Omar Nazif , BASc, PEng, MD, FRCSC
Conference Chair
Omar Nazif , BASc, PEng, MD, FRCSC
Clinical Assistant Professor
Active Staff, Surrey Memorial Hospital
BASc (Mech Eng), University of British Columbia Professional Engineer, APEGBC
MD, University of British Columbia
Urology Residency, UBC
Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada
Fellow, Urology (Laparoscopy & Endourology), University of Alberta
Dr. Omar Nazif is a graduate of the UBC Urology Residency Program. He practices urology in Surrey, BC. He is fellowship trained in laparoscopy and endourology and specializes in minimally invasive surgery of the kidney, adrenal, and prostate. He also specializes in the endourologic management of stone disease.
Areas of interest include laparoscopic radical prostatectomy with nerve sparing technique for localized prostate cancer, laparoscopic radical and partial nephrectomy for localized renal masses, laparoscopic adrenalectomy for the treatment of functional and non functional adrenal masses. Other areas of specialization include endourologic management of stone disease with ureteroscopy, nephroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and laser lithotripsy. He is fellowship trained in extra corporeal shock wave lithotripsy for treatment of stone disease. He also specializes in KTP (Green Light) laser photovaporization for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Dr. Nazif is actively involved in the BC Urological Society and the Canadian Urological Association. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences UBC, where he is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. He was the valedictorian of his medical school class. He has published papers and presented at various conferences.
Dr. Martin Gleave
Dr. Martin Gleave
B.Sc. Physical Education, University of British Columbia
Doctor of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada
Fellow, American College of Surgeons
Order of Canada
Team:
Board of Directors
Clinical and Research Scientists
Executive Team
Positions:
Executive Director, Vancouver Prostate Centre
Executive Director, Vancouver Prostate Centre
Chief Executive Officer, PC-TRiADD
Distinguished Professor and Head, Department of Urologic Sciences, UBC
BC Leadership Chair in Prostate Cancer Research
Dr. Gleave (CM, MD, FRCSC, FACS) is a clinician-scientist and urologic surgeon. His major research focus involves the study of cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating progression of prostate cancer to its lethal stage of androgen independence, and use of this information to develop integrated multimodality therapies that specifically target these mechanisms. Dr Gleave established a role for clusterin as a cancer-related cell survival protein involved in treatment resistance and developed an inhibitor, designated OGX-011, which improved efficacy of hormone- and chemo-therapies in prostate and other cancer models. He is the scientific founder of OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and a Member of the Order of Canada.
Dr. Ryan Paterson, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Ryan Paterson, MD, FRCSC
Assistant Professor, Department of Urologic Sciences
Active Staff, Vancouver Hospital, Providence Health Care
MD- University of British Columbia, 1995
Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC), 2000
Endourology and Laparoscopy Fellow, American Foundation for Urologic Disease
Scholar, Methodist Hospital of Indiana, Indiana University School of Medicine, 2000-2002
Canadian Urological Association Scholarship 2003-2004
BACKGROUND
Dr. Paterson has part-time appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at Vancouver Hospital and Providence Health Care. He has
a subspecialized interest in the medical and surgical management of kidney stone disease, laparoscopic urologic surgery, and the surgical treatment of benign prostatic enlargement.
Dr. Paterson has been actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching with a specific focus in minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Paterson received the Department of Surgery Best Resident Teacher Award in 2000 and Division of Urology Outstanding Teacher Award in 2005. He is currently the site coordinator for Urology at Vancouver Acute (VGH and UBC Hospitals) with an increasing interest in hospital administration.
Dr. Alan So
Dr. Alan So
B.Sc. University of Alberta, 1995
M.D. University of Alberta, 1997
Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC), 2002
Uro-oncology Fellowship, Vancouver Prostate Centre/University of British Columbia, 2002-2005
Team:
Clinical and Research Scientists
Positions:
Senior Research Scientist, Vancouver Prostate Centre
Associate Professor, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia
Active Staff, Vancouver General Hospital
Associate Professor, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia
Active Staff, Vancouver General Hospital
A graduate of the University of Alberta, Dr. So came to the Prostate Centre as a Clinical Fellow in 2002, following completion of his residency at Dalhousie University. He worked with Dr. Martin Gleave on the mechanisms of development of hormone resistance, bone metastasis of prostate cancer, and in the development of novel intravesical therapeutics for bladder cancer. During his post-doctoral fellowship he published more than 10 peer-reviewed papers. He is a recipient of many awards, including the Vancouver General Hospital Foundation’s “In It For Life” Clinician Scientist Award, an ASCO “Young Scientist Award”, and a prestigious Michael Smith Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award.
Dr. So’s current research focuses on the study of development of novel therapeutics for bladder cancer and determination of the functional role of GLI1/2 in the progression of prostate cancer to its lethal stage of androgen independence. He has characterized the functional role of different survival genes (including clusterin and Hsp27) in different tumor models (prostate, breast, lung, and bladder) in cancer progression. His current research focuses on discovery and development of novel agents to treat bladder cancer as well as development of the mechanisms of treatment resistance in renal cell carcinoma.
He is active in clinical trials across Canada and is a member of National Cancer Institute of Canada GU Clinical Trials Group and Canadian Uro-Oncology Group. Currently, he leads the Clinical Trials Unit at the Vancouver Prostate Cancer and is the Chair of the Urology Surgical Tumour Group at the BC Cancer Agency.
Dr. Ryan Flannigan
Dr. Ryan Flannigan
We are pleased to announce that Ryan Flannigan, a fellowship trained Male Infertility and Sexual Medicine expert will be returning to the UBC Faculty of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences, effective July 1, 2018. Dr. Flannigan was awarded a prestigious Translational Scientist Position in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Flannigan has spent 2 years in New York at Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre working with pioneers in the field of male reproduction, Dr. Peter Schlegel, Dr. Marc Goldstein & Dr. Darius Paduch as well sexual medicine, Dr. John Mulhall. Prior to his sub-specialty training, Dr. Flannigan completed his Urology residency here at the University of British Columbia (2016), and his MD degree from the University of Calgary (2011).
Clinically, Dr. Flannigan’s practice will be specialized in male infertility and sexual medicine. Dr. Flannigan will evaluate men with all presentations of infertility, and utilize both medical and surgical management strategies. Dr. Flannigan will perform a full array of infertility procedures including: microsurgical varicocele repairs, microdissection testicular sperm extraction (microTESE), percutaneous sperm retrievals, electro ejaculation for men with spinal cord injuries and microsurgical vasectomy reversals including both the micro-dot vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy procedures, among others. Dr. Flannigan has also been trained in and weill perform no-scalpel vasectomies. Dr. Flannigan will also have a focus on the evaluation, medical and surgical treatment of men with Peyronies disease, erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction and spinal cord injury associated infertility and sexual dysfunction. Dr. Flannigan performs penile implant surgery, Peyronies injections, Peyronies plications as well as excision and grafting techniques.
Dr. Flannigan will join the Department of Urologic Sciences as the Director of Male Reproduction and Sexual Medicine Research. Dr. Flannigan’s research program is focused on evaluating genetic and molecular mechanisms contributing to non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), using precision single-cell strategies and in vitro methods, with the goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets to treat men with no presently available treatments. Dr. Flannigan also has a focused interest in investigating the molecular mechanisms contributing to Peyronies Disease with the goal to translate his results into novel therapeutic strategies. Beyond bench science, Dr. Flannigan is involved in numerous clinical trials and is actively involved in research related to preventative health and health promotion jointly with the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation.
Please welcome Dr. Flannigan back to the Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UBC.
Dr. Christopher H. Wu, BSc, MD, FRCSC B.Sc
Dr. Christopher H. Wu, BSc, MD, FRCSC
B.Sc – University of British Columbia 2008 (Microbiology and Immunology)
M.D. – University of British Columbia 2012
Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC, Urology) 2017
Male Reproductive Medicine and Andrology Fellowship – University of Toronto 2018
Background:
Dr. Christopher Wu completed his Medical School at the University of British Columbia and his Urology Residency at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He then completed Fellowship training in Male Reproductive Medicine and Andrology at the University of Toronto under the auspices of Drs. Keith Jarvi, Kirk Lo, and Ethan Grober, with a special focus on urological microsurgery and penile reconstruction procedures. He practices general adult and pediatric urology in the Fraser Health Authority. He is based out of Burnaby Hospital but also works at the Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody as well as the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster. His areas of interest include Male Infertility, Andrology, as well as Minimally Invasive urologic procedures.
Israel Chafetz, Q.C.
Israel Chafetz, Q.C.
Israel was a founding partner of the firm Taylor Jordan Chafetz and together with his colleagues, joined Harris in December 2014. Israel provides ongoing advice relating to employers’ statutory and collective agreement obligations. He is an active advocate appearing on behalf of employers before the Labour Relations Board, the Employment Standards Tribunal, the Human Rights Tribunal, arbitration boards and both Provincial and Federal Courts. He practises in multiple jurisdictions across Canada.
Israel taught at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Commerce and lectured and published in the area of Labour Law. He is a former Director of the Vancouver Symphony and the Jewish Community Centre. He is counsel to both the Vancouver Opera and the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Shane Brown
Shane Brown is a partner practising out of the Vancouver office of Thorsteinssons LLP.
Shane’s practice focuses on domestic and international tax planning for individuals, trusts, corporations and charities, including: estate planning, corporate reorganizations, divisive reorganizations, business structuring, property acquisitions and offshore and cross-border structures. Shane also advises non-residents, including persons planning to immigrate to Canada, and represents clients who have disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency.
Shane is a regular lecturer for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia and currently teaches the following courses:
- Taxation of Domestic Family Trusts: Basic
- Taxation of Domestic Family Trusts: Advanced
- RIP: Tax Compliance Matters Related to Terminal Filing Preparation
- RIP: Estate Planning to Minimize Tax Leakage
Shane also lectures on various aspects of taxation law at conferences, meetings and courses attended by tax advisors and other professionals regarding tax planning matters. Shane co-authored a paper and presented it at the 2011 Canadian Tax Foundation National Tax Conference in Montreal. Shane also authors and co-authors papers and articles on a variety of tax planning matters, including a 2008 paper for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia entitled “Corporate and Income Tax Issues Relating to Share Rights and Restrictions”.
Shane received a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Zoology from the University of Manitoba in 1997, a Bachelor of Laws in 2004 from the University of British Columbia and was called to the British Columbia Bar in 2005. Prior to joining Thorsteinssons LLP, Shane practised in-house as General Legal Counsel and as part of the management team for a group of international technology companies. Shane has completed the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants Advanced International Tax Course and attended the Canadian Bar Association’s Tax Law for Lawyers Conference. Shane is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Canadian Bar Association and the Law Society of British Columbia.