Jessie has been working at BC Children's since 1997 starting in bedside care of medical and surgical patients, and then moving over to Ambulatory care positions in gastroenterology and endoscopy. She has been in the role of Transplant Nurse Coordinator since 2007. Jessie assists in the coordination of care for all patients who require solid organ transplant (heart, liver, kidney or lung) in both the pre-transplant phase and the post-transplant phase.
Sarah has worked at the BC Children's Hospital in various nursing roles since 2006, before joining the Multi Organ Transplant Team as one of the Transplant Nurse Coordinators in 2016. Sarah assists in the overall coordination of care of solid organ transplant (heart, kidney, liver and lung) patients and their families.
Marijana has been working at the Children's Hospital since 1999, and has been a casual RN for the Multi-Organ Transplant Program for the past three years. She has worked on Cardiology and Medical units as a bedside RN, as a Clinical Nurse Coordinator on the Medical Unit, and as a UBC Clinical Instructor.
In her role as the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist for Nephrology and Solid Organ Transplant, Katie cares for children with chronic kidney disease, and those with kidney, liver, heart and lung transplants to optimize medication therapy, and educate patients and their families about their medications. Her current research areas include immunosuppressant pharmacokinetics (how your body deals with the immune-suppressing drugs you need after a transplant) and monitoring for adverse effects of medications in transplant recipients. She is also a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia and mentor students and pharmacy residents training in hospital clinical practice. She completed her Bachelor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees at the University of Alberta, and has been with BC Children's Hospital since 2014, and in her current role with the MOT team since 2016.
Dr. Anisha Varghese is a Registered Psychologist who completed her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Since moving to Vancouver for her residency training at BC Children’s Hospital, she has worked at a number of clinics and areas, which has included developmental disabilities (Sunny Hill Health Centre, Complex Developmental and Behavior Conditions Program), mental health, and medical psychology. Dr. Varghese has a particular passion for medical psychology and has worked in this department for five years. She enjoys working alongside youth with a wide array of chronic health conditions and their families in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She uses evidence-based strategies (cognitive behavioural, emotion focused, acceptance and commitment) to help build upon inherent strengths and resiliencies. Dr. Varghese is very much looking forward to joining the Multi-Organ Transplant and Renal teams.
Preeti has been a Registered Dietitian at BC Children's hospital for the last ten years and recently joined the MOT team in November 2017. Her role within the team is to develop nutrition care plans that meet the nutritional, medical and cultural needs of the patient and family during all stages of the transplant process. She is passionate about working with children and their families to optimize growth, improve nutrition status and provide education on healthy lifestyle choices.
Hello everyone, my name is Laura Steffler and I will be the social worker covering during Kat’s mat leave. Prior to joining the MOT team I have spent the majority of my time working in the mental health field; Both in BC and Ontario. I moved out to BC in June 2019 and have really enjoyed the change in lifestyle and beautiful scenery. I completed my MSW through the University of Windsor in Ontario. Throughout my career patient centred care and trauma informed care have been the foundation to how I work with patients and their families. I really believe in the importance of the family voice in care and hope to support you through your family’s transplant journey. Please feel free to reach out for any questions or concerns.
Kat has been a social worker in pediatrics for the past 8 years covering a variety of clinical areas from the ICU to Acquired Brain Injury and General Pediatrics. With a Masters in Social Work from Flinders University, she has experience both here in Canada and her home country of Australia, and is an enthusiastic and devoted member of the team. Kat has specialised interest in trauma-informed practice, attachment and child development, and works hard to meet all her patients and families exactly where they are at in their transplant journey. When she's not working, you'll find Kat skyping her family back home, hiking, camping or running a marathon.
Rita has been a child life specialist at BC Children's Hospital since 1989, and is certified with the Association of Child Life Professionals. She has been a part of the MOT program since 2015, and has often worked with families in the Renal Dialysis Unit.
Child life specialists promote effective coping with health care experiences through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities. They provide emotional support for families, and encourage optimum development of children and youth facing a broad range of challenging experiences. Working collaboratively with the health care team, child life specialists address the psychosocial and emotional needs to make hospital experiences more positive for patients and their families.
Julie has worked at BC Children's Hospital since 2005. She works in a variety of clinical areas and joined the MOT team in 2015. Physiotherapists work with children and their families in hospital after transplant to facilitate and support early mobilisation. Julie assists in the rehab process by collaborating with the MOT team, patient and family to set individual goals that support motor development, physical activity, exercise and participation.
