Overview

Currently my research focuses on two main topic areas, safe perioperative transfusion medicine practices and global health partnerships and education. Through this recent initiative: Transfusion Camp Rwanda, a currently very successful training program for anesthesia residents in Canada and the UK, that delivers core transfusion medicine education in Africa, we have managed to develop a successful knowledge translation strategy to improve access to transfusion medicine education among multidisciplinary teams in Rwanda.

I also support research in quality improvement initiatives including the perioperative use of oral iron to decrease usage of blood products in children and I work to make long lasting system changes in the emergent transfusion of pediatric trauma patients across small and large hospitals through education and protocol development.

Publications

Perioperative Anesthesia-Related Complications and Risk Factors in Children: A Cross-Sectional Observation Study in Rwanda
Anesthesia and Analgesia
DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000006641
2024

Transfusion Camp Rwanda 2023: A train-the-trainer workshop establishing locally driven leadership in knowledge translation and sustainability in transfusion medicine education
Vox Sanguinis
DOI: 10.1111/vox.13611
2024

Transfusion medicine education delivery in Rwanda: Adapting Transfusion Camp to a resource-limited setting
Transfusion
Teresa Skelton and Francoise Nizeyimana and Jacob Pendergrast and Justin Hagumimana and Florence Masaisa and Aimable Kanyamuhunga and Christopher Gashaija and Jeannie Callum and Katerina Pavenski and Aditi Khandelwal and Lani Lieberman and Sophie Chargé and Casey Kapitany and Mary Morgan and Harley Meirovich and Yulia Lin
DOI: 10.1111/trf.17531
11/2023

Transfusion Camp Rwanda: A prospective feasibility study evaluating the delivery of Transfusion Camp to a multidisciplinary group of postgraduate medical trainees in Rwanda
Transfusion
Justin Hagumimana and Teresa Skelton and Jacob Pendergrast and Francoise Nizeyimana and Florence Masaisa and Aimable Kanyamuhunga and Christopher Gashaija and Sophie Chargé and Casey Kapitany and Mary Morgan and Harley Meirovich and Yulia Lin
DOI: 10.1111/trf.17568
11/2023

Resuscitation team training in Rwanda: A mixed method study exploring the combination of the VAST course with Advanced Cardiac Life Support training
Resuscitation Plus
DOI: 10.1016/j.resplu.2023.100415
2023

Retention and Migration of Rwandan Anesthesiologists: A Qualitative Study
Anesthesia and Analgesia
DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000004794
2020

A regional massive hemorrhage protocol developed through a modified Delphi technique
CMAJ open
Callum, J.L. and Yeh, C.H. and Petrosoniak, A. and McVey, M.J. and Cope, S. and Thompson, T. and Chin, V. and Karkouti, K. and Nathens, A.B. and Murto, K. and Beno, S. and Pendergrast, J. and McDonald, A. and MacDonald, R. and Adhikari, N.K.J. and Alam, A. and Arnold, D. and Barratt, L. and Beckett, A. and Brenneman, S. and Chaudhry, H.R. and Collins, A. and Harvey, M. and Lampron, J. and Margarido, C. and McFarlan, A. and Nascimento, B. and Owens, W. and Pai, M. and Rizoli, S. and Ruijs, T. and Skeate, R. and Skelton, T. and Sholzberg, M. and Syer, K. and Viveiros, J.-L. and Theriault, J. and Tinmouth, A. and Van Heest, R. and White, S. and Zeller, M. and Pavenski, K.
DOI: 10.9778/cmajo.20190042
2019

Preoperative anemia increases the risk of red blood cell transfusion and prolonged hospital length of stay in children undergoing spine arthrodesis surgery
Transfusion
Fontanals, M. and O{'}Leary, J.D. and Zaarour, C. and Skelton, T. and Faraoni, D.
DOI: 10.1111/trf.15055
2019

Intraoperative blood transfusion in pediatric patients undergoing renal transplant—Effect of renal graft size
Pediatric Transplantation
Odeh, R.I. and Sidler, M. and Skelton, T. and Zu?bi, F. and Naoum, N.K. and Azzawayed, I.A. and Alyami, F.A. and Lorenzo, A.J. and Farhat, W.A. and Koyle, M.A.
DOI: 10.1111/petr.13119
2018

Massive transfusion in pediatric trauma: We need to focus more on "how"
Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Skelton, T. and Beno, S.
DOI: 10.1097/TA.0000000000001294
2017

Low-Cost Simulation to Teach Anesthetists' Non-Technical Skills in Rwanda
Anesthesia and Analgesia
Skelton, T. and Nshimyumuremyi, I. and Mukwesi, C. and Whynot, S. and Zolpys, L. and Livingston, P.
DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001434
2016

Consensus statements regarding the multidisciplinary care of limb amputation patients in disasters or humanitarian emergencies: Report of the 2011 humanitarian action summit surgical working group on amputations following disasters or conflict
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
Knowlton, L.M. and Gosney Jr., J.E. and Chackungal, S. and Altschuler, E. and Black, L. and Burkle, F.M. and Casey, K. and Crandell, D. and Demey, D. and Di Giacomo, L. and Dohlman, L. and Goldstein, J. and Gosselin, R. and Ikeda, K. and Le Roy, A. and Linden, A. and Mullaly, C.M. and Nickerson, J. and O{'}Connell, C. and Redmond, A.D. and Richards, A. and Rufsvold, R. and Santos, A.L.R. and Skelton, T. and McQueen, K.
DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X12000076
2011

Best practice guidelines on surgical response in disasters and humanitarian emergencies: Report of the 2011 humanitarian action summit working group on surgical issues within the humanitarian space
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
Chackungal, S. and Nickerson, J.W. and Knowlton, L.M. and Black, L. and Burkle, F.M. and Casey, K. and Crandell, D. and Demey, D. and Di Giacomo, L. and Dohlman, L. and Goldstein, J. and Gosney Jr., J.E. and Ikeda, K. and Linden, A. and Mullaly, C.M. and O{'}Connell, C. and Redmond, A.D. and Richards, A. and Rufsvold, R. and Santos, A.L.R. and Skelton, T. and McQueen, K.
DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X12000064
2011

Research

Transfusion Camp Rwanda – A prospective feasibility study evaluating the delivery of Transfusion Camp Canada to a multidisciplinary group of senior medical trainees in Rwanda
This project aimed to build a bilateral research and education partnership between clinicians in Canada and Rwanda with the aim of delivering reliable courses in transfusion medicine to medical trainees in Rwanda.

Resuscitation team training in Rwanda – A mixed method study exploring the combination of the VAST Course with Advanced Cardiac Life Support training
This project worked with district hospitals in Rwanda to bring together multidisciplinary teams of physicians and nurses to improve efficiency and standard of care for cardiac resuscitation teams.

Ontario Provincial Massive Hemorrhage Toolkit – Toolkit for dissemination of evidence-based care of patients with massive hemorrhage across hospital systems in Ontario
Participation in this multi-year initiative included the development of evidence-based guidelines for small and large hospitals and the educational strategies to implement those guidelines on the massive transfusion of patients, including pediatric trauma.

Grants

International Society of Blood Transfusion Financial support for Rwanda Training Grant, 2023, Principal Investigators – Teresa Skelton, Francoise Nizeyimana

University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan Clusters of Research Excellence, Airborne Disease Transmission – Eminence Research Cluster, 2020-2022, Principal Investigators – Jonathan Little, Sunny Li

Dalhousie University Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine, Anesthesia Peer Review Grant, 2017-2019, Principal Investigators – Patricia Livingston

Research Group Members

Bianca Vizcaino, Clinical Research Coordinator
Miku Wake, Clinical Research Assistant
Nick West, Clinical Research Coordinator