Dr. Matthias Gorges awarded a Michael Smith Health Research Foundation Convening & Collaborating award

Dr. Matthias Gorges awarded a Michael Smith Health Research Foundation Convening & Collaborating award

Congratulations to Dr. Matthias Gorges, Associate Professor who was awarded a MSHRF Convening & Collaborating Award to support his proposal entitled “Co-developing a needs-derived research strategy toward forming a Digital Health Research Centre at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital”

MSHRF Convening & Collaborating (C2) Program supports teams of health researchers and research users to co-develop research that can have direct impacts on people, including patients, health practitioners and policy makers.

A lay summary: Digital health combines technology like smartphones and artificial intelligence, data from personal devices and hospital systems, and people like doctors, nurses, patients, and families to improve the health and well-being of the population. Digital health improves access to care and quality by providing the right information at the right time. Our team’s digital health research focuses on improving care for women, children, and their families in BC. There are existing successes and challenges to using digital health research in BC hospitals. To learn from these lessons and listen to the needs of our community, we will partner with people with lived experience (patients), healthcare workers, and hospital leaders. We aim to develop a shared research strategy and plan for a new Digital Health Research Centre spanning BC Children’s and Women’s Hospitals. In this project, we will identify gaps and opportunities, define priorities and co-develop research strategies that address current challenges to improve our health system with digital technology. The partnerships we form will allow us to advance the digital health research field and better serve the needs of the BC children’s and women’s health community.

Malcolm Maclure

Malcolm Maclure

Professor

Faculty Bio

Dr. Malcolm Maclure was appointed BC Research Chair in Patient Safety in 2009 and held the position until his retirement in June 2025. The position issupported by an endowment from the BC Ministry of Health. Raised in Victoria in the 1960s, he studied biochemistry at Oxford and epidemiology atHarvard in the 1970s. While teaching research methods at Harvard School of Public Health, 1984-1994, he invented the case-crossover study design,now a standard tool of epidemiology that began to be used in the 2000s to investigate triggers of patient-safety incidents. He held the position of AdjunctProfessor of Epidemiology at Harvard from 1994 to 2019. In 1991, on leave from Harvard, he joined the BC Ministry of Health’s Research Branch andbegan applying epidemiologic methods to health services research, particularly randomized trials of prescribing education programs. On leave from theMinistry, he was Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Distinguished Scholar and Professor in the School of Health Information Science atUniversity of Victoria, 2002-2006. One of his research projects evolved into a Ministry-sponsored program called Education for Quality Improvement ofPatient care (EQIP), co-sponsored by BC Medical Association. His last permanent position in the Ministry of Health was Co-Director of Research andEvidence Development in Pharmaceutical Services Division, 2009-2012, which provided partial support for his position as Chair in Patient Safety. Hereturned to the Ministry part-time in 2018-2020 as the inaugural Research Scholar in Residence. Dr. Maclure joined the Therapeutics Initiative (TI)Executive Committee as evaluator in 1995-97, continued to be informally affiliated with the TI until formally rejoining in 2018, focusing on the TI’s Portraitprogram. In his role as Co-Lead of the Patient Safety and Quality Theme in the UBC Medical Undergraduate Program, 2011-2024, he co-designedlectures with Ms. Carolyn Canfield, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute’s inaugural “Canada Patient Safety Champion” (2014).

Social Media / Lab or Research Website

Website: www.uactive.org/about

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/malcolm-maclure-7a440a44


Research Interests

Case-crossover studies. Randomized policy trials. Pharmaceutical safety. Pharmaceutical program impacts. University Sustainability and Climate Action.

Research Theme(s)

Clinical Outcomes and Patient Safety, Pharmacoepidemiology

Publication Link(s)

PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=maclure%20m&


Clinical Interests

Safer prescribing


Services

Ex-officio member of Council of Health Quality BC (formerly the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council)


Teaching

Co-Lead of Patient Safety Theme in Medical Undergraduate Program


Pascal N Bernatchez

Pascal N Bernatchez

Associate Professor

Faculty Bio

Dr. Bernatchez received his PhD from the Montreal Heart Institute and University of Montreal in 2002. His Mentor was Dr. Martin Sirois, with whom hetrained in the field of endothelial biology, angiogenesis, permeability and restenosis. Dr. Bernatchez received multiple awards for his PhD dissertation,including distinctions from the Academy of Great Montrealers and ADESAQ (Association des doyennes et des doyens des études supérieures auQuébec), to name a few. After a short stint at Harvard University, he trained In the laboratory of Professor William Sessa at Yale University where he wasa Canadian Institutes of Health Research-, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada- and American Heart Association-supported fellow. He returned toCanada in 2007 as a Scholar of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Michael Smith Foundationfor Health Research and a junior faculty at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He leads 2 research laboratories at St. Paul’s Hospital andPoint Grey Campus that focus on lipid and cholesterol abnormalities in muscular dystrophy, as well as endothelial function in atherosclerosis, Marfansyndrome, aortopathies and diabetes. As a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA; 2020), Genetic Aortic Disorder Association (GADA) Canada(2022) and recipient of a Jain Foundation Contribution award (2024) for his pioneering discovery in the field of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type2B/R2, he leads a UBC-funded research excellence cluster called AATHEN – the Advanced Angiotensin Therapeutics Network – a drug discoveryincubator at UBC. He sits on the executive of the Canadian Society of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada as wellas the Canadian Society of Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis & Vascular Biology and Montalcino Aortic Consortium.

Social Media / Lab or Research Website

Website (or Lab): 


Research Interests

endothelium, Atherosclerosis, Diabetes, Nitric Oxide, Marfan, Aortopathies, Aneurysm, Cholesterol, Muscular Dystrophy

Research Theme(s)

Cardiopulmonary Sciences and anesthesiology, Neurosciences and anesthesiology

Publication Link(s)

PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=bernatchez+p&sort=date


Clinical Interests

Pharmacotherapy of heritable aortic diseases, Clinical trials, Dyslipidemias and Muscle diseases.


Services

Director, PCTH Graduate program


Teaching

PCTH_V 400

PCTH_V 404

PCTH_V 548F

MEDD_V 421

PATH_V 521

MEDI_V 570


Diana Su-Yin MacDonell

Diana Su-Yin MacDonell

Clinical Assistant Professor
St. Paul’s Hospital

Division Head-Perioperative Medicine, UBC Dept of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics; St. Paul’s Hospital Physician Lead, Perioperative Medicine; St. Paul’s Hospital: Perioperative Medicine Fellowship Director

Faculty Bio

Dr. MacDonell started her career as a professional ballet dancer before completing her BSN at UVIC followed by medical school and Anesthesiology residency at UBC. Following residency, Dr. MacDonell had additional training in Perioperative Vascular Medicine in Hamilton, Ontario, Critical Care Ultrasound Certification through the American College of CHEST physicians, a MSc in Perioperative Medicine, through the University College of London and a Certification in Inclusive leadership through Centennial College. She is an active member of the research group at PHC and has a research interest in noise in the operating room. As a staff Anesthesiologist at St. Paul’s Hospital, she is the physician lead of Perioperative Medicine and the Anesthesia Perioperative Medicine Fellowship. In May 2022, Dr. MacDonell was appointed the Division Head of Perioperative Medicine within the Department of UBC Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. She is currently both an executive and planning committee member for the Society for Perioperative Care and Research in addition to being the co-creator of a Perioperative Medicine educational site: sphpom.com. She is the Co-Chair of the annual Whistler Anesthesiology Summit.

Social Media / Lab or Research Website

Website: 

https://www.sphpom.com

Social Media:

https://twitter.com/macdonellsu

https://www.instagram.com/suyin.mac/?hl=en



Clinical Interests

Perioperative Medicine has emerged as a distinct subspecialty that continues to evolve. Research is blossoming and literature continues to be published on new guidelines and recommendations. Traditionally it was believed that intraoperative complications were the major cause of morbidity and mortality. With advances in anesthesia technique, the intraoperative complication rate has decreased significantly. However, postoperative complications remain common and under recognized. The etiology of postoperative complications are multifactorial and rarely due to surgical intervention alone. Early detection and management of complications can decrease mortality, hospital length of stay and long-term morbidity. Perioperative medicine begins from the decision to proceed with surgery until the patient is discharged and ideally returns to his or her or their baseline. As our specialty continues to grow, we are expanding our presence in the surgical experience and moving beyond the operating room. My vision is that we continue to expand this subspecialty through collaboration, innovation and education.


Services

Division lead: UBC Perioperative Medicine; Chair, UBC Perioperative Training Committee Lead; UBC Perioperative Medicine Journal Club/Academic day Member; Perioperative Care Alignment and Digital Screening Committee Executive; Member: Society for Perioperative Research and Care


Teaching

UBC Dept of Anesthesia Academic day; Perioperative medicine UBC Dept of Anesthesia Academic day; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion UBC Dept of Anesthesia Journal Club Supervisor; Perioperative Medicine Canadian Journal of Surgery Podcast: Noise in the Operating Room


Mark J Ansermino

Mark J Ansermino

Portrait photo of Mark J Ansermino
Professor
BC Children’s Hospital

Faculty Bio

I am a Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Executive Medical Director for Global Health at British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital, Vancouver Canada. I was a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar and the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research winner in 2011. I lead an interdisciplinary research team of engineers and clinicians who develop and evaluate novel technical solutions (devices and smart applications) to improve women’s and children’s health outcomes worldwide. As a team, we combine science and engineering to create cutting-edge technology that uses clinical data, automation and smart physical sensors to improve outcomes. Our focus is on extracting important data features from devices and using predictive and machine learning models based on large population datasets to provide accessible decision-making support at all levels of healthcare in every area of the world.

Social Media / Lab or Research Website

Website: https://www.bcchr.ca/mansermino

Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markansermino/


Research Interests

Sepsis, Digital Health, Global Health, AI in Health

Research Theme(s)

Clinical Outcomes and Patient Safety, Equity in Medicine, Pediatric anesthesiology, Peri-operative technology integration

Publication Link(s)


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Khaled S. Abdelrahman

Khaled S. Abdelrahman

Assistant Professor
Member, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

Faculty Bio

Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman holds a BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences and an MSc in Pharmacology from Alexandria University. He earned his PhD in 2015 from the University of Calgary, where he researched the molecular basis of altered cerebrovascular function in type 2 diabetes. Following his PhD, he joined the University of Ottawa’s Departments of Cellular & Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience to investigate novel G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) candidates for pharmacological targeting to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases. During his postdoctoral tenure, Dr. Abdelrahman was supported by prestigious salary awards from Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Alberta Innovates. He also received the Canadian Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics Postdoctoral Award and several young investigator awards from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. With over 12 years of clinical experience, he is a registered pharmacist dedicated to providing patient care. Currently, Dr. Abdelrahman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a full member of the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. Since joining UBC, he has been awarded the Michael Smith Health Research BC Health Investigator Award. His research program is supported by grants from the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Social Media / Lab or Research Website

Website: https://ksaresearch.med.ubc.ca/

Social Media: https://x.com/K_S_Abdelrahman


Research Interests

GPCRs, Neurodegeneration, Neurovascular Coupling, Cerebral Blood Flow

Research Theme(s)

Evidence-based medicine and knowledge translation, Neurosciences and anesthesiology

Publication Link(s)

PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Khaled+abd-elrahman&sort=date

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=mn17mc0AAAAJ&hl=en


Clinical Interests


Services


Teaching

PCTH_V 400

PCTH_V 448E

PCTH_V 548F

NRSC_V 551


Flynn O’Connor

Name:

Flynn O’Connor

Bio

Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman holds BSc (Pharmaceutical Sciences) and MSc (Pharmacology) from Alexandria University. He received his PhD in 2015 from the University Calgary where he studied the molecular basis underlying altered cerebrovascular function in type 2 diabetes. He then joined the Departments of Cellular & Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa to explore novel G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) candidates that can be targeted pharmacologically to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s’ diseases. His research was supported by prestigious salary awards offered by Canadian institutes for health research and Alberta innovates. He is also the recipient of the Canadian Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics Postdoctoral award and many young investigator awards from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. He is a Registered Pharmacist with over 12 years of clinical expertise in providing patient care. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and a full member of the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.

General Research Interests

Neurosciences and anesthesiology

Research Interests

Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman’s lab focuses on exploring the contribution of some GPCRs to the impaired neurovascular coupling and cerebral blood flow autoregulation in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models. His lab employs in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo approaches to identify novel GPCR candidates that can be targeted pharmacologically to correct neurovascular coupling and slow neurodegeneration. His lab is also interested in studying what aspects of GPCR signaling are regulated in a sex-selective manner and how this can influence drug discovery in the area of neurodegenerative diseases.

Rich Tape

Name:

Rich Tape

Bio

Dr. Ambasta received her BSc. (2009) in Biological Sciences and her medical degree (2012), both from the University of Calgary. She subsequently completed a 5-year residency program in General Internal Medicine at the University of Calgary, followed by a Masters in Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with a focus on Clinical Effectiveness. During her Master’s program, Dr. Ambasta worked to describe and manage the problem of over-utilization of laboratory tests in hospitalized patients. She began her clinical appointment with University of Calgary in 2017 where she complemented her clinical practice as a General Internal Medicine physician with ongoing research in healthcare quality and patient safety. Her research work in the area of low-value laboratory testing was funded by Alberta Health Services, Choosing Wisely Alberta, Canadian Society of Internal Medicine, Alberta Health Services, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. She began her academic appointment with University of British Columbia in 2022 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics. She is a member of the Therapeutics Initiative where is building a research program on reduction of low-value diagnostics and therapeutic services in health systems.

General Research Interests

Clinical Outcomes and Patient Safety, Evidence-based medicine and knowledge translation, Pharmacoepidemiology

Research Interests

Her ongoing research projects include: implementation of a multi-modal intervention bundle to reduce low-value laboratory testing across hospitals in Alberta and British Columbia, collaboration with a patient and family advisory council to engage patients with reduction of low-value use of health care resources, and describing linkages between low value use of diagnostic testing and therapeutic use in healthcare systems.

Teresa Skelton

Dr.

Teresa Skelton

Hospital Site(s):

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Talon Jones

Dr.

Talon Jones

Academic Rank:

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