No Images? Click here November 2017 Department member awarded $2.9 million grant from CFIJason Dyck, professor of the Department of Pediatrics (above), is one of two Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry researchers receiving a major grant from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. Faculty share knowledge with the community at Pediatric UpdateDax Rumsey (centre), assistant professor in the Division of Rheumatology, leads participants through the pGALS musculoskeletal exam refresher workshop at Pediatric Update. Over 130 delegates from Edmonton and surrounding areas took part in Pediatric Update November 2-4, 2017. This is the sixth year that our department has organized and hosted the conference to offer continuing medical education for family physicians, community pediatricians, emergency physicians, residents, nurse practitioners, nurses and other professionals who work with children.
Halloween fun brings the department togetherWinners from the department Halloween costume contest are (l-r): Joan Robinson (Funniest), Vanessa Bootsma (Most Creative) and Tammy Doonanco (Scariest). The department was alive with Halloween spirit on October 31. There were bees, rockabillies and elves running wild through the building. We would like to give a big thanks to everyone who came to the Halloween Treatluck and took part in the trivia and costume contests. A big thanks to our Halloween planning committee members for throwing an awesome event: Angela Ball, Judith Chrystal, Sheri Godreau-Shedeck, Karen Giron, Jessica Gudmundson, and Nola Sochowsky. Congratulations to our costume contest winners:
Faculty in the NewsDepartment members Dawn Davies, Yarden Yanishevsky and Samina Ali. (l-r) Department members offered their expert opinions on current issues and tips to get through flu season with fewer tears:
Pediatric members win awards at WCHRI Research DayWilliam Craig (centre), research director in the Division of Emergency Medicine, tours posters with Josie Hammond-Thrasher (r) from the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation. WCHRI Research Day 2017 was an outstanding success, with over 520 students and stakeholders networking, presenting and learning. Congratulations to all of the award winners. The following winners are learners and trainees of the Department of Pediatrics:
Read the full list of 2017 WCHRI Research Day awardees and the full event recap. Northern exposure: Our residency program provides unique experience in rural medicineSam Wong introduces residents, like Erin Boschee, to a medical career in the North. Sam Wong finds the challenges of pediatric practice in Yellowknife rewarding. “I’m the neonatologist, I’m the intensivist, I’m the endocrinologist, I’m the cardiologist until they actually arrive and do clinics,” says Wong, about the unique variety of rural pediatrics. “In one day you’ll have a GI patient, you’ll have a cardiology consult, and you’ll have behavioural issues that you have to deal with.” Research gives new insight into healthy brain developmentDavid Eisenstat, adjunct professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Chair of the Department of Oncology, and his team have found two genes that regulate a neurotransmitter in the brain during embryo development. Recent research discoveries in the development of brain disorders could pave the way to new therapies for treating seizures, and even some children with autism, says a leading oncologist and researcher at the University of Alberta. David Eisenstat and his team examined a neurotransmitter in the brain called GABA which is essential to forebrain development in the embryo. They found that two specific genes, DLX1 and DLX2, regulate GABA synthesis during brain development, and that mutations to the genes resulted in abnormal brain maturation. If these mutations happen during embryonic development, there could be several neurological problems: the child could become autistic, kids could be born with seizure disorder, or the developing neurons might not migrate to their proper site in the brain. In adults, there could be behavioural issues. Read more about the impact of this discovery. Save the Date: Winter Celebration, December 7Israel Amirav, associate professor in the Division of Respiratory Medicine, gets a treat from Santa at the 2016 Winter Celebration. It's that time of year again! Mark your calendars for the Department of Pediatrics Winter Celebration! All staff, faculty and learners are welcome to attend. Winter Celebration Flu shots available on campusSusan Gilmour, Department Chair, gets her flu shot. Getting immunized is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from contracting influenza this season. All U of A students and staff are eligible to receive an immunization for free at University Health Centre and University Health Centre Pharmacy. You can find all the information you need about appointments and the influenza vaccine on the University Health Centre website. New database helps connect the public to clinical trialsDepartment member Georg Schmolzer is featured in a Be the Cure video. A new clinical trial database is now available through the Be the Cure campagin. This database allows people to search for clinical trials in their area. You can direct those you know to this resource, or explore active trials yourself. This database is Phase 1 of an ongoing project. The next phase will involve multiple improvements, including the voluntary, opt=in capture of data from ethics applications. If you have feedback or ideas about how to improve the database in our next iteration, please contact Jillian Byrne. The Be the Cure campaign encourages the public to get involved in clinical research by sharing experiences as a patient, volunteering time, or talking to their doctor about participating in a clinical trial. PCWH launches new website, improves efficiencyThe Pediatric Centre for Weight & Health has launched a new website (enter with the password stollery). There have been many improvements in processes in the past year that help reduce barriers for accessing PCWH services, families' wait times and the time it takes to complete initial assessments. Check out what's gaining momentum and improving efficiency in the PCWH Insider below. How secure is your data?It takes far less time to keep your computer secure and use IT resources responsibly than it does to recover from a security breach. Your computer and records/data are unavailable to you after a compromise, and the negative impact in terms of finances, legal liability, regulatory body sanction, and public relations is potentially enormous. Worklife ResourcesThe University of Alberta is a great place to work, with access to many programs, services and resources for faculty and staff. Please visit Human Resource Services Learning and Development for more information or the Learning Shop Calendar for upcoming courses and workshops.
For human resources service in the Department of Pediatrics, please contact Kevin Meleskie at 780.248.5414.
Submit your story to the PulsePediatric Pulse is an internal publication for faculty, staff and learners in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta. It is published the first Tuesday of every month by department communications staff. The deadline to submit to the December newsletter is November 24, 2017. |