2024 Speakers
Louis Girard
NEPHROLOGIST
Calgary, AB
Exploring ANCA Associated Vasculitis (AAV): Pathophysiology and new therapies
Dr. Louis Girard joined the Division of Nephrology at the University of Calgary in July of 2010. He is a Nephrologist and a Clinical Professor of Medicine. Within the Division of Nephrology, Dr. Girard focuses on clinical immunology, genetics and infectious diseases in patients with kidney disease. He is the medical director of the Glomerulonephritis Clinic and Apheresis. He has developed several specialty clinics for the treatment of rare diseases, including clinics for the treatment of complement mediated disease, Tuberous Sclerosis and Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease. His work in this area was recognized with the Dr. John Conly award for innovation. Recently, he became the program director of the newly created GN Fellowship program, which has its first trainee, who started training July 2022. Additionally, he is the co-chair of the Glomerulonephritis and Diabetic Kidney Disease sub-committees of the Medicine Strategic Clinical Network for Alberta Health. Dr. Girard is the co-chair of CAN-PKD. He is heavily involved in clinical trials. He has several peer-reviewed publications including a co-authored publication in the New England Journal of Medicine. Furthermore, he is a member of CAN-VASC and is a co-author on the most recent Canadian ANCA Vasculitis guidelines. Dr. Girard is also a member of the Canadian Apheresis Group as well as the Executive Planning Group. As part of his role within CAG, Dr. Girard also serves on the TMA/TTP working groups. Additionally, he is a committee member on the authorship group that wrote the Canadian consensus recommendations on ADPKD and the update to that document. Dr. Girard has a strong commitment to education and has won numerous awards for his teaching contributions at all levels of medical training.
Lieselot Peremans
Paediatric Nephrologist & Rheumatologist
Ghent, Belgium
Fellows Presentation
Dr. Lieselot Peremans is a young clinician trained in Pediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology, currently working at the University Hospital in Ghent (Belgium). In 2021, she obtained her accreditation as a physician specialist in Pediatrics after a diverse training in Belgium, the Netherlands and Curacao. After graduating as a pediatrician, she further specialized with a fellowship in Pediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology at the University Hospital in Ghent (Belgium), followed by a clinical-scientific fellowship in vasculitis at Alberta Children's Hospital. Her research during this fellowship was mainly focused on childhood-onset Takayasu Arteritis.
Ashish Marwaha
Paediatric Geneticist
Calgary, AB
Genetics of Vasculitis
Ashish (Ash) Marwaha is an early career clinician scientist and clinical medical geneticist focusing on complex immune dysregulation disorders. He has used a collaborative approach to build an integrated research care pathway that aims to diagnose the cause of rare diseases and lead to improved targeted treatment. His research expertise includes whole genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, polygenic risk score analysis, epigenomics and machine learning integration of multi-omic data. He ultimately wants to use his extensive clinical trial experience to implement precision therapy for this patient population.
Rebecca Thomas-Chen
PEDIATRIC Nephrologist
Kingston, Jamaica
Fellows Presentation
Dr. Rebecca Thomas-Chen is a past Dawson Jarock clinical research fellow, having completed her fellowship at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in September 2024. The primary focus of her research was renal outcomes in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis. Her background is in pediatric nephrology, having previously completed a two-year fellowship training at McGill University in Montreal, QC. She has subsequently returned to Kingston Jamaica to resume her position as pediatrician, pediatric nephrologist (now with a special interest in vasculitis), and associate lecturer at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
Michele Ramien
PEDIATRIC Dermatologist
Calgary, AB
Skin changes in Vasculitis
Dr. Ramien is an academic dermatologist based at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Calgary, Canada. She has both pediatric and general medical dermatology practices, with a focus on teaching and mentoring the next generations and fostering global communities that share her passion for dermatology, patient care, and innovation. Dr. Ramien has research interests in eczema management and patient education as well as severe cutaneous reactions in children.
Marija Jelusic
Paediatric Rheumatologist
Zagreb, Croatia
IgA vasculitis with a focus on nephropathy
Marija Jelusic, MD, MSc, PhD, is Full Professor of Paediatrics and Vice-Chair of Department of Paediatrics at the University of Zagreb, School of Medicine in Croatia. Head of the Department of Paediatric Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergology, University Hospital Centre (UHC) Zagreb, at the University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, working as paediatric rheumatologist and clinical immunologist. Founder and Head of the Referral Centre for Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology Ministry of Health Republic of Croatia-full member of the European Reference Networks – Immunodeficiency, Autoinflammatory and Autoimmune disease (ERN-RITA).
She is the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) Council member as a Chair of the Training and Education committee (since 2023), the current Chair (since 2017) and past Secretary (2013-2017) of the Vasculitis Working Party of the PReS, the Croatian Pediatric Society Council member (since 2022), National co-ordinator of the Paediatric Rheumatology International Trail Organization (PRINTO) (since 2017), member of the EULAR (European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology) Paediatric Committee (since 2023), past Secretary of the Macrophage activation syndrome Working Party of the PReS (2014-2018), National co-ordinator of the EULAR Standing Comittee for Paediatric Rheumatology. (2013-2016).
As principal investigator and co-investigator she has participated in many national and international projects, has been invited to speak in more than 200 national or international meetings. Her field of clinical and research activity focuses on paediatric rheumatology, with an emphasis on vasculitis (IgA vasculitis) and personalized immunology – genetic and cellular analysis of autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. Previous research has resulted in awards from the European and Croatian Pediatric Society, the mentorship of PhD theses (10) and 29 graduated thesis (student's diploma thesis), Work to date includes more than 100 clinical research papers published in peer-reviewed journals and 17 funded research grants, 6 as principal investigator