Dr McAlister is a surgeon at University Hospital London and a professor in the Department of Surgery at Western. He is a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and has deployed overseas many times. He is a general surgeon with special interest in hepatobiliary, endobiliary, transplant and combat surgery. His research interests include fundamental and clinical research in these areas as well as the history of medicine. He has been president of the Canadian Society of Transplantation and the Canadian Organ Replacement Registry. Dr McAlister is a member of council of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Surgery.
News Stories
Supporting rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan (2013)
The Royal College has been quietly assisting in the reconstruction of Afghanistan’s residency education system,...
Military surgeon selected as co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Surgery (2013)
OTTAWA – The Canadian Journal of Surgery has appointed Major Vivian McAlister, a Canadian Armed...
Medical Scientific Conference Kabul Afghanistan (2013)
As the medical system is being rebuilt in Afghanistan, many programs that are familiar in...
Perfusion pump better than cold storage for 'DCD' kidneys for transplant (2012)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kidneys procured for transplant after cardiac death (as opposed to...
Lawson Scientist Expands His Field of Research (2012)
When we think of “field research,” we picture scientists gathering samples and specimens from their...
General Surgery
Slow birth of new-wave medical journalism, Canadian Journal of Surgery (2013)
Half a century has passed since Sir Theodore Fox reflected upon his recently completed 40-year...
Civilian trauma care - learning from the military experience, Canadian Association of Physician Assistants Annual Conference (2012)
In the 21st century, military and civilian trauma surgeons bring similar solutions to similar problems,...
Endoscopic management of biliary complications following liver transplantation after donation from cardiac death donors. (with Kris Croome, Paul Adams, Paul Marotta, William Wall, and Roberto Hernandez-Alejandro), Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology (2012)
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown a higher incidence of biliary complications following donation after cardiac...
Grand Rounds: Psoas abscess with Group B Streptococcus (with Adina Feinberg), General Surgery Grand Rounds, Western University Canada (2012)
Case Report: A 43-year-old woman presented to the emergency room at University Hospital, London Health...
Learning surgically oriented anatomy in a student-run extracurricular club: An education through recreation initiative (with Sha Ullah, Andrew Bodrogi, Octav Cristea, and Marjorie Johnson), Anatomical Sciences Education (2012)
Didactic and laboratory anatomical education have seen significant reductions in the medical school curriculum due,...
Transplantation
Renal Perfusion Pump vs. Cold Storage for Donation After Cardiac Death Kidneys: A Systematic Review. (with Tom McGregor, Patrick Luke, and Alp Sener), J Urol (2012)
BACKGROUND: Static cold storage is generally used to preserve kidney allografts from deceased donors. Hypothermic...
Endoscopic management of biliary complications following liver transplantation after donation from cardiac death donors. (with Kris Croome, Paul Adams, Paul Marotta, William Wall, and Roberto Hernandez-Alejandro), Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology (2012)
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown a higher incidence of biliary complications following donation after cardiac...
Evaluation of the updated definition of early allograft dysfunction in donation after brain death and donation after cardiac death liver allografts. (with Kris Croome, William Wal, Douglas Quan, S Vangala, Paul Marotta, and R Hernandez-Alejandro), Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int (2012)
BACKGROUND:
An updated definition of early allograft dysfunction (EAD) was recently validated in a multicenter...
Evaluation of the updated definition of early allograft dysfunction in donation after brain death and donation after cardiac death liver allografts. (with K Croome, W Wall, D Quan, S Vangala, P Marotta, and R Hernandez-Alejandro), Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int (2012)
BACKGROUND: An updated definition of early allograft dysfunction (EAD) was recently validated in a multicenter...
Composite tissue allotransplantation to treat veterans with complex amputation injuries (with Ray Kao, Brian Church, Markus Besemann, and Rob Stiegelmar), Shaping the future: military and veteran health research (2011)
Amputee rehabilitation may be limited by complexity of injury (e.g. bilateral arm amputation), associated injury...
Combat Surgery
1 Canadian Field Hospital in Haiti: surgical experience in earthquake relief (with Max Talbot, Bethann Meunier, Vincent Trottier, Michael Christian, Tracey Hillier, Chris Berger, and Scott Taylor), Canadian Journal of Surgery (2012)
The Canadian Forces’ (CF) deployable hospital, 1 Canadian Field Hospital, was deployed to Haiti after...
Western trio brings lessons of war home (2012)
University of Western Ontario faculty members Brian Church, Ray Kao and Vivian McAlister have made...
Role 3 support hospital treats soldiers in theatre (2011)
Dr Meunier (anesthesiologist), Dr McAlister (surgeon) and the Canadian Forces Health Services surgical team at...
Causes of death in canadian forces members deployed to Afghanistan and implications on tactical combat casualty care provision. (with D Pannell, R Brisebois, M Talbot, V Trottier, J Clement, N Garraway, and H Tien), J Trauma (2011)
BACKGROUND: As part of its contribution to the Global War on Terror and North Atlantic...
Principles of combat surgical care in a staged evacuation system (with Rob Stiegelmar, Brian Church, and Ray Kao), Military and Veterans' Health research Forum (2011)
Background: The NATO hospital classification of hospitals describes an orderly transfer of patients with severe...
Cochrane Collaboration
Hypertonic Saline for Peri-operative Fluid Management (with Karen E. A. Burns, Tammy Znajda, and Brian Church), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2010)
BACKGROUND: Fluid excess may place patients undergoing surgery at risk for various complications. Hypertonic saline...
Cholecystectomy Deferral in Patients with Endoscopic Sphincterotomy (with Eric Davenport and Elizabeth Renouf), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2007)
BACKGROUND: Cholecystectomy is not required in up to 64% of patients who adopt a wait-and-see...
Cyclosporin versus Tacrolimus for Liver Transplanted Patients (with Elizabeth Haddad, Elizabeth Renouf, Richard Malthaner, Mette S. Kjaer, and Lise Lotte Gluud), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2006)
A systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCT) was undertaken to evaluate the beneficial and...
General Medicine
Endoscopic management of biliary complications following liver transplantation after donation from cardiac death donors. (with Kris Croome, Paul Adams, Paul Marotta, William Wall, and Roberto Hernandez-Alejandro), Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology (2012)
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown a higher incidence of biliary complications following donation after cardiac...
In-theater Peritoneal Dialysis for Combat-related Renal Failure (with Joseph S. Pina, Soraya Moghadam, Howard M. Cushner, and Greg J. Beilman), The Journal of Trauma (2010)
BACKGROUND: Complications of renal failure may prevent timely evacuation of injured soldiers. Conventional renal replacement...
H1N1-related SIRS?, CMAJ (2009)
Much of the journalism concerning H1N1 influenza virus continues the simplistic infectious disease model that...
Recombinant Activated Factor VII in the Treatment of Non-haemophilia Patients: Physician Under-reporting of Thromboembolic Adverse Events (with C. C. Hsia, J. H. Zurawska, M. Z. Y. Tong, K. Eckert, and I. H. Chin-Yee), Transfusion Medicine (2009)
The objective of this study was to determine if clinically important thromboembolic adverse events (TAEs)...
Endoscopic Fenestration of a Duodenal Duplication Cyst to Resolve Recurrent Pancreatitis (with Marie-Antoinette J. Rockx), Journal of the Pancreas (2007)
Non-invasive tools such as endoscopic ultrasound and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography have assisted the diagnosis of...
Health Policy
GLOBALLY POSITIONED (with TMD Company and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry) (2012)
As part of Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s recently launched strategic plan, the School’s vision is...
Exercise training to better Canadian hospitals (2011)
A decade after the 9-11 terrorist attacks and, closer to home, five years since the...
Drills and exercises: the way to disaster preparedness, Canadian Journal of Surgery (2011)
Catastrophes, natural or man-made, are very rare events in the life of hospitals in the...
Mass Casualty Training Exercise at The Canadian Surgery Forum (2011)
On September 18, 2011 second year Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry students helped run...
Catastrophe Surgery: Response to Multiple Casualties or Individual Patients with Devastating Injuries, Canadian Journal of Surgery (2009)
Medical Humanities / History
SOAP makes the cover of Anatomical Sciences Education (2012)
It’s been so successful, organizers are sharing the idea with others through a paper published...
The Life of John Wishart (1850-1926): Study of an Academic Surgical Career Prior to the Flexner Report. (with Emily Claydon), World J Surg (2012)
BACKGROUND: The 1910 Flexner Report on Medical Education in the United States and Canada is...
Role 3 support hospital treats soldiers in theatre (2011)
Dr Meunier (anesthesiologist), Dr McAlister (surgeon) and the Canadian Forces Health Services surgical team at...
Dr. Vivian McAlister represents the Royal College on Remembrance Day (2011)
OTTAWA, Nov. 11, 2011 /CNW/ - Today the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of...
Causes of death in canadian forces members deployed to Afghanistan and implications on tactical combat casualty care provision. (with D Pannell, R Brisebois, M Talbot, V Trottier, J Clement, N Garraway, and H Tien), J Trauma (2011)
BACKGROUND: As part of its contribution to the Global War on Terror and North Atlantic...
CJS editorials
Slow birth of new-wave medical journalism, Canadian Journal of Surgery (2013)
Half a century has passed since Sir Theodore Fox reflected upon his recently completed 40-year...
éditoriaux CJS
La lente émergence d'un nouveau journalisme médical, Canadian Journal of Surgery (2013)
Un demi-siècle s’est écoulé depuis les réflexions de Sir Theodore Fox au sujet de ses...