Department of Medicine
Division of Hematology
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Providence Hematology consists of members of the UBC Division of Hematology at St. Paul’s Hospital and Providence Health Care. The group provides specialized hematological services to patients with hematological diseases from all over the province of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. We provide consultative services and accept referrals from family physicians and other specialist offices. Our scope of practice includes treating patients with benign hematological problems such as anemia, abnormal white blood cell and platelet counts, clotting and bleeding disorders and malignant hematological problems such as chronic leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The provincial programs for adult inherited bleeding disorders, hemoglobinopathies and hemosiderosis are based at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC. In additionally, the St. Paul's Hematology Oncology Clinic, a BC Cancer Community Oncology Network site, provides care for myeloid and lymphoid malignancies including lymphoma and myeloma.
Dr. Lynda Foltz is co-head of the St. Paul’s Hospital Division of Hematology and chair of the BC Cancer myeloid tumour group. Her area of special interest is myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). She is a principal investigator for MPN clinical trials and an executive member of the Canadian MPN Group.
Dr. Jackson is a hematologist primarily interested in non-malignant blood conditions including inherited and acquired bleeding disorders. She is a co-founder of West Coast Hematology, practices at St. Paul’s Hospital and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at UBC. She is the Medical Director of the Adult Provincial Bleeding Disorders Program with a background of investigator initiated clinical research. Dr. Jackson is passionate about measuring health outcomes that matter to patients and transforming to a Value Based Health Care model of care. She has trained with Dr. Michael Porter at Harvard University, obtained her Green Belt Certification from the Value Based Health Centre of Europe and is currently completing her Masters in Health Care Transformation with Dr. Elizabeth Teisberg and the Value Institute for Health and Care, at the University of Texas Austin. Dr. Jackson is working as the Physician Lead for Value Based Health Care at Providence Health Care and a member of the Physician Advisory Committee for Quality, Safety and Value.
Dr. Wendy Davis is a Hematologist at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. She completed Internal Medicine and Hematology training at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she did additional focused training in the area of myeloid diseases, including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). She also has a Master of Science in Health Care & Epidemiology from UBC. She is part of the St. Paul’s Hematology Oncology Myeloid Clinic, which is part of the provincial BC Cancer Community Oncology Network. She has a special interest in improving outcomes and quality of life measures for patients with myeloid diseases. She is Site Education Lead for the St. Paul's Hematology Program.
Dr. Léger received her medical degree, trained in internal medicine and completed her hematology fellowship at the University of Ottawa. She achieved her hematology subspecialty certification from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2001 and furthered her training as a Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplantation Fellow at UBC. She became a staff hematologist at St. Paul’s Hospital in September 2003 where she currently holds the position of Clinical Associate Professor. She is a co-founder of West Coast Hematology AND HER practice includes patients with malignant and benign conditions. She currently serves as a Board Director for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC and she is an examiner for the Hematology Examination Board for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Dr. Heather Leitch is a Hematologist at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada and Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Leitch has a clinical and research interest in transfusional iron overload in acquired anemias such as the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and a longstanding interest in lymphoproliferative and other blood disorders in the setting of HIV infection. She is Director of Hematology/Oncology Research at St. Paul’s Hospital, a reviewer of scientific papers for several medical journals, and an active member of the Canadian Consortium on MDS (CCMDS) and the UBC Department of Medicine Research Advisory Committee.
Dr. Marinkovic received her medical degree, completed Internal Medicine residency, and pursued Hematology fellowship training at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She obtained her subspecialty certification in Hematology from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2024, followed by one year of additional training in Classical Hematology through the Naiman Vickars Fellowship Program at UBC. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor and joined St. Paul’s Hospital as a staff hematologist in 2025.
Her clinical and research interests focus on non-malignant hematology, including bleeding disorders and red cell disorders such as hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, sickle cell disease, and thalassemia. In addition to her general hematology practice, she works within the provincial Adult Bleeding Disorders Program and the Adult Red Cell Disorders Program of British Columbia.
Dr. Hayley Merkeley joined the UBC Division Hematology as a Clinical Assistant Professor in 2019. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biopsychology and Spanish at the University of Victoria, followed by medical school and post-graduate training in Internal Medicine and Hematology at the University of British Columbia. From 2016-2018 she completed a clinical fellowship in red blood cell disorders, including sickle cell disease and thalassemia, at the University of Toronto. She graduated from the Master’s of Science Program in Public Health from the University of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2019.
She has clinical and research interests in benign hematology including sickle cell disease and thalassemia, bleeding disorders and ITP. She works in the provincial Hemoglobinopathy and Adult Bleeding Disorders clinics based at St. Paul’s. She also has an interest in global health and has participated in UBC projects in rural Honduras and Uganda.
Dr. Khaled Ramadan received his medical degree in 1997 and completed his training in internal medicine in Ireland where he obtained his certificates from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MRCPI) in 2000 and certificate of completion of General Professional Training (GPT) in Internal Medicine. He completed his hematology training in the UK with Membership of the Royal College of Pathologists of UK (MRCPath) granted in 2004. In 2008, he became a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of the UK (FRCPath). He then went on to do a clinical and research fellowship in lymphoma, leukemia and bone marrow transplant in Vancouver from August 2005 to December 2006. He joined the Division of Hematology at St. Paul’s Hospital in January 2007. He also a member of the Royal College of physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He currently holds an appointment at UBC as a Clinical Associate Professor. Dr. Ramadan is very dedicated to clinical research with a focus on lymphoid malignancies and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Dr. Robert Schmidt completed medical school at the University of Manitoba. During medical school he received a Bachelor of Science in Medicine for basic science research evaluating cell cycle proteins in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He continued his training with an internal medicine residency and hematology fellowship at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Schmidt had early career mentorship working with experienced lymphoid and myeloid groups. He has research experience and clinical interest in cancer associated thrombosis in his Surrey practice and a malignant hematology focus for his work at St. Paul’s Hospital. Dr. Schmidt has an interest in the clinical systems and pathways used to deliver hematological care and the impact these systems have on patients and providers.
Dr. Paul Yenson completed his internal medicine and hematology training at the University of British Columbia in 2007. Before joining the Division of Hematology in 2009, he undertook fellowship training in apheresis medicine at the Puget Sound Blood Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, Washington and in congenital blood disorders at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario. In addition to his general hematology practice, he is currently a staff physician with the Vancouver General Hospital Thrombosis Program, the Apheresis Program of British Columbia and the Adult Hemophilia Program of British Columbia.
Karen Sim's current role with the Provincial Adult Bleeding Disorder Program at St. Paul’s Hospital includes inpatient and outpatient care, chronic disease management, procedure management, outreach clinics around the province, use of Point of Care ultrasound, and collaboration during transition of care from hospital to community.
Other contributions include Chair of the NP department Quality Committee, volunteer with the NP Council of NNPBC, and volunteer with Blackcomb Ski Patrol for over 20 years.
Division of Hematology
St. Paul's Hospital, 545-1081 Burrard Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6Z 1Y6
Division Administrator: Mina Rafighi
Telephone: 604-806-9277
Email: mina.rafighi@phc.ca
Co-Division Head
Dr. Lynda Foltz, Clinical Associate Professor
Co-Division Head
Dr. Shannon Jackson, Clinical Associate Professor
