Directors
Jim Christenson
Dr. Christenson is a Professor and past-Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and has a wide range of experience in emergency care clinical research. His primary research focus is in the area of cardiovascular emergencies, especially resuscitation science. He led the BC site for the North American Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium and is currently a Co-Principal Investigator for the Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium which aims to improve care through early interventions in cardiac arrest across Canada. He is also the Principal Investigator of a neuroprotective intervention given by paramedics to patients with severe stroke (The FRONTIER Trial). Christenson leads a team that built and launched the BC Emergency Medicine Network (EMN) to facilitate knowledge sharing and clinical support for all emergency practitioners in British Columbia. It is growing quickly and changing the way physicians communicate about new knowledge and practice change. He also leads a study funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research to improve emergency care in 4 Nuu Chah Nuulth remote communities on the west coast of Vancouver Island. He has been a volunteer for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada for over 30 years and is currently the chair of the Resuscitation Advisory Committee.
- Co-Director, BC Resuscitation Research Collaborative (BC RESURECT)
- Professor and Past Head, Department of Emergency Medicine
- University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine
- Executive Medical Lead, BC Emergency Medicine Network
Brian Grunau
Dr. Grunau’s research focuses on identifying the optimal treatment and system strategies to improve outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. He has received over $15 million in research funding and published over 190 peer-reviewed manuscripts, including as first author in high-impact journals such as JAMA. His work has been recognized with several recent awards, including the American Heart Association (AHA) 3CPR Mid-Career Investigator Award and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Dr. Grunau is a member of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Advanced Life Support Task Force, which creates global treatment recommendations for resuscitative care, and the AHA Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science Subcommittee, which publishes cardiac arrest guidelines. He volunteers for the Heart & Stroke Foundation as a scientific content expert
Dr. Grunau is on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium and co-leads the grant program of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. He speaks regularly international audiences and has authored chapters in the core textbooks Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services: Clinical Practice and Systems Oversight.
Dr. Grunau works closely with BC Emergency Health Services, assisting with research and quality-improvement initiatives for prehospital emergency care.
- Co-Director, BC Resuscitation Research Collaborative (BC RESURECT)
- Assistant Professor, ( Tenure Track), Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia
- Emergency Physician, St. Paul’s Hospital
- Scientist, Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes
- Research Medical Consultant, BC Emergency Health Services
Executive Committee
Sandra Jenneson
Dr. Jenneson is the Chief Medical Officer for BC Emergency Health Services. She originally began her career as a BCEHS primary care paramedic, later becoming the unit chief of the Boston Bar station. She attended medical school at the University of British Columbia and completed a residency in emergency medicine and subspecialty training in emergency health services. She also works for the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) Task Force 1.
- Chief Medical Officer, BC Emergency Health Services
- Emergency Physician, Royal Columbian Hospital
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia
Christopher Fordyce
Dr. Christopher Fordyce is a associate professor within the Division of Cardiology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Vancouver General Hospital and a scientist at the Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation. Following medical school at McGill University, he trained in both internal medicine and cardiology at UBC. He also completed the program in clinical effectiveness at the Harvard School of Public Health and a Master of Health Science in clinical research through the Duke School of Medicine. He completed a clinical research fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the Duke Clinical Research Institute, as well as further subspecialty training in cardiac critical care at Duke University Hospital.
Dr. Fordyce’s clinical and research interests lie predominantly in cardiac critical care, including myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest, as well as non-invasive testing for stable coronary disease and antithrombotic therapy in atrial fibrillation.
- Executive Committee BC Resuscitation Research Collaborative (RESURECT)
- Associate Professor, Division of Cardiology at the University of British Columbia (UBC)
- Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Vancouver General Hospital
- Scientist at the Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation.