This is the second edition of our special series to mark The Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program’s 10th Anniversary!
Learn more about the people and projects that have left their mark on the network!
The Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program is celebrating its 10th Anniversary, and to mark this special occasion, we want to highlight the people and projects that have made a significant impact on the network.
Patient, family, and donor partners: nothing about us without us
Since its inception, the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP) has been fortunate to work with patient, family and donor (PFD) partners who have been involved every step of the way – from the initial stages of research to the dissemination of findings. Upholding the principle of patient engagement, the CDTRP has created a place for them in all stages of the research process, ensuring that their needs and perspectives are central to the work being done.
One important initiative core to this commitment is the creation of the Patient Researcher Partnership Platform in 2016. This platform brings patients and researchers together to develop research projects that respond to the needs of patients and families. The platform has continued to evolve over the years, to give a special place to all patient, family and donor partners in the research process.
By working closely with patients, families and donors, the CDTRP has been successful in ensuring that its research truly focuses on improving the lives of those affected by donation and transplantation. This has been a central priority for the Program and its partners since the beginning, and it remains a key focus for the future.
As we celebrate 10 years, it is important to recognize the vital contributions of those who have made this work possible. Through their dedication and collaboration, they have helped to advance our understanding of donation and transplantation and improve outcomes for patients and families across Canada.
Patient Voices: Sandra Holdsworth and Sylvain Bédard’s CDTRP Story
Meet Sandra Holdsworth and Sylvain Bédard, two long-time patient partners who have been with us since the very beginning. In these interviews, they share their experiences with the network and discuss the impact it has had on their patient journey. Sandra and Sylvain also reflect on their favorite memories from CDTRP’s Annual Scientific Meetings and share their hopes for the future of patient engagement in research. Join us in learning from these inspiring individuals and gaining a deeper understanding of the vital role that patient partners play in shaping healthcare research.
About Sandra Holdsworth
Sandra Holdsworth worked in banking for 30 years before, she received a liver transplant in 1997, following years of undiagnosed rare liver disease and Crohn’s disease. She now lives with a permanent ostomy, chronic kidney disease, and PTSD. Sandra is a Patient Partner co-lead with the Canadian Donation Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP), focusing on long term outcomes, including, exercise, nutrition, and mental health. She is also an advocate for organ and tissue donation, mentoring others on their healthcare journeys.
About Sylvain Bédard
Sylvain Bédard first heard of the word transplant in 1980 when he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart disease that had taken the life of his 18-year-old sister. Sylvain fought for 20 years before finally receiving the gift of life. Involved with the transplant community (CEPPP) and patient partner with the CDTRP, Sylvain shares his life with Charlie, his dog who has been providing him with motivation and comfort for many years.
Our trainees: the future of donation and transplantation research
Since the network’s inception, trainee support has been at the forefront of our mission, and we are proud to have nurtured the next generation of donation and transplantation researchers. In September 2013, we launched the CNTRP National Academic Training Program, which is now known as the Education and Career Development Platform. This platform continues to provide critical support to trainees across the country.
Since day one, trainee support has been an integral part of the core activities of the network. We recognize the importance of mentorship in developing the next generation of researchers, and we are pleased to offer mentor support and collaboration opportunities to our trainees. Additionally, we provide a special place at our Annual Scientific Meetings for trainees to showcase their work.
As we reflect on the past 10 years, we are excited about the future of donation and transplantation research. Our trainees and researchers are at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to pressing issues in this field, and we are committed to providing ongoing support for their work. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners and stakeholders to advance the mission of the CDTRP.
Navigating the Path to Research Success: Insights from CDTRP Alumni Dr. Anne Halpin and Dr. Vanessa Silva e Silva
We had the pleasure of speaking with Anne Halpin and Vanessa Silva e Silva, two former CDTRP trainees who are now pursuing successful research careers. They shared their experiences with the CDTRP Education and Career Development Platform and how it prepared them for their current roles. We also discussed the specific skills and knowledge they gained from the program that have been most helpful in their careers. Lastly, they offered valuable advice for current trainees who are interested in pursuing graduate studies and a research career.
About Dr. Anne Halpin
Anne Halpin is Clinical Fellow at the University of Alberta Hospital (Alberta Precision Laboratories). She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology at the University of Alberta. She completed a BSc in Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Alberta as well as received an MSc in Public Health from Trinity College, Dublin. She recently completed a PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Lori West, also at the University of Alberta, where her research focused on immune risk assessment in pediatric heart transplantation related to HLA, non-HLA, and ABO antibodies.
About Dr. Vanessa Silva e Silva
Vanessa Silva e Silva is a PhD-nurse, and a former Organ Donation Coordinator who has been devoted to research and active involvement in Organ Donation and Transplantation activities for over 10 years. Her research expertise is focused in quality improvement of organ donation programs and structures worldwide. She was a Kidney Research Scientist Core Education Program (KRESCENT) fellow and a Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP) trainee. She currently co-leads two groups within the CDTRP structure: Theme 1 “Improve the Culture of Donation” and the Allied Research in Donation and Transplantation (ARDOT) working group. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Brock University, and investigates burnout among donation coordinators, with the support and collaboration of Canadian Blood Services and key organ donation researchers nationally and internationally.
Advancing Donation and Transplantation Research: A Look into the Passionate CDTRP Community
We also need to take a moment to highlight some of the amazing projects that are being led by passionate members of the CDTRP community.
These projects are driven by the desire to advance research in the fields of donation and transplantation and are characterized by their collaborative and innovative nature. They involve people from a wide range of disciplines, including basic and clinical research, stem cells and organs, and donation and transplantation.
One of the key strengths of these projects is the sense of community that they foster. This spirit of collaboration is evident in the way that members work together, both in person and remotely, to achieve their goals. This collaborative work is enhanced by the regular meetings that are held to share ideas and progress, and to ensure that everyone is moving in the same direction.
Overall, the projects that are part of the CDTRP exemplify the best of what can be achieved through interdisciplinary research and collaboration. They are making real progress towards improving the lives of those who find themselves involved in donation, those in need of transplants and those living with organ failure.
CDTRP’s Bright Minds: A Look into the Work of Dr. Mélanie Dieudé and Dr. Sonny Dhanani
We had the pleasure of meeting with two very well-known members of the community: Dr. Mélanie Dieudé and Dr. Sonny Dhanani, who have been involved with CDTRP since its inception as researchers, and later as a part of its leadership. In these two interviews, we discussed their projects, how the CDTRP has supported their work, and what unique aspects of the network they find most valuable. Watch the videos below to learn more about their experiences and insights.
About Dr. Mélanie Dieudé
Trained as an immunologist, Dr. Mélanie Dieudé is a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Montréal, and a researcher in the Immunopathology Axis of the CHUM research center. The CRCHUM Dieudé laboratory team is working to reveal the interaction between zoonoses and immunosuppression, and to study autoimmune responses derived from vascular lesions, of importance in transplant rejection, graft-versus-host disease and systemic lupus erythematosus. Dr. Dieudé played a leading role in the scientific development of the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP) and served as CDTRP Executive Director from 2020 to 2022. Since January 2022, Dr. Dieudé has joined Héma-Québec as Director of Research, Medical Affairs and Innovation. In this capacity, she leads a team of more than 40 prolific scientists and highly qualified research professionals working in various fields, including transfusion medicine, stem cells, breast milk and human tissues for transplantation.
About Dr. Sonny Dhanani
Dr. Sonny Dhanani is the chief of the pediatric intensive care unit at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa and Professor (Pediatrics) at the University of Ottawa.
He is now the Chair of the Canadian Donation Physician Network, Chair of Canadian Blood Services’ national Deceased Donation Advisory Committee, and steering committee member of Health Canada’s Organ Donation and Transplantation Collaborative. Dr. Dhanani is Associate Director for donation research for the CDTRP.
His area of focus is leading international research pertaining to practices and standards for determining death after cardiac arrest for the purposes of donation.
Stay tuned for more stories related to the CDTRP 10th Anniversary in the coming months!
ity of Alberta and has received training in patient-oriented research through the University of Calgary’s PACER (Patient and Community Engagement Research) Program. He is the Patient, Family, and Donor Partnerships & Education Manager with the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program. In this role, Manuel builds relationships patient partners with investigators and strengthens capacity among CDTRP patient partners.
Anders Billström 
Gareth Wiltshire
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Sherrie Logan 
born and raised in Edmonton, AB. With a degree in Music Performance (saxophone performance) and Education, Lindsey has taught for over a decade in the Edmonton Public School system. When she is not teaching, she is very involved in the music community, performing in the Edmonton Winds, conducting her own community ensemble (The Beer League Band) and on numerous musical boards across the province. For the past 5 years, Lindsey has had to take a break from teaching after having her amazing son, George. Maternity leave did not goes as expected as George was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy at 5 months old and required 2 heart transplants before the age of 4. During this time, Lindsey has also began to dedicate her time building and expanding her charity: Big Gifts for Little Lives, where they raise money to fund Pediatric Heart Transplant research at the Stollery.
Dr. Caigan Du is a scientist at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia. He received a Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry in UK and postdoctoral training in Immunology in USA. He is interested in the pathogenesis of kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury and transplant rejection, and molecular control of urinary malignancies. He has been studying the impact of kidney donor-derived factors on renal allograft rejection, and the molecular pathways of kidney injury and regeneration in experimental models. He is also interested in developing medical solution including drugs made from natural compounds for all kinds of health problems, including immune disorders, organ preservation, kidney failure and urinary cancer. He is the PI of many grant supports from the Kidney Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Heather Badenoch is a non-directed living liver donor and communications strategist. As the president of Village PR, she provides strategic communications direction and training to not-for-profit clients in community and health. An active transplant volunteer, Heather helps transplant candidates find living donors by running their public appeals, small and large, pro-bono. She also mentors potential living donors on the path to living donation. Heather is a volunteer with the UHN Centre for Living Organ Donation and the Canadian Donation and Transplant Research Program. She and her spouse adopt rescue dogs and volunteer together with Community Veterinary Outreach, a group providing free veterinary care to the pets of people who are homeless.
Sean Dicks is a clinical psychologist who has 20 years’ experience supporting both families of organ donors and transplant recipients. While it is rare for him to have contact with a donor family and recipient linked to the same organ donation-transplantation event, his contact with families who have lived experience with organ donation on the one hand, and patients who have received transplants on the other hand has provided opportunities to explore how their journeys become linked when they attempt to make sense of and find meaning in their respective crises.
Terri Hansen-Gardiner is a Cree speaking Metis woman from Northern Saskatchewan as well as a 10 year Breast Cancer Survivor. Her tireless spirit and dedication to her community is undeniable. Terri is a cancer survivor who travels around the province to provide assistance, information, and support to Indigenous patients who are trying to access and navigate the cancer care system.
Dr. Golnaz Karoubi is Assistant Scientist at the Toronto General HospitalResearch Institute and principal investigator in the Latner Thoracic Research Labs. She currently holds an Assistant Professor appointment in the department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and a cross-appointment in the department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto. Dr. Karoubi received her PhD in Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto and joined the Lung Regenerative Medicine Program in the Department of Clinical Research in Berne University, Switzerland for a post-doctoral research fellowship. She stayed on as a Group Leader in 2008 to direct the basic and transitional science as related to Cancer Stem Cell and Lung Regenerative Medicine in the Department of Biomedical Research at the University of Berne until 2012. In early 2012, she joined the team of Dr. Tom Waddell at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute as a Senior Scientific Associate and was appointed to Assistant Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (University Health Network) in November 2019 and to Assistant Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology in July 2020.
Dr. Haykal graduated from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine in2007 as class valedictorian and silver medalist, and subsequently completed her residency training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Toronto in 2016. During her residency, she completed a four-year Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and immunology with a focus on tracheal reconstruction. She obtained numerous grants and awards including a CIHR Vanier Scholarship. Dr. Haykal then pursued fellowship training in microsurgical reconstruction at the Albany Medical Centre in New York. Dr. Haykal joined the University Health Network and the Toronto General Hospital in 2018. Her clinical focus is on complex oncological reconstruction and microsurgical reconstruction of the breast, head and neck and extremity. She started a lymphedema program in 2019 where she offers microsurgical techniques for the treatment of lymphedema.
Dr. Ahmed is a Professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. The recipient of the 2022 Hypertension Canada Senior Investigator Award, she is a nephrologist and clinician-scientist with a focus on sex and gender differences in human cardiovascular/kidney physiology and clinical outcomes. Dr. Ahmed is the Vice Chair (Research) for the Department of Medicine, Lead of the Libin Institute Women’s Cardiovascular Health Research Initiative at the University of Calgary and Lead of the Alberta Strategy for Patient Oriented Research Capacity Development Platform. Dr. Ahmed is an Advisory Board member for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Gender and Health, a member of the Canadian Medical Association Journal Governing Council and the President-Elect for the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences.
r. Christopher Nguan is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Urological Sciences, Surgical Head of Kidney Transplantation at Vancouver General Hospital and the Director of the Surgical Technologies Experimental Laboratory & Advanced Robotics (STELLAR) facility at Vancouver General Hospital.
r Caroline Lamarche is a clinician scientist and transplant nephrologist at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. She is an assistant clinical professor at the Université de Montréal. After her nephrology training at the Université de Montréal (2015), she completed a Master degree on the use of adoptive immunotherapy to treat/prevent BK nephropathy in kidney transplant recipients. She then pursued a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Megan Levings at the University of British Columbia on the use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) regulatory T cells (Tregs) to induce transplant tolerance. Her lab is working on the development of adoptive immunotherapy in nephrology and understanding Treg dysfunction.
Dr. Tandon is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Co-Director of the Cirrhosis Care Clinic, Transplant Hepatologist and lead of the Cirrhosis Care Alberta quality improvement program. She obtained her training at the University of Alberta, the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona and Yale University. Her clinical practice and research are focused on cirrhosis with research interests including cirrhosis related complications, malnutrition, frailty, exercise therapy, palliative care, integrative health approaches such as meditation and knowledge translation. It is her career goal to provide wholistic, interdisciplinary, evidence based, patient-centered care through education, empowerment, engagement and team-work.
Emily is a PhD student at the University of Alberta, where she completed her Master of Science (MSc) degree in medicine. With a passion for patient-oriented research and a commitment to improving health outcomes, Emily’s doctoral project focuses on EMPOWER, a 12-week online mind-body wellness program designed for adults living with chronic health conditions.
Dr Basil S. Nasir, M.B.B.Ch
Dr. Victor Ferreira is an Assistant Scientist in the Ajmera Transplant Centre at the University Health Network (UHN) and the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI). He is also an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (LMP). He completed his PhD in Medical Sciences – Infection and Immunity Specialization at McMaster University in 2014 and post-doctoral training at UHN. His research program is focused on three pillars: I) using systems vaccinology to reveal insights into vaccine responses in immunocompromised individuals like transplant recipients; II) characterizing the impact of chronic viral infection on host immune responses; and III) developing novel methods for eliminating latent viruses in human organs. His work has been cited >2,500 times and is published in journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Immunology, the Lancet Infectious Diseases, Clinical Infectious Diseases, the American Journal of Transplantation and Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Chemical Engineering as an Assistant Professor in August 2014. She is a biochemical engineer with expertise in bioprocess development, high‑throughput screening and stem cell culture optimization. Her research aims to develop bioprocesses to produce and transplant therapeutic cells to treat diabetes and cardiovascular disease. She notably developed new methods to encapsulate pancreatic islets, as well as vascular biomaterials surface modification strategies which are now applied by other researchers around the world. Her emerging leadership in bioengineering was recognized through the 2014 Martin Sinacore Outstanding Young Investigator Award from Engineering Conferences International & Biogen Idec, as well as the “Étoiles effervescence” award from Montreal InVivo.
Chantal Bémeur is a nutrition specialist in relation to liver disease and its many complications. Professor Bémeur trained as a dietitian/nutritionist and completed her graduate studies and two post-doctoral fellowships in nutrition, focusing on conditions affecting the hepatic and nervous systems, such as hepatic encephalopathy and Leigh Syndrome French Canadian. Professor Bémeur’s research activities are generally of a fundamental and clinical nature, including a collaboration with CHUM’s Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology. As an expert member of the International Society on Hepatic Encephalopathy and Nitrogen Metabolism, Dr. Bémeur has participated in the development of guidelines on nutrition and liver disease. She is also part of a team of Canadian experts who developed an evidence-based nutritional education guide collaborating with people with chronic liver disease and their caregivers. She received an award from the Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec in 2018 for her work on this guide. Dr. Bémeur has published several book chapters, 30 scientific articles and over 100 scientific abstracts. Dr. Bémeur’s co-directs the HepatoNeuro Laboratory in the Cardiometabolic Axis of the Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CRCHUM). Several organizations, including the Donation and Transplantation Research Program of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research fund Dr. Bémeur’s research.
Dr Thozama Siyotula is a distinguished paediatric surgeon at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. With a profound interest in hepatobiliary, transplant, thoracic and neonatal surgical outcomes. She completed her undergraduate training in 2011 at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Furthering her studies she went on to specialise in paediatric surgery through the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, completing her FCPaedSurg (SA) in 2021 and a master’s in medicine (Paediatric Surgery) in 2021 at the University of Cape Town. She currently works as a paediatric surgeon and transplant surgeon. A senior lecture at the University of Cape Town and course convenor for the 5th year undergraduate paediatric surgery program at the University of Cape Town.
David Thomson is a critical care subspecialist and abdominal transplant surgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town. His interests are deceased donation, ECMO, medical education and system improvement. He created the massive open online course Organ Donation: From Death to Life hosted on Coursera.org to improve education around organ donation and transplantation. He is the immediate past President of the Southern African Transplantation Society and led development on a report on Organ and Tissue Donation in South Africa: Creating a National Strategic Roadmap in collaboration with the International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement. He worked on the World Brain Death Project and is the lead author on the South African Guidelines for Determination of Death published in 2021.
About Dr. Julie Ho
Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen completed his MD at McGill University, and his Pediatric and Nephrology specialization at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, followed by further specialization in transplantation at the University of California, Los Angeles. He began his Nephrology career at the University of Manitoba in 2001, where he was Division Head of Nephrology from 2005-2014.
Monica Bronowski completed an undergraduate degree in neuroscience at Dalhousie University, with a focus on innovative neurotechnology. Before starting her PhD, she worked in hematology, oncology, and bone marrow transplant (BMT), conducting clinical trials across various study phases for multiple myeloma, bone marrow transplant, and CAR-T therapies. This experience exposed her to both early and late-phase clinical trials, deepening her interest in translational research.
Angela Hamie has just graduated from the University of Alberta and holds a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Immunology and Infection. Her presentation will summarize her research conducted throughout her fourth year undergraduate thesis project, which focuses on the Age, Thymus Excision, Organ Type, and Immunosuppression on Lymphocyte Subpopulations in pediatric transplantation.
Mitchell Wagner is currently a first year medical student at the University of Alberta. He graduated from the U of A in 2022 with an Honors degree in Immunology and Infection with a certificate in biomedical research. He recently defended a Master of Science in Experimental Surgery, focusing on the optimization of out-of-body heart perfusion. Mitchell’s main research interest is on strategies that improve donated organs through ex-situ heart perfusion apparati, however has also been involved in clinical research within the areas of radiology, respiratory medicine, and cardiology. Mitchell is the recipient of multiple prestigious awards such as the Canada Graduate Scholarship – Masters and the Cote Biomedical Research Studentship. As an aspiring surgeon-scientist, he intends on completing an MD/PhD program focusing to further improve out of body heart perfusion protocols.
Sarjana Alam is an undergraduate science student at the University of Alberta, where she is a research trainee under the supervision of Dr. Esme Dijke in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology. She is involved in a project investigating the cryopreservation of T regulatory cells for tolerogenic cell therapy.
Marie-Pier joined Dre. Marie-Josée Hébert’s lab in the nephrology, transplantation and renal regeneration research unit at the CRCHUM in 2024. She obtained her BSc degree in biology at McGill university and is now pursuing a Masters degree in the Molecular Biology program at l’Université de Montréal. She is currently working on evaluating the pro-angiogenic potential of RNAs enriched in apoptotic exosomes and whether these RNAs cooperate to modulate endothelial function. Marie-Pier is also a trainee in the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research program (CDTRP).Outside of the lab, Marie-Pier loves to read, go to spin classes and play word games like Scattegories and Bananagrams.