MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Join us in person for coffee and conversation as Dr. Narmin Kassam shares her vision for our department over the next four years. This is a great opportunity to connect, ask questions, and be part of the discussion about our future.

Venue: Classroom D - 2F1.04 WMC, University Hospital or register for Zoom

Put your medical knowledge to the test! Join us for a fun and fast-paced round of Team Medical Jeopardy, where you can showcase your expertise and compete for a prize. To be a contestant, contact Dr. Tim Chan to be added to a team.

Time: 8 - 9 a.m.
Venue: Join us for coffee in person in Classroom D - 2F1.04 WMC, University Hospital or register for Zoom

The Department is pleased to announce TWO new opportunities to support Scholarship in Medical Education:

1. Scholarship in Medical Education Grant. Winter 2025 grant applications are due February 17. You can email Dr. Daniels at vdaniels@ualberta.ca to find out more.
2. Medical Education Research Assistant (MERA). We have a new research assistant to assist you. Email dommera@ualberta.ca to set up an appointment.

Please join us in welcoming the following new academic DoM member:

• Dr. Sola Mansour, Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism

DoM RESEARCH

Research News

Project Grant: Fall 2024 Recipients

Congratulations to these department members for successfully securing research funding!

• Bello, Aminu; Jindal, Kailash K; Oudit, Gavin Y; Sarin, Christopher
  Prevent and Treat Diabetes for Healthy Living in Indigenous Communities of Alberta (Prev-Treat)
   

• Forsythe, Paul
  Understanding Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cells as Allergen Sensors and Immune Modulators
   

• Tandon, Puneeta; Wright, Gail
  CarEL: A Caregiver E-health program for chronic Liver disease - a multicentre randomized controlled trial to improve caregiver outcomes
   

• Ye, Carrie
  ChatRheum: Developing and evaluating a source-verified large language model to answer rheumatology patient questions
   

• Ye, Carrie
  Gaining Insight into Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Associated Inflammatory Arthritis Using Administrative Health Data

• 2025 Me2 Majumdar Research and Quality Improvement Day | May 15. This flagship event of the Department of Medicine highlights the outstanding research conducted over the past year by more than 90 graduate students, 30 postdoctoral fellows, and 290 residents. Abstract submissions will open on March 1

• Tri-agency CV. The Tri-agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) will be gradually transitioning from the Canadian Common CV (CCV) to a more equitable and societally responsible narrative CV (see CV instructions). The Colleges, RPNet and VPRI are preparing to support scholars to understand the new format and its advantages for grant applicants.
   
• The 2025 FoMD Undergraduate Summer Students’ Research Projects Database is NOW OPEN. Post your summer research positions of two, three or four months between May to August. Questions? Email Nicole Kosturic.

Faculty Funding and Awards

1. CIHR Project Grant: Spring 2025. Registration | Feb. 5
   RAS Full Application: Feb. 21; Sponsor: Mar. 5

2. Department of Medicine Faculty Research Awards. Nomination | Mar. 15

• Basic Science Publication Award
• Clinical Investigation Publication Award
• Clinical Faculty Research Award
• Paul W. Armstrong Excellence in Research Award
• Translational Research Award

Trainee Funding and Awards

1. 2025 NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs) and
   CIHR Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs) - exclusively for Black student researchers. Internal DoM Deadline | Feb. 17
   Internal FoMD Deadline: Feb. 24

2. URI Undergraduate Researcher Stipend | Feb. 25. Value: $7,500 stipend only.

3. Heart and Stroke Personnel Awards for Black and Indigenous Scholars | Mar. 20. Value: Masters up to $54,000 (over two years); PhD up to $120,000 (over 3 years).

4. Personnel Awards for Black Scholars | Mar. 20. For graduate students and PDFs.

5. Branch Out Neurological Foundation | Mar. 31. For graduate students.

For more Faculty or Trainee Funding
and Award Opportunities, see:

DoM NEWS

Congratulations to Dr. Patrick Pilarski (Professor, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation) and team who placed 8th in the world at Cybathlon 2024 with a prosthetic arm that uses AI. (Folio)

Research by Dr. Paige Lacy (Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine) and team finds vaping in pregnancy is harmful for babies and mothers. (Folio)

An international team, including the lab team of Dr. Joel Dacks (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases), dive deep into one of biology's greatest mysteries. Published in Nature Microbiology.

• Dr. Monty Ghosh (Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiology)
  • Alberta opioid overdose deaths dip to end 2024; Compassionate Intervention Act still expected (CityNews)
     
• Dr. Padma Kaul (Professor, Division of Cardiology)
  • Healthy Pregnancy Hub aims to improve access to medication safety data (The Gateway)
     
• Dr. Paige Lacy (Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine)
  • What do doctors advise pregnant women about vaping? (CBC Radio Active)
     
• Dr. Patrick Pilarski (Professor, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation)
  • Recent U of A grad strives to improve the prosthetic user experience with adaptive AI (The Gateway)
     
• Dr. Lynora Saxinger (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases)
  • Norovirus cases are on the rise. Here’s what you need to know about this nasty bug (CBC News)
  • Flu cases on the rise in Alberta, while immunization uptake remains low (CBC Calgary) 
  • Influenza vs. RSV: What to know this sick season (CTV News)
  • Health experts call Alberta COVID-19 report an attempt to ‘rewrite history’ (Global News)
  • Alberta doctors push back on provincial COVID-19 task force report (CBC Calgary)
  • Opinion: COVID-19 report poses a threat to Alberta's public health (Edmonton Journal)
  • Albertans deserved a post-pandemic review. Instead, they got misinformation cloaked in science (Globe and Mail)
     
• Dr. Stephanie Smith (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases)
  • Alberta government weighs future of COVID-19 vaccination as federal program winds down (CBC Calgary)
     
• Dr. James Talbot (Associate Clinical Professor, Division of Preventive Medicine)
  • Alberta doctors push back on provincial COVID-19 task force report (CBC Calgary)
  • ‘Bad science’: Academics tear apart Alberta’s $2-million report on COVID (Edmonton Journal)

DoM ACCESS, COMMUNITY
AND BELONGING

Microaggressions:

What should you do if you are the perpetrator of a microaggression?

Last month's ACB sound bite defined the term "microaggression" and discussed why they are harmful to those on the receiving end. The video shared in the last edition of the PULSE gave examples of common microaggressions that many marginalized individuals experience. Microaggressions are common in our workplace. Patients mistake women physicians as nurses, racialized individuals are assumed to be part of the housekeeping staff, and people with accents are asked where they are from. The list goes on and on and on... Although we may not realize it, we have all been perpetrators of microaggressions at one point or another, often when saying something that we deem to be well-intentioned. Below are some helpful recommendations on how to repair the situation when you realize that you are the perpetrator of a microaggression. 

1. Acknowledge and Apologize. If you realize you've committed a microaggression in the moment, acknowledge it immediately and offer a sincere apology that focuses on your action and impact, not on the other person's reaction. 
2. Self-reflect. Reflect on how underlying biases or stereotypes may have influenced your thought process or behaviour. Educate yourself and commit to learning more about microaggressions, why they are harmful, and how to avoid them.
3. Listen, Learn and Unlearn. If the affected individual is willing to discuss how your words or action affected them, listen with respect. Avoid being defensive. Use the opportunity to understand the impact of your words or actions so you can do better in the future. Explore the opportunity to unlearn ideas and beliefs that may have been deeply ingrained over a lifetime.  
4. Take responsibility. Take ownership of your words or actions and avoid making excuses. Don't expect the victim of the microaggression to educate you or alleviate your guilt. 
5. Commit to change. Make a personal commitment to change your behaviour, seek educational resources to help you understand and combat unconscious biases, and identify actionable steps to reduce biases and change your behaviour.  
6. Repair the relationship. Consider following up with the person to demonstrate your commitment to change. Rebuilding trust may take time, but with consistent effort and commitment, the relationship may be repaired. 

Read other ACB definitions and topics on the DoM ACB site.

HAPPENINGS IN DoM

Join us for this free half-day course on the hottest topics in hematology.

This one-day event will provide physicians and healthcare professionals with the latest in Diabetes and an approach to common Endocrine problems. 

Immerse yourself in a dynamic environment featuring experts in general internal medicine in adult medicine. Explore diverse topics that impact daily medical practice.

Note: change of venue to 
Classroom D - 2F1.04 WMC, University Hospital.

Or click on the links below to register on Zoom.

• Feb. 7 - FoMD Chair's Review Vision Presentation for the Department of Medicine, Dr. Narmin Kassam, Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine
• Feb. 14 - Team Medical Jeopardy. If you would like to be a contestant, please contact Dr. Tim Chan to be added to a team.
• Feb. 21 - Dr. Sofia Ahmed, Professor, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, U of A
• Feb. 28 - TBA
• Mar. 7 - Research Grand Rounds with Dr. Mike Paulden, Associate Professor, School of Public Health

Want to see more events?  Visit the DoM Events web page to see what else is upcoming.

Anything to share?

If you have news or information to share with the department, submit your announcement below, and we'll help spread the word!

FACULTY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY

• 9th Annual Global Health Fair 2025 | Feb. 5 | ECHA 4-036 and Zoom. 
  Keynote Speaker: Dr. Zulfiqar A Bhutta, FRS, Hospital for Sick Children, U of Toronto. The GHF focuses on global health education and research relating to biomedical science, individuals and communities. 
   

• 4th Annual Young Innovators Competition | Abstract submission | Feb. 19. Showcase your AI-driven healthcare innovations in a dynamic shark tank-style competition on Mar. 19 in ECHA.
   

• Alberta Transplant Institute Research Day | Mar. 26 | Lister Centre, U of A.
  Admission is free. Keynote Speaker: Mamatha Bhat, MD, PhD, University of Toronto
   

• International Symposium on Systems Immunology in Transplantation: Advances, Challenges, and Opportunities | Mar. 27-28 | Lister Centre, U of A. Co-hosted by ATI and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this symposium will gather leaders in transplantation, computational biology, and machine learning to explore how these systems' immunology tools can be leveraged to address challenges in transplantation. 
   

• Dr. Richard Fedorak Memorial Award in Professionalism | Mar. 31. Nominate a colleague (physician member of academic staff or a physician appointed as a clinical faculty member) for 2025. Dr. Penny Smyth (Professor, Division of Neurology) was last year’s recipient.

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA NEWS

• Access, Community and Belonging at the U of A. Vice-Provost Carrie Smith shares how the university community is unlocking frameworks and tools for sustainable change.
   
• U of A ranked in the Top 100 worldwide in five subjects. A 74th-place ranking in the Medical and Health category highlights the U of A’s excellence in medicine, dentistry and other health-related disciplines.

ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES NEWS

• The 2025 Annual Information Verification and Attestation (AIVA) for AHS Medical Staff is now available. Look for the ACTION REQUIRED email that has been sent to your AHS email address. Submit your AIVA by Feb. 15.
   

• Edmonton Zone Gastroenterology Central Access and Triage (EZ GI CAT) Officially Launched. As of January 22, 2025, EZ GI CAT is now the only point of access to refer patients in the Edmonton Zone who need to see a gastroenterologist or require colorectal screening (including SCOPE program). One centralized intake for the Edmonton Zone will reduce care delays related to referral management and triage and improve patient care through referral quality and pathway integration. Updated program information is available at www.ahs.ca/ezgicat.

  How to refer to the new EZ GI CAT

  • Visit the Alberta Referral Directory: Edmonton Zone Gastroenterology Central Access and Triage (EZ GI CAT). The new centralized fax number is 780-670-3607.
  • Go direct to the Gastroenterology/Endoscopy Referral form.
    
    A reminder to referring providers:
  • Continue to use RAAPID for urgent referrals.
  • Specialist advice outside of EZ GI CAT continues to be available through eReferral or ConnectMD at 1-844-633-2263.
     
• Royal Alexandra Hospital's Lois Hole Hospital for Women celebrates 10 years as cord blood collection site. Since 2015, nearly 9,000 units of cord blood have been collected for patients in need of a stem cell transplant. Cord blood contains life-saving stem cells that can treat more than 80 diseases and disorders, including leukemia, lymphoma, aplastic anemia and sickle cell disease.

HELPFUL SUPPORT & TIPS

• CHS Becoming Conscious Allies Access, Community, and Belonging Workshop | Feb. 13 in person, Feb. 14 online. This introductory workshop will explore concepts and terminology regarding ACB practices, such as implicit bias and intersectionality, and how these ideas can be actioned with a goal of doing allyship within our spaces and communities.
   
• CHS Inclusive Practices for Education Workshop | Feb. 20 in person, Feb. 21 online. This workshop explores practices necessary for cultivating inclusive educational environments. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the best practices that promote equity and inclusion for all learners, with a special emphasis on the needs and experiences of historically marginalized communities.