today’s Parent on Oct. 4th.
Read about ‘The children’s hospice that helps terminally ill kids really live‘ to learn more about his important work at Canuck Place.
Dr. Colin White | Celebration of Life, Nov 20 2018
You are invited to celebrate the life of Dr. Colin T. White on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 20th at 2:30pm at the Arbutus Club, 2001 Nanton Avenue in Vancouver.
- RSVP required.
Please contact Alice So, Nephrology Division Secretary at aso2@cw.bc.ca, by phone (604) x5222, or in-person at K4-138.
Do you have photos, memories, and/or a message of condolence? Alice will be collecting submissions for a digital guestbook for Dr. White’s partner and parents.
Please send your submissions by email to aso2@cw.bc.ca (e.g. image files, email/Word document, or PowerPoint slide with your message). Hard copy submissions may be sent to Alice at her office K4-138, ACB, at BCCH.
20th Anniversary Injury Prevention Symposium, Oct 1 2018
On Wednesday, October 10, the research symposium is open to all who are interested in hearing about the future of injury prevention in British Columbia. 20/20 Hindsight and Vision: Focusing on Injury and Violence Prevention in the Future will feature TEDx-style presentations from top researchers and influencers in injury prevention. This event is intended to shine a light on the future of injury prevention in British Columbia, highlighting key provincial activities and emerging research.
Let us know if you are attending the symposium on Wednesday, October 10 by following the link below (the event space is limited to 200 attendees):
Congratulations Dr. Jeff Bishop!
Dr. Bishop is a recipient of a 2018 Clinical Faculty Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching from the Faculty of Medicine.
This award recognizes excellence in teaching by clinical faculty members. [more]
Congratulations Dr. Bishop!
Welcome to Dr. Sarah Jassemi to the Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine!
Dr. Jassemi was born and raised in Ottawa, ON where she also completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Ottawa. She obtained her MD at the University of British Columbia in 2013, and completed her pediatrics residency at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and the University of Calgary in 2016. She completed her subspecialty training in Adolescent Medicine in 2018 at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto, with a clinical interest in refugee youth mental health and development. Her research areas of interest include migrant youth health, medical education, and physician wellness.
When she is not in the hospital, you can find her cycling, hiking, cooking, or travelling. She is delighted to join the Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine this Fall.
Welcome Dr. Jassemi!
Welcome to Dr. Amanda Li!
Dr. Amanda Li was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She graduated from Dalhousie University medical school in 2010, and completed her Pediatrics residency and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology fellowship at the University of British Columbia. Following this, she trained at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the field of Cancer Immunotherapy and Bone Marrow Transplant, with a clinical and research focus on using genetically engineered cell therapies in the treatment of hematologic malignancies.
She is thrilled to be joining her colleagues and mentors at BC Children’s Hospital in the quest to develop innovative and successful therapies for childhood cancer.
Welcome to Dr. Li!
Allergy Check
A food allergy occurs when the body’s immune system reacts unusually to a specific food. Though reactions are often mild, they can also be serious. It can be difficult to determine whether a symptom is an allergic reaction or caused by another factor – and this is why we created Allergy Check.
This tool is intended to help patients and parents understand whether specific symptoms may be caused by a food allergy, and whether further advice from an Allergy Specialist is recommended.
This quick assessment tool will guide you through identifying the likelihood of a food allergy with just a few clicks. You can also visit the app’s Resources section to learn more about food allergies, and what you might be able to do to reduce uncomfortable symptoms. While Allergy Check is a helpful tool, it does not replace the expert medical advice of a licensed physician or other medical professional.
Symptoms of a food allergy can affect several different areas of the body. Some common symptoms include an itchy sensation in the mouth, throat or ears, a rash or hives, swelling, problems breathing, or even abdominal pain and vomiting. The Allergy Check algorithm takes into account your specific symptoms and provides you with a personalized food allergy result.
For more information see: allergycheck.ca
The Colonel Harland Sanders Allergy Clinic at BC Children’s Hospital
From left to right: Vanessa Abaya, Jocelyn Jia, Tess Erazo, Dr. Tiffany Wong, Dr. Allison Eddy, Jennifer Graham, John Jacob, Karen Karny, Bill Karny, Dr. Edmond Chan, Brendan Azzano, Lillian Hum, Lianne Soller, Nicole Lee, Linda Lemke, and Amy Wang.
The Colonel Harland Sanders Charities’ generous gift to BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, will ensure that children, throughout BC, Canada and around the world, who require specialized care for allergies, will have a place to turn to for years to come.
With their transformational gift, the Colonel Harland Sanders Allergy Clinic at BC Children’s Hospital, now holds a nucleus of world-class talent & greater outreach and has also gained recognition from other leaders in the field of allergy research, right here at BC Children’s Hospital.
NEW HEAD APPOINTED TO DIVISION OF DERMATOLOGY
In the spring of 2018, Dr. Wingfield Rehmus was appointed as the new Head for the Division of Dermatology.
Dr. Rehmus is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and an associate member of the Department of Dermatology and Skin Science at UBC. She completed her medical school at Duke University; earned an MPH in International Health from Yale University; and, completed her dermatology training at Stanford University. Upon the completion of her residency, she joined faculty at Stanford with a focus on clinical trials and became the co-director of the clinical trials unit.
In 2006, Dr. Rehmus moved with her family to the Republic of Palau where she practiced dermatology and led strategic planning for the Palau Bureau of Public Health. In 2009, she began working at BC Children’s Hospital. Her main research interest is in increasing access to care in remote and under-resourced places through education, expansion of telehealth, and outreach.
Mandate
To foster discovery through progressive research while advancing knowledge to the highest standards of health education, scholarship and innovation. We transform pediatric health by strengthening and sustaining our partnerships with key stakeholders through promoting ‘best health’ prevention and clinical excellence while ensuring high quality pediatric health care for the Province.
Quick Finds
- CareersDiscover career opportunities within the department.
- Residency ProgramLearn about becoming a resident within the department.
- OrientationsFind UBC and hospital-related information.
- Mailing List Sign-upSign up to our weekly bulletin or monthly highlights.
- Me.PediatricsA platform of apps to record and analyze your hours, encounters, etc.
- Faculty of MedicineThe Faculty of Medicine educates health professional and life sciences students.
- EducationWith 16 Royal College accredited programs, the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, has played a vital role in developing undergraduate, residency, and clinical fellowship training programs for over 50 years.Learn More
- Clinical CareThe only children’s hospital in British Columbia, 19 subspecialty divisions within the Department of Pediatrics provide secondary and tertiary care for the children and youth of the province.Get Involved
- ResearchAs one of the main pillars of academic Health Centers, research is a critical component of the department’s activities in the promotion of high quality evidence-based practice.Explore