Written by: Kaitlyn Chuong, CBR Admin
Dr. Hayley Merkeley.
Dr. Hayley Merkeley, MD, FRCPC, is a Principal Investigator at the CBR, co-director of the UBC Hematology Residency Training Program, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at UBC and a hematologist at St. Paul’s Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital. Dr. Merkeley completed medical school, internal medicine and hematology at UBC prior to completing a fellowship in red cell disorders at the University of Toronto. Her main research and academic interests are in sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, ITP and prophyria.
Dr. Merkeley joined the CBR just this past year and since then, she’s participated as a speaker at the Norman Bethune Symposium, presented at a CBR seminar and had a student partake in the 2024 CBR Summer Studentship Program. We’re excited for this opportunity to share more about Dr. Merkeley’s work and her experience!
Can you tell us a bit more about your research background?
I dabbled in research projects in medical school and internal medicine residency (mainly quality improvement). It was not until my subspecialty training in Red Cell Disorders and Master’s in Public Health that I started to do more clinical research as a means of improving the care of my patients. Currently, I am involved in clinical trials of new therapeutics as well as quality improvement projects for the patient populations that I care for.
What inspired you to become a hematologist and a researcher?
I love how visual and objective hematology is compared to many other specialties. In my subspecialty of red cell disorders, I can go down the lab and look under the microscope and generally know what kind of disorder my patient has based on the shape of their red cells. Being involved in research ensures that my patients are able to access novel treatments to improve their quality of life.
Could you tell us what a day in your life looks like?
Depends on the day! Most days I am in my outpatient office seeing patients and reviewing test results. I often have learners in my clinics and work quite closely with our allied health team of nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy. Other days I am on call at the hospital caring for hematology inpatients receiving chemotherapy or other treatment, overseeing apheresis treatments and seeing new consults for hematologic issues.
I read that you completed your medicine degree, internal medicine and hematology training at UBC. What was your favourite thing about the UBC campus? Can you share your favourite place to eat at?
Dr. Hayley Merkeley attending a conference about thalassemia in Manila.
The endowment lands are a highlight for sure. In medical school I used to run through the woods and now I take my kids there to ride their bikes on rainy day weekends. So much has changed in terms of food services from when I was regularly on campus. I would have to say a cold pint and fries from Koerner’s pub is always a classic (which makes me feel a bit classic, since most of the other institutions are new from when I was on campus).
What advice would you have for emerging researchers?
Be open to a breadth of research experiences. I think it’s easy to think that all research is basic science and bench-based and sometimes be intimidated by that. Clinical research can be quantitative or qualitative and even small projects can meaningfully impact patients’ lives.
What excites you most about your work?
I love being able to collaborate with patients on their care. We can take treatments at the forefront of medical science like cellular therapy and radically transform people’s lives. Most topically to my practice is that there are now commercially available CRISPR treatments for sickle cell disease and thalassemia that provide functional cures.
What are the challenges of being a clinician-researcher?
Time and energy. I don’t have any protected time or funds for research, so it’s often something that is added on to my clinical workload and using the free labor of the residents and medical students that I supervise. I can’t imagine not being involved in research as that would limit treatments to my patients and system improvements.
When you’re not working, what other activities do you enjoy?
I love hanging out with my kids, travelling, cooking and yoga/pilates. My undergraduate degree is in Spanish and I wish I had more time to keep it up. I guess I will just have to take a sabbatical in Spain one day!