Presenter

Dr. Joseph Lam, MD Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Member of the Department of Dermatology and Skin Science

Dr. Joseph Lam is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and an Associate Member of the Department of Dermatology and Skin Sciences. He practices at the BC Children’s Hospital and in his private clinic on East 10th Avenue.

Presentation:

Acne: What’s Zit All About?

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants we will able to:

1. Grade acne severity based on morphology
2. Counsel on pathogenesis of acne
3. Choose an appropriate topical therapy
4. Manage systemic therapies for severe acne

Presenter

Dr. Grace Yu, MDCM, FRCPC Pediatrician

Dr. Grace Yu was born and raised in Montreal. She completed her Medical Degree at McGill University. She moved to Vancouver for Pediatric Residency training at BC Children’s Hospital. Dr. Yu started community pediatric practice in 2001 and she continues to work at City Pediatric Specialty Group in Vancouver. She has an interest in newborn care and works in the caseroom and nursery at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital. She is part of the BCCH Social Pediatrics Program and sees patients at the Sheway Clinic in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Dr. Yu is a Clinical Instructor in the UBC Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Yu is also an ambassador with the Unplugged Canada initiative.

Presentation:

UNPLUGGING THE NEXT GENERATION: Helping our patients and families navigate the digital world

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Counsel families effectively on screen use using non-judgmental, practical strategies
2. Incorporate screening for excessive screen time into routine pediatric visits
3. Advocate for health campaigns that encourage digital balance

Presenter

Dr. Alice Virani, MA (Oxon), MS, MPH, PhD Executive Director, Ethics Services Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Medical Genetics

Alice is the Executive Director, Clinical Ethics and Spiritual Care Services at PHSA and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Medical Genetics at UBC. In addition to her work at PHSA, Alice is passionate about the role of ethics at a national level and proudly serves on the Inter Agency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics, CIHR’s Advisory Committee on Ethics, and Chairs the Public Health Ethics Consultative Group for the Public Health Agency of Canada. Alices research interests relate to pediatric bioethics, public health ethics and ethical issues in genetics and genomics. Before moving into ethics, Alice was a genetic counselor in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. She has a Master’s degree in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford, a MS in Genetic Counseling, Sarah Lawrence College, a Master of Public Health (MPH), Columbia University, and a PhD in Genetics and Ethics from UBC.

Presentation: 

Navigating Ethical Tensions in the Care of Youth Who Use Substances

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Apply ethical principles to assess care options for youth with substance use disorder, including when involuntary interventions may or may not be ethically justified
2. Balance respect for youth autonomy with duties of protection, distinguishing ethically between risky choices and impaired decision-making capacity in the context of serious and imminent harm
3. Evaluate proportionality and least-restrictive alternatives, including the role of harm-reduction and voluntary services in ethical decision-making
4. Integrate equity, cultural safety, and Indigenous rights considerations, including awareness of disproportionate impacts on Indigenous youth and alignment with reconciliation commitments in British Columbia

Presenter

Dr. Juliana Wu, MD, FRCPC Physician Lead, Fraser South Eating Disorders Program Adolescent Medicine Specialist, The Kids Clinic

Dr. Juliana Wu is a pediatrician and adolescent health physician, with 10 years of experience at all levels of Canadian pediatric healthcare across two provinces/territories including tertiary care, secondary services and community practice. She currently provides leadership to a large publicly funded specialized eating disorders program at the Ministry of Child and Family Development in the Fraser South Health Region, with a catchment area of Surrey, Delta, Langley and White Rock. She has a large community practice in Vancouver that serves both adolescent and general pediatric patients and works on the inpatient wards at Richmond Hospital. She has provided territory wide coverage in the Yukon, and has also enjoyed doing outreach work to Northern B.C. through the BC Children’s Hospital group.

Ms. H. Hailey Graham, BA, JD Family Lawyer

H. Hailey Graham practices exclusively in the area of family law, such as separation, divorce, property division, spousal support, child support, relocation, and parenting.

Hailey is deeply committed to access to justice and community service. She volunteers as a supervising lawyer with Pro Bono Students Canada and Rise Women’s Legal Centre, and offers free legal services in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside through Access Pro Bono. Each year, she contributes as an author to the CLEBC’s Family Law Sourcebook. Hailey also serves as Chair of the Canadian Bar Association of British Columbia’s Family Law Section (Vancouver), and as Board Chair of Women Leaders of Tomorrow.

Presentation: 

Legal Considerations for the Pediatrician in Contentious Parental Conflict 

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Understand parents’ rights in disputed situations
2. Review physicians’ responsibilities when caught between parents with conflicting views
3. Apply practical legal considerations that arise in clinical pediatric care where there is contentious parental conflict with treatment decisions

Presenters

Dr. Tommy Gerschman, MD, FRCPC, MSc

Dr. Gerschman has been a BCPS Board Director since 2020 and currently serve as the Chair of the BCPS Economics Committee, which he has been part of since 2018. This committee has been instrumental in supporting the creation of new fees for pediatrics and advocating for money to address the disparities that exist between pediatrics and other specialities.

Dr. Gerschman has several years of experience in working with medical associations as a board member and leader. He has been a board member of Doctors of BC and served on several of its committee. Previously, he served as President of Specialists of BC (2019-20) where he supported critical implementations during the Covid pandemic. He has been co-chairing the Community-based Specialists Working Group, a Specialist Services Committee (SSC) committee. to bring imporovements and supports to specialists who are practicing in the community.

Since completing an MSc in Sports Medicine, Exercise, and Health, he has directed his efforts in trying to keep kids as active as possible. His training as a Pediatric Rheumatologist has allowed him to build on his expertise in musculoskeletal health to develop a community-based sub-speciality practice based out of North Vancouver and Burnaby.

Dr. Odion Kalaci, MD, FRCPC

Odion Kalaci is a general pediatrician in West Vancouver, BC. He also works in the BC Women’s NICU as a clinical associate, and has done locums all over the province. This has given him a background into the different funding models and fee codes available.

He has been a part of the BC Pediatric Society for the past 3.5 years, and transitioned as President in October 2022. He is also a part of the Economics Committee which plays a big role in disparity funding but also development of new codes.

In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, sports, and being a family man with his wife, Farah, and 2 year old daughter, Vienna.

Presentation: 

Pediatric Billing Questions? We Have the Answers! 

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Describe the role of BCPS Economics Committee within the framework for pediatric billing in BC.
2. Review strategies to optimize and appropriately bill pediatric fee codes.
3. Answer common billing questions from pediatricians.

Presenters

Dr. Tara Tandan, HBsC, Dip. Education, MD BC Children’s Hospital Eating Disorders Program Dr. (Physician – Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine), Youth Health Clinic BCCH and Community Peds/Adolescent Medicine Clinic, Langley, BC

Dr. Tara Tandan, She/Her/ is an Adolescent Medicine Specialized Pediatrician who completed her medical training at McMaster, UBC and U of T. She is a member of the UBC Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, and since 2006, has worked at BC Children’s Hospital in the Eating Disorders Programs and Youth Health Programs. She also has a community Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine practice in Langley, British Columbia and from 2003 – 2025, has provided call coverage at several hospitals in the Fraser Health Authority. Dr. Tandan is passionate about providing and improving care for patients and families affected by child and youth eating disorders, and has been committed, through the years, to providing health care providers with continuing medical education opportunities, as well as to spearheading and co-leading advocacy and QI initiatives in the area. One morning, in early 2024, she woke up “feeling funny”. This marked the beginning of one of her newest passions, writing and performing stand up comedy.

Carla Willock, RSLP, MSc. Speech-Language Pathology Registered Speech-Language Pathologist, Responsive Feeding Centre of BC Founder, Clinical Director, Victoria Speech and Language Centre

Carla is the Founder and CEO of The Responsive Feeding Centre of BC. Carla has been practicing in speech language pathology since 2007. She has a passion for working within a neurodiversity-affirming framework and is also leading the clinical team at Victoria Speech and Language Centre in learning from autistic voices and unlearning many of the ableist ways clinicians are taught in graduate school. This work has led the team to dive into neurodiversity affirming ways of supporting our most anxious and restricted eaters. She is passionate about supporting families and mealtimes in a way that prioritizes the child-parent relationship and reduces overall mealtime stress. As a mom of 2 active boys, she has seen many responsive feeding strategies improve her own family’s and friends mealtimes and allow her boys more autonomy in exploring new foods at their own pace. She has learned from her many years of working with families how stressful the simple act of feeding their children can be and is committed to supporting life long mealtime peace and providing parents with the strategies to help their child learn the skills needed to feel safe in exploring new foods.

Celise Dent, BSc. Food, Nutrition, and Health Registered Dietician, Responsive Feeding Centre of BC Sunnyhill Health Centre Feeding Team

Celise is registered with the college of dietitians of BC. Throughout her tenure, she has undertaken diverse roles, honing her skills in assessing and treating pediatric nutrition and feeding challenges, including selective eating, sensory sensitivities, food aversions, and feeding tube dependence. Her compassionate approach emphasizes building trust and confidence in children as they explore new foods and eating experiences.
Celise collaborates closely with families, caregivers, and multidisciplinary teams to
develop personalized nutrition plans when addressing feeding issues. Drawing on evidence-based strategies and innovative techniques, Celise empowers families with practical tools and resources to foster positive mealtime experiences and promote healthy relationships with food which ultimately preserves a child’s nutritional wellbeing.
Currently residing in Vancouver, Celise also does great work with the Sunny Hill Health Centers Feeding team.

Presentation: 

AFRFID 2.0 – Where are we now? 

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Describe the core features of ARFID and its associated comorbidities across the lifespan
2. Describe a model for managing ARFID and the current management landscape in British Columbia
3. Articulate the core characteristics of a responsive feeding approach for children and youth with ARFID

Presenter

Dr. Mary Flanagan, MB BCh BAO, BPharm Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Mary Flanagan is a pediatric gastroenterologist and hepatologist new to the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver since Sept 2025. She completed pharmacy and medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and subsequently higher specialist training in pediatrics through the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. Dr. Flanagan undertook subspecialty fellowship training in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, followed by advanced fellowship training in Pediatric Hepatology and Liver Transplantation at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Her clinical and research interests include pediatric liver transplantation, complications of advanced liver disease, and patient-reported outcomes in children with chronic liver disease. Prior to her work in Canada, she also served with Médecins Sans Frontières managing pediatric and malnutrition programs in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Presentation: 

Pediatric Liver Disease Across the Ages: From Biliary Atresia to MASLD 

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Screen for, identify, refer and assist in the care of patients with chronic liver diseases including biliary atresia, Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Presenter

Dr. Mara Tietzen, BScKin, MD, FRCPC, Dip Sport Med Pediatrician and Sports Medicine Physician Pediatrician and Sports Medicine Physician, Sea to Sky Orthopaedics Pediatrician, Lions Gate Hospital

Dr. Tietzen is a Pediatrician and Sports Medicine Physician dedicated to promoting the health, wellness, and movement of children and adolescents. She completed her Pediatrics Residency at BC Children’s Hospital through the University of British Columbia, followed by a Sports Medicine Fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. She currently maintains a mixed practice in hospital-based pediatrics at Lions Gate Hospital and community pediatric sports medicine. Her clinical work includes acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries, injury prevention, athlete health optimization and return-to-sport care. In the context of this talk, she is involved in collaborative efforts to optimize early concussion care, particularly for patients at higher risk of persistent post-concussive symptoms.

Presentation: 

Concussion – Debunking Myths for Practitioners and Families 

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Describe and implement evidence-based early management strategies for pediatric concussion, including return-to-learn and return-to-activity principles
2. Identify clinical risk factors associated with persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) and apply them to guide early management and follow-up planning
3. Access key resources to aid practitioner, patient and family education about concussion treatment

Presenter

Dr. Cherry Mammen, MD Pediatric Nephrologist Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

Dr. Mammen is a pediatric nephrologist at BCCH and clinical associate professor at UBC. As the medical director of dialysis, most of his time is spent taking care of chronic dialysis patients across the province. Outside of dialysis, one of his major clinical, research, and QI related interests lies in the area of childhood nephrotic syndrome. Along with a dedicated team, he co-developed an evidence based provincial clinical pathway for the diagnosis and treatment of nephrotic syndrome in 2013, which was meant to standardize practice and to help pediatricians co-manage this condition across BC. His talk today will highlight the evolution of this nephrotic syndrome provincial pathway and will cover what a general pediatrician needs to know in order to take care of these patients along with pediatric nephrology support.

Presentation:

Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome: A Primer for the General Pediatrician

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Review the clinical presentation and treatment of childhood nephrotic syndrome (NS)
2. Share the history and evolution of a provincial clinical pathway for childhood NS and the role of the general pediatrician

Presenters

Dr. Anna Liu, BSc, MD, FRCPC Pediatric Nephrology Fellow, UBC

Anna Liu is a Pediatric Nephrology Fellow at the University of British Columbia. She completed her medical school and Pediatrics residency at the University of Manitoba. Her interests in nephrology include chronic kidney disease, dialysis, and glomerulonephritis.

Presentation:

Gross hematuria and acute glomerulonephritis

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Classify the causes of gross hematuria, including acute glomerulonephritis
2. Formulate the management plan for children with post-infectious glomerulonephritis
3. Appreciate need for monitoring and diagnosing nephritis in IgA vasculitis

Presenters

Dr. Douglas Matsell, BSc, MDCM Nephrologist, Division of Nephrology, BCCH Professor, University of British Columbia

Dr. Douglas G. Matsell is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia and an internationally recognized leader in Pediatric Nephrology. With over four decades of experience in clinical care, research, and education, Dr. Matsell has significantly advanced the understanding and treatment of childhood kidney diseases. His research has focused on congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT), acute kidney injury, and clinical pathway development. He has been instrumental in developing predictive models and in utero models for congenital urinary tract obstruction. Dr. Matsell has taught across all levels of medical education and supervised numerous graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical trainees. His leadership roles have included Head of Pediatric Nephrology at BC Children’s Hospital, Medical Director of the Pediatric Transplant Program, and Director of Pediatric Kidney Services for BC Renal.

Presentation:

Personalized care for children born with kidney malformations

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Appreciate the scope and complexity of childhood kidney malformations
2. Understand the relationship of kidney anomalies to long term kidney outcomes
3. Identify children who would benefit from referral to the pediatric kidney clinic

Presenter

Elizabeth Leung, RD, MSc in Applied Human Nutrition, BSc in Food, Nutrition and Health (Dietetics) Nephrology Dietitian

I am a Clinical Dietitian with over 15 years of experience working across a range of clinical areas, with a particular focus on renal nutrition. Over the past two years, I have been working at BC Children’s Hospital as a Nephrology Dietitian, where I support children and families living with a variety of kidney conditions and treatment modalities. My clinical interests include renal nutrition across the lifespan, supporting optimal growth and nutrition in children with chronic kidney disease, and helping children and families foster a joyful and healthy relationship with food while integrating medical nutrition therapy into everyday life in a practical and sustainable way.

Presentation:

Renal nutrition and renal formulas

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Apply common dietary interventions for nephrotic syndrome, kidney stones, hypertension, and early-stage CKD in children
2. Understand reasons for selecting specific renal formulas
3. Learn how to assess and adjust nutrition using growth and biochemical markers

Presenter

Dr. Blake Sandery, MBBS, MMed Pediatric Nephrologist Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC

Blake is a Pediatric Nephrologist with an interest in kidney outcomes after critical illness and preventative kidney health. She is the lead of the BC Baby Kidney Krew – a collaboration between BC Women’s NICU and BC Children’s Nephrology aimed at furthering research and quality improvement initiatives in neonatal kidney health. Her Master’s research was in the field of acute kidney injury following hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Presentation: 

Kidney disease risk in children who graduated from NICU – who and when to monitor?

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Understand how the neonatal course influences later kidney health
2. Recognise infants and children who are at risk of chronic kidney disease after discharge from NICU
3. Understand and apply the recommended guidelines for long-term kidney follow-up for children discharged from the NICU

Presenter

Dr. Janis Dionne, MD Pediatric Nephrologist Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

Janis Dionne is a pediatric nephrologist at BC Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia. Her clinical and scholarly areas of interest include pediatric hypertension and chronic kidney disease. As co-chair of the Hypertension Canada pediatric subcommittee, co-chair of the International Neonatal Consortium Hemodynamic Adaptation workgroup for neonatal blood pressure measurement and classification, and contributor on the American Academy of Pediatrics Screening and Management of High Blood Pressure in Children Guideline, she has helped to shape national and international initiatives for hypertension care. Leveraging her clinical expertise and a person-centered approach to care, she is currently spearheading the development of a provincial Clinical Pathway for Pediatric Hypertension diagnosis and management.

Presentation:

The Pathway to Success in Pediatric Hypertension

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Employ a standardized approach for the investigation of confirmed pediatric hypertension
2. Recommend appropriate patient-centred tools for lifestyle management of elevated blood pressure
3. Initiate a first-line antihypertensive medication where indicated

Presenter

Dr. Matthew Harding, MD, FRCPC, BSc Pediatric Nephrologist, BCCH Clinical Lecturer, UBC

Matt Harding is a pediatric nephrologist who works on Vancouver Island. He is also a member of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology at BC Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Lecturer for UBC. He completed his pediatric residency in Victoria and his pediatric nephrology fellowship in Calgary. Much of his work focuses on bridging the gaps in care for patients with complex chronic illness who live outside the catchment of the quaternary centre. He is passionate about quality improvement and providing high level chronic disease care in the community setting.

Presentation:

Co-management issues with Chronic Kidney Patients

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Review best practices for shared care of patients with chronic kidney disease, undergoing chronic dialysis, and those with recent or remote kidney transplants
2. Identify common clinical issues arising in patients with CKD, chronic dialysis, and kidney transplant
3. Identify ways in which the above patients may present atypically with severe or life threatening clinical issues

Presenter

Dr. Robert Humphreys, MD Pediatric Nephrologist

Dr. Rob Humphreys completed his medical training at Memorial University in 2002, pediatric residency at the University of Rochester in 2005, and his nephrology fellowship at the BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) in 2009. He worked as a hybrid general pediatrician/pediatric nephrologist at Surrey Memorial Hospital and BCCH before transitioning full-time as a nephrologist and Fellowship Program Director at BCCH in 2016. As the workhorse of general nephrology clinics, Dr. Humphreys’ passion is caring for children with nephrotic syndrome and other general nephrology conditions. He is involved in Pathway development projects for care of Nephrotic Syndrome, Hypertension, and CAKUT (congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract); the goal is to optimize patient care and empower trainees and other health care providers to provide care for patients in their own local offices in a similar manner. As the Director of Outreach, through these pathways and triaging the Nephrology Division’s referrals, Dr. Humphreys practices care that helps minimize the burden of travel on BC families.

Presentation:

Kidney health in athletes

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Provide a framework to discuss protein and other supplements for active teenagers
2. Understand the nuances of fluids in teen athletes
3. Review exercise guidelines in hypertensive and/or overweight children