National Human Leukocyte Antigen Advisory Committee (NHLAAC)

The National Human Leukocyte Antigen Advisory Committee (NHLAAC) provides a forum for improving and standardizing HLA laboratory practices in support of national registries and, in general, organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Canada.

National Human Leukocyte Antigen Advisory Committee (NHLAAC) Members

Dr. James Lan (Co-Chair) | Assistant Professor (tenure-track), University of British Columbia; Director, Immunology Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Kidney Transplant Program, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia

Dr. Robert Liwski (Co-Chair) | Head, Division of Hematopathology, Medical Director, HLA Typing Laboratory, NSHA - QEII Health Sciences Centre Halifax, Nova Scotia

Dr. M. Khaled Shamseddin (KTAC Chair representative) | Director, Kidney Transplant Program, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, Ontario

Dr. Karen Sherwood | Associate HLA Director, VCH/PHCA - Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia

Dr. Noureddine Berka | Clinical Director, Calgary Laboratory Services Tissue Typing Laboratory, Program Director, Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Lab (HIL) Training Program, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta

Dr. Esme Dijke | Director, Histocompatibility Laboratory, AHS - University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta

Dr. Ahmed Mostafa | HLA Lab Director, Assistant Professor, Pathology and Lab Medicine, St. Paul’s Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Dr. Qingdong Guan | Director, HLA Laboratory Cancer Care Manitoba | Winnipeg, Manitoba

Dr. Peter Nickerson | Dean, Vice Provost (health sciences), Max Rady College of Medicine, Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Dr. Christine Ribic | Division Director of Nephrology, Associate Professor of Medicine- Staff Nephrologist, Medical Director of Transplant, Histocompatibility Head Of Service/Laboratory Director -Renal Transplant, Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program, McMaster University, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario

Dr. Abubaker Sidahmed | HLA Lab Director, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario

Dr. Lenka Allan | Associate Director, UHN Regional HLA Lab Laboratory, UHN - Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

Dr. Jeffrey Kiernan | Associate Director, UHN Regional HLA Lab Laboratory, UHN - Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

Dr. Jinguo Wang | Associate Director, UHN Regional HLA Lab Laboratory, UHN - Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

Dr. Graeme R. Quest | Hematopathologist, Director of Transfusion, Medicine and Laboratory Immunology, KHSC - Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, Ontario

Dr. Jianping Li | Director, HLA Laboratory Hematopathology & Transfusion Medicine, DNA/Tissue Typing Lab, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario

Dr. Lucie Richard | HLA Director, Héma Quebec, Saint-Laurent, Québec 

Dr. Claude Daniel | Director, Histocompatibility Laboratory, MUHC - Transfusion Services (Clinical Laboratories), Montreal, Quebec

Dr. Chee Long Saw | Scientific Director, HLA Laboratory, MUHC - Transfusion Services (Clinical Laboratories), Montreal, Quebec

Dr. Marie-Christine Meunier | HLA Director, Molecular Biology Laboratory / HLA, Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital, Montréal, Québec

Dr. Eric Wagner | Director, Immunology and Histocompatibility Laboratory, CHU de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec 

Dr. Anna Greenshields | Associate HLA Director, HLA Typing Laboratory, NSHA - QEII Health Sciences Centre Halifax, Nova Scotia

CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES

Peggy John | Director, Organ & Tissue Donation & Transplantation, Canadian Blood Services, Vancouver, British Columbia

Machivei Danha | Associate Director, Interprovincial Organ Sharing Programs, Organ & Tissue Donation & Transplantation, Canadian Blood Services, Toronto, Ontario

Fatima Dharsee | Program Manager, Listing and Allocation, Organ & Tissue Donation & Transplantation, Canadian Blood Services, Vancouver, British Columbia

Last updated December 2025