Highlights
Congratulations Dr. Kyla Hildebrand!
The Royal College National Awards program honours the exceptional personal achievements of specialist physicians and surgeons, and other medical professionals across Canada and internationally. These awards recognize contributions to the specialty medical field, the Royal College mission, and to the health care of citizens, both in Canada and globally.
The selection of award recipients is based on a rigorous nomination and review process, overseen by the Royal College’s Awards Committee. Dr. Kyla Hildebrand was awarded the 2020 Royal College AMS Donald Richards Wilson Award for CanMEDS integration. [MORE]
Congratulations to Dr. Srinivas Murthy!
Dr. Srivnas Murthy
Farewell to Dr. John Wu
The Division of Hem/Onc/BMT would like to thank Dr. John Wu for his years of dedication and service to the Division and Department. John has retired from practice but will continue with his research.
His medical knowledge, advocacy for his patients and his holistic care will be missed. We have all learnt so much from John, he has trained many in the Division, and we will certainly miss him.
COVID hasn’t allowed us to say farewell and thank him in a way that he deserves so a humble THANK YOU from all of us!
~ Dr. Caron Strahlendorf, Division Head, Oncology/Hematology/BMT
Three projects funded under Special COVID-19 Strategic Investment Fund (SIF)
COVID-19 has disrupted nearly every aspect of our lives. We greatly appreciate the enormous efforts that the Faculty of Medicine community continues to make in response, whether in clinical settings, laboratories, virtual learning environments, or home offices.
Three out of 15 funded projects were from the Department of Pediatrics!
The purpose of this Special COVID-19 SIF Round is to make funding available for strategic projects related to COVID-19 and the ways in which the Faculty of Medicine’s education, research, organization, and partnerships have changed, are changing, or could change in response.
Organization-related projects
Deepening Our Collective Roots through Intentional WellBEing
Lead: Michelle Man, Communications Coordinator, Department of Pediatrics
Summary: Mitigate the psychological, social, and health impacts of COVID-19 through transformative programming that cultivates wellness and leadership.
Strategic Plan Objective(s): Primary: O5
and
Education-related projects
Virtual Health Pediatric Residency Engagement Initiative
Lead: James Lee, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Summary: Advance inclusion of pediatric residents at BC Children’s Hospital and affiliated sites in virtual health by providing clinical exposure that is lacking due to COVID-19 restrictions, while also building proficiency in virtual health that will benefit future practice.
Strategic Plan Objective(s): Primary: E3, E2 / Secondary: P1
and
Partnership-related projects
Pediatric Sepsis Data CoLaboratory
Lead: Niranjan Kissoon, Professor, Department of Pediatrics; VP Medical Affairs, BC Children’s Hospital
Summary: Create a network of health care workers, policy makers, researchers, and advocacy partners focused on addressing pediatric sepsis mortality and morbidity globally, and a platform for high-quality data collection and sharing. The intended result is better modelling and analytics, quality improvement in clinical care, and the ability to share best practices for advocacy globally.
Strategic Plan Objective(s): Primary: P5, R4
“Having mothers take DHA supplements during the newborn period to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in their very preterm infants cannot be recommended at this point,”
Consumption of DHA supplements, an omega-3 fatty acid, by breastfeeding mothers is ineffective in preventing bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants born before the 29th week of pregnancy. This is the main conclusion of a Canada-wide study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
“Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that affects half of preterm infants, causing significant breathing difficulties that can make them become dependent on ventilators and oxygen for months,” explained the study’s lead author, Dr. Isabelle Marc, pediatrician, professor at the Université Laval Faculty of Medicine and researcher at the CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Centre. “Babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia are at greater risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities, respiratory issues, and, in rare cases, death.” [MORE]
“The changing dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic present a unique challenge for evaluating vaccines for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”
Dr. Manish Sadarangani
With more than 140 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in development, the race is on for a successful candidate to help prevent COVID-19. But—according to a new paper published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ)—there are challenges in evaluating the efficacy of these vaccines during the pandemic. [MORE]
Congratulations Drs. Stuart Turvey, Hind Sbihi and Tobias Kollmann!
Congratulations to Drs. Stuart Turvey, Hind Sbihi and Tobias Kollmann for their CIHR Operating Grant: COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity – Social Policy and Public Health Responses for the project entitled, “Rapid research in the CHILD Cohort to inform Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic: investigating the prevalence and predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the health and psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian families”.
Congratulations Drs. Soren Gantt and Manish Sadarangani!
Dr. Soren Gantt and Dr. Manish Sadarangani are recipients of a CIHR COVID-19 Rapid Research grant which will look at “Household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a well-characterized African cohort.”
Congratulations all!
Congratulations to Constantin Popescu!
Constantin is the recipient of the 2020 Sue Carruthers Graduate Studentship for the project “Improving the diagnosis of severe infections in newborns.”
Supervisor: Dr. Pascal Lavoie
Congratulations Dr. Kirsten Miller!
Medical Lead Child and Youth Health Program, University Hospital of Northern BC
Congratulations to Dr. Kirsten Miller, the recipient of the 2019 Outstanding Health Care Professional Award in the BC-Yukon Region awarded by Diabetes Canada.
The Regional Outstanding HealthCare Professional Award is presented to a health care professionals who have made a difference in improving the lives in individuals living with diabetes in a specific region. This award focuses on the work of a healthcare professional within his/her own medical field.
Dr. Miller worked as a consultant general pediatrician in Prince George since 2005. She teaches medical students from UBC’s Northern Medical Program, Prince George and UBC Pediatric residents who come up to Prince George for community pediatric electives.
While she sees children and adolescents with all ranges of pediatric health problems, her areas of particular interest are child maltreatment and diabetes. As well as running private consulting practice and sharing in the on-call duties at our hospital (UHNBC), she works at Northern Health Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Clinic and she has a regular multi-disciplinary diabetes clinics (with the nurses and dietician from the UHNBC Diabetes Education Centre).
Congratulations Dr. Miller!
Congratulations to Dr. Manish Sadarangani!
Dr. Manish Sadarangani is the recipient of the 2019 AMMI Canada Young Investigator Award awarded by the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada and the Canadian Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious disease.
AMMI Canada Young Investigator Award recognizes a promising young investigator who has already made a substantial contribution to research in the fields of Infectious Diseases or Medical Microbiology.
Dr. Sadarangani is an Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital, Director, Vaccine Evaluation Center, BC Children’s Hospital and Sauder Family Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of British Columbia
Congratulations to Dr. Laura Sly!
Dr. Sly is the recipient of the 2020 CIHR-INMD-CAG Early Career Investigator Partnership Prize which recognizes outstanding contributions to gastroenterology through basic and/or clinical research.
Dr. Sly is an Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.
Congratulations to Drs. Angela Devlin and Constadina Panagiotopoulos!
Dr. Angela Devlin
Dr. Constadina Panagiotopoulos
Congratulations to Drs. Devlin and Panagiotopoulos for their 2019 CNS Publication Award for their article entitled, “The role of lifestyle in mitigating treatment-related weight gain and metabolic complications in children with mental health conditions.”
The Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS), in conjunction with the editorial board of the journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism (APNM), recognizes excellence in the translation of nutrition knowledge. The 2019 award theme was Nutrition for Mental Health. [MORE]
Dr. Devlin is an Associate Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Dr. Panagiotopoulos is a Clinical Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.
Congratulations to Dr. Stuart Turvey!
Dr. Turvey is the 2019 F. Estelle R. Simons Award for Research from the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The F. Estelle R. Simons Award for Research is presented to a CSACI member in recognition of his or her exemplary research in the field of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. To be considered for this award, the candidate’s research should be viewed as significant and of benefit to the specialty. Dr. Estelle Simons, a Professor Emeritas at the University of Manitoba, was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. [MORE]
Dr. Turvey is a Professor, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
To see more about Dr. Turvey’s research visit: https://bcchr.ca/sturvey
Congratulations Dr. Joseph Ting!
Dr. Ting and his team were awarded a MSFHR COVID-19 Research Response Fund Award for their project a Study Of Early Health Outcomes In Neonates Exposed To COVID-19 In British Columbia (SHiNE-BC).
The long-term health challenges and needs of babies born in British Columbia during the COVID-19 pandemic are unknown. Babies can be exposed to the disease by their mother before birth or infected by the virus that causes COVID-19 after birth. The SHiNE-BC project will use information collected provincially to understand the health effects within the first year of life after exposure to COVID-19. [MORE]
Congratulations Drs. Ting and Sarka Lisonkova, Elodie Portales-Casamar, Ashley Roberts, Connie Yang!
Congratulations Dr. Manish Sadarangani!
Dr. Manish Sadarangani
Dr. Manish Sadarangani and his team were awarded a MSFHR COVID-19 Research Response Fund Award for their project COVID-19 in Children and Young Adults in BC – Evaluation of Public Health Measures and Epidemiologic Support for Decision-Makers.
Dr. Manish Sadarangani is director of the Vaccine Evaluation Center at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, UBC Department of Pediatrics. He completed his undergraduate medical training and pediatric residency in Cambridge, Oxford and London in the UK. [MORE]
Congratulations Drs. Sadarangani, Daniel Coombs, Soren Gantt, David Goldfarb and Gina Ogilvie!
The UBC Department of Pediatrics (DoP) awarded two Special COVID-19 Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) grants from the UBC Faculty of Medicine
The purpose the Special COVID-19 SIF is to make funding available for strategic projects related to COVID-19 and the ways in which the Faculty of Medicine’s education, research, organization, and partnerships have changed, are changing, or could change in response.
Intentional WellBEing Program (Launching Fall 2020)
The UBC Department of Pediatrics (DoP) and the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) were awarded $15,000 through the Special COVID-19 Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) from the UBC Faculty of Medicine to launch a health and wellness program to foster psychological and physical wellness, in addition to, a series of interactive virtual workshops to encourage social connections.
The core deliverables of this project are: mindfulness and health-related workshops, mind/body fitness, leadership training, and the creation of an online repository of resources and artifacts for members of the UBC Department of Pediatrics and the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute to be shared the UBC Faculty of Medicine and the C&W community.
Michelle Man (DoP), Primary Investigator
Ashley Biggerstaff (BCCHR), Co-Investigator
Sharon Lau and Laura Christensen (BCCHR), Project Team
QUERIES | VISIT WEBPAGE | SUBCRIBE TO MAILING LIST
Virtual Health Pediatric Residency Engagement Initiative (Launching 2020)
This project will advance the inclusion of Pediatric Residents at BC Children’s Hospital and affiliated sites in Virtual Health, providing them with much needed clinical exposure that is otherwise lacking due to COVID-related restrictions, while also teaching proficiency in virtual health that will be beneficial in future practice. The initiative will also allow trainees who are otherwise sidelined to again contribute to patient care. The award will provide $27,341.11 in funds through mid-2021 to support the creation of a formal virtual health curriculum for residents, provide administrative support, and create standardized procedures for trainees using virtual health.
Dr. James Lee, Primary Investigator
Dr. Mia Remington, Janet Greenman, Mumtaz Virji, Mary Bennett, and Meera Rayar, Co-Investigators
The UBC Department of Pediatrics (DoP) was awarded two Healthy Workplace Initiatives Program (HWIP) grants from the UBC Human Resources
The HWIP grant from UBC Human Resources provides start-up funds and support for health-related, sustainable initiatives. You can apply for funding for programs that include yoga or fitness classes, building a community garden or investing in mental health training in your workplace.
Healthy Workplace Initiatives Program (HWIP) – Mental Health Training $3,000
The UBC Departments of Pediatrics and Psychology were awarded $3000 for Mental Health Training through the Healthy Workplace Initiatives Program (HWIP) which is an annual fund available to UBC departments and units to support grassroots activities that promote wellbeing in the workplace.
Our proposal put forward a program to foster deeper connections within our Mindfulness community at C&W by providing leadership training and mentorship opportunities, networking, and knowledge exchange.
The project will unfold in two parts: First, a series of workshops for trainees and staff at our campus with content posted to the Centre for Mindfulness website. Second, a one day retreat for members of the BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness for networking, team-building and knowledge exchange.
Healthy Workplace Initiatives Program (HWIP) – Innovative New Idea $2500
The UBC Department Pediatrics, Postgraduate and Undergraduate Medical Education Program was awarded a $2500 Innovative New Idea Grant, from UBC Human Resources to host a one day professional development training, self-care, recognition and healing event for program administrators and support staff of the UBC Pediatrics Medical Training Programs scheduled for late October 2020.
Recommended for Leading Practices and Innovations (LPIs)
The Preliminary Accreditation Report of the UBC Postgraduate Medical Education from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada conducted in early March was received. All the departmental programs that were reviewed had their accreditation renewed.
A big shout out to the team in the Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine as their training program was recommended by the Royal College for Leading Practices and Innovations (LPIs). The content and recommendations of the preliminary report are still subject to change as part of the accreditation decision-making process but this is still a notable achievement.
Congratulations all!
Kudos to Dr. Srinivas Murthy
Dr. Srivnas Murthy, Clinical Associate Professor
Supporting the recovery plans, our very own Dr. Srinivas Murthy, a pediatric critical care and infectious diseases specialist, is leading the Canadian Treatments for COVID-19 trial. He is examining potential treatments for COVID-19, a multinational initiative being coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
There are a lot of promising initiatives in fighting this disease and getting us back to enjoying activities that we had before the lockdown. More about Dr. Murthy’s work.
Thank you Dr. Murthy!
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