From May 12–13, Critical Care BC and BC Transplant co-hosted the BC Resuscitation Sciences Series: Organ Donation & Transplantation Symposium—a two-day event tailored for the critical care community. The symposium brought together over 300 participants from across Canada, offering a high-quality educational experience that advanced knowledge and collaboration in the field of organ donation and transplantation. Attendees heard from renowned speakers from across Canada—including Quebec and Ontario—and internationally, with participation from the UK.
Presentation Highlights:
- Dr. Sam Shemie – The Mortem Triplets: Pre, Peri, and Post
- Dr. Sonny Dhanani – Advances & the Future of Organ Donation Research
- Dr. Dan Harvey – Normothermic Regional Perfusion: The UK Experience
- Rachael Durie - Bridging Donation & Transplantation
- Another particularly impactful session was led by Ron Shiu (St. Paul's Hospital), who presented a qualitative study exploring culturally inclusive end-of-life care in critical care settings—a vital topic that resonated deeply with attendees.
We invite you to view the session recordings, which include timestamps, and continue the conversation on how we can evolve our critical care practices to better serve our communities.
BC Resuscitation Sciences Series: Organ Donation & Transplantation Symposium 2025
Land Acknowledgement – Elder Xwechtaal Dennis Joseph (4:50)
Welcome Address – Dr. Myp Sekhon & Dr. Maureen O’Donnell (14:11)
The Physiology of Circulatory Arrest in Humans – Dr. Myp Sekhon (39:30)
Patient Partner: A Son and His Parents Ignited a Research Program Through donation – David Boloten & Lora Peeler (1:04:48)
The Perils of Prognostication—Post-Cardiac Arrest Prognostication – Dr. Julie Kromm (1:12:55)
Healthcare Provider’s Insights to End-Of-Life in ICU – Dr. Allana LeBlanc (1:35:48)
What Do “We” Care About at Our End-Of-Life? A Qualitative Study Exploring Culturally Inclusive End-Of-Life Care in Critical Care Settings – Ron Shiu (1:54:00)
The Mortem Triplets: Pre, Peri and Post – Dr. Sam Shemie (2:10:42)
Pro-Con Debate: What’s More Important to Life and Death – The Heart or The Brain – Dr. Peter Gooderham (3:17:23)
Predicting Death – Part 1: The Brain to Heart Axis – Jordan Bird (3:17:30)
Predicting Death – Part 2: The Heart to Brain Axis – Dr. Sonny Dhanani (3:34:03)
Patient Partner: A Mother’s Story of Donation – Jennifer Woolfsmith (3:56:41)
Diagnosis of DNC: Radiographic Assessment for Ancillary Testing -Dr. Raju Heran (4:15:43)
Organ Donation After Medical Assistance in Dying – Dr. Matt Weiss (4:40:50)
Patient Partner: Ric’s story - Mary Basas & Makenzi Harris (5:08:50)
Advances and the Future or Organ Donation Research – Dr. Sonny Dhanani (5:36:30)
Normothermic Regional Perfusion: The UK Experience – Dr. Dan Harvey (3:08)
The Beneficence Of NRP: Increasing Heart Donation and Optimizing Liver Donation – Dr. Matt Weiss (51:42)
The Non-Maleficence Of NRP: Honouring the Dead Donor Rule in Canada – Dr. Marat Slessarev (1:06:25)
NRP: Perspectives From A HPB Surgeon – Dr. Stephanie Chartier-Plante (1:23:12)
The BC Experience with NRP – Dr. George Isac (1:37:24)
Roundtable: Considerations For Implementing NRP In Canada – Dr. Dan Harvey, Dr. Matt Weiss, Dr. George Isac, Dr. Stephanie Chartier Plante, Dr. Julie Kromm, Dr. Prosanto Chaudhury, Dr. Marat Slessarev (1:55:38)
Precision Matching for Kidney Transplantation – Dr. James Lan (2:40:23)
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em: Harnessing The Immune System To Improve Transplantation Outcomes – Robbie Wright (2:58:25)
Pediatric Considerations into Solid Organ Transplant – Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen (3:12:29)
Mechanical Cardiovascular Bridging Techniques for Heart Transplantation – Dr. Nima Mogghadam (3:39:20)
Hepatic Ischemia: Reperfusion Injury – Dr. Daljeet Chahal (3:59:30)
Donor-Derived Infections: Threats to Patients – Dr. Sara Belga (4:17:03)
Telling Recipient Stories with Novel Methods – Dr. Suze Berkhout (4:33:42)
Panel Discussion: Donor Family & Recipient Roundtable - Nick Kanaan, Kristi Coldwell, Jennifer Woolfsmith, Mary Basas (5:01:17)
Bridging Donation and Transplantation - Rachael Durie (5:41:37)
Closing – Dr. Myp Sekhon (6:16:58)