Dr. Kirk Schultz has been awarded the 2024 Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship in recognition of his leadership and significant contributions to improving the health and well-being of children in British Columbia and around the world. Dr. Schultz is an investigator at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) and a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia (UBC). “He’s a role model, seeking to improve the lives of children with life-limiting diseases and supporting the development of patient advocacy groups,” says Dr. Tim Oberlander, investigator at BCCHR and professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UBC.
Working as a researcher at BCCHR for over 25 years, Dr. Schultz has made key contributions to the understanding and management of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD), a complication of a stem cell or bone marrow transplant (BMT) that can be life-threatening. Driven by his genuine sense of curiosity, his research is a thoughtful combination of basic and clinical knowledge that has led to critical and novel advances in all levels of his field. “Dr. Schultz’s laboratory was the first in the world to show, in a preclinical model, how B cells contribute to the development of cGvHD, which led to the first FDA-approved drug to address this complication,” says Dr. Stuart Turvey, investigator at BCCHR and professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UBC.
“He’s one of the world’s foremost researchers in identifying biomarkers and utilizing human biomarkers to elucidate the biology of cGvHD.”
As a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and clinician scientist, Dr. Schultz leads a research program that aims to improve the efficacy, safety, and availability of BMT as a treatment option for children with leukemia and a life-saving therapy in non-malignant conditions. “Dr. Schultz’s research career is built upon his commitment to patients and translating research discoveries into improved clinical practice,” says Dr. Megan Levings, investigator and director of the Childhood Diseases Research Team at BCCHR and professor in the Department of Surgery at UBC.
Dr. Schultz is recognized as an international leader in clinical trials and studies, and an expert in transplantation immunology and immunotherapy. His scientific career has always been based in immunology, but evolved to include global leadership in developing and advancing clinical trials in BMT therapies, particularly in pediatric cGvHD. He contributed to creating access to both experimental CAR T cell trials, a life-saving cellular therapy of cancer, for pediatric patients in BC and the first-in-human research to advance the work at BCCHR.
In his leadership roles, Dr. Schultz has provided invaluable mentorship to numerous clinical fellows, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, two of which received a Vanier award.
“As a PhD student planning to pursue a career in translational and clinical research, I see Dr. Schultz as the ideal role model and guide to gaining knowledge and experience in the ways research and clinic work come together as a career,” says Madeline Lauener, a PhD candidate and Vanier scholar in Dr. Schultz’s lab at BCCHR and UBC.
He has also mentored multiple clinical faculty, in his division and department.
Dr. Schultz served as the acting head of the Division of Hematology/Oncology/BMT at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) and as the director of Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program (MCCCRP) until 2021, having worked with the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and Michael Cuccione Foundation to establish the program in 2009. He recruited and mentored investigators, increased philanthropic donations by $22 million, and expanded the program to six laboratory-based scientists. His commitment contributed to the recognition of MCCCRP as a national leader in childhood cancer research, creating a legacy at BCCHR.
The Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship is awarded each year to a senior scientist who has made a significant impact on improving the health and well-being of children and families, provided leadership to the BCCH research community, and served as a role model and mentor to junior researchers, trainees, and students. This award pays tribute to the contributions of Dr. Geoffrey L. Hammond, who first served as Research Institute's scientific director and then deputy director from 2003 to 2012. Internationally recognized as an expert in steroid hormone action, Dr. Hammond has held many distinguished roles, including professor and Ivey Chair in Molecular Toxicology at the University of Western Ontario, Director of the Cancer Research Laboratories at the London Regional Cancer Centre, and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Reproductive Health.
Under Dr. Hammond’s leadership, BCCHR underwent an amazing period of growth that included strategic recruitment of researchers and integration of state-of-the-art equipment and technologies. He was instrumental in enabling researchers on the Oak Street campus to conduct cutting-edge health research for the benefit of children and families.
