DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY & LABORATORY MEDICINE MAGAZINE
DATE:November 2017
New Faculty
Lawrence Lee, MD FRCPC
Clinical Assistant Professor
Vancouver General Hospital
Short bio:
I was born and raised in Vancouver. I spent six years completing a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Engineering at the University of Toronto. I returned to my hometown for medical school where I met the love of my life, wife, and mother of our 3 year old daughter. During medical school, I grew tired of life on the wards but was immediately drawn to the sophistication, lifestyle and people of pathology. I completed my Anatomical Pathology residency at UBC in 2017 and was fortunate to be recently hired at VGH as a staff pathologist. I currently have a generalized practice but I also oversee quality assurance of the immunohistochemistry lab. Outside of work, I enjoy cooking for my family and frequenting Science World and the aquarium with my daughter.
Lik Hang Lee, BSc, MD
Clinical Instructor
St. Paul’s Hospital
Short bio:
I am excited to join the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as an anatomical pathologist. I recently complete my residency training at the University of Calgary in Anatomical Pathology, and subspecialty fellowship training in Gastrointestinal Pathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Prior to entering pathology as a career, I completed my undergraduate degree in Physics with a minor in Commerce at UBC, and my medical degree at the University of Toronto. My areas of interest include all varieties of gastrointestinal pathology, including pancreatobiliary and liver diseases, digital pathology, and medical education. Outside of work, I enjoy playing piano, hiking, and playing badminton.
Tsu-Yee Joseph Lee, MD, PhD, Hon BSc, FRCPC
Clinical Assistant Professor
Surrey Memorial Hospital
Short bio:
I grew up in the Toronto area and attended the University of Toronto for my Hon BSc, MD and PhD degrees. My PhD studies focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of endothelial wound repair and the cytoskeleton. Following my Anatomical Pathology residency at Dalhousie University I practiced a few years before completing a Gynecological Pathology Fellowship at the University of Toronto. My family and I have called Toronto and Edmonton home before relocating to the lower mainland in our chase for sunshine and warmer weather. Unfortunately it seems the cold weather we were trying to escape from followed us here last winter…sorry :). Currently, I do general surgical pathology sign out with a special interest in gynecological pathology based out of Surrey Memorial Hospital. When not at work, we are out enjoying the waterfront and beautiful BC scenery.
Ling Luo, PhD
Visiting Scientist
St. Paul’s Hospital
Short bio:
Hello! My name is Ling Luo, come from Chongqing, China, and I am very glad to have the privilege to study and work in professor Chun Seow ’s lab and working on airway smooth muscle physiology, which is very important to the treatment of COPD and asthma, e tal. I am truly thankful for the kindly help from professor Chun Seow and his group members Lu Wang and Pasquale Chitano, and all the friendly individuals at the the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine! I got My PhD in Chongqing Medical University, and now I am a deputy director phisician in Chongqing Cancer Hospital & insititute & cancer center. My specialty is repiratory diseases, and my interest is about mechanisim and therapy of COPD and asthma. My hobbies are drawing, photography, travelling, and jogging. I look forward to meet, recognize and communicate all of you in the future! At the same time,I am ready for any challenges that lie ahead.
Susanna A. McRae, MD FRCPC
Clinical Instructor
St. Paul’s Hospital
Short bio:
I was born and raised in Toronto and completed my undergraduate degree in Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill University. I always wanted to be a doctor, and an interest in pathology was born from admiring Dana Scully in X-Files! I returned to Toronto for medical school and then travelled to Vancouver to complete my medical residency in Anatomical Pathology, and during this time I was exposed to renal pathology. This exposure turned into a passion and I decided to explore it further through completing a one-year fellowship at Foothills Hospital in Calgary. I returned to Vancouver in 2017 to become a member of the pathology staff at St. Paul's Hospital. I particularly love teaching and hope to share my knowledge and love for the subject matter with trainees and colleagues. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, skiing, and curling up with a good book.
Michael Seidman, MD/PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor
St. Paul’s Hospital
Short bio:
I arrived in Vancouver about four and a half years ago with my wife, a certified IRB professional, and we were soon thereafter blessed with our only daughter, born at SPH. I arrived straight out from training at Brigham & Women's in anatomical, cardiac, pulmonary, and molecular genetic pathology, having previously completed my MD/PhD at Cornell University. I was recruited to Vancouver as a subspecialty cardiovascular pathologist, based at St. Paul's Hospital, and as the Acting Director of the Cardiovascular Tissue Registry (CVTR). I engage in translational and collaborative research primarily in cardiovascular and rheumatologic pathology. What few hours are not consumed by those personal and professional commitments are taken up as a table-top role-playing gamer.
Carmine Rossi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Supervisor: Dr. Naveed Janjua
BCCDC
Short bio:
My name is Carmine Rossi and I am a postdoctoral fellow at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. I am working as part of Dr. Naveed Janjua’s research team studying the natural history of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the BC Hepatitis Tester’s Cohort (BC-HTC), an administrative-linked population-based study of individuals who have been screened for HCV or HIV in the province between 1990 and 2016. I completed a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University and joined the UBC research community in the fall of 2017. My research focuses upon the impact of HCV treatments on the incidence of extrahepatic comorbidities, quality-of-life, and associated health-care utilization among those accessing care in BC. Outside epidemiology and public health, I enjoy learning about cartography and the operation of public transit systems in major cities.
Peter W. Schutz, MD, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Staff Neuropathologist at VGH
Short bio:
I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge, my medical degree from the University of Vienna and a PhD in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from the University of British Columbia. After two years in medical genetics at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, I returned to UBC and completed specialist training in Neuropathology, followed by a fellowship in Neuromuscular Pathology at the UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London UK. I am a staff neuropathologist at VGH with special interest in myopathology and a lead role for the VGH Muscle Lab. My research has focussed on inflammatory myopathies and I see considerable potential to pursue this further at UBC. Outside work I spend most of my time with my family of four. I enjoy skiing, good music, and a good book
Shannon Healy, MD, PhD
Research Associate
Supervisor: Dr. Christian Steidl
BC Cancer Centre
Short bio:
My name is Shannon Healy, and I am a Research Associate with Dr. Christian Steidl at the BC Cancer Centre. I received my PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Calgary. Following its completion, I became a Senior Scientist at the Tampere University of Technology in Finland. There, I helped to initiate wet lab science with a systems biology group. After one year, I moved to Winnipeg to take on a Post Doctoral position, studying the dynamics of histone phosphorylation in cancer. Following this, I was offered a Post Doctoral position with Dr. Steidl. I am currently investigating the diverse functions of TMEM30A, a protein commonly lost in B cell lymphoma, which may play a role in B cell development and lymphogenesis, and may present a viable target for cancer therapy. Outside of the lab, I am interested in an assortment of adventurous activities such as skiing and climbing.
Tomohiro Aoki, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Supervisor: Dr. Christian Steidl
BC Cancer Centre
Short bio:
My research focuses on the molecular characterization of lymphoid cancers. I obtained my medical degree in 2007 and practiced as a hematologist for ten years in Japan. In my career as a clinician, I have treated numerous patients diagnosed with lymphoid cancers and witnessed many of my patients suffering from progressive/refractory diseases. From this experience, I felt a strong desire to pursue translational research to improve patient survival by developing more effective therapies. Throughout my PhD at Nagoya University, I focused on identifying prognostic biomarkers and drug discovery in lymphoma using in vitro and in vivo models. In April 2017, I joined Dr.Christian Steidl’s lab. Our current project aims to describe the mutational landscape of enriched HRS cells that underlie an immune privilege phenotype of classical Hodgkin lymphoma using single-cell sequencing. In my spare time, I like play with my kids. I also enjoy travelling and scuba diving.
Sunil Joseph, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Supervisor: Dr. Chen Zhou
BC Cancer Agency and Applied Biological Materials
Short bio:
I received my PhD degree from University of Kerala, India in the field of Molecular Microbiology in 2013 and my thesis focused on the unravelling of complex interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and host macrophage. After relocating to Vancouver shortly after my thesis defence, I spent 3 years as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr.Zakaria Hmama at University of British Columbia. My research focused on the development of recombinant BCG for treating bladder cancer. I joined the Department of Pathology, UBC in 2017 where I currently work as Industrial Postdoctoral Fellow in collaboration with Applied Biological Materials located in Richmond, B.C. Under the supervision of Dr. Chen Zhou, I am actively involved in the development and implementation of molecular diagnostic tests for the detection and monitoring of bladder cancer. I enjoy spending time with my family and when I am not at work, I take pleasure in travelling.
Colin Wallace, PhD, CAT(c), AT-Ret
Post Doctoral Fellow
Supervisor: Dr. Cheryl Wellington
Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
Short bio:
I am a certified athletic therapist with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Health Sciences (specialty in Athletic Therapy) from Sheridan College (Oakville, Ontario), a Master’s degree in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!), and a PhD from UBC. My research interests include fluid-based biomarker profiling following traumatic brain injury, along with standardization of blood collection, processing, and analysis to optimize biomarker stability. My postdoctoral fellowship has me working towards identifying an objective tool for concussion diagnosis. When not at work, I am with my wife and two kids taking advantage of all the west coast has to offer. I have been a competitive distance runner for years, and competed at the Canadian Olympic Trials in the 10,000m. I competed in my first triathlon this past year and have fallen in love with the sport!