Centre for Pulmonary Vascular Disease

Centre for Pulmonary Vascular Disease

The Centre for Pulmonary Vascular Disease is a multi-disciplinary clinic specializing in the diagnosis and management of pulmonary vascular diseases. The team is composed of respirologists, cardiologists, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and research coordinators. The Centre has ties to the Pacific Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic and the Systemic Sclerosis Clinic.

Centre researchers are actively involved in national and international clinical research and therapeutic trials in the area of pulmonary hypertension, a condition in which the blood vessels in the lungs tighten and narrow, resulting in increased pressure that makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood through the lungs and causes more strain on the heart. Pulmonary hypertension has the potential to become a severe and progressive disease. However, new therapies have emerged that have shown the potential to dramatically change the disease course and improve patient quality of life.

Integral to the Centre’s commitment to understanding pulmonary hypertension and advancing patient care is its role as the lead site for the National Pulmonary Hypertension Registry, a multicentre registry of pulmonary hypertension patients evaluated and treated at expert centres across Canada. There are currently 13 registry sites across Canada serving both the adult and pediatric patients.

The BC Pulmonary Hypertension (BCPH) research program is dedicated to furthering the understanding of pulmonary hypertension.

“It’s estimated that approximately 400,000 Canadians will be affected by pulmonary hypertension at some point in their lives, with pulmonary arterial hypertension being even rarer. These conditions can be challenging to catch early and properly diagnose, but with the proper management, we can minimize long-term damage to the heart.”

Dr. Nathan Brunner

Dr. Nathan Brunner is an associate professor in the Division of Cardiology at the University of British Columbia. His research interests include the clinical management of pulmonary hypertension and the assessment of pulmonary hypertension through hemodynamics and non-invasive imaging.

Dr. Brunner obtained his undergraduate degree in medicine from the University of Alberta. He subsequently trained in internal medicine and cardiology at the University of British Columbia from and went on to complete an advanced fellowship in pulmonary hypertension at Stanford University. He is the co-founder of the first site in the National Pulmonary Hypertension Registry and a member of the Canadian Pulmonary Hypertension Medical Research Committee. Dr. Brunner has also served as a primary panel member and co-first author of the 2020 Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) and Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) Position Statement on Pulmonary Hypertension and has authored and co-authored over 50 publications.

Dr. John Swiston

Dr. John Swiston is the Director of the Centre for Pulmonary Vascular Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada, in addition to being an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. His research and clinical interests focus on pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vascular diseases.

Dr. Swiston currently serves as a member of the Canadian Thoracic Society Pulmonary Vascular Disease Committee and is also the Chair of the National Pulmonary Hypertension Registry. He has authored and co-authored over 70 publications.