Arthritis + Joint Disease (Rheumatology)

Clinical problems involving joints and soft tissues, as well as allied conditions of the body’s connective tissues.

Services

The Rheumatology Division provides emergency and inpatient consultations, specialized clinics and private practice consultation services for the full spectrum of rheumatic and connective tissue disorders. St. Paul’s Hospital has the only specialized clinics in BC for systemic autoimmune inflammatory diseases (SARDs) including the St. Paul’s Scleroderma Clinic, Systemic Lupus Clinic, Dermatology Clinic and Rheumatology Treatment Clinic.

Outpatient Programs + Clinics

For a list of Outpatient Clinics click here.

Teaching

As one of two major academic teaching sites for the UBC Faculty of Medicine, undergraduate and postgraduate trainees rotate through the St. Paul’s Division of Rheumatology. These include a first- year Rheumatology Fellow and one or more general rotating Internal Medicine Residents at all times, as well as occasional residents from Physiatry, Family Practice and Pediatrics and occasional medical student and out of province electives. All residents also rotate through the rheumatology clinics.

Division members actively participate in teaching through a structured educational program involving hospital bedside teaching, scheduled tutorials, presentations and rounds, as well as pre-assigned rotations through members’ private offices.

Research

The following areas are some of the research interests with which physicians at the St. Paul’s Division of Rheumatology are involved:

  • Clinical trials of biologic therapies in rheumatologic diseases.
  • Major interest in scleroderma including clinical aspects and the role of endothelial cells and angiogenetic factors.
  • Research into SARDS (Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases) at a population level, including detailed epidemiological research.
  • Gold therapy in rheumatoid arthritis; clinical trials involving new biologic therapies in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic and spondyloarthropathies.
  • Gout
  • Laboratory testing in rheumatic disease

Division Members

The division includes eight rheumatologists with full staff privileges at St. Paul’s Hospital as well as clinical appointments with the University of British Columbia UBC): Dr. Kam Shojania, clinical professor and division head; Dr. Kenneth Blocka, clinical professor; Dr. John Kelsall, clinical associate professor; Dr. Alice Klinkhoff, clinical associate professor; Dr. Rhonda Shuckett, clinical associate professor; Dr. Antonio Avina-Zubieta, assistant professor; Dr. Jennifer Reynolds, clinical assistant professor; and Dr. Alison Kydd, clinical assistant professor.

Useful Resources

For more information on Rheumatology, please explore these useful websites:

Careers

For more information about working at Providence Health Care and for current employment opportunities, please visit our Careers site.

Contact + Location

Division of Rheumatology
c/o 802 – 1200 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC, V6Z 2C7
Telephone: 604-682-2344 ext 66171
Email: ternst@providencehealth.bc.ca
(Note: The office will not be able to supply answers to clinical questions.)