Division Head
The Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine of the University of British Columbia includes 20 perinatologists providing consultative care at 4 sites – BC Women’s Hospital, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital and Victoria General Hospital. In addition, new clinics have been added at St. Paul’s Hospital and will expand in the future. In addition to providing direct patient care at these sites, Division members provide clinical support to maternity care providers throughout the province and into the Yukon Territory through telephone and telehealth consultations, and through coordination of maternal transports.
Members of the Division work in close collaboration with specialists in other disciplines including Medical Genetics, Obstetrical Medicine, Neonatology, Pediatric Surgery, Reproductive Mental Health and many others. Care is provided in a collaborative model with the patient’s primary care provider. The interdisciplinary clinic provides patients with the services of perinatal nurses, social workers, dieticians and psychologists.
Administratively, the Division shows a strong presence at hospital, university, provincial, national and international levels.
For a complete list of the Department’s programs, visit the Education section.
Undergraduate & Postgraduate
The Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine is highly engaged in the educational mandate of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology for all learners. This includes leadership roles in the pre-clinical MD undergraduate program and significant contributions to the clinical undergraduate and postgraduate training in Ob/Gyn.
Subspecialty Residency
The two year Royal College accredited Subspecialty Residency in Maternal Fetal Medicine is highly regarded and very competitive with two fellows currently in the program.
Division Faculty Directory
Our division faculty members can be found from the Faculty & Staff Directory.
Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) Subspecialty Residency
The Maternal Fetal Medicine Subspecialty (SS) Residency Program is a fully Royal College-accredited two-year subspecialty program.
This program provides advanced training in high risk obstetrics and prenatal diagnosis, with excellent clinical exposure and supervised experience in all aspects of the subspecialty. SS Residents are expected to participate in basic science and/or clinical research projects. Protected academic time is provided and teaching in research methodology, statistics, and study design is offered. In preparation for becoming an academic physician, formal instruction is offered in how to teach in the clinical setting and participation in multidisciplinary/interprofessional committees is encouraged.
The program is based at BC Women’s Hospital (BCWH) in Vancouver, British Columbia. This is a 95 bed maternity hospital that delivers both primary and secondary level obstetrical care to the Greater Vancouver area and tertiary/quaternary level care to the province of British Columbia and the Yukon. With over 7000 deliveries each year, there is a wealth of clinical material for learning and research opportunities. MFM Faculty are complemented by the UBC Department of Medical Genetics, the BCWH Department of Specialized Women’s Health, the Surrey Memorial Hospital Maternal-Fetal Medicine Service, and the Diagnostic Ambulatory Program (DAP), which encompasses the BCWH ultrasound department and ambulatory clinics.
List of Research Areas:
- Animal Models of Pre-term Labour
- Cesarean Section
- Effect of Pharmaceuticals upon Fetal Hemodynamics
- Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy
- Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Preeclampsia
- Labour and delivery
- Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms in Implantation
- Population Health and Health Services
- Pre-term Birth
- Reproductive Infectious Disease
- Endocrine Control Mechanisms during Pregnancy and Parturition
- Ultrasound
Research activity within the division covers the spectrum from basic science to clinical research to population health and database analysis. Research strengths include: investigation of maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy / placental dysfunction, and perinatal factors determining outcomes for babies born preterm. Research collaborations span the research institutes on site as well as national and international networks. Funding for research in the division currently totals over twenty million dollars and includes awards from the CIHR, Michael Smith Foundation, the Gates Foundation, Genome Canada, WHO, BCCH Telethon, Variety Clubs and many other sources.
Research Groups
Perinatal Databases and Networks
The Canadian Perinatal Network (CPN) is a national network led by Dr. Laura Magee and Dr. Robert Liston. 17 tertiary perinatal units across Canada are involved in the network. CPN’s inaugural project, Birth before 29 weeks, seeks to identify best practice in the care of women with the most common causes of preterm birth at 22 to 28 weeks gestation.
The Pre-Eclampsia Integrated Estimate of RiSk for mothers (PIERS), led by Dr Peter von Dadelszen, is an international, multi-centre collaboration to develop a model to predict risk of adverse outcomes in women admitted to hospital with pre-eclampsia. The PIERS model will contribute to our understanding of the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, which we hope will lead to the development of new appropriate treatments and interventions to reduce maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality associated with this condition.
Research in Advanced Fetal diagnosis and Therapy Group (RAFT)
The Research in Advanced Fetal diagnosis and Therapy Group (RAFT) is a consortium of researchers dedicated to facilitating research as it pertains to fetal diagnosis and therapy. RAFT is comprised of researchers from various disciplines including obstetrics, medical genetics, pathology, sonography, neonatology and epidemiology. The group as a collective is committed to working collaboratively in generating novel ideas for research within the Diagnostic Ambulatory Program. RAFT members meet regularly on the last Friday of every month at BC Women’s Hospital.
