Mark Your Calendars: November 1, 2024

Get ready for an exhilarating Day of Discovery! We're curating a fascinating journey through time with captivating displays of memorabilia. But that's not all—when the stars come out, so do we, at an evening gala featuring a sensational live band! It's more than an event; it's a journey through time and celebration.

Learn more interesting historical trivia at our 100 Years Celebration. Or share your interesting memorabilia or stories with us. We would love to hear from you!

We're Hiring!

Prepare yourself for the Annual Update this weekend!

Unlock the secrets of systemic effects in skin conditions with Dr. Robert Gniadecki. Join Dr. Eunice Chow to explore the ins and outs of hair and nail health. Dive into genital dermatoses with Dr. Marlene Dytoc. Don't miss these and other exciting talks at the 26th Annual Update in Adult Medicine, Dermatology and Neurology.

Congratulations to Shamaila Dar on winning a $100 gift card for early registration to our Annual Update!

Abstract Deadline: Sunday, April 14 @ 23:59 MT

The 2024 Me2 Majumdar Research and Quality Improvement Collaborative Day is one of the department's largest events, which showcases the research of over 90 graduate students, 30 postdoctoral fellows, and 292 residents conducted over the past year. 

Research Events, Funding and Grants

DoM Translational Research Implementation Fund

The Department of Medicine Translational Research Implementation Fund is designed to support research to generate preliminary data or pilot data with the expectation that it would be used for future applications, particularly Tri-Council (CIHR). 

Deadline: Sunday, June 9, 2024.

• Heart & Stroke Excellence in Women’s Heart and/or Brain Health. RAS deadline: April 11. 
   
• Virtual information session on Canada's New Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (Apr 12 @ 10 a.m.). To register, email safegrd@ualberta.ca.
   
• WCHRI Workshop: Best practices for managing research lab data (April 15, 29, May 13, 27). This four-session workshop will provide you with foundational knowledge in research data and record management best practices. Register by April 8.
   
• CIHR: Catalyst Grant - New Biomedical Techniques and Technologies. RSO deadline: May 1. Development and validation of new biomedical technologies to carry out highly technical research. 
   
• Save the date: Cardiovascular Research Institute Research Day (June 7).  
  The Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) hosts an annual Research Day to showcase cardiovascular research progress and accomplishments at the University of Alberta. 

Trainee Opportunities and Awards

• Asthma Canada-CAAIF: Graduate Student Research (RSO: April 29). This award will create value-added opportunities for the training, education and professional development of graduate students, as well as ensure continued improvement of asthma treatments and progress towards finding a cure for asthma.
   
• Master's and Doctoral Personnel Awards for Black Scholars (RSA: May 15). These awards by Heart & Stroke and Brain Canada promote strategic growth in heart and brain health science within Black communities by supporting Black students in their postgraduate studies. Email letters of support to Heart & Stroke by May 21.
   

• 2024/25 Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarships (New date: May 23)
  The Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies is now accepting applications for the AB Innovates Graduate Student Scholarships.  

Members' Research Publications

Here are some publications related to April's Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Awareness Month and Parkinson’s Awareness Month.

• Camicioli, Richard (1st author). Prevention of Falls in Parkinson’s Disease: Guidelines and Gaps. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice 2023; 10(10) 1459-1469. doi: 10.1002/mdc3.13860

• Peery AF, Kelly CR, Kao D, Vaughn BP, Lebwohl B, Singh S, Imdad A, Altayar O; AGA Clinical Guidelines Committee. AGA Clinical Practice Guideline on Fecal Microbiota-Based Therapies for Select Gastrointestinal Diseases. Gastroenterology. 2024 Mar;166(3):409-434. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.01.008.

• Miyasaki, Janis (co-author). Delivering Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Care in Parkinson's Disease: An International Consensus Statement. Journal of Parkinson's Disease, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 135-166, 2024. doi 10.3233/JPD-230117

See DoM Publications for a complete list of all our division members' research in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Jaggi Rao (Clinical Professor, Division of Dermatology) explains that products containing benzoyl peroxide, such as acne products and sunscreens, can break down into benzene, a common carcinogen, if stored at high temperatures such as 50 degrees Celsius (e.g., in a hot car). (CBC Radio)

White Immunity — A different take on white privilege 

The phrase "white privilege" can evoke a variety of emotions and opinions, including defensiveness. When this term is used, responses often include, "How am I privileged?" or "I worked extremely hard to get where I am. I earned it." But white privilege is NOT the suggestion that everything a White person has accomplished wasn't earned, or that White people haven't struggled throughout their lives. The problem with "white privilege" is that it centres around the individual and centres around whiteness rather than focusing on the markedly different experiences that people of colour endure. 

"White immunity" is a different way to understand white privilege, one that evokes empathy and understanding. White people receive social inoculation from racial oppression. The term "white immunity" looks holistically at society to examine how the most marginalized individuals are being treated and asks the question, "How is my experience different from that of people of colour?" Racism isn't about an individual; rather it is a system of advantage based upon race in which white people are immune to historically racist systemic and structural barriers. 

Dr. Lindsay Bridgland, Director of EDI Working Group, DoM

To read about other EDI topics, visit the EDI section of our website.

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

• Collip Centenary Seminar, celebrating 100 years of diabetes research (Apr 8). Guest speaker Dr. Vinod Patel, professor in diabetes and clinical skills at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, will speak on "The discovery of insulin to present-day clinical care: Collip and colleagues, complex care, and care in the community."
   

• Global Health Rounds: Needs of Prairie Francophone Families Post-Pandemic (Apr 16). The French-speaking population is a minority on the Canadian Prairies. Access to health services offered in French is infrequent. Dr. Sedami Gnidehou, PhD, Associate Professor, Campus Saint-Jean, will focus on the impact of the pandemic on French-speaking families with children in the Canadian prairies, and on the factors influencing the post-pandemic needs of this neglected population.
   

• The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis (Apr 24). If climate change is impacting our health, what is the cure? Join our discussion with Dr. Sherilee Harper, U of A professor and vice chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to understand how climate change affects your health, the role of climate-health science in local to international decision-making and how health equity contributes to climate solutions.

• Upcoming Faculty Development Workshops - visit the FoMD calendar.

• Three Indigenous-focused resources support well-being and community learning:
  • Affirming and Acknowledging Indigenous Ceremonial Practices at the University of Alberta 
  • eClass Territorial Acknowledgement and Commitment to Conciliation video 
  • Indigenous Honoraria Educational Video

• Call for applications — Awards for Faculty Excellence (Apr 8). The Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) is excited to recognize sustained commitment to excellence through the relaunched Faculty Excellence suite of awards. 

• Black Canadians: History, Presence and Anti-Racist Futures (micro-course). The University of Alberta is launching a new online micro-course celebrating the history and accomplishments of Black Canadians. This course also explores the legacy of systemic racism and unconscious racial bias in Canadian institutions.

• Call the PSCC for Protective Services Support. AHS has standardized the process of contacting Protective Services by phone. Sites must call 1-888-999-3770. 
   
• Employment Opportunity: Associate Zone Medical Director (AZMD), Adult Critical Care, Neurosciences, Transplant, Cardiac Sciences, Medicine, Ambulatory Care, and Renal.
   
• 22nd Annual University of Alberta Cardiology Update by the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute (May 4).

Support Resources: 

• Communities of Practice and Care (Apr 9). Educators from across the U of A will share their experiences with and strategies for holding space for students as whole people in the classroom, facilitating difficult conversations during times of crisis and uncertainty, and embodying and prioritizing caring pedagogies.
   
• Hearing loss, communication and the aging brain (Apr 10). Whether you're a healthcare professional, caregiver, or individual navigating hearing loss, Dr. Bill Hodgetts, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, shares practical guidance on improving outcomes and enhancing quality of life.
   
• Understanding Depression & Addressing Unhelpful Thinking Patterns (Apr 10). Understand depression and how your thinking can contribute to low mood. Identify unhelpful thinking patterns and learn adaptive, realistic strategies designed to help replace problematic thoughts through practical activities and discussion.
   
• Facilitating Messy or Disruptive Conversations in the Classroom (May 10). Facilitators and participants will unpack some of the challenges and complexities in our current classrooms, as well as the “external” conditions that contribute to these challenges.
   
• Alberta Sexual Assault Course and Conference for healthcare professionals (June 8; register by June 5). This CME opportunity is designed to share core training and provide management updates for urban and rural healthcare professionals, as well as non-medical professionals, caring for patients that have experienced sexual violence.