UCalgary
MEDICINE
Student Run Clinic
CUMMING SCHOOL OF MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015
Vol. 5 / Issue 5A rural medicine connection
ESCAPE: New therapy is changing the standard of stroke treatment
DEPARTMENTS
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN 2
RESEARCH
MamaToto: Helping mothers 10 and newborns in East Africa
Health policy expert returns 17 to UCalgary this fall
All cancers have one thing in 26 common—a mistake in the DNA
EDUCATION
Treated like a local: Q and A 6 with Dr. Debra Isaac
A birthday note from a 12 clinical clerk
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Expressions of Arthritis 7
ALUMNI 34
PHILANTHROPY 01
SPRING / SUMMER 2015
FEATURES
Student Run Clinic: 3Helping some of Calgary's most marginalized people
A rural medicine 14 connection
ESCAPE: 18New therapy is changing the standard of stroke treatment
Where in the world… 20
Spaces and places 28 Designed for educationDriven by researchInspired by care
cumming.ucalgary.ca/magazine
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Ebba Kurz, Undergraduate Health and Science Education
Doug L. Myhre, Distributed Learning and Rural Initiatives
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MEDICINE
Student Run Clinic:
CUMMING SCHOOL OF MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015
Vol. 5 / Issue 5A rural medicine connection
ESCAPE: New therapy is changing the standard of stroke treatment
Kathryn Kazoleas
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3
Message from the Dean
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
With the fi rst half of another busy year behind us, I’d like to welcome you to the spring/summer 2015 edition of UCalgary Medicine magazine.
We’ve spent the past few months
focusing our efforts on several key
initiatives connected to the Cumming
School of Medicine’s (CSM) new
strategic plan.
In response to thoughtful input
from faculty, staff and students, we
launched new Graduate Student
Scholarship and Postdoctoral Scholars
Programs, and we created a unique
scholarship opportunity for learners
under-represented within our medical
school to access a ‘pre-med’ program
directly out of high school. These
programs will allow us to recruit excellent
students and trainees and to provide
them with meaningful support
throughout their academic careers
with us.
We continue to strengthen our
commitment to being an active part
of the communities we serve, and
have appointed Jennifer Hatfi eld, PhD,
as our inaugural Associate Dean,
Strategic Partnerships and Community
Engagement. Her new position focuses
on supporting and building partnerships
that make us relevant, responsive and
socially accountable to our broad
and diverse communities.
With support from one of our
closest community partners, the
Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation,
our Alberta Children’s Hospital
Research Institute has built a genomics-
bioinformatics platform that supports
research programs across the university.
To further develop core technology
and academic expertise in this area
and to advance our pan-institute
initiatives in precision medicine strategic
priority, the Cumming School recently
directed $5-million in funding towards
the creation of the Centre for Health
Genomics and Informatics.
In the pages that follow, I hope you’ll
enjoy learning more about just a few of
the CSM collaborations improving health
and health care in southern Alberta
and beyond.
I’m also pleased to have had several
opportunities to welcome new and old
friends into the CSM this year.
In January, the university’s Foothills
Campus hosted the launch of the
IMAGINE Project—a grassroots, citizen-
led initiative aimed at inspiring a social
movement to build a better, more
patient-centred health-care system.
The project was born of a shared interest
between Calgary business leader Charlie
Fischer and our own O’Brien Institute
for Public Health. Over 400 health
professionals, patients, policy makers
and members of the public attended
the launch, with hundreds more tuning
in online. Join the conversation at
imagineproject.net.
In May, I hosted our school’s second
Dean’s Public Talks—an event showcasing
some of our most relevant and impactful
research. Drs. Breanne Everett, Chad Ball
and Gil Kaplan shared their work and
innovations: from medical technologies,
and novel techniques in trauma care,
to air pollution and chronic diseases.
If you missed it, I invite you to watch it
online at cumming.ucalgary.ca.
I look forward to seeing you in the
fall for our next Public Talk—stay tuned
for details—and thank you for partnering
with us to create the future of health.
I’d like to conclude this message by
acknowledging the passing of a friend
and colleague, Dr. Cy Frank, in March.
A faculty member for more than 30 years,
Cy was a highly respected, admired
and valued mentor, scientist, teacher,
surgeon, administrator and advocate.
His warmth touched many, and his
contributions to the CSM and to health
care in Alberta were invaluable. He will
be greatly missed.
Jon Meddings, MD
Dean, Cumming School of Medicine
University of Calgary
Student Run Clinic: Helping some of Calgary's most marginalized peopleBy Doug Ferguson
THE MOTHER OF A HOMELESS FAMILY pauses
for a moment, then quietly laughs in disbelief.
“As I’m telling you this, it all sounds so
bad, doesn’t it?” she says as she waits for
her checkup at the Student Run Clinic, a
free health-care service run by students
and physicians at the University of
Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine.
Along with her husband and two
small children, she was evicted from
her family’s apartment after he lost his
job. They arrived that evening at Inn
from the Cold, an emergency shelter
for families that is one of three sites
hosting the student clinic for one
evening each week.
It’s now her fi fth month at the shelter
and due to her fears about the stigma of
being homeless, she asks that her identity
not be made public; we’re calling her Jane.
“We were scrimping every year to get
the rent and fi nally, we just fell behind,”
she says.
“I’ve never been in a shelter before, so
it’s humbling,” she says as her children
play nearby.
“You really see the other side.”
Above: (L to R) Medical students
Amelia Kellar, Kendra Houston and
Gabrielle French, with Dr. Janette Hurley,
and Joao Morgadinho, registered
dietitian, at the Student Run Clinic
at Inn from the Cold
5
teach you something about yourself and
your career, and why you’re doing what
you’re doing.”
Associate professor Chris Skinner of
the University of Notre Dame’s School
of Medicine in Australia was travelling
through Calgary on sabbatical when he
decided to visit the Inn from the Cold site.
“I think this is very interesting,” he says,
intrigued by everything from the clinic’s
social justice aspect to the fact it’s run by
students. “It gets students right in touch
with the practicalities of medicine at
an early stage.”
Student participant Kimia Ghavami
says she has grown to appreciate how
unique the Student Run Clinic is. “I think
when you get into a medical school,
you’re itching for the opportunity to
actually get to see what it’s like to be a
highest level of any metropolitan area in
Canada as of October, staff at Inn from the
Cold described 2014 as the most challenging
year in the facility’s 17-year history. Along
with three others in the city, the shelter
had been at or over capacity for months.
“For a little two-bedroom apartment,
it’s no less than $1,400 per month,” says
Jane. “If you don’t have a job, or you have
a minimal paying job, you can’t afford that.”
Hurley says an increasingly thin lifeline
of only a paycheque or two is all that’s
keeping a roof over the head of too many
Calgarians, adding that a much stronger
effort is needed to help Calgary’s
marginalized people by creating more
affordable housing, along with services
that better match their circumstances.
She compares her work at Inn from the
Cold to some aspects of health care
in the developing world.
“You don’t need to leave Canada
to practice global health,” she says.
“You can stay here in Canada.”
Inn from the Cold residents are treated
each Tuesday at the clinic by fi rst-
and second-year medical students.
“Everyone is very helpful and kind,” says
Jane. “They discovered I was actually
predisposed to being diabetic. I’m taking
pills right now, but I can get off them
if I lose enough weight.”
Helping some of Calgary’s most
marginalized people is the goal
of the Student Run Clinic. “It’s not
just providing a service, it’s doing medicine
from the heart,” says Dr. Janette Hurley,
a clinical assistant professor at the
University of Calgary.
Under her guidance, the clinic was
founded in 2009 by students from the
Cumming School of Medicine. Because
they are still undergoing training, the
students are partly assisted by physicians
who act as preceptors. The doctors
volunteer their time to supervise and
teach the students, write prescriptions
and check diagnoses. They are also
helped by a diverse group of health-care
professionals from the community,
including an osteopathic therapist,
dietician and massage therapists.
A similar clinic also takes place through
The Alex Bus, a program sponsored by
The Alex community health network that
uses buses to reach out to the Calgary’s
homeless populations in the inner city.
Last year, the clinic was also extended to
a third site at the Mosaic Refugee Health
Clinic at Marlborough Mall, whose patients
include people fl eeing war and persecution
in their home countries.
With average rents for two-bedroom
apartments in Calgary soaring to the
She also has high blood pressure,
something she says isn’t helped by her
situation. “It’s stressful here because we’re
trying to fi nd a place to live,” she says.
While working at the Inn from the
Cold site is helping University of Calgary
medical student Amelia Kellar hone her
skills on actual patients, her desire to help
underserved people dates back to her
teens. As a dance instructor, she worked
with children from low-income families,
ensuring they had the same chances as
other pupils.
“Everybody should get to try what
they want to try, and fi gure out what their
passion is,” says Kellar, who chaired the
executive of the Student Run Clinic in
the 2013-2014 academic year. “For me,
I think I love working with people in
general, but I think there is something
to be said for making sure that whatever
it is – whether it be dance, or whether
it be medicine – that things should be
accessible to everybody.”
An information session is held each
September for fi rst-year students who
want to take part in the clinic. After fi lling
out applications detailing why they want
to be involved, 23 students are chosen
by lottery to be clinicians, with interviews
held for positions on the eight-person
executive.
“This really needs to be your passion,
because it’s a lot of work,” says Kellar.
“It’s a lot of work in the kind of way that
it’s a lot of work the night before you have
a fi nal exam, so it needs to be something
you love doing.”
Kellar’s fi rst evening at Inn from the
Cold helped her decide she wanted to
be a pediatrician. “We spent over an hour
with a young family with a baby,” she
says. “The child was quite underweight,
so we provided counselling on breast
feeding and infant nutrition.
“The parents just didn’t have the
information, and if somebody hadn’t
taken the time to give it to them, who
knows how it would impact the child and
how that would impact the family? That
really appeals to me, because you feel like
you get to make a difference.”
In turn, a difference was made to
Kellar. “I think it taught me a lot about
learning to take the time and to slow
down – how much value you can really
bring to somebody and their experience
if you just take the time to listen to them,”
she says. “The people you work with
physician, to meet patients, and to learn
in a real-life setting,” she says. “But I
didn’t recognize how great an opportunity
this really was until I talked to people at
other medical schools across Canada.”
Ghavami helps patients at the Mosaic
Refugee Health Clinic site with everything
from diagnosing illnesses to fi lling out
forms to seeing specialists. “I like being
around people,” she says. “I love hearing
people’s stories—learning from them
and learning about them.”
Federal cuts to health-care funding
for refugees have not been fully reinstated
despite a Federal Court of Canada ruling,
says Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic
preceptor Dr. Annalee Coakley. “From
my point of view, I am happy that children
and pregnant women are now covered,”
she says. “But we have lots of non-pregnant
women and men that live below the
poverty line and they have diseases that
need treatment—and they are unable
to pay for that treatment.”
These patients can suffer from
illnesses long predating their arrival
in Canada, says Ghavami. “If you or
I had blood in our urine, for example,
we would probably race off to the doctor
immediately,” she says. “But for them,
it’s not the number one priority because
they have so many other concerns.
Maybe in the countries where they’re
from, they often couldn’t see a doctor
right away, or having these symptoms
is commonplace.”
As someone who grew up around
many refugees, Ghavami has deep
sympathy for the people she serves.
“I’ve seen fi rst-hand what so many
refugees face—the obstacle of arriving
with very few resources or knowledge
of their new home, but then going
on to build new lives which contribute
so meaningfully to our society. It’s a
privilege to serve this community.”
Back at Inn from the Cold, Jane
says she tries to see the positive things
about her life, despite her situation.
“We have a roof over our heads,
we have food and they try to help,”
she says about the shelter and the
Student Run Clinic.
“They kind of give us a nudge,
saying, ‘OK, you know we’re here to
help with this stuff, so if you need
help, we will give you help’.”
“ The people you work with teach you something about yourself and your career, and why you’re doing what you’re doing.”
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
Dr. Annalee Coakley and Kimia Ghavami at the Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
Director of the Southern Alberta Cardiac Transplant Program, Dr. Debra Isaac fi rst travelled to Georgetown, Guyana in January 2012 to assist with the donation of an echocardiography (heart ultrasound) machine.
It's a little-known fact that approximately 20,000 children in Canada are affected by juvenile arthritis.
Treated like a local: Q and A with Dr. Debra Isaacby Lauren Sharp
Pediatric Cardiology Program, on-site
and telemedicine consultations by my
colleagues from the Alberta Children’s
Hospital and myself, a partnership with
Baby Heart International which has
led to vastly improved diagnosis and
management of children with heart
disease and resulting in 13 free heart
operations with another 36 on the list
for this year, a heart failure clinic, a video
teaching centre, and a soon-to-open
heart care unit at the public hospital.
All of these projects are built on the
foundation of educating and supporting
local health-care providers.
What changes have you seen between trips?A gradually developed expectation for
a higher level of care. Instead of saying,
“too bad, so sad, we don’t have those
resources,” they say, “okay, now we have
some options and we have the opportunity
to use these to provide better care.”
What has been the most memorable part of your experience in Guyana?When I go to the hospital and I am
treated like a local. It is so nice to know I
am seen as someone who has something
to offer. I love when I am walking some-
where and a patient or a patient’s parent
says, “Dr. Isaac—you’re back!”
When you come back to Calgary, does it change your teaching perspective here in Canada?
I look at the privileges we have in Canada
such as resources and quality of educa-
tion and think about how lucky students
are to be educated here. To have access
to such a strong education before and
during medical school really sets you up
for success.
What is your favourite part about Guyana?I would have to say the people. They are
so friendly, open and generous.
Dr. Debra Isaac is a Libin Cardiovascular
Institute of Alberta cardiologist, clinical
professor of medicine at the Cumming
School of Medicine, echocardiography
specialist, and director of the Southern
Alberta Cardiac Transplant Program.
What motivated you to pursue this kind of global health experience? For many years I have been focused on
using innovative and high-tech equipment
and protocols to develop and promote
cardiac transplant and advanced heart
failure support initiatives in Calgary and
across Canada. Although this had been
very rewarding, after a while I began to
get interested in ways that I could use my
skillset and some of the cardiac equipment
available in Calgary to assist patients who
have never had access to these resources
in an entirely different part of the world.
What kind of projects have you implemented in Guyana?Since our fi rst trip back in 2012, my
team and I have, through donations from
the Libin Institute, Alvin Libin Foundation,
and other grant agencies, developed
initiatives such as the Guyana Echocar-
diography Education Program, Guyana
At Kaieteur Falls
"It is the highest free
fall waterfall in the
world and we had to
take a plane to get up
there. It was a bit scary
but the scenery was
truly breathtaking."
– Dr. Debra Isaac
7CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
Expressions of Arthritisby Kathryn Kazoleas and Jaymi Taiani
“ My Flying Unicorn. ” Jocelyn, age 9
9
“This condition affects children during
such a crucial time of physical and social
development,” says Dr. Paivi Miettunen,
a pediatric rheumatologist at the Alberta
Children’s Hospital. “They are faced with
many challenges as they are often
perceived by teachers and coaches as
lazy or unmotivated, when in fact they’re
suffering and the adults in their lives
often don’t understand why.”
Using the expressive nature of art,
a unique partnership between the
Alberta Children’s Hospital Research
Institute (ACHRI), the McCaig Institute
for Bone and Joint Health (MIBJH) and
the University of Calgary’s Department
of Art, created the “Expressions of
Arthritis” program at the Alberta
Children’s Hospital.
The program is supported with
sponsored space and personnel from
the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation,
and generous donations from the
Mamdani Family Foundation and the
Expressions of Arthritis
was inspired by the
Maud Lewis exhibit at
the Art Gallery of Nova
Scotia. Maud Lewis is a
well-known east coast
artist who suffered
from juvenile arthritis.
Research innovations
in arthritis: Early diagnostics
and personalized medicine
Dr. Marvin Fritzler, interim
director of the McCaig Institute
for Bone and Joint Health,
is a rheumatologist studying
biomarkers in blood. He has
identifi ed over 20 new proteins
involved in the progression of
several autoimmune diseases.
Using a piece of equipment
called the Bio-Flash, Fritzler
develops patient-specifi c
biomarker profi les that can be
used to make an earlier and more
accurate diagnosis of a variety
of autoimmune and rheumatic
diseases before irreversible tissue
and organ damage has occurred.
The Bio-Flash is one of only a
handful in the world capable of
developing new diagnostic tests.
Using this technology, Fritzler
is currently collaborating with
pediatric rheumatologists at the
Alberta Children’s Hospital,
including Dr. Heinrike Schmeling,
to create new diagnostic tests
for children with chronic arthritis,
or juvenile idiopathic arthritis
(JIA), and also for children with
eye infl ammation (uveitis). This
technique not only allows for
early diagnosis and intervention,
which dramatically improves
the long-term outcome for the
patient, but also identifi es the
most appropriate and effective
treatment for the patient.
This “personalized medicine”
approach will dramatically
improve the lives of those who
suffer from autoimmune and
rheumatic diseases by alleviating
the need for a trial-and-error
approach to treatment.
Calgary Foundation. The goals of this
program are to give these children
a ‘voice’ and a medium of expression,
and to focus on their abilities rather
than their disabilities.
Expressions of Arthritis found its
roots in a creative workshop hosted by
the team this past September at TELUS
Spark. The workshop was led by Calgary-
based artist Bev Kelly who herself suffers
from chronic joint pain. Using a variety
of materials and mediums, children aged
5–18 diagnosed with juvenile arthritis
were guided through a creative process
to express their physical and emotional
experiences of living with the disability
and chronic pain. Kelly also spoke to
the students about her successes and
experiences as an artist while enduring
her own physical challenges.
The overwhelmingly positive response
from the participants and their families
led Miettunen and Jaymi Taiani, PhD,
knowledge translation specialist with
Juvenile arthritis is a condition characterized by painful, swollen joints, impaired mobility and chronic fatigue. These physical detriments often leave children struggling to keep up with their peers and lead a ‘normal’ childhood.
MIBJH, to carry the program forward.
In January, Alicia Ponzio, a San Francisco
based sculptor who also teaches at
Pixar Studios, led a hands-on sculpting
workshop. Three more national and
internationally-based artists have
committed to lead workshops using
various mediums through the remainder
of 2015.
“Our vision is to establish an innovative,
transferable program that gives a ‘voice’
and medium of expression through art
to all children with arthritis and other
chronic diseases,” says Taiani.
Find out more:
mccaiginstitute.com/community
“ The heavens are in turmoil, and the land is being shaped by the war above. ” Jack, age 13
“ Arthritis is random. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, sometimes it’s all swirled. ” Kaysa, age 10
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
Find out more:
mccaiginstitute.com/community
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
11
For over a decade, Dr. Jenn Brenner has been the Canadian Director of Healthy Child Uganda—a partnership responsible for saving the lives of countless mothers and their newborn babies.
MamaToto: Helping mothers and newborns in East Africaby Kathryn Kazoleas
engage faculty and students here in
Calgary and we have a track record of
being able to do that through the work of
Healthy Child Uganda,” says Brenner.
“We’re hoping that students and faculty
will be exposed to this type of setting
and, perhaps, what we learn from this
partnership and from doing this work are
lessons we can bring back to Canada.”
Dr. Mange Manyama of Catholic
University of Health and Allied Sciences
in Mwanza, Tanzania says partnering
with the University of Calgary on this
grant means strengthening their already
existing relationship.
“In rural Tanzania, almost 8,000
women die due to pregnancy and
delivery complications and nearly 40,000
babies die during their first month of life,”
he says. “This grant gives us an opportunity
to demonstrate our intention of finding
ways that will improve the health of our
communities through research, education
and service.”
Brenner says there have always been
questions surrounding effectiveness of
volunteer community health workers
on a large scale basis.
“It’s harder to do,” she says. “Our
challenge has been to demonstrate that
if you follow a series of careful and
strategic steps and make sure you don’t
stumble into common pitfalls along the
way, we can have success at the scale
up level. And we’ve demonstrated that.”
Brenner is quick to point out that the
approach to implementing MamaToto
is based on integration into the existing
health system in the involved countries.
“We don’t come in as outside
partners and implement our own
processes,” she says. “We support
and facilitate implementation within
the country’s existing system.”
In what is seen as a real project
strength, Ugandan co-investigators will
be involved in the development and
delivery of the program in Tanzania.
Dr. Jenn Brenner is a clinical
associate professor in the
Department of Pediatrics and
a member of the University
of Calgary’s Alberta Children’s
Hospital Research Institute
and O’Brien Institute for
Public Health.
This region has some of the highest
mortality rates for women, newborns
and children in the world. Most of
these deaths are preventable, but in areas
of extreme poverty, access to health
services is limited.
Through interventions developed
and implemented by Healthy Child
Uganda, Brenner and her team have seen
marked reductions in mortality. Along
with collaborating members at Mbarara
University of Science and Technology in
Uganda, and the Catholic University of
Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania,
her team recently received a $1-million
grant to introduce a pilot project in
neighbouring Tanzania to replicate the
successes of a process called MamaToto.
A Kishwahili term meaning mother
and child, MamaToto is an implementation
process that has proven successful in
reducing mother and newborn mortality
due to delivery and post-delivery
complications in Uganda. The process
has been developed based on experiences
and evidence from past projects and
culminates in a best practices guide,
which includes a package of interventions
outlining how to best support care
before, during and after childbirth.
While MamaToto pays close attention
to ensuring that health facilities are
properly equipped and that the staff is
trained, the process is structured largely
around the concept of community health
workers—volunteers who are trained to
assess for ‘danger signs’ requiring referral,
as well as to educate and promote health
and wellness in the community—within
the context of the local health system.
Community health workers help to fill the
health-care void in communities where
formally trained health-care workers
and services are limited. While several
programs have demonstrated that
community health workers are effective,
By taking this approach, the team hopes
that a number of the challenges typically
encountered in startups, like language
barriers and geographical issues such as
travel complexities, will be bypassed.
“It’s also more cost effective to send
teams from Tanzania to observe sites
where activities are working well, and to
meet with experienced health managers
and field workers in Uganda if they’re
faced with challenges as they’re imple-
menting,” says Brenner. “Culturally there
will be more of an understanding of how
systems work as well, because health
systems and communities are much more
similar between Uganda and Tanzania
than Canada and Tanzania.”
From a research perspective, the team
will be studying the concept of commu-
nity health workers and health system
strengthening in maternal, child and
newborn health, thereby tracking what’s
happening in both sets of communities.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for us to
04 RESEARCH
“ It’s an exciting opportunity for us to engage faculty and students here in Calgary and we have a track record of being able to do that through the work of Healthy Child Uganda.”
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
A Healthy Child Uganda facilitator shows participants in a Training the Trainer session how to counsel mothers in newborn care using baby dolls.
13
breaks the uneasy silence, “She’s
under; we’re good to go.”
The resident makes the incision
into the abdomen with speed and
confi dence. Tissue layers separate,
the glistening uterus appears.
The myometrium is easily split by
the sharp blade, and inside the womb
we make out a full head of hair.
As the baby is lifted up by the
surgeon from its warm bloody home
of the past nine months, into the cool
sterile air of the operating theatre,
I glance at the clock on the wall. It is
5:20 a.m., June 16, 2014. Five a.m.—
an early morning boy. I come to the
surreal realization that this is my
birthday exactly 25 years ago, and
this is how I was born.
The baby takes his fi rst breath of
life, and his shrill cry pierces the calm
intensity of the operating room as the
surgeons briskly and skillfully repair the
bleeding uterus. The baby is wrapped
in blankets and brought next to the
operating table for the mother to see.
As tears of elation stream down the
mother’s exhausted face, I wonder
what this new life will become.
He will learn to crawl, cry, walk,
talk, laugh and love. Perhaps one day
this infant will grow into an inquisitive
Twelve years fl y by, and I’m in
my fi nal year of medical school.
It’s the year when students rotate
through the different specialties in
the city’s hospitals. So happens this
month, June, I’m working my way
through obstetrics and gynecology.
Although the labour and delivery unit
can be exhilarating, it’s also exhausting.
Patient volumes, medical complications
and emotional complexities can quickly
overwhelm. Not to mention the regular
24-hour calls which take their steady
toll on the body and spirit. As such,
I could only respond with a sigh of
defeat when I found out I was scheduled
to work the 24-hour shift on my
birthday. Disappointed and slightly
bitter, I thought to myself, ‘being on
call on my birthday? Just my luck.’
THE PAGER SOUNDS
and I glance at the screen.
“G1P0 ROM in L+D to see. 06-15-2014
23:40.” I open my notes and start
looking up ‘Rupture of Membranes’.
After taking my history and reviewing
with the resident, we decide to induce
contractions. As we explain the plan
to the patient, my pager goes off
again, this time summoning me to the
emergency department.
young boy and contemplate how he
came into the world and who was
there when he was born. Little would
he know that a then medical student
would have become a doctor, one
who treasured the greatest privilege
in seeing this new life enter the world.
A magical moment that will never be
known to the infant himself, but one
remembered forever by all who
witnessed it.
It’s here in this cold OR with
blinding lights and shining steel that
I begin to truly comprehend where
a mother’s love for her child comes
from; nine months of carrying this
weight, enduring enormous changes
in the body, hours of excruciating
pain and exhaustion, and the
unspeakable joy when she holds
a new life—an extension of her own—
in her arms. It’s in these moments
after birth that the bond between
mother and child is deeply felt, and
forged for a lifetime. And after a
quarter of a century of my own
existence, it’s this one hour on my
birthday when it dawns on me that
there is nothing I can ever do to thank
and repay my mother for what she
has done for me and given me: life.
EDUCATION UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
A birthday note from a clinical clerkby Jason An, MD Class of 2015
THE ALARM BELLS SOUND.
Lunch is over and it’s time to go
back to class. Turns out this afternoon
in eighth grade, our biology teacher
has a unique activity planned. Our
class assignment is to recognize and
match each other with photos of
ourselves that we were tasked to
bring. This would have been easy, if
only the photos weren’t taken when
we were just newborns.
As I hold the photo of myself when
I was just a day old in my hand, a train
of curiosities enters my mind. What
was life like as an infant? Who was
around me when I was born? And how
exactly did I come into this world?
That night, my mother tells me
how she came into hospital after she
broke her water, went into labour, and
eventually had to have a caesarean
section. “You were born on June 16 at
around 5 a.m., an early morning boy,”
she told me with a nostalgic smile.
Nevertheless, these questions
would occasionally fi nd their way into
my consciousness, sprinkling my high
school and university years with
curiosities of how I came into being.
It’s three the next morning, and
although I’m tired and drained, the
emergency room bustles with energy
and activity. My patient is a young girl
with abdominal pain. Hours go by,
and as I review her ultrasound results,
my pager again directs me back to
the labour and delivery unit.
I arrive just as the doctors and
nurses rush a patient with a stricken
expression on a stretcher into the
operating room. One of the residents
trailing behind takes a second to
explain that it was the woman from
earlier that night, the one we induced.
She had been pushing for hours and
there were now ominous signs on the
fetal strip that the baby was in danger.
I was to leave the young girl with the
abdominal pain in the emergency
room until later; we were scrubbing
in for a caesarean section now.
Moments later we stand in our
gowns and masks next to the patient
on the operating table. The resident
hovers the scalpel just above the skin
and anxiously peers at the fetal
monitor. Finally, the anesthetist’s
voice from behind the sterile curtain
As I journey home on my bike after
this long night, I ponder on the larger
journey that I have embarked on.
I realize that the true value of our
medical education lies not only in the
knowledge gained but in the unique
opportunities we encounter in this
profession. Opportunities to be
involved in a family’s life in a brief yet
powerful way, opportunities to marvel
on the miracle of birth, refl ect on the
tragedy of death, and wonder on the
delicate balance of life in between.
Being on call on my birthday?
Perhaps it was just my luck.
RRRRRRRIIINNGG
!
RRR
RRRRIIINNGG!
A birthday note A birthday note from a clinical clerk
As I journey home on my bike after this long night I ponder on the larger journey that I have embarked on. I realize that the true value of our medical education lies not only in the knowledge gained but in the unique opportunities we encounter in this profession.
RRRRRR
16JUNE
RR
G!!
Being on call on my birthday? Being on call on my birthday?
Perhaps it was just my luck.Perhaps it was just my luck.
15
What is your rural medicine connection?
I’m passionate about rural medicine and rural
communities. I grew up in Consort, Alberta, and my
parents continue to own and operate a ranch outside
of the village. I have always been strongly connected
to my home community and also to the rural way
of life. After fi nishing my nursing degree at the
University of Calgary, I practiced in several rural
communities as a registered nurse (RN). My interest
in continuing my career into medicine stemmed
from those experiences.
Why did you organize this trip to Consort?
My colleagues were curious about what it was like
to live on a ranch and the unique challenges faced by
people living in rural settings. I wanted to show them
not only rural medicine but rural lifestyle as well.
I also wanted them to experience the sense of
community support that I felt while growing up in
Consort. Planning an intensive trip like this required
a great deal of help from the community, but
I knew Consort would be up for the challenge.
Renee Deagle is a second-year student
in the University of Calgary’s MD program.
Last year she organized a three-day trip to
her home town of Consort, Alberta, to give
35 of her fellow students a taste of life and
medical practice in a rural community.
Over 4,000 weeks
of postgraduate
(resident) and
undergraduate (MD)
medical education
takes place outside
of the city each year
25 specialty
programs have
rotations outside
the city and they
average 20 per cent
growth annually in
weeks of service
in regional Alberta
Lethbridge is DLRI's
largest training
partner, delivering
nearly 700 weeks
of training annually
Rural Continuing
Medical Education
is delivered by the
Cumming School to
the entire province
of Alberta
With a recent
grant from the
government, DLRI
is now developing
a curriculum for
physician assistants
Longitudinal Integrated
Clerkship students work
in rural communities
for their entire fi nal year
of training; the majority
go on to choose careers
in rural medicine
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015
TO DO LIST:
Talk to high school students at Consort School about
medical school; tell them why and how they should apply,
and teach them how to make short forearm casts
Tour Veteran Hutterite Colony, Consort Hospital and the
public health units, and Consort Senior Citizens Lodge
Skills day: suturing, low risk maternity, and speech
and language pathology training
Practice with STARS: managing critically ill patients
in a simulation environment
Watch a victim extrication demo put on by a crew of
volunteer fi refi ghters from all over Special Areas No.4
(a unique municipality located in east central Alberta;
key communities include the hamlets of Monitor,
Compeer, Altario and Kirriemuir, and the villages
of Consort and Veteran)
Community hosted BBQs, fi re pit and a potluck dinner
complete with an auctioneer taking bids for supper
DISTRIBUTED LEARNING
AND RURAL INITIATIVES (DLRI)
QUICK FACTS
A rural medicine connection
A rural medicine connectionQ and A with Renee Deagle
Photography by Sean Davis
EDUCATION
1704 RESEARCH
A University of Calgary health policy expert says she is bursting at the seams to share what she has learned over the past year, with students and colleagues.
Health policy expert returns to UCalgary this fallby Marta Cyperling
“Even though we are a publicly
funded health-care system, we still have
a lot in common with the U.S. We have a
lot of the same issues and want a lot of
the same questions answered,” she says.
“For example, we both want to know
how to improve health-care access for
vulnerable populations, what the best
way to pay doctors is and what offers
the best value for money.”
Clement’s area of research focuses
on how to achieve the greatest value
for money with technology, meaning she
wants to understand how other systems
encourage the most effi cient and
cost-effective use of technology either
through funding systems, health-care
practitioners or public campaigns.
“In the U.S. there is a clear overuse
of technology in the health-care system
because the system is paid for each use.
There is a fi nancial incentive to overuse
everything. It’s important to remember
there are medical risks to all procedures
and over exposing people can be harmful.
We need to align the incentives to
encourage evidence-based use of
technology,” she says during a phone
interview.
While in the U.S., Clement has teamed
up with a health policy expert in her
research area and she is participating
in a series of high profi le policy briefi ngs
and site visits throughout the year.
The goal is to build leadership skills and
network with some of the top health
policy experts in the world.
“Leaving Alberta for one year has
given me a chance to objectively look at
our system and see what we are missing.
Being in the U.S., working with top health
policy experts, seeing what works and
doesn’t work, I am excited to bring that
knowledge back to Canada,” she says.
“I have the chance to refl ect on Canada’s
health-care system and I am really proud
of the universal access we have. In the
U.S., if you can pay for it, you can access
incredible health care, but if you can’t,
you are left out in the cold.”
Researchers from nine countries—
Australia, Canada, France, Germany,
the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Sweden and the United Kingdom—
were chosen for this year’s fellowship.
This is the third year Canada has
been a full participant in the Harkness
Fellowship, and this is the fi rst time
a University of Calgary researcher
has been selected.
“Fiona is truly a rising star researcher,
and this prestigious fellowship brings
credit to her, her work, this university,
and our new O'Brien Institute for Public
Health,” says Dr. Bill Ghali, University of
Calgary professor and director of the
O’Brien Institute. “More importantly, her
fellowship experience will bring new
perspectives to her applied research
here in Canada—perspectives that will
potentially improve health care for
Canadians.”
The Harkness award is funded by the
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare
Improvement and the Commonwealth Fund.
Researcher Fiona Clement, PhD,
is currently at the University of
California-San Francisco (UCSF)
as part of the Harkness Fellowship
in Health Care Policy and Practice.
Modelled after the Rhodes Scholarships,
the program aims to produce the next
generation of health policy leaders by
inviting Fellows from nine countries
to study health-care policy, delivery
and reforms in the United States.
“I’m going to hit the ground running
when I return to the university. I’m
particularly interested in sharing my
new knowledge with students so am
developing a new health policy course,”
says Clement, an assistant professor
in the Department of Community
Health Sciences and member of the
O’Brien Institute for Public Health.
She returns to the University of Calgary
in September 2015 after spending
one year in the program.
“I have the chance to refl ect on Canada’s health-care system and I am really proud of the universal access we have.”
What was the impact of the trip?
My colleagues were completely overwhelmed
by the generosity of the community. I have heard
comments such as “best weekend of medical school
so far.” People with no appreciation for the challenges
and benefi ts of living in rural Alberta are now better
informed and can gain insight into their future
patients’ lives. The community of Consort and
the Special Areas were able to showcase what
an amazing place rural Alberta is to live and work,
and several students have now expressed interest
in practicing rural medicine.
Why is rural medicine important to you?
One of the most crucial aspects of rural sustainability
is preservation of a functional hospital. My hometown
hospital had its acute care beds closed down several
years ago when we couldn’t attract physicians to
stay in the community. Now, even after recruiting
two physicians to the community, we are still without
our acute care beds.
People in rural communities are often under
serviced in terms of health care and health-care
access. The shortage of physicians in rural Alberta
is a very important issue facing our generation.
I wanted to do my part to expose more of my
medical school classmates to the benefi ts of working
in rural Alberta in hopes that they would choose
to work and live there in the future. I wanted them
to see what a great place rural Alberta is to live
and raise a family, as well as practice medicine.
16
University of Calgary Rural Medicine Recognition Awards
Pre·cep·tor: A teacher;
an expert or specialist who
gives practical experience
and training to a student
Last year, Distributed Learning
and Rural Initiatives decided to
ask the colleagues of participating
physicians and the communities
they serve to recognize outstanding preceptors.
This inspired the creation of the University of Calgary
Rural Medicine Recognition Awards. We are pleased
to recognize the following inaugural recipients:
Dr. Wally Tollestrup, Raymond, Alberta
Dr. Ian Bennett Meritorious Service Award
Recognizing a preceptor with a demonstrated education
focus of over 10 years duration, or a single extraordinary
demonstration of dedication to medical education.
Dr. Garland Jonker, Lethbridge, Alberta
Early Educator Award
Recognizing a preceptor who has demonstrated a
commitment to and enthusiasm for medical education,
who is in the fi rst three years of teaching practice located
in a community outside of Calgary.
Dr. Ward Fanning, Strathmore, Alberta
Dr. Hal Irvine Community Focus Award
Recognizing a preceptor who has demonstrated dedication,
through service and personal commitment, to improving
the quality of life in his/her community.
Find out more: cumming.ucalgary.ca/ruralmedicine
CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
ESCAPE: New therapy is changing the standard of stroke treatment
with Emphasis on minimizing CT to
recanalization times), shows there is a
marked reduction in both disability and
death among patients who receive ET
for acute ischemic stroke.
Ischemic stroke is caused by a sudden
blockage of an artery to the brain that
deprives the brain of critical nutrients,
such as glucose and oxygen.
Currently, the international standard
of care based on Canadian, U.S. and
European guidelines is to administer
a drug called tPA when appropriate.
Known as a ‘clot buster’, the drug
dissolves the blood clot.
In the ESCAPE trial, 316 patients
who fi t the criteria for ET and arrived for
treatment within 12 hours of their stroke
04 RESEARCH
Canadian researchers have
completed an international
randomized controlled trial
showing that a clot retrieval procedure,
known as endovascular treatment (ET),
can dramatically improve patient outcomes
after an acute ischemic stroke. The study,
led by researchers at the University of
Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI),
Cumming School of Medicine, shows
a dramatic improvement in outcomes
and a reduction in deaths from stroke.
The results of the study were published
earlier this year in the New England
Journal of Medicine.
The clinical trial, known as ESCAPE
(Endovascular treatment for Small Core
and Anterior circulation Proximal occlusion
“ This is the most signifi cant and fundamental change in acute ischemic stroke treatment in the last 20 years. These results will impact stroke care around the world.” - Dr. Michael Hill
CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
by Marta Cyperling
Find out more: cumming.ucalgary.ca/escape-stroke
19
ESCAPE Trial Team:
Dr. Michael Hill is a professor in the
departments of clinical neurosciences,
community health sciences, medicine,
and radiology at the University of Calgary.
He is also director of the Stroke Unit for
the Calgary Stroke Program, Alberta
Health Services and a member of the HBI.
Dr. Mayank Goyal is a professor of
radiology and clinical neurosciences at
the University of Calgary and a member
of the HBI. He is also a neuroradiologist
at Alberta Health Services and a member
of the Calgary Stroke Program.
Dr. Andrew Demchuk is a professor in
the Department of Clinical Neurosciences
at the University of Calgary and a
member of the HBI. He is also a stroke
neurologist and director of the Calgary
Stroke Program, Alberta Health Services.
The Calgary Stroke Program
Calgary Stroke Program (CSP) members
contributed extensively to ESCAPE.
A joint venture between the University
of Calgary and Alberta Health Services,
the CSP is recognized as one of the top
programs in North America for stroke
treatment and research.
+ The CSP is the largest training program
for acute stroke in the country and has
the highest number of academic stroke
neurologists under 'one roof'.
+ The program is a leading academic
training centre for stroke clinical
fellows. Former trainees are spread
throughout the world, and many
current stroke neurologists in Canada
have trained in Calgary. The program is
an internationally recognized fellowship
program (65 Fellows).
+ CSP team members are recognized
leaders in stroke imaging and acute
stroke trials.
+ The program is the only one to be fully
accredited for comprehensive stroke
care in Canada. Other programs are
accredited for parts of stroke care only.
+ The CSP’s eight leading stroke clinician
scientists have collectively published
over 900 citations and have been cited
16,000 times worldwide.
were randomized to standard medical care
(which included the clot-busting drug
tPA where appropriate) or standard
medical care plus ET. The overall mortality
rate was reduced from two in 10 patients
for standard treatment of care to one
in 10 patients—a 50 per cent reduction
with ET. Overall, positive outcomes for
patients increased from 30 per cent to
55 per cent. In many cases, instead of
suffering major neurological disability,
patients went home to resume their lives.
The study included 22 sites worldwide
and patients in the U.S., U.K., Ireland and
South Korea. Canada had 11 participating
hospitals and enrolled two-thirds of the
patients. ESCAPE investigators reviewed
and taught ET methods to all 22 sites in
the trial and the therapy is changing the
standard of ischemic stroke treatment.
WHAT IS ENDOVASCULAR TREATMENT?
Endovascular treatment is performed
by inserting a thin tube into the artery
in the groin, through the body, and into
the brain vessels to the clot. This is done
under image-guided care using an X-ray.
The clot is then removed by a retrievable
stent, restoring blood fl ow to the brain.
Endovascular treatments were fi rst
developed in the 1990s, but ET has only
recently been technically possible.
In stroke, time equals brain.
Each minute the brain is not
receiving blood fl ow, about
1.9 million brain cells die.
Many stroke treatments
Warning Signs of Stroke
work only if administered in
a set period of time – patients
need to recognize the signs
of stroke and seek medical
attention immediately.
Think FAST; recognize
and react to the warning
signs of stroke:
F Facial droop A Arm weakness S Speech slurred T Time to call 9-1-1
or garbled
Stroke Facts
Stroke is a leading
cause of death
in Canada
Stroke is the leading
cause of serious long-term
disability in adults
Stroke can happen
at any age
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015
27
Corinne Doll, MD
“ Finding reliable outcome
predictors will transform
anti-cancer therapy ”Dr. Doll is investigating clinical
and molecular indicators of
chemo-radiation responses in
cervical and anal cancer patients.
Over half of all cancer patients
receive radiation therapy.
However, there is not currently
a means to reliably predict
which patients will have a
good vs. poor outcome with
radiotherapy (± chemo) prior
to treatment.
Nizar Bahlis, MD
“ Genomic sequencing
can reveal druggable
alterations in cancer ”Dr. Bahlis and his team
are aiming to improve
the treatment of multiple
myeloma by identifying
genomic alterations and
drug resistance mechanisms.
They study signaling pathways
in hematological malignancies
and, in particular, multiple
myeloma with the goal of
discovering new molecular
targets for therapeutic
applications.
The centre was made possible by a $10-million gift from
Dave Robson—through the Dave and Val Robson Fund at
The Calgary Foundation—to the Southern Alberta Cancer
Research Institute at the Cumming School of Medicine.
“The importance of research can’t be overstated,” says
Dave Robson. “The scientists in the Robson DNA Science Centre
are doing life-saving research that will help improve the lives
of Canadians in years to come.”
Contributors: Marta Cyperling and Aaron Goodarzi, PhD
Aaron Goodarzi, PhD
“ Cancer will be cured
on the day we eliminate
DNA instability ”The Goodarzi lab is working
to understand how human
cells repair and preserve
DNA that has been severely
damaged by ionizing radiation
exposure. His research focuses
on how cells resolve diffi cult
to repair DNA breaks in regions
of compact DNA packaging,
such as heterochromatin
(silent genes) and the repair of
DNA breaks induced by high
energy transfer (LET) radiation
such as alpha-particle radiation
from radon gas—the cause
of over 3000 lung cancers
in Canadians each year.
Jennifer Cobb, PhD
“ Inaccurate inheritance
of DNA between cells drives
cancer evolution ”Cobb and her lab investigate
how cells prevent Genomic
Instability and the propagation
of DNA mutations. By
understanding the cause of
chromosomal rearrangements
in our cells, which is an early
event tumour formation,
the hope is to develop
cancer prevention therapies.
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 201504 RESEARCH
All cancers have one thing in common—a mistake in the DNA
Ebba Kurz, PhD
“ Deciphering how drugs
alter cellular complexes will
improve therapy ”The Kurz laboratory is
studying the impact of
common over-the-counter
medications on the effi cacy
of anti-cancer chemotherapy.
Her research focuses on a
protein that untangles DNA
strands (a topoisomerase).
This protein is also the key
target of several widely used
anti-cancer chemotherapeutics.
Her lab is studying how common
drugs like aspirin interact with
this protein and is uncovering
novel mechanisms for DNA repair.
Tara Beattie, PhD
“ Cancers need telomerase
for uncontrolled growth—
we can exploit that ”Beattie studies how mis-
regulation of telomerase
causes changes in DNA
integrity, driving multiple
human diseases. Her team’s
research focuses on
understanding the delicate
balance between too much
telomerase in cancer cells
and too little in pre-cancerous
disorders such as myelodys-
plastic syndrome, aplastic
anemia, dyskeratosis congenita
as well as idiopathic pulmonary
fi brosis.
Karl Riabowol, PhD
“ Advanced age remains the
strongest predictor of cancer
we know ”Riabowol and his team are
studying how cancer cells elude
the molecular processes that
normally enforce cellular aging.
His research focuses on the
tumour suppressor gene called
ING1 (INhibitor of Growth)
that we discovered as a gene
inactivated in many cancer
types. ING genes are involved
in the onset of cell aging and
in preventing the process of
cellular immortalization that
is necessary for cancers
to develop and grow.
DNA damage is a common
occurrence in human cells
and is usually repaired quickly.
But sometimes mistakes in DNA
repair accumulate, altering the
capacity of the cell to repair its
DNA accurately and setting the
stage for cancer. The aging
process, along with repeated
exposure to toxins such as
tobacco, asbestos, radon gas
and UV light, are the usual
causes of multiple errors in
DNA. Occasionally, the DNA
repair machinery itself is
faulty, often because of an
inherited weakness in repair
capacity; DNA errors
accumulate for this reason.
Inherited weaknesses in DNA
repair are one of the major
causes of cancers that run
in families, such as those of
the breast and colon.
Established in December
2014, the Robson DNA Science
Centre brings together a core
group of DNA scientists
studying how cells detect and
repair DNA damage. Ultimately,
their research will be used to
reduce cancer rates and improve
treatment for cancer patients.
Meet the research team at the
Robson DNA Science Centre:
Susan Lees-Miller, PhD
“ Solving the molecular
basis of cancer is key to new
treatment strategies ”The Lees-Miller laboratory is
studying how cells detect and
repair DNA double strand
breaks—a major source of
genome instability. Her research
focuses on the role of two
protein kinases, DNA-PK and
ATM, in the cellular response to
DNA damage and the mainte-
nance of genome stability.
Using this knowledge, her team
is also determining how
targeting these important
proteins can improve outcomes
for cancer patients.
CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
Designed for educationDriven by researchInspired by care
What is the Advanced Technical Skills Simulation Laboratory (ATSSL)?
The ATSSL is a partnership between the
University of Calgary’s Cumming School
of Medicine and Alberta Health Services’
eSim South Provincial Program. It
includes a surgical simulation lab, clinical
simulation lab and classrooms to provide
interprofessional education in a realistic
and safe environment.
Surgical simulation lab:
• Twenty simulated operating room
(OR) stations equipped with scrub
sinks, OR tables, overhead OR
lighting, dual LED monitors and
ceiling supply units.
• Four of the stations contain in-light
cameras allowing for the display
of real-time imaging throughout
the lab and classroom.
• Equipped with fully functional
reprocessing area to clean and
sterilize instruments.
• Skills such as laparoscopy,
arthroscopy, endoscopy and
microsurgery are practiced
by surgical residents.
• Integrated cameras offer the
opportunity to video record
lab sessions.
• Can be used to accommodate
one large group or be confi gured
to smaller spaces for simultaneous
education sessions.
Cumming School of Medicine students, faculty and staff train and work in some of the most advanced facilities in the country. Whether spaces like this exist because of research or to stimulate it, or to provide learners with hands on skills development in real-life health environments, they all contribute to improved patient care in southern Alberta and beyond. Take a look inside…beyond. Take a look inside…
Clinical simulation lab:
A facility where learners use a variety
of simulation mannequins and task
trainers capable of presenting a number of
clinical situations and responding
to the actions the health-care learners
employ (e.g. heartbeat responding
to proper chest compressions).
These are used to enhance individual
technical skills, clinical skills, and provide an
opportunity to practice teamwork,
leadership and communication skills with
a focus always on patient safety and
quality of care.
Classrooms:
• Two classrooms with capacity
for 29 and 20 students.
• Features wireless internet access,
LCD projector, in-ceiling speakers,
videoconference capabilities,
remote viewing of wet lab sessions.
Why was it built?
To allow medical trainees and health-
care professionals the opportunity
to practice and develop their skills in
a safe environment, allowing them to
make mistakes and learn from them.
Who uses it?
Medical students, residents, registered
nurses, doctors and surgeons, as well as
other health-care professionals such as
respiratory therapists and paramedics;
approximately 4,000 people per year
from the Cumming School of Medicine,
Alberta Health Services, SAIT, Mount
Royal University, and professionals and
students from across southern Alberta.
How is the ATSSL helping to create the future of health?
Simulation provides the opportunity
to practice clinical skills without the risk
of harming a patient, while supporting
knowledge transfer of best practices
and research initiatives.
What is the coolest thing about the facility?
Video recording surgical procedures
gives instructors and students the
opportunity to review procedures
and discuss them, as well as to monitor
procedures from a distance. They also
allow faculty to develop research
programs to evaluate new surgical
techniques as well as new equipment
and teaching methods. Trainees are
also able to obtain videos of simulated
surgical procedures thereby developing
a portfolio.
QUICK FACTS
• The facility has also used video
conferencing capabilities to broadcast
out to junior high and high schools
to teach various sessions.
• The facility has hosted a number of
junior high and high school students
for various events to promote health and
health-related careers, such as Aboriginal
Health Day and Discovery Days.
Acknowledgment:
George Mulvey, Manager, ATSSL
Advanced Technical Skills Simulation Laboratory
Health Sciences Centre, Foothills Campus
Opened:2014
29UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015
by Amy Dowd and Kathryn Kazoleas
EDUCATION
Who uses it?
Researchers, educators, physicians,
graduate and postgraduate medical
students; the eSIM patient simulation
program; health service collaborators,
including leaders from multiple branches
of Alberta Health Services; and industry
partners. It’s also used for external
outreach; over 250 individuals toured
the lab in 2014.
How is the HHFSL helping to create the future of health?
Being embedded in the W21C Centre
for Research and Innovation, the research
being conducted by the simulation
laboratory is vetted by experts from
multiple disciplines. This technical
expertise is further accentuated by
the proximity of a collaborating medical
unit in the Foothills Hospital. This unique
mix enables users to answer research
questions in an academically thorough
and pragmatic manner.
What is the coolest thing about the HHFSL?
The Eye Tracker. This device tracks a
user’s pupil to estimate where the person
is looking. It has been used in research
studies to understand how clinicians direct
their attention under varying circumstances.
3130
What is the W21C Healthcare Human Factors and Simulation Laboratory (HHFSL)?
The HHFSL provides researchers with
infrastructure to study various aspects
of the interaction between people (such
as physicians, nurses and patients) and
clinical systems (such as medical devices,
multi-disciplinary teams and clinical
technologies). The technology allows
users to create realistic clinical scenarios
and then capture and analyze a breadth
of data to better understand human-
system interaction.
Why was it built?
To examine the safety of health care
using human factors methods previously
employed in high-risk industries such
as aviation and nuclear energy.
Human factors: A body of knowledge
regarding human capabilities/limitations
and design; human factors engineering
is the application of human factors
knowledge to optimize the design
of systems for human use.
Through the leadership of Dr. Jeff
Caird, W21C Human Factors Lead,
professor in the Department of Psychology
and adjunct professor in the Department
of Community Health Sciences, a need
was identifi ed in western Canada for a
centre focused on research excellence
in health-care human factors and patient
simulation, to bridge the gap between
industry, academia, and government
to facilitate health-care innovation and
quality improvement.
QUICK FACTS
• By providing a realistic yet controllable
setting for testing novel technologies
or processes, early stage innovations
and proof of concept projects can be
evaluated well before they could be
used in actual clinical settings within
Alberta Health Services or other
clinical environments.
• W21C leadership modelled the laboratory
off of other usability labs at Vanderbilt
and Harvard universities. Funding was
provided through a Western Economic
Partnership Agreement, which covered
the capital costs for the space to be built.
• The HHFSL human patient simulator,
iStan, has clinically ‘died’ several times.
Cats have nine lives; iStan has more.
Acknowledgment:
Greg Hallihan, Human Factors
Program Manager, W21C
W21C Healthcare Human Factorsand Simulation Laboratory
Teaching, Research and Wellness Building, Foothills Campus
Opened:2009
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015
3332
32
What is the Resuscitation with Angiography, Percutaneous Therapies and Operative Repair (RAPTOR) / Interventional Trauma Operating Room (ITOR)?
The RAPTOR is an intensive care unit,
an operating room, an interventional
radiology suite, and an emergency room
trauma bay, all rolled into one. Because
it’s a one-stop-shop, severely injured
patients requiring bleeding control don’t
have to be transported between different
rooms/suites within the hospital to decide
the best course of action. This saves
critical time, ensures the best possible
environment for the patient and allows
for immediate response to a patient’s
changing condition.
The RAPTOR is also equipped to
perform basic CT scans of the brain,
allowing physicians to make emergency
decisions quickly.
Why was it built?
Foothills Medical Centre is the busiest
trauma centre in Canada. Severely injured
patients are at greater risk if they have
to be moved around to get the therapies
they need.
Calgary’s RAPTOR suite was purpose-
built during construction of the McCaig
Tower. It was the second of its kind in
the world.
The suite was funded by the Calgary
Health Trust and the Government of
Alberta’s McCaig Tower Capital Fund
Project.
Who uses it?
The RAPTOR is used for every trauma
operation at Foothills Medical Centre;
over 1,200 last year.
Sometimes there are as many as
30 health-care professionals working
in the suite, at least for the initial part
of the trauma. Typically, a core team
of about 10, which includes suregons,
anesthesiologists and nurses, are
present. That number can double
depending on the equipment/expertise
required to respond to the trauma.
How is the RAPTOR / ITOR helping to create the future of health?
Through research: The suite was
purpose-built based on research; years
of collecting, reviewing and publishing
data, plus simulating the end product.
In another fi ve years or so, the team will
compare their original data with new
data to demonstrate that the room is
doing what it’s supposed to do—saving
more lives. The answer anecdotally at
least, is absolutely yes. Since the medical
community learns by peer review
publication and by professional
word of mouth, the RAPTOR suite
pushes medicine forward on a public
health level.
Through technology: The technology
in the RAPTOR is highly advanced,
so the reality is that not every trauma
centre can afford it. But there are
elements of it, concepts that come
out of creating and using these super
advanced rooms that can be reverse
engineered to be simple, affordable
and life-saving.
What is the coolest thing about the RAPTOR / ITOR?
In fi ve years, there may be hundreds of
RAPTOR suites in North America, but it’s
likely that very few, if any, will be built
from the concrete up.
QUICK FACTS
• The RAPTOR is about three times
the size of a regular operating room.
• The fi rst RAPTOR was refi tted in
Liverpool Hospital in Sydney, Australia—
and it’s run by a Canadian surgeon.
• A lot of the technology for trauma
intervention comes from ideas
propagated in the aerospace world;
the team behind the RAPTOR works
closely with NASA and the Canadian
Space Agency.
Acknowledgment:
Dr. Chad Ball, Clinical Associate Professor,
departments of surgery and oncology, Cumming
School of Medicine; trauma and cancer surgeon,
Foothills Medical Centre
Resuscitation with Angiography, Percutaneous Therapies and Operative 32Resuscitation with Angiography, Percutaneous Therapies and Operative 32
Repair (RAPTOR) / Interventional Trauma Operating Room (ITOR)
McCaig Tower, Foothills Medical Centre, Alberta Health Services
Opened:2013
CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
35
Call to BragMEDICINE ALUMNICall to BragMEDICINE ALUMNIMEDICINE ALUMNIMEDICINE ALUMNI
Growing Our Alumni Footprint
In the past, the alumni offi ce tracked
almost exclusively MD alumni. But the
portfolio is expanding and we are now
engaging graduates from our other
educational programs, including
Graduate Science Education and
the Bachelor of Health Sciences.
Alumni Advisory Council
Dr. Jon Meddings, dean of medicine,
is keen to broaden the alumni family
even further to embrace residents and
postdoctoral trainees. As a result, a
new Alumni Advisory Council has been
formed which includes members from
these constituencies.
“The new advisory council will be a
great help to me as I learn about and try
to engage alumni that perhaps haven’t
felt included in the past,” says Woolner.
Alumnus of Distinction Research Award
This year, we want to recognize the
time and energy many of our graduates
dedicate to all types of research including
clinical trials, health services research,
social sciences or laboratory-based basic
science research. Nominate a Cumming
School of Medicine graduate for this
prestigious award by July 17, 2015.
AS OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2014 the
Cumming School of Medicine
Alumni Offi ce has a new director,
Dr. Betsy Woolner.
WOOLNER IS A GRADUATE of the MD Class
of 1988, (Poodles). She has been a
community family physician in Calgary since
1996 and a member of the Department
of Family Medicine since 2001.
Her goal as director is to provide an
easy point of contact for alumni to keep
in touch, brag about their accomplishments,
fi nd ways to get involved with the Cumming
School and with the University of Calgary
as a whole and to connect with fellow
alumni.
“I’m new to my job, the Cumming School
has a new Alumni Advisory Council and
we have a whole new direction for alumni
relations,” says Woolner.
Share your news, interests, achievements, hobbies and activities with us! We want to hear about your accomplishments— professional and personal.
The Cumming School of Medicine Alumni Offi ce wants to honour your successes.
Let us know about new jobs, awards and achievements so we can celebrate with you
and share your accolades with fellow graduates.
We also realize that life is about more than just work. Keep us posted on your
triumphs and talents outside the offi ce—we’d love to hear about them too!
Have a shy colleague? Brag on their behalf!
RECENT SUCCESSES:
Lucy Diep, BCR’13, received the inaugural Easter Seals Alberta Alumni Leadership Award for her work with Camp Horizon.
Scott Forsyth, MD’99, was named the 2014–15 Alberta Professional Photographic Artist of the Year from the Professional Photographers of Canada.
CONTACT INFORMATION:Email: [email protected]
Gurdeep Parhar, MD’92, received the 2015 AFMC – May Cohen Equity, Diversity, and Gender Award.
Simon Hirota, Post Doctoral Fellow 2007-12, qualifi ed to compete in the Canadian National Cyclocross Championships in Winnipeg. He has also just received a Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Tier II CRC in Host-Microbe Interactions and Chronic Disease.
ALUMNI
and my brothers that it’s easy to help
others in simple ways. There are no
excuses. Just get up and do something.”
With those lessons learned, it is
no surprise that Aronson was not only
able to envision a charity but actually
make it happen. Spread the Love
combined his desire to combat hunger
with his passion for inspiring others to
get involved. It’s all based on the simple
concept of making sandwiches for
organizations to distribute to the hungry.
After 12 years, Spread The Love is a
national non-profi t organization with
chapters across the country, including
one at the University of Calgary, and
has provided over 400,000 meals
to hungry Canadians.
It was through his engagement
on campus that Pam Aranas fi rst met
Aronson when he was in his last year
of the Bachelor of Health Sciences
program.
“I came to know him as someone
who’s very driven, very community
organized and strategic in his way of
thinking about social entrepreneurship,”
says the alumni programming offi cer.
Those qualities made Aronson
a perfect fi t to co-chair the advisory
council for the offi ce’s new Community
Impact Program. The program aims to
fi nd new ways to engage University of
Calgary alumni with the school through
community service projects.
“He’s going to bring a great perspective
to the program we’re trying to offer,”
she says. “He’ll be a great leader and
he’ll motivate people.”
When the opportunity came up,
Aronson says he was eager to join in.
“I think it’s critical to stay involved,”
he says. “You build so much real life at
university. Whether you realize it or not,
it shapes who you are. It opens up doors
and provides opportunities.”
For Aronson, university shifted his
journey from medicine to the prospect of
helping people at an organizational level.
“Majoring in Health and Society
aligned perfectly with my passions,”
he says. Now, with his involvement in the
Community Impact Program, Aronson
hopes to support alumni bridging the
gap between their own passions and
their connection to the school that
helped shape their lives.
MILES ROBERT ARONSON is the
kind of person who sees problems
for what they really are: challenges
to overcome. He's been this way
since he was a young boy growing
up in Montreal, where he saw
homelessness, hunger and worst
of all, indifference in passersby.
“I’M A STRONG BELIEVER that all of us
gravitate towards some things naturally
in terms of a social issue,” he says.
“Homelessness as the visible face of
hunger was something that drew me in.”
Aronson’s mind was preconditioned
to see his potential to help as he was
constantly watching his parents do simple
things to change others’ lives. He remembers
his mother gathering belongings for a
family who arrived in Canada with little
more than a suitcase. He remembers his
father collecting clothing for a church
to sell so they could raise money to
feed the hungry.
“My parents were consistently giving
back,” he says, “and they were very quiet
and humble about it. They showed me
Alumnus Profi le: by Alison Myers
Alumni Update:
“My parents were consistently giving back, and they were very quiet and humble about it. They showed me and my brothers that it’s easy to help others in simple ways. There are no excuses. Just get up and do something.”
“I think it’s critical to stay involved. You build so much real life at university. Whether you realize it or not, it shapes who you are. It opens up doors and provides opportunities.”
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
37
focused on communications skills
training for neurology residents.
The mixture of these unique and
diverse training experiences led Cooke
to become a leader in educational
programming at the Cumming School
of Medicine. She founded the Offi ce of
Faculty Development and served as the
assistant dean from 2006-10.
“We were late to the table with faculty
development and it became increasingly
important to have an active faculty
development offi ce to ensure that we
were training excellent teachers and that
we would continue to meet accreditation
standards,” she says.
Currently, Cooke is the associate
dean, Continuing Medical Education
(CME) and Professional Development
in the Cumming School of Medicine.
“The strength of our program is not
only our high educational standards
but also our ability to showcase local
expertise and present the content
through a local lens. Our programs offer
content that is evidence-based and
provide access to local opinion leaders.”
Programs offered through the CME
offi ce have a multidisciplinary focus and
offer training for several professions
including doctors, nurses, pharmacists
and social workers. This, coupled with the
quality of education, affords participants
lots of opportunity for interaction and
learning in an environment which is able
to remain objective.
Currently, the CME offi ce is focused
on broadening their audience and breaking
down barriers to access. A large e-learning
curriculum is gaining traction as educators
work to bring content directly to learners
anywhere and any time via webinars,
podcasts and other digital media.
Given her current position, Cooke has
some parting words of wisdom for Class
of 2015 MD graduates, the Cows: “When
you embark on your residency, you
need to develop a deliberate practice
for life-long learning and build this
practice into your weekly schedule. It is
a huge task to stay current in your fi eld.
Learning needs to be planned and
incorporated into your daily routine.”
Upcoming Continuing Medical Education Courses
2015 Annual Family Practice Review and Update Course
November 16 – 19, 2015
University of Calgary
This program provides an update
focused on the information pearls
pertinent for practice in primary care.
It is intended for family physicians,
nurse practitioners and nurses
working in primary care in urban
and rural settings.
Can’t attend a course in Calgary?
There are online options too!
Primary Care REAL-WEB Webinar Series
Fall and Winter 2015/16
cumming.ucalgary.ca/cme
An ongoing series of accredited CME
webinars for primary care practitioners.
This program focuses on best practice
take-home messages in primary care.
Each webinar features the latest
advancements in diagnosis and
treatment as well as addressing
clinical cases.
THE MOUNTAINS WERE initially
what drew Dr. Lara Cooke to apply
to medical school at the University of
Calgary. But it was Adele Meyers,
coordinator of admissions and
student affairs, who made her realize
that Calgary was an ideal place to
launch her medical education.
“THE MINUTE I CAME IN for my interview
I was struck by the beauty of the atrium
and by Adele, who was so incredibly
warm and welcoming; she immediately
put us all at ease.”
Since fi rst stepping through the doors
of the Health Sciences Centre in 1996,
Cooke has devoted a signifi cant amount
of time to medical education, both as
a learner and a teacher. She completed
her postgraduate medical education in
neurology and a fellowship in headache
medicine. Her formal education at the
University of Calgary didn’t stop there.
In 2007, Cooke completed a Master
of Science in Medical Education that
ALUMNI
Alumna profi le: by Leigh Hurst
ANESTHESIOLOGY
EMERGENCYMEDICINE
FAMILY MEDICINE
GENERALSURGERY
INTERNAL MEDICINE
NEUROLOGY
OPHTHALMOLOGYPATHOLOGY
PSYCHIATRY
78
22
11
8
5
4
3
2
7
1
OBSTETRICS&
GYNECOLOGY
PEDIATRICS
8
ORTHOPEDICSURGERY
2
VASCULARSURGERY
1
UROLOGY
1
OTOLARYNGOLOGY
1
DIAGNOSTICRADIOLOGY DERMATOLOGY
1
PHYSICALMEDICINE &
REHABILITATION
3
PLASTICSURGERY
1
PEDIATRICNEUROLOGY
17
2DALHOUSIEUNIVERSITY
5
McMASTERUNIVERSITY
QUEENSUNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
UNIVERSITYOF
TORONTO
UNIVERSITYOF
ALBERTA
UNIVERSITYOF
BRITISH COLUMBIA
8
8
7
19
31
67
MEMORIALUNIVERSITY
1
UNIVERSITYOF
OTTAWA
3
WESTERNUNIVERSITY
3
UNIVERSITYOF
MANITOBA
5
McGILLUNIVERSITY
1
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY CUMMING SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
UNIVERSITYOF
SASKATCHEWAN
6
CARDIACSURGERY
2
2015 Undergraduate Medical Education CaRMS* Matches
*The Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) matches graduating MD students into postgraduate medical training (residencies) throughout Canada.
190 incoming residents will begin training at the University of Calgary in 2015.
CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
Great cities are built on great universities, and great universities are built on great philanthropy.-Nuvyn Peters, vice-president (development), University of Calgary
Stories by Jaclyn Silbernagel
The Healthy Brain Aging movementPage 2
Supporting the next generationPage 4
Connections strengthen bone and joint researchPage 6
Cutting-edge technology leads to custom treatmentsPage 7
Philanthropyat work
03
Marian Lamb
Supporting
laboratories within
the Ron and Rene
Ward Centre for
Healthy Brain
Aging Research
Alzheimer’s Society
of Calgary
Supporting the
research of
neuropsychiatrist
Zaihnoor Ismail
PHILANTHROPY
The brain remains one of the least
understood organs in the human
body, yet one in three Canadians will be
affected by a brain or nervous system
disorder or injury in their lifetime.
Susceptible to conditions such as
vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s, stroke
and Parkinson’s, the aging brain has
been identified by the University of
Calgary as an area of critical need
on the research front.
Led by the Hotchkiss Brain Institute
(HBI), the brain and mental health
strategic research theme is one of six
guiding the university toward its Eyes
High goals.
Thanks to the generosity of Calgary’s
community members, a unified fight for
the improvement of brain health has
begun through the HBI. An intricate web
of high-level researchers who draw
support from philanthropic partners now
have the opportunity to work more
closely together.
A number of investigators are centralized
in the Cumming School of Medicine at the
Ron and Rene Ward Centre for Healthy
Brain Aging Research—a collaborative
space bringing scientists, clinical researchers,
and trainees together to study how the
body dementia—a condition associated
with Parkinson’s that causes rigid muscles
and tremors and slows movement. It’s the
second most common type of progressive
dementia after Alzheimer’s, and it resulted
in Ron’s passing in 2007.
For the Ward family, the experience
created a desire to help further research
in the area of dementia.
“It's difficult to watch someone
deteriorate so quickly, and the surprising
and sad part of it all is that it couldn't
have happened to a healthier person,”
says Paul Wanklyn, nephew of Ron and
Rene, and trustee of the foundation.
“Our family believes it’s important to
leave this legacy. We believe that Ron
and Rene made an impact, and seeing
how excited the researchers are and
how hard they’re all working to produce
fantastic results for better health in our
community is important to our family
and would have fulfilled the Wards’
wishes. We’re thrilled for everyone.”
Among the experts working together
to better understand the aging brain are
Oury Monchi, PhD, Tourmaline Oil Chair
in Parkinson’s Disease; Bruce Pike, PhD,
CAIP Chair in Healthy Brain Aging; and
Dr. Eric Smith, Katthy Taylor Chair in
Vascular Dementia, who will concentrate
their efforts on dementia, with particular
interest in Alzheimer’s disease, vascular
disease, Parkinson’s disease, and
Lewy body dementia.
These researchers will work to
understand the ‘why’ behind memory
loss and cognitive impairment. They will
explore healthy brains, comparing them
to those that have been compromised.
They will seek out answers to questions
like: How can music and movement help
heal the brain? What lifestyle choices
will lead to longevity in the mind?
Smith says the breadth and variety
of expertise in the centre will open new
avenues of looking at dementia diseases.
"When you bring people with the
diversities of experiences, perspective
and methodological knowledge together
in this kind of milieu, you get collaborative
outcomes that are much greater than
the sum of their parts,” says Smith.
“Such collaborations will allow me to
answer questions that I would never
be able to answer on my own.”
Collaboration is not a new concept,
but physical proximity is a catalyst for
more group efforts.
healthy brain ages and what goes wrong
in some cases.
Thanks to support provided by the
Ronald and Irene Ward Foundation, the
Centre will allow multidisciplinary
interactions. It will bring together diverse
perspectives about research, prevention,
clinical approaches, treatments and
therapies and lead to innovative solutions
for brain disorders.
The space is named after Ron and
Rene Ward. Ron lived an energetic,
health-driven life. Even at 70 years old,
he was an avid skier and golfer who ran
three to four miles a day. Near the end
of his life, Ron was diagnosed with Lewy
"A lot of things just happen in corridor
discussions, and being together will
further this,” says Monchi. “More than that,
we will have what is called a collaborarium
—where whoever is available can sit and
have discussions. New collaborations will
just happen, and existing ones will be
carried out more efficiently."
The Healthy Brain Aging program
is magnifying the existing HBI network
of expertise in recruiting both research
leaders and the future generation
of leaders.
“I’m excited for trainees. With such
cross-pollination, trainees are exposed to
a broader range,” says Pike. “The Centre
will be an incredibly rich environment
for them.”
Whether it’s working together locally or
partnering with national and international
colleagues, the HBI is leading the way in
initiating and participating in meaningful
collaborations that are advancing
research approaches around the world.
The centre will also be a technological
hub using high levels of imaging and
data analysis to seek answers. Another
component will be a brain bank, allowing
researchers to see the brain under a
microscope and correlate that information
with what they’re seeing in imaging scans.
A comprehensive program that looks
at potential risks for brain disease while
using advanced neuroimaging techniques
will help identify what leads to cognitive
decline and impairments.
"Earlier detection means we have a
better chance of intervening," says Pike.
"We will use newer, more sensitive and
quantitative methods to understand and
track the disease at the earliest stage."
Research focused on brain imaging
techniques and applications are important
in understanding the changes in a normal
functioning brain compared to seeing
how disease or age changes the brain.
Studying those differences leads to new
methods of treatment, which researchers
at HBI will be able to test rapidly.
Smith explained how researchers are
taking a holistic look at brain growth
development and aging throughout one’s
lifetime in order to get a full understanding
of the brain and its function over time.
Factors such as cognitive reserve—
the mind’s resistance to damage of the
brain—are influenced by things like
childhood experiences, exposure to highly
stimulating environments, social interac-
tions, and physiological disruptions like
small strokes. Smith says that information
is helpful to determine how vulnerable an
individual is to developing dementia, and
how capable a brain is in defending itself
from these diseases.
While many questions have yet to
be answered, what is clear is that life
experiences help shape the brain and help
determine how it reacts later in life. We are
also living longer on average thanks to
advances in other areas of medicine, which
means an increased risk of health issues
associated with aging.
With its many components, the Healthy
Brain Aging program will help investigators
answer important questions, accelerate
research, improve treatments and therapies,
and hopefully develop prevention strategies
for all types of debilitating dementias,
ultimately improving health outcomes.
"The community’s involvement is
essential if we're going to make progress
in studying aging and dementias,”
says Pike. “There is no substitute for
community participation.”“ When you bring people with the diversities of experiences, perspective and methodological knowledge together in this kind of milieu, you get collaborative outcomes that are much greater than the sum of their parts. ”
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
Parkinson's Society
of Southern Alberta
Suter Professorship
in Parkinson's
Research (Bin Hu)
Don and Ruth
Taylor and family
Started the Katthy
Taylor Chair in
Vascular Dementia
(Eric Smith)
Brenda Strafford
Foundation
Created the Brenda
Strafford Foundation
Chair in Alzheimer’s
Research (Marc
Poulin)
The Ronald
and Irene Ward
Foundation
Gift to establish
Ron and Rene Ward
Centre for Healthy
Brain Aging
Research (multiple
researchers)
Ed and Mimi Battle
Contributed to
the ESCAPE trial
to improve stroke
outcomes.
Mike Rose, Bob
Yurkovich, Chris
Potter and others
Created the Tourmaline
Oil Chair in Parkinson’s
Disease (Oury Monchi)
Connected by the cause – philanthropic support for the Healthy Brain Aging movement
Community philanthropists advance the Healthy Brain Aging movement
2000 2007 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Louise Berlin and
Donald Burns
The Donald Burns
and Louis Berlin
Professorship in
Dementia Research,
a graduate award
and postdoctoral
fellowship
The Campus Alberta
Innovation Program
Established the CAIP
Chair in Healthy Brain
Aging (Bruce Pike)
From left to right: Dr. Oury Monchi, Dr. Eric Smith and Dr. Bruce Pike Paul Wanklyn
05 PHILANTHROPY
Bursary supports those who serve for others
A BURSARY IS A THOUGHTFUL way to pay
tribute to a loved one while helping
others. The Martin T. Spoor Memorial
Bursary was established to honour the
memory of Dr. Martin Spoor, who died
in a plane crash while on an organ
transplant mission. It provides support
to future generations of doctors—future
medical leaders like Meera Grover.
Grover is a first-year medical student
whose incredible history has led her
to the study of medicine. At 28 she has
completed a degree in development
studies, worked overseas in the fight
against child trafficking, completed the
nursing program at the University of
Calgary, worked as a street outreach nurse,
and is now completing medical school.
"My deep core belief is that everyone
should have equal rights and opportunities
and everyone should have equal access
to health care. My feelings stem from
a sense of justice," she says.
Spoor lived his life to help people
and Grover is structuring her life to be
able to do the same. Calgary is home
to her and her husband, and both
are passionate about helping people.
The Martin T. Spoor Memorial Bursary
is allowing the couple to achieve their
goals by alleviating some of the financial
burden they face, while affording them
the time to volunteer in their community.
“Support like this helps me re-focus
on what's important, which is people
and medicine,” she says. "Physicians are
uniquely positioned to influence societal
change from a health perspective and
that is something I want to do.”
Community backing paves way for personalized therapies
A BLOOD CANCER THAT SPREADS OUT
throughout the bone and bone marrow,
multiple myeloma is a disease that
typically has no familial connections—
yet both Patrick Quinn and his mother,
Myrna, have been diagnosed and
treated for the condition.
Dr. Nizar Bahlis is a clinician and
researcher at the University of Calgary’s
Cumming School of Medicine who is
making advances in myeloma research
and care, and has helped the Quinns
reach a manageable stage in the treatment
of the disease.
"I feel well cared for. They said
they could treat this and get this to
a manageable place and they have,"
says Myrna.
To help other patients with this
condition and further future research,
the Quinns have generously donated to
support myeloma research.
“We feel that we have benefitted from
past research and that current research
will help others in the future," says
Patrick. “It is not a common cancer—and
that makes it a challenge for researchers.”
With the help of people like the Quinns,
Bahlis and his team are undertaking
research to understand myeloma cancer
cells through genome sequencing, in
which the DNA sequence of one’s genetic
material is studied.
“We hope in the future, because of
genome sequencing, that we'll be able to
offer what is called personalized therapies,”
says Bahlis. “Not every patient is the
same, and Myrna's myeloma is different
from Patrick's myeloma. In the near future
we hope every cancer patient will be
offered personalized treatment based
on their cancer cell mutation profile.”
Personalized care is the way forward
for individuals affected by myeloma
and research is being bolstered thanks
to community support.
“It never ceases to amaze me how
committed and selfless these patients
are,” says Bahlis. “They not only want
to help themselves but they also realize
that if they help with research today it
will help other people in the future.”
Planning for future impacts future of others
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE includes a
number of considerations: Will I have
enough money to retire? Will my children
be able to afford an education? For
Dr. Borys Hoshowsky and his wife Melanie
it included, how can we give back to
our community in a meaningful way?
The Hoshowsky's concluded that
one way to give back was through estate
planning and a legacy gift—a planned
future donation—to the Cumming School
of Medicine. This generous intention
will create the future Dr. Borys, Melanie,
Larissa and Hayla Hoshowsky Medical
Education Bursary to aid young people
pursuing careers in medicine.
Hoshowsky first became a pharmacist
and went on to pursue medicine at the
University of Calgary. He almost didn’t
finish medical school, needing help with
finances to carry him through his last
year, but received generous support
from a friend.
That generosity led Hoshowsky to go
on and receive specialized training at the
University of California, Los Angeles and
to complete his residency in otolaryngology
in Toronto. This culminated in a flourishing
career in Calgary, working in a supportive
and collegial environment at the Rockyview
General Hospital for the past 26 years.
“I was fortunate to get into medical
school and receive help,” says Hoshowsky.
“Our hope is that these bursaries will also
help people in medical school and that
finances won’t be a barrier for those
continuing or starting medical school.”
The Hoshowskys’ philanthropic nature
will not only leave a legacy for their
family, it will impact future medical
students who can then improve the
lives of others.
“I’ve been very fortunate in a variety
of different ways,” says Hoshowsky.
“We're thankful we can give back in
this way.”
One person can make a difference
BECOMING A DOCTOR IS DIFFICULT for
anyone, but international medical
residents face additional challenges
in their journey to pursue training
and accreditation within the Canadian
medical system.
The concept of paying it forward
isn't new, but Dr. Chirag Shah's personal
experiences led him to want to help
others in the same position by creating
the Dr. Chirag Shah International Resident
Award at the University of Calgary’s
Cumming School of Medicine.
Drs. Wenqian Chen and Sumathili
Raja, both previous award recipients,
understand the struggles of being an
international medical graduate. This
award has influenced their lives in
different ways.
Chen, an anatomical pathology
resident, says the award has helped
expand her social circle and she wants
to help guide other immigrants through
the long process of becoming a resident
in the future.
Raja practices family medicine, but
getting to that point was no easy path.
The award not only provided financial
support, but also boosted her confidence.
As a pupil of the life and teachings
of Mahatma Gandhi, Shah says he wants
to change the world in a positive way.
He experienced many struggles over his
lifetime but simple acts of kindness,
including a woman giving him a bus ticket
that allowed him to make it to a fellowship
interview, made a difference in his life and
he intends to make a difference in other
people’s lives.
“I always want to do more,” says Shah.
“I hope that other immigrants will have
courage and hope; it’s a hard journey, but
if you keep moving forward you'll be able
to pursue your passions.”
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
Supporting the next generation
“Our hope is that these
bursaries will also help
people in medical school
and that finances won’t
be a barrier for those
continuing or starting
medical school.”
“I always want to do
more. I hope that other
immigrants will have
courage and hope; it’s
a hard journey, but if you
keep moving forward
you'll be able to pursue
your passions.”
Dr. Maureen Topps, Dr. Wenqian Chen, Dr. Sumathili Raja, Dr. Chirag Shah
Melanie, Borys, Hayla and Larissa Hoshowsky
PHILANTHROPY
Do you know somebody who has
broken an arm, sprained an ankle or
anyone with a hip or knee replacement?
These are just a few of the many bone
and joint-related issues that can
compromise a person’s mobility.
Nearly one in three Albertans are
affected by bone and joint related issues
—a statistic that will continue to increase
with an aging population. Thanks to the
support of community philanthropists
Bob and Nola Rintoul, the Bob and Nola
Rintoul Chair for Bone and Joint Health
is advancing research in osteoarthritic
care in southern Alberta.
Steve Boyd, PhD, is the inaugural
chair holder of the research program.
Its legacy will have important outcomes
in approaches to patient care, future
therapies and hopefully, one day, a cure
for diseases like osteoarthritis in children
and adults.
"The chair position provides flexibility
—if you have a good idea you can
implement it quickly," says Boyd. “It
provides a cascade of other opportunities
and has allowed me to make international
connections. It also supports research
using the latest in technological devices
which may become the new norm in
the future of bone and joint health.”
The chair enables the hiring of
trainees who work in the area of bone
and joint research to use their skills and
expertise to feed into the ecosystem
of existing researchers.
The man who initiated the chair was
the late Dr. Cy Frank, a visionary leader
and modest friend who worked closely
with the Rintouls to connect them with the
McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health
at the University of Calgary.
“Cy was the original catalyst that got
this all going,” says Bob Rintoul. “He was
humble and entirely committed to patient
care, and his passing is an incredible loss.”
Frank’s ability to connect donors with
health-care needs has and will continue
to improve health care in Alberta and
around the globe.
but it puts you at high risk for developing
joint diseases or experiencing joint
degradation like osteoarthritis in the
future. If you injure yourself early on
you have to live with that for the rest
of your life.
“We explore. We gain a better
understanding of the mechanics of
bones and joints,” says Boyd. “Generous
donations are leading us to a world
with better mobility and better bone
and joint health.”
Thanks to the generosity of Bob
and Nola Rintoul, which is being carried
forward through their children Brent and
Brenda, improved bone and joint health
is possible.
Our genes provide cues to a great
deal of information: predisposition
for future diagnoses, incidence of rare
disease and the possibility of inheritance
for later generations. Researchers believe
that understanding the human genome
—the entire makeup of chromosomes
that an individual possesses, and complete
set of genes or genetic material present
in a cell or organism—holds the key
to learning more about health in ways
that haven’t before been possible.
In Calgary, the use of community
funded Next Generation Sequencing
(NGS) technology is radically changing
the approach to medicine for researchers
studying genetics. The technology is
a catch-all term used to describe a
number of modern genetic sequencing
technologies, enabling researchers to
determine the unique order of the
elements of DNA and RNA more quickly
and cheaply than previous methods.
Thanks to support from the Alberta
Children’s Hospital Foundation (ACHF),
the Alberta Children's Hospital Research
Institute (ACHRI) at the Cumming School
of Medicine established Calgary’s first
genomics facility three years ago.
It houses NGS and supports research
programs of investigators across campus.
Since the introduction of NGS, there
has been a major change in the way
scientists extract genetic information,
revealing countless insights into the
human genetic material embedded in
DNA. It has enabled rapid sequencing,
creating a wealth of data for researchers
to be able to understand an individual's
DNA—data they hope can be used in
the future to create personalized therapies
tailored precisely to each individual.
“We’re emerging into an era of
personalized medicine," says Dr. Francois
Bernier, head of the Department of
Medical Genetics at the Cumming School
of Medicine and director of clinical
genetics at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
"You can use genomics to identify risk for
disease, stratify patients into better risk
Innovative investigations are taking
place every day with the help of funds
from the Rintoul Chair. Researchers are
able to study things like embryonic cell
therapies on fractures. Further research
is required, but the idea is that physicians
could inject embryonic cells into joints,
which could potentially heal osteoarthritis.
A study is underway partnering with
the Canadian Space Agency to observe
extreme environments and the effects of
microgravity on bone. Such investigations
could help inform future treatments
and improve mobility.
“People have higher expectations of
their body and want to run and play tennis
into old age,” says Boyd. “People want
to stay active for the rest of their lives.”
Bone and joint health is unique.
Unlike other health issues, bone and
joint problems are rarely acute. Maybe
a sprained ankle isn't a big deal today,
categories, and identify better
treatment paths and better drug
response. It’s an important transition
to be able to look at an individual’s
gene sequence and move to create
personalized therapies that address
their individual needs.”
As this technology becomes more
integrated into the health-care system,
the immediate impact for patients will
be answers for a large number of
individuals and families who are dealing
with complex disorders. NGS achieves
results in minimal time and in a cost-
effective way.
“We are incredibly grateful to people
in our community who invest in innovative
research initiatives like this one. They act
as catalysts in helping to move medicine
forward,” says Saifa Koonar, president
and CEO of ACHF.
Moving forward, ACHRI will spearhead
a strong collaborative partnership amongst
multiple institutes and faculties to enhance
the use of the genomics technology housed
at the Cumming School of Medicine.
The newly created Centre for Health
Genomics and Informatics supports both
the research and the clinical applications
of genomics. Genomics contributes to
a number of key areas, including: new
gene discovery, improved diagnosis, a
better understanding of the biological
basis of disease, new treatments, and
transformative patient care.
“How we use that technology to
support research in an ethical way
is important for society. It becomes
important for places like the University
of Calgary to be emerging leaders
not only in the implementation of the
technology but also for developing
recommendations for safe and effective
use in health care,” says Bernier.
As the technology grows and is
applied in more areas of health, it’s not
unreasonable to think that all physicians
will order genetic tests at some point.
And the ground-breaking technology
wouldn’t be possible without
philanthropy.
“Community support is instrumental.
It helps researchers and clinicians get
access to cutting-edge technology,"
says Bernier. "It's community support
that drives this type of innovation."
UCALGARY MEDICINE SPRING / SUMMER 2015CUMMING.UCALGARY.CA/MAGAZINE
“Generous donations are leading us to a world with
better mobility and better bone and joint health.”
Bob and Nola Rintoul
Connections strengthen bone and joint research
Cutting-edge technology leads to custom treatments
“We are incredibly
grateful to people in our
community who invest
in innovative research
initiatives like this one.
They act as catalysts
in helping to move
medicine forward.”
Dr. Francois Bernier
07
Cumming School of Medicine Alumni Call for nominations:
Alumnus of Distinction Award for Research
DEADLINE: JULY 17, 2015 cumming.ucalgary.ca/alumni/awards
“ In recognition of outstanding contributions to clinical, community-based or basic science research. ”
41095528
PM AGREEMENT NO. 41095528
Return undeliverable
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CUMMING SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Communications and Media Relations
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