Congratulations to Dr. Bain and Dr. Karvellas on receiving the 2024 Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver Awards

Dr. Vince Bain (Professor, Division of Gastroenterology) received the CASL Education Excellence Award, and Dr. Constantine (Dean) Karvellas (Professor, Division of Gastroenterology) received the CASL Visiting Professorship Award.

15 March 2024

Dr. Vince Bain

The Education Excellence Award recognizes a CASL member who demonstrates exceptional scholarly activities, leadership in medical education, significant involvement in the development and/or implementation of educational programs and innovations, excellence in teaching, and a commitment to administrative duties relating to medical education.

Dr. Vince Bain received his MD degree at the University of Alberta (U of A) followed by residencies in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He did a research/transplant Hepatology fellowship at King's College Hospital in London.

Dr. Bain has served as program director in Gastroenterology and in the Advanced Hepatology fellowship at the U of A. He is proud of his role in initiating the Liver transplant program in 1989 and served as its medical director until 2023. He most enjoys complex cases requiring multidisciplinary care and teaching residents and fellows in the advanced hepatology fellowship program. He has taken great joy from his teaching and feels that it has made him a better physician.

Dr. Bain served on the CASL education committee, including as chair, as well as doing a term as president of CASL.

Dr. Dean Karvellas

Dr. Constantine (Dean) Karvellas is Professor of Gastroenterology and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Alberta. He has been an attending intensivist in the E. Garner King General Systems Intensive Care Unit since 2009. He is also involved with the Liver Transplant programme as a Hepatologist.

Dr. Karvellas completed his medical degree at the U of A in 2001. He went on to complete residency training in Gastroenterology (2006), and Critical Care Medicine (2009) at the U of A. In 2006, he received the CAG/Schering/CIHR research fellowship and completed advanced training in hepatic failure at the Institute of Liver Studies, King’s College Hospital in London, UK under Dr. Julia Wendon. In 2011, he completed a master’s of science in epidemiology through the Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Karvellas has been active within the Society of Critical Care Medicine (co-chair of recently published liver management guideline) and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (Chair of the Acute on Chronic Liver Failure SIG and co-chair of recently published ACLF Clinical Practiced Guidance). He is an associate editor of the Journal of Hepatology.

Dr Karvellas is the only Canadian co-investigator of the NIH-funded US Acute Liver Failure Study Group. He has over 150 peer-reviewed publications reflecting his interests in acute and acute chronic liver failure, liver transplantation and extracorporeal liver support.


Read about other CASL award recipients