2025 Speakers
Mike Walsh
Adult Nephrologist
Hamilton, ON
Treating ANCA Associated Vasculitis: Towards Personalizing Treatment
Dr. Walsh obtained his MD and MSc and trained in internal medicine and nephrology at the University of Calgary. He then trained in lupus and vasculitis in Cambridge, UK, followed by a PhD in Health Research Methods at McMaster University . He is now an Associate Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and Health Research Methods, Evidence & Impact at McMaster University, medical director of the Glomerulonephritis Clinic, director of the Clinical Nephrology Research Group at St. Joseph’s Healthcare, the Scientific Director for the Canadian Society of Nephrology, the Scientific Director of GlomCon, the Provincial Medical Lead for Person Centred Care at the Ontario Renal Network and a Senior Scientist at the Population Health Research Institute where he leads research investigating treatments for patients with kidney diseases with particular interests in glomerular diseases, vasculitis, symptoms of kidney failure, and cardiovascular complications of kidney diseases. He has been awarded training and career awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Kidney Research Scientist Education National Training Program (KRESCENT), McMaster University, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, the Society for Clinical Trials, Dalhousie University, NephJC, and the Canadian Society of Nephrology.
Lynn Cornell
Anatomical Pathologist
Calgary, AB
IgG4 Disease
Lynn D. Cornell, M.D. is a medical renal pathologist and Professor in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Medicine at the University of Calgary, with a clinical practice at Alberta Precision Laboratories, Foothills Medical Centre. She is the Academic Department Head of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. Her academic work focuses on kidney transplant pathology, tubulointerstitial nephritis, and IgG4-related disease.
She received her undergraduate education (S.B.) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her medical degree (M.D.) from the University of Minnesota. She completed residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and a fellowship in Renal Pathology at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, where she also received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (National Institutes of Health) for a postdoctoral research fellowship. Before moving to Calgary, she spent 18 years on the faculty at Mayo Clinic, where she founded and directed the renal pathology fellowship program.
Dr. Cornell is a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology and the American Society of Transplantation. She is the recipient of the Gloria Gallo Research Award (2015) and the Jacob Churg Award from the Renal Pathology Society (2026). She is the current Vice President of the Renal Pathology Society.
Vivien De Paula Mantovani Joaquim
Paediatric Nephrologist
Curitiba, Brazil
Vasculitis Fellow Project
Dr. Vivien Mantovani is a pediatric nephrologist from Brazil and a Clinical Research Fellow in the Vasculitis Program at Alberta Children's Hospital. She brings clinical experience in pediatric nephrology together with a growing academic focus on childhood-onset vasculitis, with particular expertise in Takayasu arteritis. Her research interests span ANCA-associated vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and the kidney and vascular manifestations of vasculitis. She is especially interested in long-term outcomes and in the differences between pediatric- and adult-onset disease.
Aurore Fifi-Mah
Adult Rheumatologist
Calgary, AB
IgG4 Disease
Bio
Kim Morishita
Paediatric Rheumatologist
Vancouver, BC
PedVas and International Registry on Vasculitis
Dr. Kimberly Morishita is a Pediatric Rheumatologist at BC Children’s Hospital and Clinical Associate professor of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. She has been a core member of the Pediatric Vasculitis Initiative Registry since inception. Her research interests are in pediatric vasculitis, with a primary interest in outcomes and translational research in ANCA associated vasculitis.
Lia Anish
Paediatric Nephrologist
Vellora, India
Vasculitis Fellow Project
Dr. Lia Sara Anish is a physician with postgraduate training in Pediatrics and subspecialty training in Nephrology, currently serving as the Dawson Jarock Vasculitis Fellow at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and the University of Calgary. Prior to moving to Calgary, she practiced at Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, a historic, century-old institution in India renowned for its mission-oriented healthcare, equity, and research impact.
Her current research focuses on childhood systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) and lupus nephritis. Supported by the Dawson Jarock Research Award, she is actively investigating long-term patient outcomes and examining ethnic disparities in diagnosis, management, and healthcare equity. Through this work, she aims to uncover the distinct factors influencing disease trajectories to help advance more equitable, tailored care for children affected by lupus.
Audrea Chen
Paediatric Rheumatologist
Edmonton, AB
Kawasaki Disease; Updated Guidelines and Practical Points
Dr. Audrea Chen a Paediatric Rheumatologist in Edmonton, Alberta working at the Stollery Children's hospital. She pursued additional training in childhood vasculitis at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and have completed a Masters of Science in Quality Improvement & Patient Safety. Her research and QI work focuses on Kawasaki Disease, systemic vasculitis, improving patient/family understanding of their disease and transition to adult care for patients with rheumatic disease
Rume Djebah
Adult Rheumatology Resident
Calgary, AB
Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Vasculitis Living in Canada
Dr. Rume Djebah is a third-year Internal Medicine resident at the University of Calgary. She began her career as a general practice physician, then her interest in health systems led her to purse a Master of Health Administration at Dalhousie University. Dr. Djebah's interests lie at the intersection of clinical medicine, health outcomes research and health system innovation. She is currently involved in vasculitis research through the University of Calgary's Division of Rheumatology, where she is evaluating patient-reported outcomes in individuals living with vasculitis using the PROMIS-29 instrument. Her work aims to characterize symptom burden and quality of life in this population and to compare these outcomes with established patient-reported outcome frameworks in other systemic autoimmune diseases, with the goal of informing more patient-centered models of care.
Christoph Licht
Paediatric Nephrologist
Toronto, ON
Complement Cascade Blockers in ANCA Vasculitis - Hope or Hype?
Dr. Christoph Licht is a Professor of Paediatrics and Medicine at the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, and the Head of the Division of Nephrology at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). He also holds positions as a Senior Scientist in the SickKids Research Institute Cell & Systems Biology Program, a Professor at the University of Toronto in the Departments of Paediatrics, IMS, LMP, and Medicine, and Associate Staff Physician in Medicine at UHN Toronto General Hospital. Additionally, he is a Guest Professor at the University of Ghent, Belgium.
Dr. Licht is an international expert on complement-mediated kidney diseases. His research has significantly advanced the understanding of the pathogenesis and management of aHUS and C3G. His laboratory has contributed to the knowledge of the consequences of complement activation on platelets, neutrophils, and endothelial/epithelial cells. Current research projects in the Licht lab explore the role of complement in tissue homeostasis beyond the kidneys and intracellular complement.
