Christopher Robert Shackleton

Christopher Robert Shackleton Oct 25, 1952 - Jan 6, 2018 Dr. Christopher Robert Shackleton, (Oct 25, 1952 - Jan 6, 2018) passed away in the family home in Vancouver. He is survived by his wife Paula Katherine Shackleton, children Emaleah Millicent Mary, Benjamin Percival and Daniel Christopher, Ben's partner Sasha Taylor and their son Seamus Christopher, age 1; his mother Leona age 94, his father Robert pre-deceased at age 90, his sister Deborah 2 yrs his senior, his late Uncle Don Allardice's clan, and many loving cousins - especially Shirley and Don Ross, and his goddaughter Francesca Bianco. Chris grew up in North Vancouver. He was an avid alpine skier & former ski racer, an outdoorsman and fly fisherman who lived for fall trips into the mountains around Spence's Bridge with his sons, and farm life on his ranch on the Similkameen River. He shared an intellectual wonder with his daughter. Family meals involved lively discussions and debates on topics broad and esoteric. He loved 20th-century history, physics, math, and aviation. In describing Chris people who knew him use superlatives. He was driven to standards of excellence for its own sake in all that he pursued. He required no social affirmation. He was a natural leader & mentor to many. He spoke highly of his own mentors throughout his own life. He led a distinguished academic medical and surgical career with international stature as a rare breed of doctor with postdoctoral specialist certifications in 3 disciplines: Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Surgical Transplantation, making seminal contributions to the field of organ transplantation, organ retrieval and preservation in Canada and as co-founder of the British Columbia Liver Transplant Program and the first National Organ Sharing Program. At UCLA in the United States he pioneered new micro-surgical techniques in partial and live-donor liver transplantation that is used in infants, living-related and living non-related donation, and he trained surgical fellows to be liver and pancreas transplant surgeons, who now head their own programs at important academic institutions. Educated at the University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, Harvard Medical School and the London School of Economics, he was Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles and Director of several major multidisciplinary clinical programs, and Director of the Transplant Program at Cedar Sinai LA. As a basic science and clinical investigator, he had more than 190 peer-reviewed publications in the fields of ischemic injury, immunology, immunopharmacology, transplantation and liver disease. He saved many lives: over 2000 liver transplants and 1000 kidney transplants. Upon retiring from UCLA he indulged in studies at the LSE in corporate finance, financial markets, and derivatives to meld financial acumen with his clinical experience and bench scientific background to do analysis and financial modeling of healthcare-related businesses and investment opportunities. He had a particular interest in research for Alzheimer's disease and advances in biomedical testing for HIV gp41 IgM antibodies. We are grateful to Dr. Howard Lim, the staff at the BC Cancer Agency, physician friends: Rodolfo Bianco, Deborah Millar, Cheryl McDermid, John Cassils, David Briggs and Gael McCool for tender support near the end. Chris leaves heartbroken our close network of friends self-described as "The Boat People". Memorial Service is January 17th at 1 pm at St. Mary's Anglican Church in Kerrisdale, 2490 W 37th Ave, Vancouver. Reception details announced at service. In lieu of flowers, Chris wanted to support literacy and education. Donations to the Vancouver Public Library Foundation appreciated. www.vplf.ca