Welcome from the Division Head:

What is Allergy and Immunology?

Allergies can affect up to 40% of the population.  The most common are airborne allergies that cause allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and asthma. Food allergy, drug allergy and insect sting allergy also affection many individuals.  These conditions can significantly impact quality of life and in some cases be life threatening.

The immune system is composed of special cells and proteins that protect against microorganisms, such as viruses and bacteria.  The immune system is also involved in other complex functions to keep us healthy.

We the members of the UBC Division of Allergy and Immunology strive to advance the knowledge, research, advocacy and education of allergy and clinical immunology in order to provide the best care, and quality of life for our patients.

My name is Dr. Amin Kanani and I am an Allergist and Clinical Immunologist at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Head of the UBC Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia. Welcome to our web site, we hope you find this site informative and the links helpful.