Volume 5 No. 6 April 24, 2009

Sunnybrook Performs Minimally Invasive Bypass Surgery By Laurie Legere

Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Centre became the first centre in Toronto to perform minimally invasive, beating-heart bypass surgery to fix clogged arteries and improve blood flow to the heart.

Both conventional bypass surgery and minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting restore blood flow to the heart when there is a buildup of plaque inside the blood vessels. The advantage of using a minimally invasive technique rather than the traditional approach is that it allows the surgeon to work on a beating heart through a small chest incision (small thoracotomy) without having to split the breastbone and place patients on a heart-and-lung machine while surgeons work on the stopped heart. “Offering a minimally invasive alternative to traditional bypass surgery will have extraordinary benefits for our patients,” says Dr. Fuad Moussa, cardiac surgeon at Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Centre. “While we have been performing conventional bypass surgery successfully for many years, the new techniques we are now introducing at Sunnybrook minimize operative risks and patient trauma associated with opening up the chest and stopping the heart. This means patients can often return home after only a few days and resume many normal activities within a couple of weeks rather than a couple of months.”

Sunnybrook has been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2009. Now in its third year and formally known as Canada’s Most Earth-Friendly Employers, the competition is organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes employers who are leaders in integrating environmental principles into their corporate culture and have developed en-vironmentally friendly programs that are recognized not only within the facility but also throughout the community. Sunnybrook was the only hospital selected. We were chosen based on our unique environmental initiatives such as the Earth Matters Showcase that saw over 1,300 employees in attendance and the Honeywell

Hosted by Barry McLellan, Sunnybrook’s President and CEO, the first Leo N. Steven Excellence in Leadership Awards were held on April 8, 2009 at the Vaughan Estates. The awards recognize exemplary leadership at Sunnybrook.

Special guests included Leo N. Steven, former Sunnybrook

President & CEO, award recipients Marilyn Reddick, Vice President of Human Resources & Organizational Development, Dorothy Ferguson, Director of Operations, Veterans & Community, Tom Paton, Director of Pharmacy, Shirley Drayton – Patient Care Manager, and the leadership staff responsible for nominating the late Harry Taylor, Director of Facilities Services. The original ceremony was postponed on November 5th due to Harry’s the tragic death.

When Leo was retiring, this award was established by the Board of Directors as a tribute to his legacy of positive change and sound leadership. Leo had devoted much time and energy to improving the Hospital and health care system, providing mentorship and leadership to others, and he was instrumental in the creation of a Leadership Institute at Sunnybrook. He en-sured that opportunities exist to train, develop and nurture our existing leaders and to support our rising stars.

At the ceremony, five management staff members who indi-vidually exemplify excellence in leadership were honoured. They were acknowledged for consistently striving for positive change, being models for others, and demonstrating leader-ship skills and abilities that are instrumental to our success.

this year’s winners were:•shirley Drayton, Patient Care Manager and Professional

Leader for Social Work, was honoured for her skills in conflict management and dispute resolution and her development and implementation of a highly effective Unit Quality Council. She was a leader during SARS, and continues to be a leader in patient safety. She encourages an empowering environment.

The First Leo N. Steven Excellence In Leadership Awards •tom Paton, Director of Pharmacy was honoured for the

respect and confidence he inspires in his staff, hospi-tal administration and national drug policy leaders and pharmacists across the country. He has helped the depart-ment of Pharmacy become an example of excellence and members of his team have become leaders themselves.

•Dorothy Ferguson, Director of Operations, Veterans and Community Program was recognized for her experience, skill, advocacy for Veterans and community patients, and dedication that has resulted in Sunnybrook becoming a national leader in both care of war Veterans and long term care. Dorothy’s plan-ning, implementation, evaluation and communication are done collaborately with her management team and front-line staff.

•Marilyn reddick, Vice President of Human Resources & Organizational Development was honoured for her strong ability to recognize, acknowledge and reward others for their contributions to the organization. She is the driv-ing force behind many formal recognition programs at the hospital and she seeks new and innovative ways to make the quality of work life better for all staff. She is also a key member of the leadership team in times of crisis.

•Harry taylor, Facilities Services. Special tribute was paid to Harry and his legacy to Sunnybrook. Harry provided leader-ship to 35 leaders and close to 900 staff in his portfolio. He was recognized as a natural born leader with tremendous ‘people skills’. One of Harry’s greatest assets was his remark-able communication skills, his ability to listen, to learn and to communicate effectively to others. He enabled his leadership team to realize their full potential; he was the proud coach and mentor of his team. Harry’s Leadership Award will be hung next to his picture in the Facilities Services Department.

Barry McLellan concluded the evening by congratulating and thanking all the award recipients for their contributions to health care and Sunnybrook and for their continuing exemplary leadership.

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Dr. Fuad Moussa with Mr. Emil Boychuk, the second patient at Sunnybrook to undergo minimally invasive bypass surgery.

Leo N. Steven, former Sunny-brook President & CEO at the awards ceremony on April 8.

Above: Award winners Shirley Drayton, Tom Paton, Dorothy Ferguson, Marilyn Reddick and colleagues of the late Harry Taylor receive their awards from Barry McLellan and Leo Steven

Photos by Doug Nicholson

SunnybrooknewsSunnybrook News is published twice a month by the Communications & Stakeholder Relations Department (Public Affairs) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Submissions to Sunnybrook News are welcome, however, they are subject to space availability and editorial discretion.

Editor: Christine HenryVisit us online at: www.sunnybrook.ca

About Sunnybrook:Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is transforming healthcare through the dedication of its 10,000 staff members, physicians and volunteers. An internationally recognized leader in research and education and full affiliation with the University of Toronto, distinguishes Sunnybrook as one of Canada’s premier health sciences centres. Sunnybrook specializes in caring for critically-ill newborns, adults and the elderly, treating and preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries.

How To Reach Us:

Room D100

Sunnybrook Campus

2075 Bayview Avenue

Toronto, ON M4N 3M5

P: 416.480.4040

F. 416.480.5556

E-mail: News.Articles@sunnybrook.ca

EVENTSFourth annual Cancer research Day

Date: Friday, April 24, 2009time: 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Location: Odette Cancer Centre2075 Bayview Ave., Jenkin Auditorium (TB 021)

Researchers at Odette Cancer Centre and Sunnybrook Research Institute are working together to understand the basis of cancer and to improve prevention, screen-ing and treatment. To showcase our many outstanding achievements and celebrate research excellence we are hosting our fourth annual Cancer Research Day. Along with researchers in the Odette cancer research program, keynote speakers include: Dr. tom Hudson, President and scientific director at the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research and Dr. John e. Dick, Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Biology at the Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Professor in the department of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto, Director of the program in cancer stem cells at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR)

Sunnybrook Credit Union LimitedCalling all Members to attend the 58th annual Meeting of suNNyBrooK CreDit uNioN LiMiteD when: Tuesday April 28th, 2009time: 5:00 p.m. Dinner Buffet will be served at 4:30 p.m. where: McLaughlin Auditorium Tickets available at the Credit Union Office. Please contact the Credit Union for more information at 416.480.4467

orthopaedic: acute Care & Beyond Conference Date: May 5 & 6, 2009Location: Sunnybrook Hospital EG18aHost: D5, Orthopaedic and Neurosurgery UnitContact information: girlie.hart@sunnybrook.ca; Phone: 416-480-6100 ext 5984 registration information:Early Bird Registration- postmarked prior to April 11, 2009 (NEW date) - $225Postmarked betweeen March 28 and April 24, 2009 - $275Late registration- post marked after April 24, 2009 - $325

Live to tell: up Close and Personal with sheryl Crow Live to Tell: Up Close and Personal with Sheryl Crow is a celebration to bring together people dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer. Sheryl Crow will entertain us with her world renowned hits and fill us with hope through her own experience. Join us at this intimate gathering, hosted by Belinda Stronach at Angus Glen Golf Club on May 20, 2009. Proceeds will fund the construction of a new world-leading Breast Centre at Sunnybrook. This event is designed to be an intimate evening and capacity is limited to 800 people. Register today! To reserve a ticket there is a $75 registration fee (not tax deductible). Then, ask your friends, family and colleagues to make a donation to help you reach your fundraising goal of $425 to help build the new Breast Centre. Go to http://www.livetotell.ca

submission deadline for next issue:

May 21, 2009

issue date: May 28, 2009

Dr. Edward Etchells has been appointed as the Sunnybrook Associate Director of the new University of Toronto (U of T) Centre for Patient Safety. In this role Ed will work with Dr. Kaveh Shojania, Director of the Centre. Sunnybrook, to-gether with Hosptial for Sick Children and UofT is a founding partner in the Centre, and its primary physical site will be lo-cated at Sunnybrook. The

mission of the Centre is to create, disseminate and evalu-ate new knowledge in the field of Patient Safety in order to provide the safest care for patients at U of T and its af-filiated hospitals, as well as the broader health care com-munity, nationally and internationally. Both Ed and Kaveh are Sunnybrook physician leaders, and together with the Hosptial for Sick Children Associate Director they will form the core management team for the Centre. In addition to this role, Ed will continue in his complementary roles of Director of the Patient Improvement Research Platform in Sunnybrook’s Centre for Health Services Sciences (CHSS); and Medical Director, Information Services (with lead responsibility on our computerized physician order entry “CPOE” project).

Since the inaugural Interprofessional Education (IPE) tutorial began in July 2008, Sunnybrook has been com-mitted to maintaining and integrating IPE principles and opportunities throughout the organization. This initiative continued to thrive this winter with a third IPE tutorial opportunity facilitated by Lina Gagliardi of Social Work and Betsy Jackson of Nursing Education. Students from a wide range of disciplines participated, including: Simona Matejka (Audiology), Sidney Luu and Amanda Marrone (Medical Radiation), Ellery Cruz & Le Wang (nursing), Erin Dyck (pharmacy), Tamsyn Brennan (recreation therapy) and Lina Neves (social work).

Eight students participated in a four one and a half hour sessions throughout the month of March. The focus of these tutorial sessions was on the delivery of patient care on K1E, the palliative care unit. Guest speakers were asked to present IPC delivery within a palliative care ap-proach such as the palliative care consult team and ethi-cal dilemmas within palliative care. The students also had opportunities (on their own time) to observe both K1E kardex team rounds and a more acute care bullet round process on C4 – General Medicine.

Throughout the tutorial process, students had opportuni-ties to share with one another the observations from both team rounds, discuss case scenarios and identify how they would work together to develop a care plan centered on patient goals and identify gaps in team functioning that may impact care delivery.

The tutorial sessions concluded with a presentation from the group on team rounds centered in IPE principals versus a discussion of patient care that was more dis-cipline specific without good communication or sharing of knowledge. The students stated that “they wished they had these tutorial sessions either for longer periods of time or for longer than four sessions.” The students were all awarded a certificate of participation in this IPE program.

Interprofessional Education and Care at Sunnybrook By LiNa gagLiarDi

Sunnybrook Speaker SeriesOdette Cancer Centre

New Horizons: Innovations in Breast Cancer Care

Join us for a discussion on Breast Cancer Care TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2009 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.

Sunnybrook experts will discuss:

• Advances in Radiation Oncology – Dr. Eileen Rakovitch, Radiation Oncologist

• Sentinel Node Biopsy: The New Standard of Care – Dr. Frances Wright, Surgical Oncologist

• Target Breast Cancer: New Approaches in Medical Treatment – Dr. Sunil Verma, Medical Oncologist

Moderator: Dr. Linda Rabeneck, Chief, Odette Cancer Centre

Please RSVP your attendance by May 25, 2009 Phone: 416.480.4117 e-mail: speaker.series@sunnybrook.ca

Free Admission Free Parking, Garage One

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.McLaughlin Auditorium, Bayview CampusE Wing Ground Floor, 2075 Bayview Avenue

Barry McLellan, President & CEO and Dorothy Ferguson, Operations Director of the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre recently hosted Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, Chief of the Land Staff (Head of the Canadian Army), Colonel Jacques Ricard, Army Command Surgeon and Chief Warrant Officer Wayne Ford. The VIP group toured the emergency, trauma & critical care program areas, the C5 patient care unit as well as the Veterans Centre. General Leslie also gave a formal address to Sunnybrook veterans and family members in Warrior’s Hall. As part of their follow-up care upon returning to Canada, Sunnybrook often treats injured Canadian soldiers re-turning from Kandahar, Afghanistan. Most of the soldiers deployed in Kandahar are from the Canadian Forces Base in Petawawa, Ontario and as a result, Sunnybrook is the logical receiving hospital as it is close to their home, is a major trauma centre and has a strong history of car-ing for veterans as well as the armed forces. In addition, Sunnybrook is fortunate to have Dr. Homer Tien, trauma surgeon and member of the Canadian Forces on staff. Dr. Tien acts as medical liaison between the military, the hospital and the soldiers.

Canada’s Top Soldier Visits Sunnybrook By saLLy Fur

Dr. Andrew McDonald has been appointed as Medical Director, Quality and Patient Safety. Many of you know Andrew as an emergency physi-cian at Sunnybrook, as a leader in our quality care initiatives, and as our previous Chief of Emergency. Andrew and Ru Taggar, Director of Quality and Patient Safety, will operate as a dyad and will both report to Michael Young,

Executive Vice President. This restructuring of roles will create further integration of the various functional areas within Quality and Patient Safety. In addition to this role Andrew will continue in his complementary role of Chair of the Quality Care Committee of the Medical Advisory Committee (MAC).

Photos by Doug Nicholson

General Andrew Leslie meets with John Braive, Second World War veteran (seated) and his son during the tour of the pho-tography studio in L-Wing. The General was very interested in Mr. Braive’s photographs of the 1945 victory parade in Am-sterdam.

Photo by Doug Nicholson

Announcing the Appointment of Two Significant Patient Safety Leadership Roles

Dr. Ed Etchells Dr. Andrew McDonald

Students from wide range of disiplines recently participated in an interprofessional education tutorial at Sunnybrook

Photo by Dale Roddick

Celebrating Historic Investments in Stroke ResearchBy NaDia raDoviNi

Guests packed a special ceremony on March 30 at Sunnybrook to celebrate our partnership with Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Centre for Stroke Recovery. Barry McLellan, Sunnybrook President & CEO; Dr. Michael Julius, Vice President of Research; Dr. Sandra Black, Sunnybrook’s site director for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Centre for Stroke Recovery, and Bill Thomas, Interim CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario all spoke about the achievements of the Centre. Patient Joe Newton and his wife Shirley talked about the impact of the trials and successes of stroke recovery on both of them. The Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery is a virtual organization made up of outstanding scientists from the University of Ottawa, Baycrest, Ottawa Health Research Institute and Sunnybrook. Sunnybrook is proud to be a part of this collaborative and participate in the sharing of knowledge with our partner centres to improve the quality of life after stroke. This unique venture has already had significant success and Sunnybrook would like to recognize those involved and to thank the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario for their generous support.

From left to right: Bill Thomas, Dr. Sandra Black and Barry McLellan unveil a plaque for the Heart & Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery at Sunnybrook. The plaque is now housed in M4.

A new study suggests that older women with memory abilities that would be considered normal for their age may benefit from the protec-tive effects of estrogen.

“The findings suggest that the estrogen expo-sure through hormone replacement therapy (HRT) benefited older women with normal memory functioning by preventing the normal

age-related decline that they would have experienced over a two-year period. However, these beneficial find-ings were limited to women with healthy brain cells, with-out any sign of decline in memory recall,” says Dr. Mary Tierney, principal investigator of the study and director of the Geriatric Research Unit at Sunnybrook. The researchers examined whether a dose of HRT that would produce hormone levels equivalent to those in premenopausal women administered over a two-year duration would produce beneficial effects in older women with normal to mildly impaired memory. Women treated with HRT who at the beginning of the trial had normal to above average verbal memory test performance showed significantly higher scores after both the one-year and two-year points than a placebo group, whereas HRT had no significant effect on the performance of women who scored below average at the initial screening test. Depletion of estrogen is considered an important con-tributing factor to the increased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in postmenopausal women. Failure to show treatment benefits of estrogen in several trials of women with or at risk of AD has led several researchers to hypothesize that the brain may lose its responsive-ness to estrogens over prolonged periods of hormone deprivation. “Estrogen has been shown to exert a protective effect on healthy brain structures”, explains Dr. Tierney, who is also a Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at University of Toronto. “Once cognitive im-pairment becomes clinically apparent, it seems that the targets for estrogen action might no longer be present, which would explain why estrogen treatment may not be effective in patients with cognitive impairment or AD.”

The findings of this trial are different from those of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study conducted several years ago, which reported that HRT did not produce ben-eficial effects in older women and may have resulted in greater deterioration in those who were at risk for vas-cular dementia. Dr. Tierney explained that the formula-tion of HRT was different in this study than that used in the WHI study. The WHI used a form of progesterone in their HRT that is known to antagonize the beneficial effects of estrogen on the brain. The study conducted at Sunnybrook used a form of estrogen that was molecularly similar to the estrogen found in premenopausal women and a form of progesterone that has been shown to be neuroprotective. “The use of cyclical administration of the drugs might also be important factors in contributing to the beneficial outcomes seen in this trial,” says Dr. Tierney. The inves-tigators used cyclical as opposed to continuous hormone administration as research has shown that continuous sustained hormone exposure down-regulates the corre-sponding brain systems, potentially reducing the efficacy of the hormones, and therefore they wanted to minimize this. While it has been suggested that the critical period for the beneficial effects of estrogen exposure may be soon after the menopausal transition, the findings of this study suggest that this period may extend well beyond the menopausal transition for women with normal memory functioning. The women who benefited from HRT were on average 71 years of age and over 20 years post meno-pause. Why some women experience greater cognitive decline after menopause than others is not known but evidence suggests that many factors may be involved including diet, physical activity, social interaction, as well as postmenopausal variability in estrogen levels. The results suggest that further studies of at least one-year duration focus on the effects of HRT in healthy older women who score at or above average on verbal memory tests. Further study is needed before recommendations can be made in a clinical setting. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The other investigators involved with this study include Drs. Paul Oh, Rahim Moineddin, Ellen Greenblatt, Gary Snow, Rory fisher, John Iazzetta, Peter St. George Hyslop and Neil MacLusky.

HRT Prevents Decline in Memory of Older Women with Normal MemoryBy NaDia raDoviNi

Sunnybrook is pleased to offer special Scholarships and Awards for eligible Sunnybrook employees who are enrolled in degree, diploma and long-term certificate programs. Through The Continuing Education Support Fund (CESF), Sunnybrook employees may apply for these special awards. The CESF Committee would like to con-gratulate the following award receipts:

Frima starr-Paloc education award: William Tyler Tran, Radiation Therapist, Radiation Therapy

CesF Management award: Abdool Z. Karim, Manager, Regional Processing CentreMelissa Pariag, Registered Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

CesF administrative Professional award:Dawn Ashman, Nursing Education Assistant, Department of Professional Nursing

sunnybrook volunteer association award:Denise Ashman, HR Claims Assistant, Occupational Health & Safety, Nancy Bowers-Ivanski, Manager, Recreation Therapy & Creative Arts Therapy, Benjamin De Mendonca, Industrial Engineer, Quality & Patient Safety, Ioana Nistorescu, Registered Nurse, K3C

sunnybrook volunteer association Book award:Jeffrey John Andrion, Physiotherapist, Rehabilitation (Holland), Selina Hune, Advanced Practice Nurse, Aging & Veteran’s Care, Ellen (Ni) Li, Registered Practice Nurse, LGSE, Alexander Tran, Patient Administrative Associate, Emergency Services.

For more information on CESF contact Organizational Development.

The Continuing Education Support Fund By JeNNiFer LiNg

1. Recipient William Tyler Tran with presenters Andrea & John Paloc 2. Recipient Dawn Ashman with Presenter Shalimar Santos-Comia 3. Abdool Z. Karim & Barry McLellan 4. Melissa Pariag & Barry McLellan 5. L to R: Alexander Tran, Jeffrey John Andrion, Ioana Nistorescu, Ben De Mendonca, Denise Ashman Absent: Selina Hune

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Dr. Mary Tierney

Sunnybrook nurses contrubute there talents at home and over-seas. Some Sunnybrook nurses are pictured here at a confer-ence in Singapore. Please see our Nursing Week supplement for more news.

Nursing Week 2009 May 11-17Sunnybrook Nurses Work Internationally

As we approach Nursing Week (May 11 to 17, 2009), we would like to send a special message to our nursing staff and encourage all staff to recognize the many contributions of nursing at Sunnybrook and to our health care system.

The Canadian Nursing Association theme for Nursing Week this year is: Nursing: You Can’t Live Without It!

It takes an incredible person to be a Sunnybrook nurse. Our nurses are vital members of our inter-professional teams and they are achieving the hospital’s vision to invent the future of health care. The regional scope and nature of our programs and services and the complexity of our pa-tients requires our nurses to be at the top of their fields.

Our 2,500 nurses are providing compassionate and innovative care at critical moments in the lives of the one million patients who come to Sunnybrook each year. They are conducting research to improve the patient and family experience with the health care system. They are men-toring students to become the professionals of tomorrow and they are educating entire communities about leading healthy lifestyles.

As you will see within this newsletter, the contributions of nursing at Sunnybrook are changing health care across the lifespan with provincial, national and global impact.

On behalf of our entire staff, the Nursing Executive, Senior Leadership Team, and our patients, it is with much pride that we offer congratula-tions to our nursing staff who make a difference to the health and well-being of our patients and families, when it matters most to them.

Please join us in celebrating National Nursing Week.

Sue VanDeVelde-CokeEVP Programs/Chief Health Professions and Nursing Executive

Barry McLellanPresident & CEO

Sunnybrook Celebrates Nursing Week 2009

Sunnybrook Nurses: Providing Innovative Care & Learning Internationally The contribution of nursing at Sunnybrook is changing health care across the lifespan with provincial, national and more recently, an increased global impact. During Nursing Week, presentations will be given by nursing staff who have been leading international nursing efforts in Afghanistan, Kenya and Swaziland.

Everyone is welcome to attend these presentations. Please see the list of events in this supplement for dates and times. The following are a few abstracts highlighting their experiences.

Living the Dream: Nursing Inside the WireBy: Grace Bogart & Anna Anchor, RNsIn June 2008 Grace Bogart and Anna Anchor embarked on the journey of a lifetime, traveling to Afghanistan to work with the Canadian Forces on the base at Kandahar Air Field.

As critical care nurses at Sunnybrook, we were well prepared clinically to care for the wounded. We witnessed first hand the wicked nature and depravity of war, and, con-versely, the courage and sacrifice of Afghan and Canadian soldiers.

We cannot deny that at times it was challenging and we would rather have been enjoy-ing an Ontario summer, or even working short staffed in our own ICU. However, the experience was profound, both personally and professionally; we were very humbled by this experience.

A Twinning Experience:The Meaning of an Educational Program for Oncology Nurses in KenyaBy: Sherrol Palmer–Wickham, Kathy Beattie, Angela Boudreau, Marg Fitch, RNsIn Kenya, cancer is commonly viewed as a curse and a cancer diagnosis is often associ-ated with death. Chemotherapy is viewed as expensive and complex, and many believe it “makes the cancer worse”. Kenyan nurses caring for cancer patients have little or no education in chemotherapy delivery.

Their health care professionals identified a need for a chemotherapy education program. A new “twinning program” developed by the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care has linked cancer nurses from Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre with nurses at the Aga Khan Hospital in Kenya, in the first-ever twinning of centres, to facilitate an exchange of learning.

Swazi Nurses…Rising to the ChallengeBy: Julie Phillips RN, MNIn January of this year, I had the opportunity along with two of my colleagues to bear witness to impact of HIV on Swaziland society. Having worked with people living with HIV for 19 years now, many from other countries, we thought we were ready. But being there gave us an insight that has left its mark and led to changes in our practice.

In 2004, various statistics revealed they had a 42.6 per cent prevalence rate of HIV, their life expectancy averaged at 31.3 years, 69 per cent of their population lived below the poverty line, and 31.3 per cent (130,000) of all children were orphans or considered vulnerable children … this number is expected to increase to 200,000 by the year 2010. The numbers are staggering and somewhat inconceivable and the numbers are only expected to worsen.

This presentation will provide a picture of how our nursing colleagues in Swaziland carry out their practice.

Our 2,500 nurses are providing compassionate and innovative care at critical moments in the lives of the 1 million patients who come to Sunnybrook each year.

They are conducting research to improve the patient and family experience with the healthcare system.

They are mentoring students to become the professionals of tomorrow and they are educating entire communities about leading healthy lifestyles.

The contributions of nursing at Sunnybrook are changing healthcare across the lifespan with provincial, national and global impact.

Our nurses are vital members of our inter-professional teams and they are achieving the hospital’s vision to invent the future of healthcare.

Their commitment highlights their roles as leaders and innovators in the healthcare system.

To our nurses not only during Nursing Week but also throughout the year:

We are all proud of your efforts and the knowledge you bring to the work you do each day to make Sunnybrook a special place for so many people.

IT TAKES AN INCREDIBLE PERSON TO BE A SUNNYBROOK NURSE

THANK YOU!

The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) has selected Farah Khan, Program Coordinator for the RBC First Office for Injury Prevention at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, as this year’s recipient of the prestigious President’s Award for Leadership in Clinical Nursing Practice.

Awarded for outstanding contributions to the nursing profession in Ontario, the award recognizes a registered nurse who consistently demonstrates expertise and evidence-based practice in one or more areas of clinical practice in a staff nurse position. Farah has been chosen as a member of the nursing practice who has enchanced the image of nursing by demonstrating nursing leader-ship at Sunnybrook and influencing change for the bet-terment of patients, families and/or communities.

“I am honoured to receive this award,” says Farah. “Sunnybrook is a wonderful place to work and I am grateful to the nursing leadership at Sunnybrook and my colleagues who have fostered my abilities.”

Farah was nominated for the award by Frances Flint, Director of Nursing Practice and Informatics at Sunnybrook. Frances, who has worked closely with Farah on many proj-ects over the past five years, comments that Farah consistently exceeds expectations with a passion for high quality patient care, excellence in leadership and support for her colleagues.

“Farah is gaining credibility as an emerging nursing leader within Sunnybrook and beyond,” says Frances. “As a staff nurse, she assisted in the implementation of best practice relating to pain management, achieving high performer status in patient satisfaction. Academically, she has worked diligently to complete her master’s degree and will continue to pursue opportunities with the intent to make a difference through excellence in the highest standard of professionalism.”

Farah is co-chair of the corporate Least Restraint/Falls Risk Reduction Task-Force, co-chair of the Nursing Informatics Workgroup, and an active member of the nursing council executive at Sunnybrook. Recently, Farah has also undertaken the position of Graduate Clinical Placement Coordinator at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto.

Farah will be honoured for her achievement at the RNAO Annual General Meeting on Friday, April 24, 2009, at the Hilton Suites Toronto/Markham Conference Centre & Spa at 8500 Warden Avenue, Markham. Details regarding the annual general meeting are available at http://www.rnao.org/agm.

Sunnybrook Nurse Wins Prestigious RNAO Award

Farah Khan, RN

Nursing: You can’t live without it!

Monday May 11 Tuesday May 12 Wednesday May 13 Thursday May 14 Friday May 15

1130/1200/1230/1300 PeriAnesthesia ToursMeeting Place: The Waterfall on M Ground (directly below the Pharmacy). Tours will provide an overview of where certain key departments are located including: Pre-Admission Clinic, Same Day Surgery, the Regional Block Area, PACU and the Surgical Short Stay Unit.

1130/1200/1230/1300PeriAnesthesia ToursMeeting Place: The Waterfall on M Ground (directly below the Pharmacy). Tours will provide an overview of where certain key departments are located including: Pre-Admission Clinic, Same Day Surgery, the Regional Block Area, PACU and the Surgical Short Stay Unit.

1100-1500 EG18AInvent Your Nursing Career Event: Critical Care Open House; EG 18A *see ad below

1000 – 1600 EG18APoster Display open to Nursing Staff

1400-1600 EG18A Poster Display open to the entire Sunnybrook Community

1130 EG18A Honouring of Nurses’ Hands

1130-1400 Holland Centre Luncheon 7th Floor Boardroom& Honouring of Nurses’ Hands

1515Women & Babies Program Memorial Service and Honouring Of Nurses’ Hands Meeting Place: Outside Main Lobby at 76 Grenville

1100-1330Student Preceptorship Luncheon (by invitation only) EG18A (McLaughlin Auditorium)

1200Women & Babies Program Luncheon76 Grenville Boardroom

1115-1145 EG18AFirst Lunch

1200-1230 EG18ASecond Lunch

1330-1400 EG18AThird Lunch

1900 ONA Dinner at Spirale Banquet Hall 888 Don Mills Road, TorontoContact: Judy Surridge at X4449 to register or visit the ONA Office in H214/215

1030-1115 EG21 Harrison HallOral Presentation One: Living the Dream: Nursing Inside the WireGrace Bogart, RN & Anna Anchor, RN, TECC Program

1230-1315 EG18AOral Presentation Two: A Twinning Experience: The Meaning of an Educational Program for Oncology Nurses in Kenya Margaret Fitch, RN, PhD, Sherrol Palmer-Wickham, RN, BScN, CON C, Kathy Beattie, RN, CON C, Angela Boudreau, RN, MN, CON C Odette Cancer Centre

1400-1445 Harrison Hall EG21Oral Presentation Three: Swazi Nurses…Rising to the ChallengeJulie Phillips RN, MN, Specialty Practitioner, Ambulatory HIV Clinic

2000-2300ONA Evening Reception Drop In C103 Board Room at Bayview CampusFood and refreshments will be served on each unit at The Holland Centre and for the Women & Babies Program

NURSING WEEK CALENDAR OF EVENTS Celebrating Sunnybrook Nursing Leadership & Achievements

GreenContinued from front page

Bypass Surgery Continued from front page

Every year in Ontario, approximately 7,000 people with coronary artery disease benefit from having bypass sur-gery. Unfortunately, there are some cases where patients with two or three blocked arteries would benefit from sur-gical intervention but are not well enough to withstand conventional bypass surgery.

“In the past, we would have to treat those patients with drugs alone, which is not ideal,” says Dr. Moussa, who is also an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. “Now, using a technique called hybrid revas-cularization, we are performing minimally invasive beat-ing heart bypass on the most important coronary artery down the front of the heart and by inserting stents into the other vessels. This will give more people access to potentially life-saving surgery.”

During traditional bypass surgery, the surgeon makes a long incision to completely split the sternum (sternotomy) and access the heart. Patients are then placed on a heart and lung machine which acts as a substitute for their own and allows surgeons to work on a stopped heart. People who undergo this surgery generally recover in about six-to-eight weeks. Alternatively, with a small thoracotomy, beating heart approach, the surgeon can perform the operation through a tiny incision under the left nipple (four or five centimeters wide) while the heart continues to beat. This technique lowers the risk of complications such as stroke, lung problems and kidney problems which are associated with the use of a heart-and-lung ma-chine. It also means patients have reduced pain and less need for postoperative pain medication, smaller scars, a shorter stay in the hospital and a faster recovery.

Sunnybrook is one of only a few health sciences centres in Canada currently offering this surgical alternative to traditional bypass surgery.

Although she is not one to invite attention to herself and her accomplishments, Dr. Lynne Fulton is a fundamental part of Sunnybrook history. After 28 years as a Trauma Team Leader (TTL), Dr. Fulton is stepping down from this role to continue her academic and clinical work as an Emergency Medicine physician.

On the trauma team, the role of a TTL can be compared to that of the quarterback of a football team. In this role, TTLs decide the course of action for trauma patients from the moment they arrive in the trauma room to when they leave the department for other areas in the hospital. Dr. Fulton is respected as an experienced TTL and demands efficient and thoughtful care by the other team members, be they nurses, physicians or other staff.

Dr. Fulton’s colleagues recently took time at a celebration to pay tribute to her career as a TTL and to recognize her many accomplishments.

Current TTL, Dr. Andrew McDonald, shared a few memo-ries about Dr. Fulton, “I was one of her residents in the 80s and was always respectful of her amazing depth of experience that she’s honed over the years. She’s been so committed and the job has only become harder – more violent crimes, more traumas in general. She has always been a hands-on type of person and she really is a caring person regarding both patients and staff.”

Dr. Fulton was at Sunnybrook in the early years before paramedics and helicopter transport. She has given on-the-fly crash courses to many of our now seasoned para-medics. Dr. Fulton is also an instructor for the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course and attended the first instructor’s course offered in Canada. When asked what she felt had most improved the care of trauma patients, she replied without hesitation: “Getting physicians trained in ATLS.”

Dr. Fulton has the distinction of having resuscitated 1,830 trauma patients, which is the all-time record in Sunnybrook’s trauma unit.

Dr. Lynne Fulton Retires as Trauma Team LeaderBy Laura Bristow

Energy and Facility Renewal program that will see Sunnybrook reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 9,000 metric tons - an amount equiva-lent to taking 1,400 cars off of the road. Many other projects implemented in the operating rooms, parking and transportation services and environ-mental services have also helped make Sunnybrook a leader in environmental stewardship. The winners of this year’s competition were announced recently in a “green” issue of Maclean’s magazine. Thank you for helping to make Sunnybrook one of our country’s greenest organizations .It is encouraging to see that not only are we saving lives, we are doing our part to save the planet.

Dr. Barry McLellan, President and CEO, who worked with Dr. Fulton as a TTL said: “You are number one on the all time list of resuscitations, followed by Dr. Fred Brenneman and myself. That is an incredible accomplish-ment and your work over the years has saved many lives.”

“I don’t think the hospital can thank her enough for her pivotal role in the program,” says Dr. Paul Hawkins, Director, Advanced Cardiac Life Support Program, Emergency Services. “She has educated and supported us all in one way or another and deserves recognition way beyond the norm.”

In the more than 30 years of the Trauma Program at Sunnybrook, 20,389 patients have been cared for and the program, with thanks to team members such as Dr. Fulton, has maintained a remarkable nearly 90 per cent victim survival rate.

Above: Dr. Fulton is joined by Barry McLellan and Sunnybrook colleagues at a celebration in her honour.

Sunnybrook Foundation

SunnybrooknewsSunnybrook News is published twice a month by the Communications & Stakeholder Relations Department (Public Affairs) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Submissions to Sunnybrook News are welcome, however, they are subject to space availability and editorial discretion.

Editor: Christine HenryVisit us online at: www.sunnybrook.ca

About Sunnybrook:Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is transforming healthcare through the dedication of its 10,000 staff members, physicians and volunteers. An internationally recognized leader in research and education and full affiliation with the University of Toronto, distinguishes Sunnybrook as one of Canada’s premier health sciences centres. Sunnybrook specializes in caring for critically-ill newborns, adults and the elderly, treating and preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries.

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