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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Sylvain Coderre, Undergraduate Medical Education

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Jennifer Hatfield, Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement

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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

T 403.220.5012

E kjslonio@ucalgary.ca

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: medalum@ucalgary.ca

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

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DEADLINE: JULY 17, 2015 cumming.ucalgary.ca/alumni/awards

“ In recognition of outstanding contributions to clinical, community-based or basic science research. ”

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