The George and Sylvia Melville family’s generous $10 million gift to the Digestive Health Centre will redefine digestive health care for British Columbians.

As the new St. Paul's Hospital on the Jim Pattison Medical Campus prepares to open in early 2027, donors across the province are coming together to build the future of health care here in BC. Among them are St. Paul's Foundation supporters George and Sylvia Melville, whose generous $10 million gift will help more patients and families across British Columbia heal better through improved access to specialized digestive health care. 

1 in 4 Canadians are affected by digestive diseases, making them among some of the fastest growing and most complex health challenges facing us today. With only 123 gastroenterologists and 6 colorectal surgeons serving more than five million British Columbians, timely access to specialized digestive health care is very limited.

Getting a diagnosis can also be very disruptive to people’s lives, and for many living with digestive diseases, there is an added layer of embarrassment, anxiety, and stigma accompanying physical symptoms.

The new Digestive Health Centre (DHC) of British Columbia will help rewrite that story.

Known for their philanthropy towards education, health, and social causes, the Melvilles have been giving to St. Paul’s Hospital since 1999, with their first major gift of $2.5 million in 2020 going towards the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Centre of BC.  

Their recent $10 million gift will support BC’s new Digestive Health Centre (DHC) and was inspired by their granddaughter Mikaela Wheatley’s treatment and recovery at St. Paul’s Hospital. At just 13 years old, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and underwent a medical journey that forced her to miss months of school while enduring chronic pain and five surgeries over two years.   

“It was really hard because at some points there was no light at the end of the tunnel,” says Mikaela, who is now in remission and back to her passion for equestrianism. “I know my grandparents’ donation will help provide others with the hope that they, too, can reclaim their health and recover.”  

Located within the Clinical Support & Research Centre on the Jim Pattison Medical Campus and expected to open in 2029, the DHC will be a collaborative hub for research, training, and clinical care for patients living with digestive and gastrointestinal disorders.  

Currently, the DHC delivers collaborative, multidisciplinary digestive health care through services operating out of St. Paul’s Hospital, the IBD Centre of BC, and Pacific Gastroenterology Associates. On the new campus, it will fill a large gap in provincial digestive health care with a consolidated care model by bringing these services together in a single, patient-centred hub that will improve access, reduce wait times, and deliver a more seamless care experience.   

By uniting BC’s leading gastroenterologists, colorectal surgeons, and allied health professionals under one roof, the DHC will further accelerate diagnosis, treatment, and discovery. Evaluations and treatments that often require five to ten visits could be completed in as few as one or two.  

Patients will have access to six areas of digestive health care currently spread across separate services — therapeutic endoscopy, colon cancer screening, colorectal surgery, IBD care and management, liver disease, and specialized nutrition — all in one coordinated centre.  

“We’re hopeful our donation will change and save lives across the province,” said George, who has lived across different parts of BC, including Penticton and Vancouver Island. 

“It was difficult to watch our granddaughter struggling, and we know the new Digestive Health Centre will help many more patients who need top tier care — both in Metro Vancouver and across the province. Small town British Columbia is where we've lived most of our lives and to have this available to everybody is a huge win.” 

Sharing the vision for a province-encompassing approach to digestive health care, DHC's chair Dr. Greg Rosenfeld added, “We will be a provincial resource of specialized expertise in digestive health. We can assess complex cases, develop treatment plans, and work collaboratively with physicians and other health care providers across BC.” 

Designed to be Canada’s most equipped digestive health centre, the DHC will feature multiple endoscopy suites and capacity for surgical procedures. It will also define a new era of digestive health care through advanced technologies and data-driven approaches to improve care, capabilities that will enable earlier intervention, more coordinated care, and better outcomes for patients across the province.  

With one of Canada’s largest concentrations of digestive health patients and specialists, the DHC will be positioned as a nationally recognized hub for gastrointestinal research and discovery. 

Education and training will also be central to the DHC’s mission to make digestive health care accessible, and its positioning as a global training site will attract learners from across Canada and around the world.   

Advanced fellowship programs in IBD, therapeutic endoscopy, and colorectal surgery, will help prepare the next generation of specialists, researchers, and clinical leaders. By combining specialized training with conferences, teaching programs, and continuing education initiatives, the DHC will add capacity through training of physicians, nurses, and primary care providers while raising the standard of digestive health care across British Columbia and beyond.  

St. Paul’s Foundation extends its deep gratitude to Georgia and Sylvia Melville for their generosity supporting digestive health care in a time where it’s most essential. The Digestive Health Centre will advance discovery and spark a more promising future for patients living with digestive diseases.