CDTRP 10th Annual Scientific Meeting
The Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP) was pleased to host its 10th Annual Scientific Meeting in a hybrid format on December 5-7, 2023, in Montréal, Québec.
Our Annual Scientific Meeting brings together the national research community to present and discuss the future of the donation and transplantation system, celebrate recent achievements, and examine the strategic direction of CDTRP. We achieved this by:
- Addressing changes to research on a national and global scale (e.g., COVID-19, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Knowledge Translation, the funding climate);
- Spotlighting important topics for future research in transplantation and donation;
- Promoting and engaging senior and junior researchers to present their work to the national community;
- Increasing awareness and collaboration among CDTRP members (including investigators, trainees, and PFDs).
The CDTRP Annual Scientific Meeting Planning Committee developed the program, co-chaired by Dr. Siba Haykal (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon) and Dr. Vanessa Silva e Silva (PhD-Nurse and Assistant Professor). The other members of the Planning Committee were:
- Dr. Amine Benmassaoud (Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist)
- Dr. Suze Berkhout (Early career clinician-investigator and practicing psychiatrist)
- Jorge Castillo-Prado (Trainee)
- Charles Cook (Patient Partner)
- Sean Delaney (Patient Partner)
- Dr. Esme Dijke (Director of the clinical histocompatibility laboratory)
- Dr. Mingyao Liu (Head of the Respiratory and Critical Care Research Group)
- Dr. Francis Migneault (CDTRP Education and Career Development Platform Co-Lead)
- Amy Thachil (Trainee)
If you missed some of the sessions and would like to watch them, recordings are now available on our YouTube channel!
We wish to thank the Accelerating Clinical Trials Consortium, Alberta Transplant Institute, Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc., AstraZeneca, Canadian Blood Services, Paladin Labs Inc., Takeda and the UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre for sponsoring this event!
Highlights from the CDTRP 10th Annual Scientific Meeting
The CDTRP 10th Annual Scientific Meeting featured four CDTRP-focus and priorities sessions, offering attendees valuable insights into the organization’s key areas of focus. Additionally, four interactive sessions showcased abstracts submitted by the community, fostering an exchange of ideas. A trainee oral presentations session provided a platform for emerging talents to share their research. The event also featured three engaging foyer activities – a pop-up art gallery, a photobooth, and an app testing – adding a creative and interactive touch to the meeting. Finally, the 10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet served as an occasion to commemorate a decade of impactful work in the donation and transplantation research, and to look forward to the future with optimism.
TRAINEE ORAL PRESENTATIONS
We wish to congratulate the five CDTRP Trainee Award Winners who have been selected to present their work at the CDTRP 10th Annual Scientific Meeting. Amongst a pool of 18 trainees across Canada, these winners stood out, showcasing their amazing work and expertise in donation and transplantation research. We extend our congratulations and a cash prize of $150 to each winner, recognizing their valuable contributions to the field.
Congratulations to the CDTRP Trainee Oral Presentation winners who got awarded $150 cash prize!
- Chelsea Lanos
- Shiyuan Bian
- Aisha Adil
- Javairia Rahim
- Nicholas Bourgeois
Chelsea Lanos
- Themes 1-2
- Title: Organ donation after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Canada: a missed opportunity for uDCD?
Shiyuan Bian
- Theme 3
- Title: Investigating the Effect of Mechanical Ventilation on Mouse Lung Scaffolds using a Negative Pressure Wet Ventilation System
Aisha Adil
- Theme 3
- Title: Ex Vivo Perfusion De- and Recellularization of Rat Hindlimbs for Vascular Composite Allotransplantation
Javairia Rahim
- Theme 4
- Title: Novel cell surface engineering of the endothelial glycocalyx with sialic acid-containing polymers for the prevention of transplant rejection
Nicholas Bourgeois
- Theme 5
- Title: Virtual pre-habilitation program in lung transplant candidates
FOYER ACTIVITIES
For in-person attendees, we were pleased to host three special activities in the Foyer throughout the meeting. One of these activities was the pop-up art installation, “Curating Critical Futurities in Transplant Medicine: Arts Practices as New Knowledge” hosted by Dr. Suze Berkhout and Chloe Wong-Mersereau from the Univesity of Toronto. Through visual, sonic, and multimedia artistic works, this installation delved into the complexities and experiences of solid organ transplantation, challenging our understanding of this field. Participants also had the chance to admire art pieces by Dominic Quagliozzi, made from recycled hospital fabrics.
Additionally, attendees could explore the prototype of the Health Education & Learning Platform (HELP) mobile app, which aims to improve the transplant journey by providing support and gathering user feedback. This activity was hosted by Dr. Holly Mansell and Taylor Raiche from the University of Saskatchewan.
Lastly, Candice Coghlan, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Centre for Living Organ Donation at UHN hosted the “Great Actions Leave a Mark Photobooth & Living Transplant Podcast,” where people had the opportunity to share their stories and be part of a national movement to raise awareness about living organ donation.
10th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS BANQUET
The CDTRP 10th Anniversary Celebrations Banquet was an unforgettable evening, filled with moments that will resonate in the attendees’ memories. Dr. Lori West, the CDTRP Scientific Director, took center stage and delivered a speech that opened this evening of celebrations. With eloquence and passion, she delved into the achievements of CDTRP over the past decade. She made sure to emphasize the invaluable contributions made by long-time collaborators such as Dr. Marie-Josée Hébert, Dr. Jean Rouleau, Caroline Wong, and David Hartell. They were all present at the event, each delivering a moving speech and sharing their memories of the network.
In addition to Dr. West’s captivating address, the banquet featured inspiring presentations by two incredible individuals. Mai Duong, a leukemia survivor and co-founder of Swab the World, shared her journey, leaving the audience in awe of her resilience and determination.
Lastly, the crowd had the privilege of hearing from Simon Keith (CM), an extraordinary athlete who holds the distinction of being the first person in the world to play professional sports following a heart transplant and Founder of The Simon Keith Foundation, an organization dedicated to increasing organ donor awareness and educating transplant recipients.
The CDTRP 10th Anniversary Celebrations Banquet truly proved to be an evening that brought together remarkable individuals who have not only made significant contributions to the field of donation and transplantation but have also defied the odds and inspired countless others along the way.
From left to right: Simon Keith (CM), Charles Cook, Manuel Escoto, Rienk de Vries, Linda Powell, Sandra Holdsworth, Heather Talbot, Sean Delaney, Oleg Boldireff (Astellas), Mai Duong & Sylvain Bédard.
DAY ONE | Tuesday, December 5, 2023
We opened the CDTRP 10th Annual Scientific Meeting with Sylvain Bédard, a long-time CDTRP patient partner and friend. He delivered an emotional speech about his journey as a patient partner and his experiences and challenges as a double heart transplant recipient. The session continued with Dr. Patricia Gongal, Executive Director and Dr. Lori West, CDTRP Scientific Director, who gave an overview of the highlights of PRDTC in 2023: “CDTRP 10 Years in 10 Minutes.”
The afternoon presentations focused on engaging with patient partners and marginalized groups:
Assistant Professor in health and social services management, Dr. Audrey L’Espérance moderated a panel discussion with patient partners Manuel Escoto, Sandra Holdsworth, and Ke Fan Bei on better developing a framework for evaluating PFD impact within CDTRP: “Evaluating CDTRP’s Patient, Family, and Donor Impact”
Panel discussion focused on:
- Indicators to support data collection and building an evaluation dashboard.
- Engaging participants in a discussion to build consensus so evaluation metrics are relevant to CDTRP’s research community.
- The importance of patient and public relationships in the health ecosystem and integrating experiential knowledge in policy-making processes.
Director of Stem Cell Club, Dr. Warren Fingrut, and Founder & Executive Director of Black Donors Save Lives, Sylvia Okonofua, presented on the need for diverse donors across donation products, underrepresentation of racialized and LGBTQ+ donors across donor pools: “Advancing a more inclusive blood and transplant system for donors from marginalized groups”.
Breakout group discussions focused on:
- Highlighting the need to prioritize inclusion
- Recognizing discrimination
- Understanding barriers to change
- Highlighting the need to address disparities in collaboration with advocates
- Creating a culture to support inclusion
DAY TWO | Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Morning session
Patient partners Rienk de Vries and Sherrie Logan, alongside Dr. Dima Kabbani, presented a workshop on COVID-19 in Transplantation: “A National Approach to Prioritizing Emerging Issues in COVID-19 in Transplantation.”
Breakout rooms focused on:
- Motivators and barriers for participants to enroll in the TREAT-COVID study
- Methods to reach recipients and families across the country
- Ways to better communicate with the participants
Afternoon sessions
Pediatric nephrologist Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen presented on the pediatric urinary CXCL10 biomarker implementation pilot trial: “Patient Engagement Considerations for the Pediatric CXCL10 Implementation Trial. “
- The second half of the session turned into a panel discussion with patient partners Ke Fan Bei, Sherrie Logan, Manuel Escoto, and clinicians-researchers Dr. Héloïse Cardinal and Dr. Marie-Chantal Fortin on how best to engage patient participants and partners within the trial.
Liver nutrition specialist Dr. Chantal Bémeur, kinesiologist, and mental health expert Dr. Isabelle Doré, and patient partner Sandra Holdsworth engaged in a dialogue to help understand patients’ experience and to appreciate their needs better to optimize health status and wellness in the context of liver transplantation: “Working together to optimize long-term health status and wellness in the context of liver transplantation: a holistic view.”
The panel discussion focused on:
- Understanding what a holistic view would be able to provide regarding aspects of health status that are relevant to quality of life and physical and mental health.
- Getting a meaningful portrait of the situation and guiding future research on patient needs.
Trainee Oral Presentations:
- Five trainees presented the most innovative work across CDTRP’s research themes in 10-minute sessions. Presentations during this session are related to CDTRP’s Theme 2 (Inform Universal Practices for Donation), Theme 3 (Engineer and allocate better grafts), Theme 4 (Tailor an optimal individual immune system), and Theme 5 (Restoring Long-Term Health).
DAY THREE | Thursday, December 7, 2023
Morning session
Media and communication specialists Heather Badenoch, Elaine Yong, and CDTRP Media Committee Chair, Linda Powell presented media tips and tricks to making research more understandable to the lay audience: “Working with the media: tips for researchers, patients, families, and living donors.”
Topics included:
- Where media relations fit in your knowledge translation plan.
- What makes a story idea newsworthy?
- Why are key messages important, and how do you prepare key messages about your research or transplant story?
- Top tips for doing interviews, including pre-negotiating and responding to questions.
Afternoon sessions
Respiratory specialist Dr. Golnaz Karoubi, with her trainee Aisha Adil, presented their work on the future application of designer cells and bioengineered tissues: “Feasibility and Challenges Associated with the Application of Bioengineered Cells and Tissues in the Clinic.”
- The second half of the session was a panel discussion with experts: Dr. Siba Haykal, Dr. Braulio Marfil-Garza, Dr. Ian Rogers and patient partner, Sean Delaney.
Executive Directors of the CDTRP, Dr. Lori West, Dr. Sonny Dhanani, and Dr. Patricia Gongal, concluded the conference with a look into the future of CDTRP: “CDTRP: The Next 10 Years”
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.
Dr. Andreas Kramer is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Departments of Critical Care Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences. He graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba in 1997 and received specialty training in internal medicine and critical care at the University of Calgary in 2002. After working for three years as a community internist and intensivist in Manitoba, he obtained fellowship training in neurocritical care at the University of Virginia 2005-2007. During this time, he also completed a Master of Science degree in Health Evaluation Sciences. Dr. Kramer joined the Department of Critical Care Medicine in Calgary in 2007. He has a particular research and clinical interest in neuro-monitoring and prevention of secondary brain injury in neurocritical care patients. Dr. Kramer is on the Editorial Boards of the journals Neurocritical Care and Critical Care Medicine. He has over 90 peer-reviewed publications, with about half of these as first or senior author. He is a co-investigator in a number of CIHR-sponsored clinical trials. Dr. Kramer has written multiple textbook chapters on a variety of neurocritical care topics, and was the co-editor of two 2017 neurocritical care editions of the Handbook in Clinical Neurology. Since 2011, he has been the Medical Director of the Southern Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Program, and serves on numerous Canadian Blood Services advisory committees. Dr. Kramer is married with four very energetic children between the ages of 9 and 17.
Dr. Mypinder Sekhon is an intensivist and clinician-scientist in the intensive care unit at Vancouver General Hospital. He completed his medical school training, internal medicine residency and critical care medicine subspecialty fellowship at the University of British Columbia prior to completing a neurocritical care fellowship at Addenbrooke’s Hospital at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom under the guidance of Professors David Menon and Arun Gupta. Subsequently, he completed is PhD in neurovascular sciences under Professor Philip Ainslie, a Canada Research Chair in cerebrovascular physiology. His clinical and research interests include multimodal neuromonitoring, cerebral autoregulation disturbance after brain injury and critical care management of severe acute brain injury patients.
My name is Matthew Kolisnyk. I am a third-year PhD Candidate in Neuroscience at Western University. My undergraduate training was in Psychology and Statistics, where I spent time applying neuroimaging techniques to memory and mindfulness research. In my current lab, I use neuroimaging to measure residual cognitive function in patients who have sustained an acute brain injury and use that neural measure in combination with machine learning to try and predict which patients will survive their injury. I currently am a research associate at the London Health Science Centre, where we measure physiological and neural changes that occur when patients undergo planned withdrawal of life-sustaining measures.
Jordan is a PhD student at UBC working in the Vancouver General Hospital ICU. His current work focuses on donation after circulatory death by looking at how the brain responds during the dying process after withdrawal of life-sustaining measures. During Jordan’s undergraduate degree in Health Sciences and Physics, he got his start in research focusing on whole body hypoxia in the context of high altitude physiology. This led to working in industry since 2020 using medical imaging to evaluate hypoxia and ischemia in wound care, vascular surgery, and plastic and reconstructive surgery. Jordan returned to school in 2021 to pursue a MSc with Dr. Glen Foster at UBCO focusing on developing and validating a new medical imaging approach to quantify diaphragm blood flow in humans. In 2023, Jordan joined the ICU Research Group to continue looking at oxygenation and blood flow in critically ill patients. As such, the unifying theme of Jordan’s work involves investigating low oxygen and blood flow in both healthy and clinical populations. This focus on physiology underpins the organ procurement process in donation after circulatory death as warm ischemic times may render organs ineligible for transplantation. Outside of research, Jordan can be found playing hockey, biking, running, reading, or trying to spend as much time outdoors in Alberta or British Columbia.
Hayden John is a student researcher passionate about addressing health inequities through patient and community-centred research. He has recently completed the Queen’s Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS) pathway and is a first-year medical student at Queen’s University. Currently, he is a research student with the Kidney Health Education Research Group (KHERG) focusing on the A.C.TI.O.N Project: Improving Access to Living Donor Kidney Transplantation (LDKT) in Ethno-racial Minority Communities in Canada. Under the supervision of Principal Investigator Dr. Istvan Mucsi, Hayden explored the perceived risks and benefits of kidney donation among African, Caribbean and Black Canadians.
Meghan He is a UBC medical student who studied Comparative Literature and Psychobiology at UCLA. Her research focuses on grounding medicine in the humanity of patient stories. She is co-President of the UBC Surgical Club, where she co-founded the EDI advocacy group, UpSurge, in alliance in the UBC Department of Surgery. In her free time, she teaches kids’ yoga with the Vancouver School Board and volunteers for community dance events.
Dr. David Nicholas is a Professor and Associate Dean, Research and Partnerships in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. He is the author of over 200 peer-reviewed research publications addressing topics such as wellbeing and transition to adulthood in chronic health conditions, including kidney disease. Dr. Nicholas’ research further focuses on capacity development in service delivery as well as navigation support for individuals with chronic health issues and disability, and their families. Dr. Nicholas has been the principal investigator on multiple grants from provincial, federal and international sources. He also brings clinical experience as a former nephrology social worker.
Sarah Pol is a Clinical Research Project Manager in the Anthony Lab at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). She completed her undergraduate training in Health Sciences, Anthropology and Community Development at Western University, received a Master of Science in Global Health from McMaster University and pursued further training in Project Management at the University of Toronto. She is the User Experience and Implementation Lead for Voxe, an innovative, child- and healthcare provider-friendly, electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROM) platform for data capture and visualization. She is intricately involved in the SickKids Mental Health Measurement-Based Care (MBC) initiative’s clinical implementation of Voxe. Sarah is passionate about equity-oriented health research, the use of qualitative methods to amplify patients’ voices, artificial intelligence, and the meaningful integration of ePROMs into clinical practice to support MBC.
Jia Lin, MPH, is a Clinical Research Project Coordinator working alongside Dr. Samantha Anthony, a Health Clinician Scientist, in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The Anthony Lab examines the biopsychosocial impact of pediatric chronic illness on patients and families, with a focus on patient engagement, patient-reported outcome measures, implementation science, and mixed methods. In her role, Jia leads multiple clinical research studies across the research pipeline, including a current multi-phase, cross-Canada study exploring the experiences of Indigenous children and families who have received a solid organ transplantation. Rooted in patient and community engagement, this research employs storytelling to consider the multiplicity of knowledge, including Indigenous Knowledge, to advance child health equity. Jia recently began her PhD at McGill University with research interests at the nexus of equity-oriented, patient-engaged health research and applying critical qualitative approaches to amplify patients’ voices.
I obtained my PharmD from the University of Montreal, where I developed a strong foundation in pharmacotherapy. Eager to deepen my expertise, I completed a master’s in advanced pharmacotherapy, which enabled me to become a hospital pharmacist. For several years, I specialized as a cardiology and heart failure pharmacist, gaining invaluable experience in managing complex patient needs. Driven by a desire to expand my clinical skills, I pursued a medical degree, graduating with my MD from the University of Montreal in 2021 and earning a place on the Dean’s List. Following this achievement, I completed my training in internal medicine, and as of July 2024, I am currently in a cardiology residency at the University of Montreal. My primary interests lie in advanced heart failure and heart transplantation, areas in which I am actively involved in research with the advanced heart failure and heart transplant team at the Montreal Heart Institute. My background in pharmacy and medicine uniquely positions me to contribute to the evolving field of heart transplantation.
Ikram Abow-Mohamed is a PGY-3 Internal Medicine resident at McGill University, set to begin a Gastroenterology fellowship at McGill in the upcoming year.
Eva Amzallag holds a master’s degree in anthropology (2018) and a master’s degree in epidemiology (2024), both from Université de Montréal. Currently pursuing a PhD in epidemiology, her research interests include liver transplantation, transfusional medicine, and postoperative complications. Under the supervision of Dr. François Martin Carrier, anesthesiologist at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and CDTRP Investigator, her work explores the relationship between blood transfusions and postoperative pulmonary complications in liver transplant recipients.
Vanessa 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 lead the investigation of burnout among donation coordinators, with the support and collaboration of Canadian Blood Services and key organ donation researchers nationally and internationally.
Dr. Somaya Zahran is currently a Nephrology fellow at McGill University and serves as a Chief fellow in the program. She earned her medical degree from Egypt and completed her PhD at the University of Alberta before pursuing internal medicine residency and nephrology fellowship at McGill University. Dr. Zahran is an AJKD editorial intern and a trainee member of the Canadian Society of Nephrology Clinical Practice Guideline Committee. She is looking forward to starting her Transplant fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Rochester in Jul 2025. Outside of her academic pursuits, Somaya loves spending time with her family and getting creative in the kitchen—she’s on a mission to find the perfect balance between kidney health and decadent desserts!