Dr. Chan was presented with the prestigious award in October by the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI).
For more than a decade, Dr. Chan has worked tirelessly as a physician, researcher and advocate of allergy and immunology to support patients and their families in diagnosis, treatment and education for allergic challenges.
Earlier this year, Dr. Chan was part of an important announcement published by an international expert panel advising the consumption of peanut-based products at an early age reduces the risk of peanut allergy. Dr. Chan was the only Canadian member (and one of only two non-Americans) sitting on a U.S. National Institutes of Health expert panel that issued detailed guidelines in January about feeding peanut to infants.
Dr. Chan has played a leading role in several other initiatives including: clinical trials for epicutaneous peanut immunotherapy; studying the association between food allergy and anxiety; development and evaluation of an e-health tool to educate the general public about food allergy; and examining the barriers and solutions towards greater adoption of oral food challenges. Quality improvement projects include collaboration with Child Health BC and Public Health Nurses to educate parents about peanut introduction in infants, and implementation of pre-school peanut oral immunotherapy outside of research.
The Jerry Dolovich Award is presented to an allergist who demonstrates excellence in clinical work, teaching, and research, and serves as a leader and role model in the specialty.