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ABOUT US

EDMONTON PEDIATRIC INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE CLINIC (EPIC) is a multidisciplinary program that includes clinical physicians, nurses and dietitians, clinician scientists, basic scientists, and clinical laboratory scientists. Our goal is to provide excellent, family-centered care for pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) through knowledge creation, translation and high quality clinical care.

We are all involved in IBD research, which allows us to better understand why IBD happens so frequently in Canada, find more effective and safer ways to treat patients and do all we can to improve the care and well-being of our patients. Currently, our program actively follows over 250 children and teens living with IBD, a life-long, chronic, relapsing inflammatory condition of the intestines. National data indicates that Alberta has one of the highest incidences of IBD in Canada and our clinic diagnoses over 50 new cases a year. Our youngest patient was diagnosed at 7 months of age.

 

OUR MISSION is to foster a multidisciplinary team approach to the care of children with IBD following the three main pillars:

 

  1. Knowledge creation and translation through research and collaboration

  2. Quality assurance and improvement process that enables progressive visualization of these goals and achievements.

  3. Excellence in clinical care and patient-oriented, evidence-based medicine.

WHY DID WE CREATE THIS WEBSITE? We hope kidsibd.ca will serve as a helpful resource for our current patients as well as everyone who wants to find out more about IBD in children, research or how to get involved.

 

OUR TEAM

ourteam

Physicians

Hien Huynh  MBBS  FRACP  FRCPC

Gastroenterologist, Professor and Divisional Director Gastroenterology - Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta

Dr. Huynh is a Professor of pediatrics and has performed both basic and clinical studies in gastrointestinal disease such as IBD, Helicobacter pylori infection and eosinophilic esophagitis.  He founded the pediatric IBD program at the Stollery Children’s hospital and developed the Pediatric IBD registry.  He has over 10 years experience in pharmaceutical trials.  He established the Western pediatric IBD network and is on the executive committee for the Canadian Children IBD network. Dr. Huynh is the site investigators for multiple cohort studies and has led investigator-initiated studies in such as IDEAL trial looking at Remicade levels in children with CD.

Eytan Wine  MD  PhD  FRCPC

Gastroenterologist, Professor - Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta

Dr. Wine is a Professor of Pediatrics and Physiology, Clinician Scientist, and Pediatric Gastroenterologist at the University of Alberta. After his Medical and Pediatric training in Israel, he completed a Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and earned his PhD in Cellular Microbiology at the University of Toronto in Philip Sherman’s laboratory. Dr. Wine’s clinical expertise is managing children with IBD. This interest fits well with his laboratory research focus on involvement of intestinal bacteria in development of intestinal inflammation, enabling translational bench-to-bedside research. The Wine lab has diverse expertise in basic aspects of IBD, especially in children, using patient samples and disease models to investigate the roles of microbes, the epithelial lining and barrier function, mucus defence, and inflammation in pathogenesis.


Dr. Wine is also involved in training at various levels and is the co-lead for the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program (CCHCSP) at the University of Alberta. He is a co-principal applicant on the CIHR-CHILD Foundation Canadian Children IBD Network and chair of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Porto IBD Group research committee.

Matthew Carroll  BSc  BMed(Hons)  MHSc  FRACP

Gastroenterologist, Associate Professor - Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta

Dr. Carroll is an Associate Professor in Pediatrics and a Clinician Educator at the University of Alberta. Dr. Carroll completed his medical training in Australia specializing in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. He did further clinical and research training in complex pediatric IBD at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC, earning his Masters in Health Science (Clinical Epidemiology) from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Carroll brings expertise in clinical epidemiology, quality improvement and health services research methodology and the use of administrative databases. He is a founding member of the Canadian Gastro-Intestinal Epidemiology Consortium (CanGEIC) research group, which is currently conducting a national study examining the impact IBD has on Canadian children, their families and the health system.

 

Dr.Carroll has an ongoing research interest in amongst Canadians of South Asian ethnic descent and has described a unique clinical IBD phenotype in this population. Within the Canadian Children IBD Network, Dr. Carroll is the Edmonton site lead for the national Pediatric IBD Quality Improvement project. He is also the Quality Improvement physician lead for the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology.

Daniela Migliarese Isaac  MD   MSc   FRCPC

Gastroenterologist, Assistant Professor - Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta

Dr. Isaac is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta. After completing her Medical Degree, General Pediatric Residency and Pediatric Gastroenterology Subspecialty Training at the University of Alberta, she began the Stollery – Shriners Clinical Research Fellowship focussing on the use of gastroenterologist performed bowel ultrasound in monitoring pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This exciting new area of pediatric IBD management remains her primary research focus. Dr. Isaac has undergone formal training and is internationally certified in performing bowel ultrasonography through the International Bowel Ultrasound Group.

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Dr. Isaac joined the University of Alberta Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition with a clinical focus on the management of pediatric IBD. In addition, she has clinical and research experience aimed at improving care for children with celiac disease through promoting a multidisciplinary clinic model and innovations in the endoscopic referral process. In addition, she has a strong interest in Global Health and Social Pediatrics, including experience in developing patient advocacy projects targeted at improving the social determinants of health for children and their families both locally and internationally. She is completing a Master of Science in Public Health with a focus on Health Services Management through the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Hien Huynh
Matthew Carroll
Eytan Wine
Daniela Isaac
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Matt Carroll.JPG
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Nurses

Cheryl Kluthe  RN

Registered Nurse

Cheryl is a pediatric GI nurse with a strong interest in IBD. She is part of the Canadian IBD nursing network.  She has shown leadership and dedication in EPIC quality by studying patient adherence to treatment, her result will be presented at Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America Orlando Dec 2014.

 

She is the main organizer of all our patient related events throughout the year including our IBD day. Her major role in studying Patient and parents Perception of Treatments and Disease will develop our nursing research capacity and will lead our qualitative research in EPIC with the support of WCHRI (Women and Children’s Health Research Institute) qualitative  platform and the remaining EPIC team members.

Leanne Shirton  RN

Registered Nurse

Leanne Shirton is a pediatric GI nurse with a strong interest in IBD. She has been a nurse with Alberta Health Services for 30 years and has spent the last 10 years in the Stollery Pediatric Gastroenterology clinic.

Dietitians

Min Chen  RD

Registered Dietitian

Min is one of the registered dietitians in IBD clinic. Her main focus is to provide advice and support for IBD patients regarding their dietary concerns and nutritional needs.  She works with family to make sure our children follow the right diet, grow to their potential, and work towards preventing relapses. 

Jessica Wu  RD

Registered Dietitian

Jessica has been a Dietitian with the GI program for 5 years. She likes meeting patients and their families and helping them improve their health through food. When she’s not in clinic, she loves to travel and try new foods from around the world.

Research Team

Lead Research Coordinator

Kristie DeHaan  BSc

Kristie joined the EPIC team in May 2022. She was a part of previous research teams as the lead research coordinator, and she continues to apply the plethora of skills and experiences with the EPIC team. 

Research Coordinator

Jody McPeak   BScN

Jody joined the EPIC team in March 2023.  She did her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Alberta.  She has many years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and previously worked as a RN at the University Hospital.  She has four grown children that have kept her busy and active.  She has a personal interest in IBD research as one of her children was diagnosed at the Stollery with Crohn's disease when he was 12 years old.  Her own family history of Crohn's disease,  spreading over many generations,  has fostered a keen personal interest and pride in working with the pediatric IBD team.   In Jody's time off she loves to spend time with family and friends, exercising at the gym, spending time in nature and enjoying all the city's wonderful culinary experiences. 

Research Assistant

Deirdre McKay  BSc 

Deirdre joined the EPIC team in January 2023. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Alberta and discovered her love to learn about the relationship between nutrition and well-being. Deirdre is eager to work with the team in finding ways to improve the health and wellness of children with IBD. In her free time, she is likely cooking, baking, or discovering a new restaurant in the city. 

Lead Research Coordinator

Lorraine Lu  BA  MPH

Lorraine joined the EPIC team in May 2022. She did her Bachelor of Arts (Honours in Psychology) at the University of Alberta and completed her Master of Public Health at Western University. Lorraine was a research assistant during her undergrad in the Adolescent Development Lab also at the UofA, focusing on adolescent depression and parenting. She has also done a literature review and published a resources guide with Youth Coalition on Chemsex among youth during her practicum. She would love to continue her work in research and contribute to improving children's and adolescents' well-being with the pediatric IBD team. In her free time, Lorraine loves to cuddle with her cats and discover fun things to do around the city. 

Research Assistant

Anna Kuc  BSc  BScN Student

Anna is currently studying in her first year of the Bachelor of Nursing After-Degree Program at the University of Alberta. She loves working with kids and has a specific interest in pediatrics, especially IBD, following her younger brother’s diagnosis of Crohn Disease in 2013. Anna is motivated to help the team with their research so that they may come to new discoveries regarding trends, treatments and improved lifestyles of kids with IBD. Outside of the clinic, Anna Ukrainian dances and loves to spend time with her family. 

Justin Kim  BSc Student

Research Assistant

Justin is currently in his fourth year of his Bachelor of Science General program at the University of Alberta. First finding his passion in immunoglobulin therapy and COPD research, Justin has pursued further experience in healthcare research by joining the EPIC team in July 2021. He has applied previous research experience to tackle new projects that focus on improving the quality of life of IBD patients. Outside of the office, Justin enjoys playing chess, flying, and volunteering with his friends. 

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