VPSA’s monthly physician lunches are a popular place to meet and chat with colleagues. They are also an opportunity to get to know more about other departments and providers so we don’t operate so much in silos. February’s lunch at VGH saw the launch of a VCH initiative to get to know our colleagues better.
“A key takeaway from my meetings with some of the Vancouver Acute medical directors and department heads was the desire to increase recognition for our providers,” said VA’s Manager, Provider Strategic Initiatives & Engagement, Laura Mc Evoy. “We decided to try projecting a presentation at the monthly lunch for providers to view while walking through. For added exposure, these presentations will also be summarized for VPSA’s weekly e-newsletter.”
VGH Immunology Laboratory
The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine’s Immunology Laboratory was the first area to be featured. Located at VGH, the lab is a partnership between VCH, Provincial Health Services Authority, and UBC. The laboratory is accredited by the American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics and DAP. It provides histocompatibility testing for solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplants in BC, using advanced molecular technologies including next-generation sequencing and Nanopore sequencing. Staff also provide testing for HLA-related diseases and drug hypersensitivity and are on call 24/7 for deceased donor histocompatibility testing for patients awaiting a solid organ transplant.
As the principal site of the Genome Canada Transplant Consortium as well as the Precision Medicine in Transplantation Research Excellence cluster, the VGH Immunology Laboratory has been awarded many research grants including:
- Genome Alberta & BC: Overcoming Barriers for Rapid Adoption of Donor Derived Cell Free DNA for Surveillance of Kidney Allograft Injury in Canada.
- GAPP 26: A national prospective epitope compatibility matching program for Canadian renal transplant patients.
- Genome Canada: large-scale applied research project in precision health: Precision Medicine CanPREVENT Antibody-Mediated Rejection and Premature Kidney Transplant Loss.
- CIHR Project Grant: A prospective interventional study to prevent allosensitization in patients who have failed a first kidney transplant.
- Kidney Foundation of Canada: Clinical significance of preformed HLA antibodies in kidney transplant recipients without sensitization: benign or pathologic?
- Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research: Implementation of a Canadian willingness to cross program: A strategy to increase access to kidney transplantation for highly sensitized patient.
The lab is also proud to be leading the national effort of epitope-based HLA matching in kidney transplantation and among the first clinical laboratories to implement Nanopore sequencing.
There are many amazing individuals who work in the lab including:
- James H. Lan, Medical Director
- Paul A. Keown, HLA Director
- Karen Sherwood, HLA Director
- Jenny Tran, Director-in-Training
- Franz Fenninger, Director-in-Training
- Amy Lum, Technical Coordinator
- Brendan McKenzie, Medical Laboratory Technologist
- Kamala Pawar, Medical Laboratory Assistant
VPSA’s next lunch at VGH will be Friday, March 14 from 11:30 am to 12:45 pm in the VMDAS Hub for Engagement and Wellness, next to Sassafras Café. See you there!
If you are interested in profiling your area, please contact Laura Mc Evoy.