Congratulations to our own Dr. Shahin Shirzad, who has been appointed Assistant Dean, Admissions, Undergraduate Medical Education effective September 1, 2017!
Read about his appointment here: UBC Appointments
Staff and public information for the Vancouver General Emergency Department
Congratulations to our own Dr. Shahin Shirzad, who has been appointed Assistant Dean, Admissions, Undergraduate Medical Education effective September 1, 2017!
Read about his appointment here: UBC Appointments
VGH ED Physicians share their stories to raise funds for the Emergency Department. Read more here: Double Your Impact
BC is experiencing an outbreak of Cyclospora infection with 6 locally-acquired cases reported since May 1.
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a parasite which causes a prolonged gastrointestinal infection. Symptoms include frequent watery diarrhea, anorexia, abdominal cramps and bloating, nausea and flatulence. Symptoms typically last several weeks to over a month and wax and wane in intensity. People are infected by ingesting contaminated food or water. The infection is not spread from person-to-person. See here for more details on Cyclospora infection: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/cyclospora-infection
Cyclospora is not endemic in Canada. Most people are infected when visiting an endemic country in Latin America or South East Asia in the spring and early summer. When cases occur in Canadians who did not travel, an outbreak investigation is launched. Most outbreaks occur in the spring and early summer and are due to imported produce such as berries or herbs.
Cyclospora infection is diagnosed by a stool ova and parasite (O&P) examination. A special request must be made for Cyclospora diagnosis to ensure the appropriate stain is used by the lab. See here for BC Guideline for Ordering Stool Specimens: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/practitioner-professional-resources/bc-guidelines/infectious-diarrhea
If patients present with Cyclospora-compatible symptoms between now and August, please request a stool O&P and indicate on the lab requisition “Cyclospora diagnosis”. This will help accurately diagnose the infection and assist the outbreak investigation.
The Noni MacDonald Award recognizes an article in the Paediatrics & Child Health journal that has positively affected paediatric medicine. This year’s prize goes to the lead author, Dr. Jeff Brubacher of the article published in the May 2016 issue of the journal, titled “The impact of child safety restraint legislation on child injuries in police-reported motor vehicle collisions in British Columbia: An interrupted time series analysis”.
Congratulations to all of the People First Winners!
Award of Excellence in Innovation:
Award of Excellence in Teamwork and Collaboration :
Award of Merit in Teamwork and Collaboration :
Tomorrow is “What Matters to You?” Day in the VGH ED.
“What Matters to You?” Day started in Norway in 2014, with the simple goal of encouraging meaningful conversations between patients, caregivers, and families, and their health care providers.
On June 19, 2017, health care providers in the VGH ED are being challenged to add one simple question to every patient interaction, in order to improve care. That question is, “What matters to you?” Anyone who works with patients in health, social, or community care is invited to participate.
Congratulations to DEM faculty members Dr. Jeff Brubacher and Dr. Kendall Ho for each being granted one of the 11 inaugural 2017 Health Professional-Investigator Awards from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR). This success is a major achievement, both for Drs. Brubacher and Ho, and for the DEM as a whole. The MSFHR Professional-Investigator Award provides funding to support exceptional health professionals focused on answering questions derived from their practical experience and clinical expertise.
Dr. Brubacher was recognized for his study titled: “Health related quality of life following road trauma: An emergency department inception cohort study”.
Dr. Kendall Ho was recognized for his study titled: “TEC4Home: Telehealth for emergency-community continuity of care connectivity via home monitoring”.
The recipients of this award represent health professions ranging from emergency physicians to midwives and psychologists across BC. More information on this award, and well as a full list of the 11 recipients, is available on the MSFHR website.
Did you know VGH has its own fitness centre? It’s located in the Heather Annex and open 5am to 11pm every day. It costs $150 for a 6 month membership ($25/mo).
Feel free to check it out at the VGH Fitness and Wellness Centre Open House on Wednesday, May 24th from 11:00-2:00 PM.
A few key highlights of the Open House this year:
VCH released their list of People First Award winners. Many of our colleagues were nominated and selected for awards in multiple categories. Congratulations to everyone who was recognized!