Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery  |

The Pediatric CVT Division has always maintained a high standard of care.  The surgeons have attended courses and meetings every year in order to bring new technology to enhance surgical skills, to master new surgical techniques, and to provide the best care.  A neonatal program was developed four years ago whereby all neonatal surgeries were performed by a single surgeon to increase the caseload and ensure ongoing expertise.  This strategy has improved the surgical outcomes, and currently specific neonatal protocols per cardiac anomalies are being developed by the cardiac sciences team in a continuous effort to decrease mortality and morbidity.

The mortality for infants less than one year old and children less than 17 years old has decreased steadily and is now approaching 0%.  These results are biannually benchmarked with the 5 centers members of the Toronto database.  These outcomes have been obtained through teamwork with meticulous preoperative assessment, attention to surgical techniques, and aggressive postoperative care.  A strong quality assurance program has helped to ensure continuity and a high standard of care. The replacement of our internal database by the Toronto Sick Children’s database software five years ago has provided the capability to benchmark our results with five other Canadian centres.  The data information is completed every six months with a full report.  It is a very important component of the Cardiac Surgical Quality Assurance Program.

Department of Pediatric Dentistry  |

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry is located in BC Children’s Hospital. It is part of the Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of British Columbia and is located at 4480 Oak Street, Room 162 in the Ambulatory Care Building. The Children’s Hospital Dental Service has been a Department of the hospital since the late 1940s. The mandate of the Dental Department has changed over the years to meet the needs of secondary and tertiary level patients to be cared for in the province and for healthy children under the age of 4 years. The first salaried Head of Pediatric Dentistry was appointed in July, 1985.

Since 1985 oral health care services have been provided to the children of BC who cannot be treated in the community, either with local or general anesthesia. Dentistry has a dedicated operating room that is located in the main operating room area is available for the provision of comprehensive oral health care services and minor oral surgery under general anesthesia. Major oral maxillofacial surgery is performed in the Main OR. The three chair dental clinic is now located in the new Ambulatory Care Building. The service provides 24/7 emergency coverage for the management of oral trauma, infection and pain. Professional staff is on call as back-up to the dental residents who share call on a rotational basis.

Other Staff Members:
Dr. Clive Bethel, Associate GP
Dr. Martin Braverman, Active oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Dr. Mark Casafrancisco, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Anabel Chan, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Peter Chan, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Brian Chanpong, Active anesthesiologist
Dr. Wa S. Cheung, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Sam Chiang, Consulting pediatric dentist
Dr. Ed Chin, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Jeff Coil, Active endodontist
Dr. Lisa Coveney, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Hasnain Dewji, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Leo Fung, Active prosthodontist
Dr. Rosamund Harrison, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Paul Helpard, Consulting orthodontist
Dr. Bon Bob Hu, Associate GP
Dr. Robin Jackson, Active orthodontist
Dr. Richard Kramer, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Young Kuah, Active orthodontist and pediatric dentist
Dr. Louisa Leung, Provisional active pediatric dentist
Dr. Angelina Loo, Active orthodontist
Dr. William MacDonald, Active oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Dr. Eugene Marks, Active oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Dr. Resa Nouri, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Gerry Pochynok, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Mark Reichman, Active oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Dr. Donal Scheideman, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Ronald Slemko, Active oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Dr. Dorothy Sonya, Active orthodontist
Dr. Esther Tam, Active endodontics
Dr. Isaac Tam, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Tim Tam, Active pediatric dentist
Dr. Wendy Tang, Active pediatric dentist

Pediatric General Surgery  |

The Department of Pediatric General Surgery consists of five surgeons with practices dedicated exclusively to the care of infants and children of BC. The division is committed to clinical programmatic development, basic science and clinical research, undergraduate and postgraduate education, international surgical advocacy, and hospital, university, and national administrative service.

Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery   |

The Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at British Columbia's Children's Hospital (BCCH) is the major referral centre for pediatric neurosurgical conditions in the province of British Columbia. The Division has established itself as one of the foremost pediatric neurosurgical units in Canada and is acclaimed internationally as a leader in pediatric neurosurgery. The Division currently comprises three full-time pediatric neurosurgeons: namely, Dr. Paul Steinbok who is head of the division, Dr. D. Douglas Cochrane and Dr. Ash Singhal. All three neurosurgeons are fully trained in pediatric neurosurgery and have limited their practices to the care of children with pediatric neurosurgical conditions.

The Division performs approximately 300 neurosurgical operations yearly, and addresses the full range of neurosurgical conditions in children. These include surgeries for brain and spinal tumors, Chiari malformations, Moya Moya disease, syringomyelia, craniosynostosis, hydrocephalus, spina bifida, tethered cord, epilepsy, head injuries and cerebral palsy, among others. The neurosurgeons are experienced with neuroendoscopic and image guided neurosurgery.

The Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery has an ongoing quality assurance program, with regular assessments of complications, mortalities and outcomes. Our Division has consistently had among the shortest postoperative stays in Canada for a variety of neurosurgical conditions, including major craniotomies and shunt procedures, attesting to the low rate of postoperative complications. We also have one of the lowest rates of pediatric neurosurgical operations per unit population in North America, and this in part reflects the careful thoughtful approach of the neurosurgeons to the management of neurosurgical conditions and the ability of the neurosurgical team to achieve enduring results. We have achieved the lowest rates of blood transfusion in the world for open procedures to correct various types of craniosynostosis (see cranio-facial program).

The complications of neurological disease and their treatments are often life long. Some of these complications are not avoidable but may are. Using comprehensive preoperative imaging, intraoperative monitoring and structured techniques including the BCCH surgical safety checklist, modified for pediatric surgery, the Division leads the Canadian pediatric surgical community in providing safe surgery for children with neurological disease. 

Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology   |

The Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology at BC Children’s Hospital is the main source of tertiary level eye care for the children of British Columbia. The department also provides care to adults with complex strabismus problems, and electrophysiology services to children and adults of this province whose complex retinal or optic nerve diseases require investigation.

The relationships of the Department within the Hospital are a reflection of the subject, which straddles medicine and surgery. Much of our work occurs in busy outpatient clinics where we contribute to multi-system diagnoses as well as identifying and treating the visually-disabling disorders of childhood. We interact closely with the Department of Pediatrics (especially general pediatrics, neurology, rheumatology and dermatology) as well as surgical specialties (neurosurgery, ENT).

Since we also depend on operating facilities, we are administratively closely affiliated with the Section (now Department) of Surgery, and are members of the surgical PBCU. 

Department of Pediatric Orthopedics  |

The Department of Pediatric Orthopedics has two geographic sites: British Columbia Children’s Hospital, which houses office and ambulatory facilities for each of the staff, and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, which serves as a musculoskeletal diagnostic center, primarily via the Shriner’s Gait Lab which serves, both as a diagnostic and research tool for the Department.

Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology   |

The Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology provides care for children with disorders of the ears, nose and throat. These disorders can be congenital or acquired. The otolaryngologists care for problems such as ear infections, hearing loss, airway obstruction, snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, tonsillitis, nosebleeds, dysphonia, congenital cysts, sinuses and fistulae of the head and neck, foreign bodies and tumors. Surgery ranges from myringotomy and tympanostomy tube insertion, adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy to cochlear implantation, bronchoscopy and airway reconstruction (often with laser).

In a year, about 8,000 children are assessed in the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic. In addition, the team members participate in these multi-disciplinary clinics: cleft palate, craniofacial, vascular anomalies and cochlear implantation.

Division of Pediatric Plastic Surgery   |

The Division of Pediatric Plastic Surgery has a Division Head and five staff surgeons. All of the Division members maintain some area of special expertise within the spectrum of plastic surgical practice. Drs. Bush, Courtemanche, and Verchere provide cleft care. Drs. Bush and Courtemanche also work in the Craniofacial Clinic and the Jaw Clinic. Dr. Verchere runs the Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Clinic. Dr. Courtemanche runs the Vascular Anomalies Clinic. Dr. Verchere and Dr. Hill manage the Complex Upper Limb Clinic and Dr. Verchere is the Children’s Hospital Burn Program Director. Dr. Mark Hill has a special interest in congenital hand and microsurgery and Dr. van Laeken has a special interest in facial re-animation and microsurgery. 

Division of Pediatric Urology   |

The Division of Pediatric Urology offers care for children with urinary tract and genitalia disorders. These disorders can be congenital or acquired. The pediatric urologists care for common problems such as urinary tract infections, wetting, undescended testis, hernias, hydronephrosis, hypospadiass, hydroceles and urinary reflux. The urologists perform reconstructive surgery and management of complex gastro-urinary congenital anomalies and chronic renal failure.

In a year, about 6,000 patients are assessed in the ambulatory clinic and 900 surgical procedures are performed. In addition, the multi-disciplinary team members conduct weekly half-day myelomeningocele clinics for BC spina bifida patients.