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Catching up with U of A PM&R program alumni!
Catching up with U of A PM&R program alumni!
Dr. Eldon Loh - Class of 2010
Dr. Eldon Loh - Class of 2010
Current position: Associate Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Medical Director, Spinal Cord Injury Program, CAPM&R Research Committee Chair
Academic/clinical affiliation: Western University
What have you been up to since graduation (ie. clinically, academically, personally)?
Clinically, I see spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury patients at Parkwood Institute. Generally, I cover SCI and ABI inpatients on a 3 month on and 6 month off schedule, which works out well for other aspects of my job. I also perform interventional pain procedures at St Joseph’s Pain Management Clinic, so I see consults and follow-ups there once a week and I have a dedicated day in the fluoro suite once a week.
Academically, I have received multiple research grants as principal investigator from ONF, RHI and Western University. I’m currently the chair of the CanPainSCI neuropathic pain guideline group and I also chair the scientific program committee at CAPMR. I am involved as an executive member of SCIRE. I have collaborated extensively with Dr. Rob Burnham and Dr. Anne Agur (at UofT) on projects including radiofrequency neurotomy of the sacroiliac joint under ultrasound, threaded carpal tunnel release, and fasciotomy for chronic exercise induced compartment syndrome. Some of my other ongoing projects include trials looking at cannabinoids and an anti-inflammatory diet on neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury, and the role of pre-biotics in bowel and bladder management post-SCI. I am also examining health care utilization for interventional pain procedures using the ICES database in Ontario.
Personally, I have three kids, Elliot (9), Madeleine (7), Henry (4), who are all doing well. Christina is also doing well, and the kids keep her busy. Henry received a liver transplant in 2015, with myself acting as the living donor. Henry required a rare bile duct reanastomosis procedure in 2019 and continues to have frequent follow-up appointments at Sick Kids. He’ll have an AV fistula repair in his liver in December, so he’ll be back at Sick Kids for a few days. He just started junior kindergarten, but can somehow name all the planets, dwarf planets and the number of moons that each planet has. I try and keep him up to date if there are new moons discovered but he always seems to know before I do! A number of years of ago I picked up jazz piano, so I have weekly lessons, and continue to play tennis a couple times a week.
What is something that is done in your current centre that would be beneficial to consider at the U of A?
We use a rotational model on SCI and TBI inpatient wards at Parkwood. 3 staff rotate coverage throughout the year, each covering about 3 months at a time. There is also a hospitalist on the unit. This allows us to pursue other clinical and academic interests while maintaining a presence on the inpatient wards.
Another thing that is interesting is that the acute care consultation model doesn’t exist to a significant degree here. We occasionally get consult requests to see a patient in acute care, but that does not happen often. We use a paper review system to determine admissibility to rehabilitation, potential rehab admissions are referred to a central intake office staffed by nursing. They do the leg work to obtain all necessary information regarding the patient’s status, communicate with the NPs/staff in acute care, and then review with us to determine whether people come in as inpatients, outpatients, or if they don’t require rehabilitation. This system started a few years ago, and seems to work well.
What are you most proud of from your residency training at the U of A?
I felt very well prepared to practice in any clinical area I wanted to pursue. I really developed a broad scope, thanks to the excellent teaching and mentorship there, and felt very well prepared when transitioning to staff. I think that one of the most important things I took away from my time there is how to use a reasoned approach to clinical care, by learning to incorporate knowledge about anatomy, biomechanics, physiology and the existing evidence to make sound clinical decisions. It sounds obvious, and something we should be doing all the time, but I don’t think this type of thinking is always the reality in a busy clinical practice. Reflecting back on my time there, I think all the staff really modelled and demonstrated that way of thinking on a consistent basis in clinic and teaching sessions, which speaks to the strength of the education you get at UofA.
Closing comments?
I really enjoyed my time at the U of A, and continue to enjoy ongoing personal and professional relationships with many of you. In case you don’t know, Swoop airlines has really cheap direct flights between Edmonton and London if you ever would like to visit!
Updated November 2019
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