September 9, 2022
It is with profound sadness, mixed with a degree of disbelief, that we have to share the devastating news of the death of Dr Lindsay Rawling, friend, colleague and staff anesthesiologist at BC Children’s Hospital.
Lindsay trained in the UK and first came to BCCH as a Clinical Fellow in 2014. She returned to join our Faculty in 2017. During her short career with us, she successfully challenged the FRCPC, became a Clinical Assistant Professor in the UBC APT Department, and took on the role of Medical Director of our Preoperative Assessment Clinic. In this last capacity, amongst other achievements she helped lead our implementation of the ever-shifting perioperative COVID guidance as it pertained to children in 2020 and 2021.
Outside of work, Lindsay was a phenomenal athlete. She excelled at every sport she tried. She took a year out of anesthesia training in the UK to play professional tennis, and continued to coach here in Vancouver. She was an avid cyclist, with sub-4hr Whistler Gran Fondo times. And she loved skiing and ski touring. She was also a musician, played piano and clarinet in her time. She was a private person but great fun to be around, always with a twinkle in her eye & a wicked sense of humour. We will miss her more than words can possibly describe.
September 7, 2022
August 26, 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Anshula Ambasta who recently received a Faculty of Medicine Strategic Initiative Fund (SIF) grant to support her project – RePORT – Re-purposing the ordering of ‘routine’ laboratory testing in health care systems.
The goal of Dr. Ambasta’s project is to optimize laboratory testing in clinical medicine. Appropriate laboratory test utilization can benefit: (i) patients, who avoid discomfort /inconvenience related to blood draws and downstream cascades of further testing and therapeutic use related to false-positive results, (ii) healthcare providers, who have increased confidence in ordering practices and lower cognitive load related to false positive results, and (iii) healthcare systems, that are faced with economic restraints, heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Ambasta and her co-applicants will partner with relevant stakeholders to develop system re-design and knowledge exchange tools to guide future knowledge translation in this critically important area of health care.
August 10, 2022
Dr. Emmanuel Osei, Dr. Hackett’s graduated joint PhD student and PCTH program were recently highlighted by the vice provost.
You can find a link to the full article here.
July 13, 2022
Dear Colleagues
I sadly must report the loss of another of our excellent ‘old guard’. Dr. Ken Turnbull passed away on July 3rd. Dr. Turnbull worked in the VGH Department of Anesthesia, and became upon retirement from clinical practice, one of our treasured early simulation program support faculty.
He is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.
There is no announcement of service yet.
Dr. Roanne Preston
Kenneth W. Turnbull, MD FRCPC
Acting Head – 1991
Dr. Ken Turnbull was a Professional Civil Engineer before he became an anesthesiologist and joined Vancouver General Hospital and UBC in 1972.
He was the chair of the Continuing Medical Education and Visiting Professor program until 2003. And in the same year, he initiated the use of the Centre of Excellence of Surgical and Education Innovation (CESEI) for anesthesia simulation. He invested in the Anesthesia Simulation Program over the years; getting it started initially and then the provided the ongoing weekly support until 2016.
He was promoted to Clinical Professor Emeritus in 2003 after retirement. He was awarded the Clinical Practitioner Award by the CAS in 2002
He was an excellent clinician and teacher who was involved in the wide variety of activities, in medical undergraduate and residency teaching, giving lectures nationally and internationally. He chaired many committees in the hospital and the University during his tenure and he was highly respected by his anesthetic and surgical colleagues and was a life time learner.
June 6, 2022
For more information, please see memo.
May 24, 2022
Welcome to the 16th Annual APT Research Day
Details are as follows:
• May 26, 2022 (Thursday)
• 1030 to 1530
• St. Paul’s Hospital, Cullen Lecture Theatre (map attached)
• APT research day program found here
• Zoom Meeting ID 95272 854360, Passcode 854360
Directional instructions to the Conference Centre:
• Thurlow Street Entrance: Follow the dark blue and white Conference Centre sign to elevator. Take the elevator to Level 1.
• From St. Paul’s Hospital Parkade: Take elevator or stairs to Providence Level 1.
• Burrard and Comox Street Entrances: Walk past the Information Desk (turn left if entering from Burrard) to the end of the hall. Take one flight of stairs down to Providence Level 1 (1st door downstairs). Turn right down the long hallway. At the end of the hallway, turn right to the Conference Centre.
April 19, 2022
Meeting presentation can be found here.
December 22, 2021
It is with sadness that we announce Dr. Morley Sutter MD, PhD, Emeritus Professor and former (longstanding) Department Head of Pharmacology (& Therapeutics), passed away on Saturday December 19, 2021. Dr. Sutter had a long career in Pharmacology research and education, focusing on the cardiovascular system and atherosclerosis.
Dr. Roanne Preston
December 15, 2021
Congratulations to Dr. Alana Flexman who was awarded a Michael Smith Health Research BC Health Professional-Investigator Award to support her research focussed on Perioperative stroke screening and outcomes in high-risk surgical patients.
Up to two percent of patients will experience a stroke during or after surgery and these patients have a high chance of disability and death. Currently, we don’t understand clearly how to prevent, detect, and treat stroke after surgery. Although risk factors have been identified including older age and cardiac surgery, high risk surgical patients are not usually identified and strokes can be missed, leading to fewer treatment options and more complications. Dr. Flexman’s pilot study showed that anesthesia and surgery can limit the accuracy of standard screening tools for stroke. We urgently needed a screening tool and protocol specifically for surgical patients. We also don’t understand well how patients recover after perioperative stroke, such as which patients survive, and whether they can stay in their homes. Building on our prior research, this multiphase study aims to: (1) Understanding which patients do poorly after perioperative stroke and whether those factors can be changed; (2) Compare mortality and other complications after stroke between those who had recent surgery and those who did not; and (3) Identify a useful perioperative stroke screening tool to quickly and accurately detect stroke after surgery.