As a husband and wife team, Drs. Sheldon (Shelly) Naiman and Linda Vickars devoted their careers to solving the puzzles of hematology, including bleeding and clotting disorders. Dr. Naiman, the Founding Head of the Division of Clinical Hematology at VGH, was instrumental in establishing the Bone Marrow Transplant Program in British Columbia and later became Head of the St. Paul’s Hospital hematology laboratory. Dr. Vickars, who was a Clinical Professor in the UBC Division of Hematology and a member of the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) Steering Committee, oversaw the establishment of the Provincial Hemogloginopathy Program for adults and expanded the Bleeding Disorders Program at St. Paul’s Hospital. Both individuals were extraordinary teachers and educators.
In recognition of their devotion to education, training, research, and patient care, the UBC Faculty of Medicine has named one of the world’s most modern teaching facilities in their honour. The teaching laboratory, which is used to teach all incoming medical students, is now called the Naiman-Vickars Multipurpose Lab. It holds over 300 students and can be found at the east end of the Life Sciences Centre with the Naiman-Vickars plaque at its entrance. The lab is a fitting tribute to Shelly and Linda’s contributions as it serves to inspire future generations of medical students from the moment they begin their medical education.
The passionate desire of Shelly and Linda to discovery and enable further medical advances, particularly in the field of “non-malignant” hematology, is coming to fruition at the CBR, partly through the establishment of the Sheldon Naiman and Linda Vickars Hematology Endowment and a planned estate gift to the Centre. These generous contributions are supporting the education and research of trainees in non-malignant hematology, a category that includes inherited and acquired bleeding and thrombotic disorders, red blood cell and platelet disorders, and white blood cell abnormalities. The Endowment in honour of Shelly and Linda is rapidly growing with support from friends and colleagues and the CBR. Donation information can be found on the CBR Donor Page.
Through the efforts of our members, students, technicians, support staff, academic and industrial partners, and donors, the CBR has made major strides in promoting translational research, education, and training in blood and blood-related processes.