Clinical Activities

Keywords: transfusion medicine, sickle cell disease, thalassemia

 

Description of Clinical Activities: I work as a Transfusion Medicine Specialist and a Hematologist focusing on patients with special blood transfusion needs. As the Division Head of Transfusion Medicine, my focus is on blood transfusion quality and safety, implementation of appropriate transfusion orders for all blood products (red cells, platelets, plasma, plasma protein products such as IVIG), massive transfusion protocols, and immunohematology testing. I serve as a medical link between the clinical services and the transfusion laboratory, and between the hospital and Canadian Blood Services. I also focus on implementing novel transfusion medicine research findings into daily clinical practice (Knowledge Translation) at London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care London. I contribute to the investigational hematology laboratory in the area of hemoglobin electrophoresis interpretations. As a clinical hematologist, I am the medical director of the Adult Hemoglobinopathy Program where I work with a multidisciplinary team to optimize the care of patients with sickle cell disease and thalassemia in the region. 

 

Research Activities

Keywords: transfusion medicine, knowledge translation, sickle cell disease, thalassemia

 

Description of Research Activities: I am supported by Physician Services' Inc. with a Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation grant to implement best practices and safe transfusion in the academic hospital setting and to enhance transfusion reaction management and reporting to the Transfusion Transmitted Injuries Surveillance System (TTISS). I hold grant funding from Canadian Blood Services and the Canadian Hematology Society to conduct clinical research using databases to study blood product utilization in surgical and oncology patients, transfusion reactions and safety, alloimmunization, and transfusion medicine laboratory testing strategies. I have an interest in sickle cell disease and thalassemia quality improvement research, and I am the local Principal Investigator on trials using novel drug therapies for these rare inherited blood disorders.