The Tree of Life ceremony is an event put on annually by Transplant Manitoba to honour living kidney donors and donor families for their gift of life
A single kidney transplant saves as much as $50,000 each year in dialysis costs alone
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Watch the videos and start a conversation about organ donation
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I want to honour my donor every day by giving this heart the best home possible Kristin Millar
My liver transplant has given me time to see my children and grandchildren grow.
One donor can save 8 lives through organ donation
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Transplant Manitoba-Gift of Life is comprised of doctors, nurses and staff who are dedicated to providing care to organ donors and promoting organ donation in Manitoba.
Heather Shortridge
Director of Patient Services, Medicine
Kim Werestiuk
GD4 /Transplant Clinic/ Adult Kidney Transplant Program Gift of Life-Organ Donor Organization of Manitoba
Jillian Barrott
Communications Coordinator, Transplant Manitoba and SignUpForLife.ca
Nancy Dodd, P.Eng
Process Quality Engineer
Riley Sambrook
Secretary, Transplant Manitoba
Transplant Manitoba-Gift of Life is comprised of doctors, nurses and staff who are dedicated to providing care to organ donors and promoting organ donation in Manitoba.
Dr. Adrian Robertson
Medical Director
Dr. Kim Wiebe, Dr. Faisal Siddiqui, FRCSC and Dr. Duane Funk, FRCSC
Donor Physicians
Starr Beghin, RN, Jamie Combiadakis, RN, BN, Jody Sawatzky, RN, BN, Karla Farstad, RN, BN, MN and Leslie Geiger, RN, BSN
On-call Donor Coordinators
Pam Schille, RN, BN and Jessica Ammeter, RN, BN
Donor Coordinators
Jody Sawatzky, RN, BN
Living Kidney Donor Coordinator
Dr. David Rush, FRCPC
Medical Director
Dr. Julie Ho, FRCPC, Dr. Martin Karpinski, FRCPC, Dr. Peter Nickerson, FRCPC and Dr. Leroy Storsley, FRCPC
Transplant Physicians
Dr. Joshua Koulack, FRCPC
Surgical Director
Dr. Tom McGregor, FRCSC, Dr. Gregory Harding, FRCSC, Dr. Randy Guzman, FRCSC, FACSC, RVT, Dr. Robert Bard, FRCSC, Dr. Darrel Drachenberg, FRCSC, Dr. Ross MacMahon, FRCSC and Dr. Jeff Saranchuk, FRCSC
Transplant Surgeons
Starr Beghin, RN, Jamie Combiadakis, RN, BN, Karla Farstad, RN, BN, MN and Leslie Geiger, RN, BSN
Renal Recipient Coordinators
Carol Beazley and Miseline Castor
Pre-Transplant Unit Clerks
Melinda Mendez and Rose Suban
Unit Clerks
Jennifer Gibson, BSP, ACPR
Pharmacist
Alyson Haiart, BSW, RSW
Social Worker
Renee Schettler, RD
Clinical Dietician
Michele Coutre, RN, Cheryl Kalupar, RN, Marybeth Maher, RN, Angela Roy, RN, Melanie Zarrillo, RN and Brenda Gawryluk , RN
Clinic Nurses
Dr. David Peretz, Msc, Bsc, FRCP(c), FACP
Director, Manitoba Liver Transplant Program
Dr. Manna Zhang and Dr. Eleonora Bakalets
Clinical Assistants
Elyse Skubovius
Pre and Post-transplant Clinic Unit Clerk
Vicki Strick, RN
Pre and Post-transplant Clinic Nurse
Dr. Wayne Kepron
Medical Director
Dr. Helmut Unruh
Transplant Surgeon
Dr. Darren Freed
Cardio-Thoracic Transplant Surgeon
Dr. Larry Tan and Dr. Sadeesh Srinathan
Assistant Surgeons
Dr. Zoheir Bshouty
Assistant Physician
Trina Michalishyn and Tamara Hamin
Dietitians
Patty Phrakonkham-Ali
Social Worker
R. Narrandes
Physiotherapist
V. Duncan
Psychiatry Clinician
Dr. N. Honcharik
Pharmacist
Dr. Shelley Zieroth, FRCP(C)
Cardiologist
Clare Rubin, RN, BN
Recipient Coordinator
We are a group of transplant professionals dedicated to leading, advancing, and advocating for patient care, research and education to improve kidney transplantation for children.
Dr. Patricia Birk, FRCP(C)
Medical Director and Transplant Physician
Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen, FRCP(C), FAAP and Dr. Aviva Goldberg, FRCP(C)
Transplant Physicians
Dr. Joshua Koulack, FRCP(C)
Transplant Surgeon
Dr. Allison Dart, FRCP(C) and Dr. Kristen Pederson, FRCP(C)
Dialysis Physicians
Dr. Nafisa Dharamsi, FSCS(C) and Dr. Karen Psooy, FRCS(C)
Urologists
Leslie Irvine, BA(Hons), BSW, RSW
Social Worker
Diane McKenty, RN
Transplant Nurse Clinician
Phyllis Malowski, RN
Dialysis Nurse Clinician
Dr. Eric Sigurdson
Renal-Psychiatrist
Julie Pannell, RPN
Renal-Psychiatry Nurse
Julie Strong, RN, BN
Pediatric Recipient Kidney Transplant Coordinator
Brendon Mitchell
Pharmacist
Lisa Wilson
Dietitian
Gail Martin
Administration and Support Staff
Susan Coutu
Administration and Support Staff Team Member
Our goal is to provide the highest quality heart care and to work with each patient to ensure they make the best health choices post-treatment.
Dr. Shelley Zieroth, FRCP(C)
Director of Heart Failure and Transplant Clinics
Shari Barker, RN, BSN
Clinic Nurse
Nicole Girouard
Unit Clerk
