Immunology, Hematology, Oncology & Palliative Care (iHOPE)

Childhood cancer survivor Lynette Stanley-Maddocks (left) moved from British Columbia to Alberta as an adult to be near the Stollery Children's Hospital and pediatric oncologist Maria Spavor's Northern Alberta Childhood Cancer Survivor Program, where young patient Taryn Baillie (centre) has already had several years of checkups to monitor late effects of cancer treatment. Click on the photo to learn more.

Hematology

The department's hematologists, located at the Stollery Children's Hospital, diagnose and treat children with non-malignant blood disorders such as:

Conditions affecting blood cell numbers (e.g. anemia, thrombocytopenia)
Abnormalities of red blood cell structure (e.g. hereditary spherocytosis)
Disorders of blood cell function
Bone marrow failure
Blood disorders secondary to other chronic illnesses
Bleeding disorders (e.g. hemophilia)

After diagnosis, children and adults with bleeding disorders are managed through the John Akabutu Comprehensive Centre for Bleeding Disorders. Hematologists, orthopedic surgeons, physiotherapists, nurses and social workers work together in a clinic setting to provide comprehensive care.

Oncology

The Northern Alberta Children's Cancer Program, based out of the Stollery Children's Hospital, sees all children diagnosed with cancer or a cancer-like condition from Northern Alberta, as well as parts of Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

The Stollery offers a complete range of pediatric oncology services:

Diagnosis
Treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy)
Psychosocial support
Neuropsychological assessment
Therapy and follow-up care

Pediatric specialists in medicine, nursing, social work, neuropsychology, child life, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, pharmacy, nutrition, palliative care and clinical research work together to provide comprehensive family-centred care. Along with an active inpatient unit and outpatient department, multidisciplinary clinics serving neuro-oncology patients, post-BMT patients and long-term survivors of childhood cancer are also available.

The Kids with Cancer Society Survivor Program is a comprehensive multidisciplinary program dedicated to promoting the health and emotional well being of survivors of childhood cancer. The program serves over 800 survivors. Patients are referred when they are two years off therapy and are followed into and through adulthood. The program is designed to provide lifelong screening of patients for medical and emotional late complications of their cancer therapy. In addition, patients receive education about their illness and its treatment, their risk for late effects as well as preventative health care strategies.

Palliative Care

This program helps care for any child who has a life-threatening illness. We care for children of all ages, including those not yet born, but diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. The children that we care for have a wide range of health problems, from genetic illnesses, to specific organ diseases, to cancer and many other problems.

The team is composed of a doctor, nurse and counsellor, all of whom are specialized in the care of seriously ill children. Our goal is to help patients and their families feel as well as possible physically and emotionally, with the focus being on living life to the fullest, even in the face of serious illness.

We see families in the setting of their choice: in hospital, clinics or in their homes. We work closely with the child's usual healthcare team, to provide continuity of care when many health professionals are involved. Our emphasis is on good symptom control, so that children and families can focus on the important things that matter in their lives.

Our service requires a consult from the child's attending physician if they are in hospital, but families can also self-refer for assistance at any time. Our team can be contacted by leaving a message at 780-407-7825.

Environmental Health

Environmental health is comprised of a team interested in studying the impact of multiple environmental factors on the health of children.
They cover a broad spectrum of clinical, educational and research activities, from an interdisciplinary perspective. Their research includes dry and wet lab based work.

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The Children's Environmental Health Clinic, which is the only one of its kind in Canada, addresses the impacts on children's health from environmental exposures (chemical, biological, physical and social). The program considers all environmental factors to assess exposures, by integrating clinical, research and educational components.

Clinics

The Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic (BMT) is intended for the post-transplant follow-up of pediatric patients who have undergone allogeneic or autologous bone marrow or stem cell transplants in Calgary. It is a multidisciplinary clinic that includes a pediatric oncologist, a pediatric oncology nurse, a pediatric endocrinologist and a pediatric respirologist to monitor short and long-term complications post-transplant.