Dr. Chris West is a research scientist with the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management and Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences and ICORD. Check out our Q & A with Dr. West.

What questions are you seeking to answer through your research? 

My laboratory is studying the mechanisms that underpin the reduction in cardiovascular and pulmonary function that occurs following high-level spinal cord injury, and is also focused on developing and testing interventions aimed at restoring cardiovascular and pulmonary function.

How did you become interested in this field?

My interest in the field stems from my early involvement with wheelchair rugby in the UK where I completed my graduate training. From the first time I studied the exercise responses of wheelchair rugby athletes I became fascinated with the underlying physiology of spinal injuries.

Where do you see your work having the greatest impact?

The two main areas I see my work having the greatest impact are on the hemodynamic management of acutely injured individuals as well as in those individuals with high-level SCI who use wheelchairs living in the local community.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love all outdoor activities and particularly enjoy running trails with my two dogs. As a father to an active two-year old I also enjoy a range of outdoor activities with my family including camping, hiking, and cross-country skiing.

Name: Lori Marshall

Occupation: Retired Dental Hygienist

How long have you been a Volunteer Patient? I have been a Volunteer Patient since the Southern Medical Program began in 2011.

Why did you decide to volunteer? I decided to volunteer because I have always been interested in the health field and enjoy working with students who have such high aspirations in this field.

What do you enjoy most about being a Volunteer Patient? Being a Volunteer Patient is one way that I can contribute with helping these students learn anatomy and medical procedures in this demanding career.

What is the most interesting thing you have learned? I am especially excited about the increased use of ultrasound with diagnosing medical issues and am pleased to often be a Volunteer Patient for ultrasound sessions.

To learn more about how to get involved with the Southern Medical Program’s Patient Programs, visit https://smp.med.ubc.ca/community-engagement.

Southern Medical Program students (L-R) Brendan Lim, Talia Del Medico, Brianna Creelman, Conor Barrie, Allyssa Hooper, and Brayden Fishbook along with Scotiabank Business Advisor Christy St. Jean present a cheque to Hope Air patient ambassador Ty.

Nearly 100 golfers and guests participated in the eighth annual Southern Medical Program (SMP) Student Golf Tournament in support of rural health.

Organized by members of the SMP Class of 2022, the tournament brought together members and friends of the Okanagan medical community for nine holes of golf, tons of prizes, dinner, and a silent auction. In partnership with the event’s title sponsor Scotiabank, the students raised over $20,000 for Hope Air to help patients.

Hope Air is Canada’s only national charity providing free travel and accommodations for Canadians in financial need who must access medical care far from home. In 2019, the charity arranged 1,763 flights for patients to attend vital medical appointments and treatments in and out of Kelowna alone.

“Our organizing committee was thrilled to set a new fundraising record for this event,” says Brendan Lim, second-year medical student. “We’re truly grateful to help support patients from rural communities access the care they need.”

“The funds raised will provide approximately 81 flights for people to attend the medical appointments that will save their lives and diagnoses that will give them answers,” says Alanna Scott, Hope Air, Vice President of Development. “The generous support from the student golf tournament demonstrates a remarkable commitment to the health of patients.”

The students would like to thank Scotiabank and the numerous other local Okanagan companies for individual hole sponsorships and donating silent auction items. The next tournament will be held in the fall of 2020.

The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow is seeking healthcare students and recent graduates to help recruit the next generation of rural healthcare professionals.

Join us for a week-long road trip to rural BC to showcase career options to high school students and connect with community stakeholders and local healthcare professionals.

We have four exciting roadshows planned for May 2020:

• Okanagan Roadshow (Summerland, Oliver, Osoyoos) – May 3 to 9, 2020
• Peace River Roadshow (Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Tumbler Ridge) – May 3 to 9, 2020
• Bulkley Nechako Roadshow (Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Southside, Houston, Hazelton) – May 10 to 16, 2020
• Island Roadshow (Ladysmith, Port Alberni, Ucluelet, Ahoushat) – May 3 to 9, 2020

All travel, accommodation, and meal expenses are covered for participants. Interprofessional Education Passport credits are also available.

Click here to apply online. Application deadline is February 24, 2020.

The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow is delivered in partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia, UBC Faculty of Medicine, Northern Medical Programs Trust, Rural Education Action Plan, Interior Health, and Island Health.

Since its inception in 2010, the Healthcare Travelling Roadshow has connected with more than 10,500 high school students in 56 communities throughout BC. For more info, visit https://www.unbc.ca/northern-medical-program/healthcare-travelling-roadshow or contact Warren Brock at warren.brock@ubc.ca or 250-807-8601.

The 2020 UBC Okanagan Interdisciplinary Student Health Conference showcases exciting new research and public health experiences from UBC Okanagan students and BC Cancer – Kelowna interns.

Hosted by the Southern Medical Program, join local researchers and healthcare professionals for an engaging evening of knowledge exchange. Keynote address provided by Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis, Director for the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management

March 5, 2020
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Reichwald Health Sciences Centre, UBC Okanagan
1088 Discovery Avenue, Kelowna, BC

5:30 pm Welcome & Keynote Address
6:30 pm Poster Presentations
8:15 pm Awards & Closing

For more information, visit the conference webpage.

The Southern Medical Program officially welcomed the SMP Class of 2023 to UBC Okanagan in early January. Meet first-year student Aashka Jani.

Name:  Aashka Jani
Hometown: Prince George, BC

Why did you choose a career in medicine?
I have been interested in the human body and science for as long as I can remember. It all honestly probably started with a doctor kit my parents gifted me when I was younger which fostered my interest in all things medicine. My undergraduate and volunteering experiences were formative in my desire to be in the health care field. However, it wasn’t until I experienced the health care system from a patient perspective, through family members and myself, that I truly wanted to be a physician. Seeing the differences in care depending on where you are in the world or even where you are in one country, harnessed my interests in being able to provide equitable care and remove barriers to access.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is have game nights with family and friends. In addition, I love reading books and having a good Netflix binge.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
There are so many places I want to travel! I’ve been flying around the world since I was a little over a year old so it’s something that I want to continue doing. I love experiencing new cultures and taking in new sights. Overall though, my favorite part of traveling is being with my family or friends and getting to explore new places with them. Next on my list right now are Southeast Asia and Iceland.

What are you most looking forward to about training with the Southern Medical Program?
I am excited for the smaller class size at SMP! Having gone to a smaller university, I really valued the close connections I was able to form with peers and mentors, and I look forward to doing the same in Kelowna.

The Southern Medical Program officially welcomed the SMP Class of 2023 to UBC Okanagan in early January. Meet first-year student Brian Hayes.

Name:  Brian Hayes
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta

Why did you choose a career in medicine?
I was originally drawn to medicine through a combination of fascination with the work of MSF and the repeated treatment I received from sports-related injuries growing up. As I progressed through my undergraduate degree in Kinesiology, I developed a fascination with the function/dysfunction of the human body. This was further complimented through my various jobs as a server, personal trainer, first aid instructor and tutor, where I consistently enjoyed helping/supporting individuals. Through my time working outside of school, and my additional pursuit of an MSc, life has consistently steered me back towards medicine.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
My primary pursuits outside of academics are music and backcountry sports. I have sang with various a cappella groups in Vancouver for the past seven years and I play guitar and piano, so I’m looking forward to finding a new musical community in Kelowna! In terms of backcountry sports, I spend as much time hiking, backpacking and camping as I can in the summers and have snowboarded for over 10 years. More recently, I have started mountaineering and would love to get into splitboarding.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
I would travel either to the Himalayas or to Patagonia. I underwent ACL construction four years ago, recovering enough to complete my first big trek in the Italian Dolomites three years later. I absolutely loved the combination of physical challenge, amazing views and unique adventures that come with mountain trekking, and with my history of knee injuries I want to pursue more treks in the near future while my body still allows!

What are you most looking forward to about training with the Southern Medical Program?
For me, it’s a combination of small class sizes with more direct faculty relations and the draw of being away from larger cities like Vancouver. I’m looking forward to learning in major treatment centers, such as in Kelowna itself, and in environments that are smaller and more fluid in their structure and physician roles.

The Southern Medical Program officially welcomed the SMP Class of 2023 to UBC Okanagan in early January. Meet first-year student Tanelle Smith.

Name: Tanelle Smith
Hometown: Born in Dawson Creek, BC

Why did you choose a career in medicine?
I chose a career in medicine largely because I wanted to be in a position where I can help people. Other than directly working with people, I also hope to be involved in research and outreach to help bridge gaps that exist between various populations. Beyond the impact that I hope to make, I also am drawn to medicine for the challenge I feel it promises and that will force me to grow, learn and improve. I chose medicine because I felt there was no other profession that could give me the same excitement to push myself while also the ability to help and feel fulfilled

What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time I enjoy rock-climbing, hiking and pretty much any other activity that gets me outside. Indoors, if I am not studying, I mostly spend my time playing games with family or cooking up some concoction that I unfortunately can never quite replicate.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
There is a long list of places that I still have on my list, but I think the next place that I would like to go is the Borneo side of Malaysia. When I visited Malaysia previously this was an area that I never made it to, but constantly heard of the great diving experiences that it offered. One of my passions outside of medicine is tropical marine ecology and so I would really just love to visit and spend a some time geeking out over tropical fish in the warm weather.

What are you most looking forward to about training with the Southern Medical Program?
I am looking forward to being a part of a smaller class size and really get to know my peers as well as the faculty. That is one of the main things that drew me to a distributed site besides the closeness to family.

Southern Medical Program Student: Parm Khakh, Class of 2021
Research Supervisor: Dr. Jasmine Grewal, Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology

What’s your research about?

The pathophysiology of Fontan-Associated Liver Disease is not well-documented aside from the state of chronic passive congestion caused by the disturbance in the liver’s blood supply and drainage. Studies have shown that these patients commonly develop histological liver abnormalities; therefore, effective screening methods need to be in place to ensure the patients experiencing these complications are identified early to facilitate quicker treatment and decrease morbidity associated with this condition. There are no robust guidelines in the utilization of the biomarker Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP), and its requisition varies widely between physicians. Currently, the Pacific Adult Congenital Heart (PACH) Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital, does not utilize AFP until there is an identified abnormality on imaging, which is most often assessed by abdominal ultrasonography (US). Due to substantial inter and intraobserver variability in abdominal US and the reduced sensitivity in patients with early-onset liver disease, it is understandable why clinical examination, laboratory data, and imaging, with or without histological evaluation, are essential in ensuring hepatological complications are not overlooked.

Although the Fontan procedure has significantly reduced early childhood mortality for these patients, it is also important to avoid premature death in adulthood. Therefore, this retrospective chart review assessed and compared patients’ current age, liver enzymes (alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) from 2014 to present, as well as AFP and imaging studies completed over the same time frame.

What were your findings?

The retrospective chart analysis showed that there were a number of patients that were not getting the full workup during their annual visits. Of the one-hundred and two patients included in the study, nine patients had clinically elevated AFP levels, but only three had diagnostic imaging studies done. Ten patients had abnormally high levels of AFP, and only one had gotten a diagnostic imaging study, which was completed more than five years ago. There were nineteen patients that had never had an AFP level assessed. This finding indicated that a large proportion of the individuals were not getting adequately worked up, and potential complications of the Fontan procedure were not being investigated. Of these nineteen patients, none had received diagnostic imaging studies. All of this information together, strongly indicates that hepatic complications could be occurring in these patients, but no evaluations were being done to explore this potentially deleterious outcome. Of these patients, thirteen had abnormal liver US findings, indicated by hepatic cirrhosis, hepatic congestion, hepatocellular carcinoma or chronic liver disease. This finding correlates with the literature which emphasizes that liver enzymes are not an accurate reflection of abnormal US findings and why more workup needs to be assessed. Only twenty-two of the 102 patients have had diagnostic imaging done in the last six years, with seventeen of them having them done in the last three years. This shows that active liver surveillance is improving as physicians’ protocols become more similar, but a lot more work needs to be done to ensure that every patient with this complex circulatory system is getting adequately monitored.

Once the patients with inadequate evaluations were identified, it was decided to have them followed up to ensure that important findings were not missed. Nineteen patients were given imaging requisitions due to the combination of their elevated AFP and abnormal liver enzymes; the imaging study requested was a triple phase CT scan of their livers. Nineteen patients were given lab requisitions to ensure there AFP levels were assessed, so they too could have diagnostic imaging studies should they be necessary. The QI study showed that although active steps are being made to ensure every patient follow-up is similar and consistent, a more thorough assessment of these patients is necessary to ensure their long-term well-being.

This research project was supported through the Southern Medical Program studentship program.

Dr. Robyn Hutching, Assistant Dean, Student Affairs

Dr. Robyn Hutchings has been appointed Assistant Dean, Student Affairs for the Southern Medical Program (SMP). Dr. Hutchings is a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton and a Clinical Instructor with the UBC Department of Pediatrics. For the past two years, Dr. Hutchings has served as the SMP Director, Faculty Development and led numerous faculty development initiatives. She has co-chaired the Regional Associate Dean’s Task Force on Student Mistreatment to support the learning environment for SMP students across the Interior Health region. Dr. Hutchings also serves as a clinical skills preceptor in addition to Portfolio Coach and SMP Portfolio Lead.

Dr. Hutchings will work alongside Dr. Melanie Reed, the outgoing Assistant Dean, until February 1, 2020 to ensure a smooth transition process. During the same timeframe, Dr. Hutchings will complete her faculty development duties including the SMP Teacher Certificate Program.

Sadly, we must soon say farewell to Dr. Reed. For the past four years, Dr. Reed has served as a tremendous champion and advocate for SMP students throughout the BC Interior. She has worked tirelessly to ensure our students have exceptional personal and academic support, mentorship, and career guidance. She will be greatly missed by our students, faculty, and staff.