2024

Waiting is not an idle state. It is not merely the passage of time until one’s name rises to the top of a list. Foundering benchmarks don’t capture the human experience of surgical purgatory. Waiting is painful. It can be physically painful, like for the patient in need of a joint replacement who can barely walk anymore. Waiting can also be emotionally painful, like for the patient with an ovarian mass whose prognosis hangs in the balance of her pathology report.

Sadly, Dr Judith Naylor, a highly respected pediatrician in Kamloops, passed away suddenly on 10 January 2024, with a good friend at her bedside. She was predeceased by her parents, William and Ethel Naylor, and her brother, Derek Naylor. She leaves behind many close friends.

Jim was a family doctor, husband, father, grandfather, skipper, and great friend. He was a son of Vancouver but grew up in Port Alberni. He attended UBC for a Bachelor of Arts in 1965 and a Master of Science in 1970 and finished with a Doctor of Medicine in 1973. He interned at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta.

New UBC research reveals a safe path to overcoming food allergies for older children and others who can’t risk consuming allergens orally to build up their resistance.

It’s called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), and it involves placing smaller amounts of food allergens under the tongue.

A study conducted by UBC clinical professor and pediatric allergist Dr Edmond Chan and his team at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute found SLIT to be as safe and effective for high-risk older children and adolescents as oral immunotherapy is for preschoolers.

I thank Drs Smith and Mallet for their correspondence.