Presenter: Dr. Alym Abdulla

Topic: Iron Deficiency in Pregnancy: Challenging our Current Paradigm

Bio: Dr. Alym Abdulla obtained his undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC. After working as a community pharmacist for 3 years he went to back to school and He completed his medical degree at UBC in 2015.  He completed his core internal medicine residency training and Hematology fellowship at UBC. He is a Clinical Instructor in the UBC Division of Hematology and the Site Director for Year 2 Clinical Skills for the UBC VFMP program. He is currently working as a hematologist at Royal Columbian Hospital. His clinical interests include iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy, venous thromboembolism and myeloid disorders.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Explain the pathophysiology, etiology and diagnosis of iron deficiency in pregnancy
2. Understand the impact of iron deficiency in pregnancy
3. Understand the management options for iron deficiency in pregnancy and the postpartum period
4. Identify the pitfalls and potential ways we can improve our current paradigm of managing iron deficiency in pregnancy

Presenter: Dr. Shaohua Lu

Topic: Insomnia: An Update on the Use of Dual Orexin Antagonist In the Medical Surgical Setting

Bio: Dr. Lu is an addiction and forensic psychiatrist with over 25 years of clinical experience with a focus on addiction, PTSD and complex psychiatric conditions. He completed his addiction psychiatric fellowship at Harvard University.  He had served on the Health Canada Expert Task Force on Substance Use. Dr. Lu is a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia.  He has helped to develop various psychiatry educational and clinical programs with Vancouver Coastal Health and UBC. He had served on provincial, national, and international medical organizations.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Familiarize with the orexin mechanism in sleep
2. Current data on DORA on sleep
3. A review of the clinical experience of DORA in the medical surgical setting

Presenter: Dr. Michael Butchart

Topic: Radiology Fireside Chat

Bio: Rank-and-file Radiologist in the FHA since 2002, serving at RMH since 2007. Chief Radiologist RMH 2010-2012 and 2021-2024. Publications: an acknowledgment in an obscure journal some time around 2000.

Presenter: Dr. Zameer Hirji

Topic: The Role of Interventional Radiology in the Management of Venous Thrombosis

Bio: Dr. Zameer Hirji is an Interventional Radiologist at Royal Columbian Hospital in British Columbia, Canada. After his Radiology Residency at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, he went on to complete a Fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa. Although he provides the full range of vascular, body and stroke intervention, he has a special interest in venous disease. Dr. Hirji works closely with local and regional specialists to help diagnose and treat conditions such as PE, acute deep venous thrombosis, upper arm DVT, and deep venous reconstruction. He enjoys sharing his experience with other centers that are still new to PE thrombectomy taking an active role in new program development and education. He is currently working with a multidisciplinary team to develop a DVT treatment pathway to ensure patients are triaged and treated appropriately. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Medical Expert: Evaluate the pathophysiology and risk stratification of acute DVT and PE to guide evidence-based management decisions.
2. Medical Expert: Identify appropriate candidates for endovascular therapies (e.g., catheter-directed thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy) in acute iliofemoral DVT and selected PE.
3. Scholar: Interpret key clinical trial data and contemporary guideline recommendations, including the 2023 position statement from the Society of Interventional Radiology, and apply findings to clinical practice.
4. Collaborator: Integrate Interventional Radiology consultation within multidisciplinary care pathways, including hospital-based PE response models.
5. Health Advocate / Leader: Recognize opportunities to reduce long-term morbidity (e.g., post-thrombotic syndrome and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension) through timely referral and system-level coordination.

Presenter: Dr. Erin Budd

Topic: Distilling the Facts: Reviewing Management of Alcohol Use Disorder

Bio: Erin Budd is a family physician who completed an Enhanced Skills Fellowship in Addiction Medicine at UBC. She currently serves as the medical lead for a virtual addictions clinic and practices across multiple settings, including Fraser Health Medical Detox and the Surrey Rapid Access to Addiction Care (RAAC) clinic. In addition, she works in a long-term opioid agonist therapy (OAT) practice and has experience providing primary care in a priority populations clinic.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Be able to differentiate between low risk and high risk alcohol use vs  alcohol use disorder.
2. Have an improved ability to identify patients at low vs high risk of complicated alcohol withdrawal.
3. Understand indications and how to prescribe relapse prevention medications.

Presenters: Dr. Laura Kelly & Dr. Dan Moller

Topic: A Unique Endocrinology Case: Multiple Fractures and Severe Hypertension in a Young Man

Bio: 

Dr Laura Kelly is an Emergency Physician and site medical director at Ridge Meadows Hospital, and a clinical instructor with UBC. She completed her medical training at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, and her CCFP(EM) at Queen’s University in Kingston.  She moved to BC on a whim to learn how to ski 30 plus years ago and hasn’t looked back.  She is a new “empty nester” except for 2 dogs and a cat and spends lots of time “forest bathing” up and down the beautiful hiking trails around Maple Ridge.  She hopes that you never become an “interesting case” to an Emergency Physician.

Dr. Daniel Moller completed his fellowship in General Internal Medicine with a focus on Perioperative Care at McMaster University and the University of British Columbia. He later joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at UBC in 2022 and became a member of the Department of Internal Medicine at Ridge Meadows Hospital in 2026. Within these roles, Dr. Moller practices full spectrum internal medicine and critical care. He is passionate about teaching and is a clinical skills instructor, resident mentor, and a member of the GIM fellowship Competence Committee. Now entering his fifth year of practice, he remains deeply uncomfortable with the idea of soon being considered a mid-career attending. In his spare time, you’ll find him trail running on Vancouver’s North shore.

Learning Objectives:

1. To understand when to suspect secondary hypertension and how to evaluate for endocrine causes.
2. To identify the hallmarks of Adrenal disease and understand the diagnostic approach to hypercortisolism
3. To review the physiology of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.
4. To evaluate the relationship between endocrine disorders and fracture risk.
5. To select appropriate investigations and treatments that address hormonal drivers while managing blood pressure and bone health.