Recent developments in vaccination for COVID-19 have allowed many of us to glimpse the light at the end of the tunnel. However, many questions remain particularly for those who are immunocompromised. Please join us for a COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A on February 22, 1-2:00p.m. EST.

This virtual event will give transplant patients, those on the transplant waitlist, and their families the opportunity to ask our experts questions about COVID-19 vaccines and more.

This event is free and open to all who are interested.

How To Submit Your Questions

• You can submit your questions upon registration.
• You can submit your questions in advance here or at slido.com with the event code #ATC-COVID
• You can submit your question during the event here or at slido.com with the event code #ATC-COVID

Speakers

Dr. Deepali Kumar

Dr. Deepali Kumar is Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is a transplant infectious diseases physician in the Ajmera Transplant Centre at University Health Network. Dr. Kumar has a translational research program that consists of both clinical and laboratory-based research. Her research focuses on immunologic responses to vaccines and viral infections in transplant recipients. She has supervised numerous graduate students and medical residents/fellows. She has authored over 175 manuscripts, editorials, and book chapters in the field of transplantation. She is Editor-in-chief of The AST Handbook of Transplant Infections and Associate Editor of the 4rd Transplant ID Guidelines published in Clinical Transplantation. She is also Chair of the Canadian Standards Association Technical Committee for Cells, Tissues, and Organs. She currently holds the role of Secretary of the American Society of Transplantation.

Dr. Istvan Mucsi

Istvan Mucsi, MD, PhD is a CIHR funded clinician investigator, transplant nephrologist at the Multi-Organ Transplant Program and Division of Nephrology at the University Health Network in Toronto. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto. Dr. Mucsi is an "expert advisor" of the Canadian Donation and Transplant Research Program.

He received his medical degree (1988) and his certification in internal medicine (1993) in Budapest, Hungary and completed nephrology training at the University of Toronto (1994-1997). Initially he had been working as a general nephrologist but later moved to Montreal to work as a transplant nephrologist at McGill University. He has moved to Toronto in April 2014.

His current research focuses on understanding and reducing ethnocultural barriers and disparities in access to kidney transplantation and living donor kidney transplantation. He has been collaborating with multiple community agencies and religious organizations develop culturally and religiously competent kidney transplant education for multiple ethnocultural communities in Ontario.

He has adapted a patient education program, called Explore Transplant, for use in Ontario. This program is a key educational tool in the Enabling Access to Kidney Transplant-Living Kidney Donation (ENAKT-LKD) provincial initiative managed by the Ontario Renal Network and Trillium Gift of Life Network. Dr. Mucsi has been co-leading the education pillar of that initiative.

He also has a strong interest in psychosocial determinants of health; sleep disorders; quality of life studies and patient reported outcomes. Dr. Mucsi will test the effectiveness of routinely measuring Patient Reported Outcome Measures in the everyday clinical care of patients with chronic kidney disease and solid organ transplant recipients, to improve clinical and quality of life outcomes.

He published more than one 140 peer reviewed articles, his H index is 46.

Dr. Nazia Selzner

Dr. Nazia Selzner is a Transplant Hepatologist and Medical Director of Live Donor Liver Transplantation in the Multi-Organ Transplant Program, University Health Network, and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Nazia Selzner is a Scientist at the Institute for Medical Science (IMS) as well as at the Toronto General Research Institute (TGRI). Dr. Selzner graduated from Medical School at the University of Paris VII, France and completed her Gastroenterology training in 1998. She completed her PhD in 2003 at the University of Paris VII, France, after four years of research fellowship at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC and at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Her research interest is in the mechanism of ischemia/reperfusion injury of the liver. Her interest in ischemia and reperfusion injury started during her research fellowship at Duke University where she studied mechanisms of reperfusion injury in diseased livers, such as steatotic or aging livers. She continued her research in this field in Toronto. Dr. Selzner has recently received the Canadian Society of Transplantation Research Excellence Award.

Dr. Cecilia Chaparro

Cecilia Chaparro, M.D. Associate Professor of Medicine at the University Of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. Respirologist at The University Health Network, Toronto Lung Transplant Program, at the Toronto General Hospital. Clinical Associate in the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program, Division of Respirology, at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Education Director for the Toronto Lung Transplant Program. Main clinical interests are the management of patients both pre and post lung transplant, and cystic fibrosis patients. Main research interest is medical complications post lung transplantation with chronic rejection and infections specially those occurring in cystic fibrosis patients with Burkholderia cepacia. More than 30 publications around these topics . Currently working on Transition to Transplant. Member of The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and reviewer for medical journals - The Journal of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, Chest, Thorax.

Andrea Norgate

Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Coordinator, UHN and non-directed living kidney donor.

Dr. Michael McDonald

Dr. Michael McDonald is a cardiologist at UHN, and a member of the cardiovascular investigations unit and heart function, heart transplant, and ventricular assist device clinics. His clinical focus is the management of patients with advanced heart failure, implantable devices and cardiac transplantation. Dr. McDonald’s areas of academic interest include clinical guideline development and knowledge translation, multilevel medical education, and quality improvement in heart failure

Joanne Kearney (moderator)

Joanne received a kidney transplant at UHN’s Toronto General Hospital after her husband, Brendan, donated his kidney though the Canadian Blood Services’ Kidney Paired Donation Program at TGH. Joanne and Brendan joined the UHN Transplant Campaign Cabinet in September 2017. Since then, Joanne and Brendan, together with their families, have become founding supporters of the Centre for Living Organ Donation at TGH – a world first.

Joanne Kearney is a member of the Board of Toronto General & Toronto Western Hospital Foundation. She is a Partner and co-owner of Smithcom Limited, a boutique communications and reputation management consulting firm. Joanne’s work at Smithcom focuses on transaction communications, issues and crisis management and reputation-building campaigns in the natural resources and capital markets sectors. Philanthropy has always been an important part of Joanne’s professional life, acting as co-chair for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon hosted by the Ireland Funds, Canada since 2014.

This session is intended for transplant and waitlisted patients, caregivers, family and healthcare providers - but anyone who is interested is welcome!