Name: Ana Konvalinka
Title: Transplant Nephrologist, Clinician Scientist
Number of years working in health care: 10
I was born and raised in: Belgrade, former Yugoslavia
I decided to get into health care because I truly enjoy helping patients, working in a multi-disciplinary team and mentoring trainees at all levels.
My role here at UHN is to care for adult patients with a kidney transplant and to do basic and translational research aimed at improving the understanding of rejection and scarring in the kidney, with the ultimate goal to identify better treatments for patients with a kidney transplant or those with native kidney disease.
I am passionate about kidney disease research because it is only through rigorous science that we can solve problems and improve the lives of patients who suffer from a disease. Furthermore, basic scientific research is the only way to discover novel solutions and therapies. In my case, I try to translate the most challenging clinical questions into research projects that we then work to solve in the lab. Although kidney disease can have mortality and morbidity comparable to terminal cancer, it does not receive as much attention, and there are not enough new treatments to arrest disease progression.
The thing I love the most about my job is the ability to directly help patients with a kidney transplant and end stage kidney disease, and to take the unmet clinical needs to the bench and develop them into research projects. I love to work with my trainees in the lab and see them develop into mature, promising scientists. I also love to work with close colleagues and collaborators, to build teams and brainstorm together.
The most incredible thing I’ve seen at work is how lives can be saved and challenging problems solved when a team works together toward a common goal.
I’m inspired by people who have a courageous vision, that they work hard to implement; those with integrity, compassion and resilience.
How does donor support impact your work? Tremendously! Without generous donor support, my lab would not be able to do half of the things that we do. It would be particularly challenging to fund the more daring research projects, since they rarely get funded through traditional means.
One of my personal heroes is my husband because he is always clever, pragmatic and kind. He always has the answer to a problem and he keeps me grounded.
I sometimes worry about the effects of climate change, the lack of investment in research and innovation in Canada and the increasingly hostile world. I worry about the state of science in the future and I worry about what the world will be like for our children.
I’ve found joy recently from a long day of skiing with my family at Orford and Owl’s Head in Eastern Townships, followed by watching the sunset from an outdoor sauna in the forest – observing the beauty of the birches covered in thick white snow, listening to the silence and peace that can only be found in nature.
My favourite book is My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk because it intertwines history, art and imagination in a memorable saga where inanimate objects tell their own stories and where I found a bold and original description of death that I will not forget.
My ideal day off is going for a long walk or bike-ride with my two sons and my husband, reading a good book, and having a delicious glass of wine and intimate conversation with close friends.
Did you know you can recognize a UHN staff member through our Honour Your Hero program? Express gratitude for the care you or a loved one received and share a personal message of thanks with the people who supported you throughout your care journey. Your gift will supported research, education and the enhancement of patient care right here at UHN.
