Our Team

Dr. Souvik Mitra

Neonatologist, BC Women’s Hospital
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia
Research Director, Division of Neonatology
Neonatal Hemodynamics and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography Program Co-Director, Division of Neonatology
Michael Smith Health Research BC Health-Professional Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute

Dr. Souvik Mitra is a staff Neonatologist at the BC Women’s Hospital, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia and Clinician-Scientist at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada. He completed his fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and MSc in Clinical Epidemiology from McMaster University and his PhD in Epidemiology and Applied Health Research from Dalhousie University.

His research program, supported by the Michael Smith Health Research BC Health Professional Investigator award, aims to improve outcomes of the smallest and sickest newborns through multicenter clinical trials and by incorporating the principles of ‘evidence-based medicine’ in their care. His recently concluded CIHR-funded research projects include a pan-Canadian study on the comparative effectiveness of NSAIDs for treatment of PDA in preterm infants and a multicenter RCT on selective early treatment of the PDA in extremely low gestational age infants. He has recently been awarded a CIHR project grant to conduct a clinical trial on the use of single-dose prophylactic indomethacin to reduce brain bleeds in extremely preterm infants.

He is the Chair of the Fetus and Newborn Committee of the Canadian Pediatric Society, member of the Institute Advisory Board, Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH) and the College of Reviewers, CIHR. He serves as an Associate Editor for the Cochrane Neonatal Group and co-chairs the Academic Committee of the Neonatal Hemodynamic Research Centre and the Evidence Based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) Micropreemie Task Force.

Dr. Michael Castaldo

Neonatologist, BC Women’s Hospital
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia
Neonatal Transport Lead and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography Program Co-Director, Division of Neonatology

Dr. Michael Castaldo completed his undergraduate degree in Anatomy and Cell Biology in Montreal at McGill University before heading off to Ireland for medical school at University College Dublin. Following this, Dr. Castaldo jumped back across the Atlantic to New York City when he completed his Paediatric residency and chief residency at Cohen Children’s Medical Centre. From there, Dr. Castaldo returned to his hometown of Toronto where he obtained an Academic Fellowship in Perinatal-Neonatal Medicine at Sick Kids. He remained in Sick Kids to pursue fellowships in both Transport Medicine and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography. Joining the UBC Division of Neonatology in 2017, Dr. Michael Castaldo is also the Neonatal Transport Lead, and Co-Lead of the Targeted Neonatal Echo Program.

Lindsay Richter (BSc, MSc)

Research Manager, UBC Division of Neonatology

Lindsay Richter (BSc, MSc) is the UBC Division of Neonatology Research Manager. She completed her MSc in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Her research interests include neonatology, neonatal follow up, knowledge translation and integrating family voices into research. She was previously the National Coordinator of the Canadian Neonatal Follow Up Network.

Michelle Avina (BSc)

BOOST Research Coordinator

Michelle Avina is the Research Coordinator for the BOOST Research Program. She graduated from UBC with a BSc in Integrated Science. She joined the BOOST program in November 2024 and is primarily involved in the upcoming SPIN RCT. Prior to this role, Michelle worked at the UBC Department of Psychiatry and the Arthritis Research Centre.

Una Spasovski (BSc)

MSc student, Graduate Research Assistant

Una graduated from the Behavioral Neuroscience program at UBC and is currently pursuing her MSc degree in the Women+ and Children’s Health Sciences (WACH) program at UBC. Her research project explores the effectiveness and safety of prophylactic indomethacin in preventing mortality and morbidity, as well as reducing neurodevelopmental impartments in extremely premature infants. Through her work, Una aims to improve health outcomes for preterm infants, while addressing the concerns that are most important to the families of this vulnerable population.

Caia Fisher-Hulse (HBSc)

MSc student, Graduate Research Assistant

Caia obtained her Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, and is now pursuing her Master's of Science degree in the Women+ and Children's Health Sciences Program at the University of British Columbia. Caia is a graduate student researcher on the BOOST team investigating the impact of prolonged PDA exposure on echocardiographic markers of chronic pulmonary hypertension in micropreemies. Her research areas of interest include neonatology, neonatal hemodynamics, cardiovascular physiology, and clinical trials.

Dr. Uthaya Kanagaraj (MD)

Associate Physician, BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre

Dr. Kanagaraj is currently an Associate Physician in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at BC Women’s Hospital. He has developed expertise in Neonatal Hemodynamics, with a focus on functional echocardiography. His current research evaluates the interrater reliability of M-mode versus 2D-mode echocardiographic measurements—specifically the LA:Ao ratio and fractional shortening—in extremely preterm infants. This work supports the clinical interchangeability of these imaging modalities and highlights the need for standardized training and robust quality assurance in Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography (TNE).

In addition to his echocardiography research, Dr. Kanagaraj is deeply committed to improving outcomes in extremely preterm neonates through the early identification and phenotype-specific management of chronic pulmonary hypertension (cPH). He is particularly interested in incorporating point-of-care lung ultrasound (LUS) into routine neonatal care for improved cardiopulmonary assessment. His broader research vision includes the long-term follow-up of preterm infants affected by cardiopulmonary morbidities, with the goal of guiding early interventions and optimizing developmental outcomes.

Dr. Kia Anarna (MD)

Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Fellow, UBC Division of Neonatology

Dr. Kia Anarna is a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellow from BC Women and Children's Hospital. She has great interest in neonatal neurology and neurocritical care with her research focused on improving neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants.

Dr. Judith Leyens (MD)

Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Fellow, UBC Division of Neonatology

Dr. Judith Leyens completed her pediatric residency at the University of Bonn in Germany. She spent the majority of her training in neonatal- and pediatric intensive care, where she was additionally trained in echocardiography, ultrasound, ultrasound-guided interventions, ECMO/CRRT, and flexible bronchoscopy. She also spent a significant time of her training in cardiac intensive care and pediatric radiology to further improve her imaging skills. Her main research interests are hemodynamics in neonates with congenital anomalies, especially congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Since joining the program in Vancouver, she has been working with Dr. Souvik Mitra on an echocardiographic observational study to assess the cardiac impact of low-dose dexamethasone treatment in extremely preterm infants.

Dr. Abdulelah Binaqail (MD)

Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Fellow, UBC Division of Neonatology

Dr. Abdulelah Binaqail is a first-year fellow from Saudi Arabia, completing his first year at BCWH in the neonatal perinatal program and interested in neonatal hemodynamics.