Meet The Superstars
Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) is the main provincial referral site for complex urologic care and the largest and most important medical training and education centre in Western Canada. The expertise and reputation of VGH and the VPC inspire professionals from around the globe to come to Vancouver to join the team. Here they can learn from the best and brightest minds in the field and ultimately make meaningful contributions to their profession to enhance patient care at home and improve outcomes across the world.
Philanthropy has helped attract and recruit new rising stars to the team and train and mentor the future leaders in urology. This is how your giving is helping build capacity for research and care, putting the building blocks in place to grow and expand the team so it can eventually become an institute.
URO-ONCOLOGY FELLOWS
The Urologic Oncology Fellowship at VGH is a leading urologic training program in the country, housed in one of the world’s leading translational research centres – the VPC. It provides advanced training in comprehensive clinical and surgical care of patients with urologic malignancies, as well as a dedicated research fellowship. Your philanthropy is helping the team educate and train the brightest minds in urology research and care, ensuring that patients will continue to have access to excellent specialized treatment now and well into the future.
Dr. Marie-Pier St-Laurent completed a clinical fellowship in Uro-oncology, working alongside Drs. Peter Black, Martin Gleave and Miles Mannas. She treated patients with all types of urologic cancers, with a particular focus on prostate and bladder cancers.
Dr. St-Laurent chose VGH to do her fellowship because it is Western Canada’s premier teaching hospital, with comprehensive clinical and surgical opportunities. With a trend in the medical field towards doing more robotic and minimally invasive surgeries, it can be difficult to get exposure to large open surgery. While her fellowship has allowed her to do both robotic and open surgery cases, her time at VGH has provided her with unique exposure to large, complicated procedures.
“I feel like everything I’ve learned during my fellowship will be applicable to my work going forward. I am grateful for the philanthropy which has supported my training and afforded me the opportunity to use the skills and knowledge I gained to help care for more people in the future.” – Dr. Marie-Pier St-Lauren
Dr. Gillian Vandekerkhove is a PhD scientist whose research leverages biopsy samples to study the molecular landscape of aggressive bladder and prostate cancer with the ultimate goal to apply genomics to tailor cancer treatments and thus improve patient outcomes.
A central part of her research is the use of liquid biopsy, an emerging technology that takes a standard blood sample and enables scientists to extract DNA that is derived from the tumor. This helps researchers understand the tumor without the need for an invasive tissue biopsy, providing a real-time snapshot of a patient’s cancer.
“My research is possible in part thanks to generous philanthropy funds, which amplifies its impact manifold, helping us attract more grant funding and share discoveries with the world.” – Dr. Gillian Vandekerkhove
FEMALE PELVIC HEALTH
Dr. Katie Anderson is a bright new talent in the field of female and functional urology. She completed her residency at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS and her fellowship at the Bristol Urological Institute in the United Kingdom (UK), with a certificate in urodynamics. In 2021, Dr. Anderson was awarded a prestigious travelling fellowship in surgery from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada to support her sub-specialty surgical training in the UK and build capacity and expertise within Canadian academic surgical programs. She gave a podium presentation on the topic of urologic trauma during pregnancy during an annual scientific meeting in Bristol, and looks forward to sharing her expertise and knowledge to improve the health of patients in BC. Dr. Anderson starts with the team in October 2023. She is the Diamond Foundation Surgeon-Scientist in Female and Functional Urology.
TRANSITIONAL UROLOGY
Dr. Thomas de Los Reyes (right) and Dr. Andrew MacNeily are leading the planning for a new Centre that will offer support for patients transitioning from pediatric to the adult care system, filling an otherwise unmet need and gap in their complex care.
KEY INGREDIENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Donate today
Through the support of donors in our community, VGH and VPC can continue to provide the highest quality of research and care, and ensure the medical leaders of tomorrow receive the best training possible—creating a better and brighter future for urology cancer patients across the province, and sharing their knowledge around the world.
Together, we grow. Join us in building a legacy for a better tomorrow by donating to our Urologic Sciences campaign today.
Learn more about how together, we are transforming urologic care.
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