The health care team at Children's Hospital and the scientists at Children's Health Research Institute are incredibly dedicated to improving the lives of sick and injured children. Their compassion, perseverance and expertise are witnessed each and every day as they care for patients, support families and strive to find better treatments and outcomes. It is with great pride that we share the stories of these everyday heroes.

Dr. Guido Filler

Dr. Guido Filler joined Children’s Hospital as the Chair and Chief of Paediatrics in October 2006, with a vision to lead the way in improving the future health of today’s children. The unique rural and urban mix of London and the region served by Children’s, that reflects the country as a whole, helps to supports this vision.

“We are the only place in the province to provide true, population-based work, which is so important if we are to understand changing trends,” says Dr. Filler.

A trend that causes great concern for Dr. Filler is childhood obesity and its impact on the life expectancy of today’s children and youth. He is part of a team at Children’s Hospital and Children’s Health Research Institute working to better understand the medical science behind childhood obesity so that this trend can be reversed.

Dr. Filler also sits on the Family Advisory Council for Children’s Hospital where he is a passionate advocate for family centered care and patient satisfaction. In addition, he is Professor and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at The University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Victor Han

Dr. Victor Han, Director of the Children’s Health Research Institute (CHRI) is an internationally recognized researcher whose CHRI laboratory is known for innovative research in fetal and placental growth. His research interests include fetal and placental development, low birth weight and intrauterine growth restriction, fetal/developmental programming and preeclampsia.

Pregnancy and childbirth are critical periods for women and children. The health of a newborn can determine lifelong health and quality of life. Dr Han’s research on pre-eclampsia (an abnormal pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure and kidney disease) investigates links between the abnormal development of the placenta and the release of chemical factors that cause the maternal and placental disease. Preeclampsia is one of the major causes of low birth weight.

The ultimate goal of Dr. Han’s research is to prevent the problems associated with low birth weight babies. The end result will be the development of new methods for early diagnosis, and preventative and therapeutic measures to minimize the poor quality of life in mothers and their babies.

In addition to his role at CHRI, Dr. Han is a Canada Research Chair in Maternal and Fetal Health and the Associate Dean of Research of the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario.