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About the Sustainable Nephrology ('SNAP') Committee

OUR VISION: Kidney and planetary health through sustainable nephrology practice

OUR MISSION: To educate, innovate, and advocate for sustainable kidney care

Welcome to the Canadian Society of Nephrology's Sustainable Nephrology Action Planning ('SNAP') webpage.

The SNAP committee is comprised of a country-wide group of providers dedicated to aligning kidney care with planetary health principles, thereby advancing patient care within a framework of environmental sustainability.

We intend to change nephrology clinical practice in Canada through education, development and incorporation of efficiencies in care pathways, advising and informing regarding environmentally preferable procurement, equipment, and infrastructure, and advocating for funding and policy alternatives in kidney care provision.

These plans reflect our vision to realize 'kidney and planetary health through sustainable nephrology practice', and mission 'to educate, innovate, and advocate for sustainable kidney care'.

Please feel free to share ideas or insights in sustainable kidney care with SNAP by contacting the SNAP committee at snap@csnscn.ca.

Terms of Reference

SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - January 24, 2023
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - March 7, 2023
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - May 30, 2023
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - September 26, 2023
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - Jan 6, 2022
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - Feb 10, 2022
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - Mar 9, 2022
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - May 10, 2022
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - June 21, 2022
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - Sep 20, 2022
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SNAP Committee Meeting Minutes - Nov 22, 2022
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Playbook in ENGLISH

Playbook in FRENCH

Pharmaceuticals net zero - Click here to download PDF

Centre for Sustainable Health Systems (Canada)
sustainablehealthsystems.ca

CASCADES (Creating a Sustainable Canadian Health System in a Climate Crisis)
cascadescanada.ca 

Canadian Coalition for Green Healthcare
greenhealthcare.ca

Centre for Sustainable Health Care (UK):
sustainablehealthcare.org.uk

Health Care Without Harm
noharm.org
North American site
noharm-uscanada.org

Planetary Health Alliance
planetaryhealthalliance.org

NGO materials
World Bank Climate-Smart Healthcare Report

Journals
Lancet Planetary Health, Journal of Climate Change and Health

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment
cape.ca

Health Authority sustainability resources (BC GreenCare)
bcgreencare.ca

Air Pollution and Serum Biomarker Abnormalities in Individuals - Click here to view article

CSN Climate Change Statement - Click here to download pdf

The Necessity of Environmentally Sustainable Kidney Care - Click here to download pdf

Lancet Countdown 2023 Report - Click here to download pdf

Climate and the Nephrologist Article - Click here to download pdf 

Moving Toward a Net-Zero Health Care System - Click here to download pdf

Kidney International article - GREEN-K - Click here to download pdf

Kidney International article - Peritoneal Dialysis Plastics- Click here to download pdf

CJKHD Article - Click here to download pdf

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - Click here to view website

Surgical Sustainable System - Click here to download pdf

Wild Species 2020 - Click here to view website

Talking Transplant - Sustainable Kidney Care

Listen to the first episode of the Talking Transplant podcast, where Dr. Annemarie Weißenbacher (Austria) and Dr. Mark Harber (UK) discuss the principles of sustainable healthcare for transplants and explore improvement opportunities in long-term sustainability of transplant care and empower the medical community to take action.

Click here to listen to podcast

Our Members

Caroline_Stigant_2024_PIC

Dr. Caroline
Stigant

Chair

Dr. Caroline Stigant

Dr. Stigant is a mother, gardener, educator, and climate activist via the development and practice of environmentally sustainable kidney care.  She completed her nephrology training at the University of Toronto then obtained a Master of Health Science degree in epidemiologic research in CKD as recipient of a Kidney Foundation of Canada biomedical fellowship.  She conceived and delivers the undergraduate UBC medicine lecture 'The climate crisis, planetary health, and medical practice - a call to action'.  She is co-chair of the Planetary Health and Climate Change Steering Committee at Island Health, a co-investigator with UBC Planetary Healthcare Lab to study the environmental impact of kidney therapies, and inaugural chair of the Sustainable Nephrology Action Planning 'SNAP' Committee of the Canadian Society of Nephrology.  She is inaugural medical lead of BC Renal's innovative Planetary Health initiative, and a collaborator with CASCADES Canada in the development of sustainable kidney care resources funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada.  Dr. Stigant is proud to represent the CSN in the 'GREEN-K' (Global Environmental Evolution in Nephrology and Kidney Care) initiative of the ISN, and currently serves as co-chair of its Procurement, Infrastructure, and Innovation work-stream.   An enduring vision is the alignment of medical practice with planetary health principles.

Dr Stigant's BIO
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Dr. Tamara
Glavinovic

Vice-Chair

Dr. Tamara Glavinovic

Tamara Glavinovic is a Nephrologist at the University of Ottawa and has a clinical focus in reproductive health in kidney disease and quality improvement. Having grown up in Montreal, she completed her medical degree at McGill University followed by Internal Medicine training at the University of Manitoba and Nephrology at the University of Toronto. She then completed a fellowship in glomerulonephritis at Monash Health Centre, Melbourne, Australia, along with advanced training in pregnancy and kidney disease at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. She completed a Master’s in Public Health with a focus on quality improvement as well as a Master’s in Clinical Education through the University of Melbourne. 

Dr. Glavinovic's Bio
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Dr. Isabelle
Ethier

Dr. Isabelle Ethier

Dr. Isabelle Ethier is a Nephrologist and early career researcher from Montreal. She has completed a 2-year clinical and research fellowship in home dialysis in Brisbane, Australia. She holds a Master's degree in Biomedical sciences - Applied clinical research from Université de Montréal. She currently works at the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and its affiliated research center.

Dr. Ethier's Bio
finkle

Dr. Neil
Finkle

Dr. Neil Finkle

Dr. Finkle completed his Medical School at the University of Manitoba and his residency at Dalhousie. He has been working as an Academic Nephrologist for the past 24 years. His interests include dialysis care, medical education and sustainability in medicine. He is currently the medical lead for the Central Zone Dialysis Program in Nova Scotia.

Dr. Finkle's Bio
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Dr. Anukul
Ghimire

Dr. Anukul Ghimire

Anukul Ghimire is a fifth year Nephrology resident in Calgary, AB. He completed his undergraduate studies and a master’s degree at the University of Calgary and went on to complete medical school and Internal Medicine residency in Edmonton, AB before moving back to Calgary for his Nephrology subspecialty training. He is one of the ISN-Global Kidney Health Atlas fellows and his interests include global kidney health, sustainable kidney care, and transplant medicine.

Dr. Anukul's Bio
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Dr. Naomi
Glick

Dr. Naomi Glick

Dr. Glick is a clinical Nephrologist working in Nanaimo, BC. She has played a role in local renal leadership as the Medical Lead for Central Vancouver Island Nephrology 2016-2020, pre-dialysis clinic redesign and a new post-Transplant clinic. Interests include access to Nephrology care for remote and underserved populations. She is grateful for coastal living, and enjoys long distancing running, biking and inconveniently large dogs.

Dr. Glick's Bio
kahlon

Dr. Bhavneet
Kahlon

Dr. Bhavneet Kahlon

Dr. Bhavneet Kahlon is a clinical nephrologist in Calgary, AB. She completed medical school at the University of Calgary. She went on to do her Internal Medicine Residency Training at the University of Saskatchewan and subsequently returned to the University of Calgary to complete her Nephrology Fellowship followed by a Master’s Degree in Health Services Research. Her interests include planetary health and pediatric to adult transition. She also serves as the medical director of the Kidney Care Clinics for Alberta Kidney Care South.

Dr. Kahlon's Bio
martinusen

Dr. Dan
Martinusen

Dr. Dan Martinusen

Dan Martinusen graduated from UBC, completed a hospital residency and earned his doctorate from the University of Washington. He worked in the renal program at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria and is Chair of the Pharmacy & Formulary Committee of the BC Provincial Renal Agency (BCPRA) for 17 years. Recently, he was seconded to BC Renal as the Provincial Director, Pharmacy. He is a recipient of the Wilma Crockett Memorial Award and was also granted a Fellowship with the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists given his service to the Society and scholarly work. Martinusen’s main interests are in improving outcomes while reducing or maintain costs to the patient or health care system. Previously he served on the Environment Committee for the College of Pharmacists of BC.

Dr. Martinusen's Bio
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Dr. Kristen
Pederson

Dr. Kristen Pederson

Kristen Pederson completed her medical school at the University of Calgary, pediatric residency at Memorial University of Newfoundland and pediatric nephrology residency at the University of Toronto. She has been working at the Winnipeg Children’s Hospital since 2003. Her clinical interests are CKD and dialysis in children and renal-rheumatological diseases. She is an associate professor at the Max Rady School of Medicine and has been a program director for Pediatric Nephrology. She is currently the President for the Canadian Association of Pediatric Nephrology. 

Dr. Pederson's Bio
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Dr. Ratna
Samanta

Dr. Ratna Samanta

Dr. Samanta received her medical degree at McGill University, did her nephrology training at the University of Alberta, then completed a clinical fellowship in Glomerulonephritis at the University of Toronto. She obtained a master’s degree in science in Clinical Epidemiology at Yale University. Once she joined on staff at McGill University, Dr Samanta started the GlomeruloNephritis Clinic at the MUHC, and serves as the nephrology liaison for the monthly joint Rheum-Nephro Lupus clinic.  She is involved in various clinical trials and is the McGill co-investigator for the GN arm of the Can-SOLVD CKD network. Dr Samanta also organizes and moderates the monthly McGill NephroPathology Rounds, which broadcast to various hospital sites across Quebec.  She is a member of the McGill Kidney Biospecimen Access Committee, and has also worked in conjunction with NephCure, a charitable organization devoted to patients with glomerular diseases, to organize the first Montreal-based patient conference to heighten patients’ understanding of glomerular disease and treatment opportunities.  

Dr. Samanta's Bio
Shaifali Sandal

Dr. Shaifali
Sandal

Dr. Shaifali Sandal

Shaifali Sandal, MD, is an Associate Professor, a transplant nephrologist, and an FRQS and CIHR-funded clinician investigator at the McGill University Health Center.  She is also an Investigator at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and with the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program. Her clinical and research interest are to improve access to living donor kidney transplantation and re-transplantation using health system approaches. She has over 40 peer-reviewed publications and has received external peer-reviewed funding support from the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the American Society of Transplantation, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Society of Transplantation and the Canadian Donation and Transplant Research Program to support this work.

Dr. Sandal's Bio
SANDERY_Blake

Dr. Blake
Sandery

Dr. Blake Sandery

Blake Sandery is a pediatric nephrologist at British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Vancouver. She grew up on the beautiful beaches of Queensland, Australia, and completed her pediatrics and nephrology fellowship in Sydney. She completed further nephrology fellowship training in Vancouver, returned to Sydney for a few years, and is now back working by Vancouver’s green mountains. She completed a Masters of Medicine through the University of New South Wales, focusing on acute kidney injury and glomerular hyperfiltration. Her enthusiasm for Planetary Health combines two things she is passionate about – preventative health and nature.

Dr. Sandery's Bio
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Dr. Ahmad Raed
Tarakji

Dr. Ahmad Raed Tarakji

Dr Tarakji is passionate to provide quality and safe patient care. He has a wealth of experience in academic and community practices. After graduating from Aleppo University in Syria, he completed his training in Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Geriatric Medicine at University of Missouri-Columbia, USA. He then worked as an Internist and Nephrologist for 9 years at Yarmouth Regional Hospital, Nova Scotia. Then he joined the College of Medicine, King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as an Assistant Professor and Consultant Internist and Nephrologist for 8 years. He moved back to Canada in June 2021 to work at St. George Medical Center in Kitchener, Ontario. He is also currently a Clinical Assistant Professor at McMaster University-Waterloo Campus. Furthermore, he hods a Master of Science in Public Health and a Diploma in Medical Education. He is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality. He has conducted many research studies and has published many articles in peer-reviewed journals. He has led and served on many academic, hospital and professional committees. Definitely, this rich background makes Dr Tarakji an asset to the SNAP committee.

Dr. Tarakji's Bio
THOMAS_Sarah_PIC_2024

Ms. Sarah
Thomas

Ms. Sarah Thomas

Sarah Thomas is a project manager, registered nurse, a climate activist, and a member of Canadian Association of the Nurses for the Environment and BC Green Care. She is working on developing and practicing environmentally sustainable kidney care to increase awareness nationally for nephrology nurses. Sarah works with the emergency preparedness team and helps foster a culture of preparedness, engaging renal teams to anticipate and manage significant disruptions, emergencies, and disasters. Witnessing the devastation due to climate emergencies, Sarah is passionate about climate change and the importance of reducing our collective environmental footprint while ensuring our ability to respond to future and current environmental threats.

Ms. Thomas' Bio
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Ms. Nancy
Verdin

Ms. Nancy Verdin

Nancy has been a kidney patient for 35 years, the first 10 were manual PD and 3 failed transplants (AMR) the next 4 were in centre hemodialysis and that last 21 are home hemodialysis. She has been someone who has been environmentally friendly most of her life. She has worked hard to keep her carbon footprint small, from reducing her driving, due complication from long term dialysis, using her own take away packaging, making sure what she uses reduces landfill impact and is biodegradable. On the health side she has struggled with the amount waste in health care system, dialysis specifically and in her case home modalities. Knowing that if we change the culture of dialysis and help home patients be more environmentally friendly. Finding ways to re-think single use product and even look nationally and internationally for new and different way that we can be more proactive in reducing our impact on the environment, it's goes beyond climate change to being good stewards of the lands we live on.

Ms. Verdin's Bio
SEYCHELLE_Yohanna

Dr. Seychelle
Yohanna

Dr. Seychelle Yohanna

  • Transplant nephrologist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare
  • Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster
  • Internal Medicine and Nephrology residencies at Western. Transplant fellowship at McMaster.
  • Masters of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the University of Toronto.
  • Clinical and research interest in improving the efficiency of the living kidney donor evaluation
Dr. Yohanna's Bio
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