WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

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. 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.

Historical Trivia: What Am I?

Hints:

1. This version of me is interestingly called "The Dare". I am sure the patients loved that name!

2. I was invented in 1875, though my newer version shown above was made in 1917 and can be found in the U of A Sperber Health Sciences Library.

3. You used me to compare blood samples on slides to red coloured glass backlit by a candle.

4. I am about 9" x 6", but today, you can find a digital, palm-sized version of me.

WHAT AM I? Answer. 

DoM RESEARCH

Research News

Our Spring 2024 Graduates

Congratulations to the DoM students who will be graduating on June 14, 2024:

• Salem Alghbli, MSc in Medicine, supervised by Dr. Juan Gonzalez Abraldes and Dr. Andrew Mason, Division of Gastroenterology
• Leyla Asadi, PhD in Medicine, supervised by Dr. Richard Long and Dr. Dick Menzies, Division of Pulmonary Medicine
• Hazal Babadagli, MSc in Medicine, supervised by Dr. Glen Pearson and Dr. Sheri Koshman, Division of Cardiology
• Asmaa Basonbul, PhD in Medicine, supervised by Dr. Joseph Brandwein and Dr. Michael Weinfeld, Division of Hematology
• Justine Lai, PhD in Medicine, supervised by Dr. Peng Wang and Dr. Joseph Brandwein, Division of Hematology
• Benson Weyant, MSc in Medicine, with Specialization in Translational Medicine, supervised by Dr. Carlos Cervera, Division of Infectious Diseases
• Tanis Zadunayski, MSc in Medicine, supervised by Dr. Nicola Cherry, Division of Preventive Medicine

CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to the following DoM MSc students who were awarded a CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's and Walter H Johns Graduate Fellowship! This year's result is the department's best ever.

• Justine Beghin, supervised by Dr. Vanessa Meier-Stephenson and
  Dr. Lorne Tyrrell (Infectious Diseases)
• Kuldeep Dodia, supervised by Dr. Peter Hwang (General Internal Medicine) and Dr. Richard Schulz (Pharmacology)
• Nathan Ness, supervised by Dr. Gavin Oudit (Cardiology)
• Simran Panesar, supervised by Drs. Adrian Wagg (Geriatric Medicine) and Dr. Andrea Gruneir (Family Medicine)
• Devika Shreekumar, supervised by Dr. Ellina Lytvyak (Preventive Medicine) and Dr. Aldo Montano-Loza (Gastroenterology)
• Catharina Venter, supervised by Dr. Bernadette Quemerais (Preventive Medicine)

• Open Access Publishing. The U of A Library has new agreements with Elsevier and Oxford University Press. Authors can now publish in over 1,800 Elsevier journals and 350 Oxford University Press hybrid journals without incurring article publishing charges.
   

• ORCID iD. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier (an ORCID iD) that you own and control, distinguishing you from every other researcher. Visit the ORCID website to register.

Research Funding and Awards

Department of Medicine Translational Research Implementation Fund (TRIF)

The TRIF 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-Agency (CIHR). 

CIHR Project Grant: Fall 2024 competition

• Grant: DoM Internal Review CIHR draft application is due to Jay Babiak by July 2.

  • CIHR Registration: August 14 (to be confirmed). Visit RAS CIHR Project Grant for deadlines and research support.

• Webinar: CIHR 2024 Question & Answer Session for trainees, postdoctoral researchers and institution staff regarding award programs that are offered.
  • English: June 11, 11 a.m. MT | French: June 13, 11 a.m. MT
• Webinar: Ask the Experts - Perspectives on Health Services Research at CIHR (June 26). Speakers include DoM's Padma Kaul, a highly successful applicant, and Andrea Gruneir, chairperson of the Health Services Evaluation and Interventions Research committee.
   
• Webinar: Choosing a Peer Review Committee for your CIHR Project Grant application: June 27

More Research Opportunities

1. Grant: NSERC: Discovery Grant. Notice of Intent: August 1
    
2. Grant: New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration (NFRF-E) 2024. 
   Pre-application: August 27
   • Webinar: NFRF-E "Ask the experts" info session: June 6. Hosted by the Research Partner Network. 

For more Research events, awards, and funding opportunities, see

1. DoM Research Events calendar (postings in green)
2. RAS Calendar

Research Trainees

Department of Medicine 
Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship

This year, the department is pleased to offer two awards of $20,000 to outstanding prospective PhD students.

1. Fellowship: 2024-2025 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship. Application due to Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry: June 7.
    
2. Fellowships: Alberta Innovates Postdoctoral Fellowships in Health Innovation (AI PFHI) and Enhancement (AI EF): June 25

Members' Research Publications

June is Stroke awareness month. Here is a featured publication where the DoM Faculty member is either the first or last author.

Stroke

1. Buck, Brian. Corresponding Author. Intravenous tenecteplase compared with alteplase for minor ischaemic stroke: a secondary analysis of the AcT randomised clinical trial. Stroke and Vascular Neurology 2024 Jan 31. DOI:10.1136/svn-2023-002828

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

DoM IN THE NEWS

A study by DoM neurology resident Candace Marsters and team shows patients with neurological disease are likelier to die after COVID.

Team members include Jeffrey Bakal (Clinical Lecturer, Division of General Internal Medicine), Grace Lam (Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine), Finlay McAlister (Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine), and Christopher Power (Professor, Division of Neurology). (Folio)

AI project, by Dr. Brian Buck (Associate Professor, Division of Neurology) and team, aims to diagnose stroke more accurately so patients can get faster treatment. (Folio)

• Dr. Aminu Bello (Professor, Division of Nephrology)
  • Innovator Spotlight: Aminu K Bello is passionate about equitable kidney care delivery and kidney disease prevention across places and peoples.(The Quad)
• Dr. Mohit Bhutani (Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine)
  • Severe asthma: A call for global policy action (Politico)
• Dr. Nicola Cherry (Professor Emeritus, Division of Preventive Medicine):
  • The flour-dusted health challenge facing bakers everywhere (Forbes)
• Dr. Justin Ezekowitz (Professor, Division of Cardiology):
  • Treatment gaps abound in heart failure but can be closed, studies show (tctMD)
• Dr. Monty Ghosh (Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine):
  • In Alberta, 2023 was officially the deadliest year from opioid overdoses on record (CBC News)
• Dr. Ling Ling (Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine):
  • A cure for seasonal allergies (CBC News)
• Dr. Jaggi Rao (Clinical Professor, Division of Dermatology):
  • Is Gen-Z aging differently? (CBC Edmonton AM)
• Dr. Lynora Saxinger (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases):
  • Alberta's flu death toll hits 15-year high, sparking calls for better immunization outreach (CBC News)
• Dr. Jesse Siffledeen (Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology):
  • Poor disease control common in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Physician's Weekly)
• Dr. Ameeta Singh (Clinical Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases):
  • Alberta First Nations health centre will join study aiming to get people tested for syphilis (CBC News)
  • No secondary measles cases reported in Alberta, vaccination urged (Rocky Mountain Outlook)
• Dr. Stephanie Smith (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases):
  • High-risk Albertans urged to get another vaccine dose as COVID-19 cases ticking up (CBC News)
• Dr. Sebastian Straube (Professor and Division Director, Division of Preventive Medicine):
  • Alberta government appoints expert panel to review effects of cannabis on young brains (CBC News)
• Dr. Lorne Tyrrell (Adjunct and Distinguished Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases) will receive an honorary doctor of science degree on June 14 from the U of A. He has accomplished several milestones in researching and treating hepatitis viruses over four decades.

DoM EQUITY, DIVERSITY
AND INCLUSION

What is Intersectionality?

Intersectionality is a term that was coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 to explain how race, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, class, et cetera intersect to produce different barriers in a compounding and interlocking way based on power, privilege, and systemic inequalities.

An individual's lived experiences cannot be fully understood by prioritizing any one single social identity. Racism, classism, sexism, and ableism are always operating at the same time. As such, a racialized woman will experience discrimination based on gender and race at different times in different social contexts. Similarly, a disabled, gay white male will experience discrimination due to his disability and sexual orientation depending on his social location.   

Intersectionality can best understood using this analogy:

"Consider an intersection with many roads. The roads are the structure of race, gender, gender identity, disability...and the traffic running through those roads are the practices and policies that discriminate against people. Now, if an accident happens, it can be caused by cars traveling from any number of directions and sometimes from all of them. So if a Black woman is harmed because she is at an intersection, her injury can result from discrimination from any or all directions."  by Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw

Intersectionality is an important concept to consider in our goal of creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace. We need to see a world where we see everybody. 

Dr. Lindsay Bridgland

HAPPENINGS IN DoM

Cardiovascular Research Institute Research Day: June 7. The CVRI Research Day is a full day, in-person event designed to share and celebrate the cardiovascular research community's progress and accomplishments. 

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

FACULTY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY

• U of A research teams awarded $100 million for pandemic preparedness. Federal grants will support cross-Canada research to find and make new vaccines, diagnostic tests and treatments against a wide range of pathogens.
   
• 2024 PLP Summit: Advancing practice through the power of partnership (June 11). This CME Summit will explore how to leverage a supportive team-based culture using clinical information to drive improvement and be a positive influence as part of the bigger health system evolution.
   
• Dare to Lead (September 24, early bird July 15). This program is eligible for Alberta Medical Association (AMA) CME reimbursement under Quality Improvement Cost on the Application form.

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA NEWS

• Alumni impact: $250B and so much more. A new survey quantifies the impact of U of A grads: $250 billion contributed to the global economy every year; 922,000 people employed worldwide; and 86 per cent of grads give back through volunteering. Plus, If you know a grad who is making a big impact on our world, help us celebrate their achievements by nominating them for a 2025 Alumni Award. 
   

• Support Staff Recognition Award (starting July 1). This award recognizes outstanding members of the support staff and the extraordinary contribution they make to the university. We invite you to participate by nominating an individual who has demonstrated an energetic commitment towards the continued success of the U of A. The award is designed to not only recognize the excellence with which one carries out their day-to-day duties/activities, but also numerous other ways one represents the university in a positive manner. Nominations are accepted between July 1 to September 30.

ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES NEWS

New IV therapy clinic space for Leduc Community Hospital. In a staff-led initiative, the healthcare team reorganized hospital equipment and repurposed an existing area in the hospital to create a new dedicated space.

HELPFUL SUPPORT & TIPS

• Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF). Support staff: funding is now available for a course, workshop, seminar, or training program that takes place between July 1 and September 30, 2024.
   

• Freecycle Your Labware (June 7). Transform your spring cleaning into community support at this swap-and-trade event. Clear out excess or unused lab supplies and pick up donated equipment you may need.

• Free Alumni Events:
  • “No” Problem: Strategies to Stop Saying Yes at Work When You Want to Say No (June 13)
  • Unscripted: How to Communicate and Connect using the Improv Approach (June 18)
  • 3 Keys To Healthy Boundaries: Say No, Speak Up For Yourself, and Confidently Express What You Want (July 11)
• Outdoor Rec Recess (Jun 12, 26; Jul 8, 24; Aug 7, 21). Rec recess is a free, drop-in program where students and staff can take a break from their busy day and enjoy the outdoors. Join us outdoors in Main Quad this summer and try out some yard games, kite flying, coloring, puzzles and more. 
   
• FitMix (Jun, Jul, Aug). Let's get outdoors to MOVE! FitMix is a free summer program for U of A students and staff to try Body Weight Bootcamp, Zumba, Yoga, Learn to Run, and Kickboxing. No experience is needed.
   
• U of A Toastmasters Club (Sundays). Do you fear speaking to groups? Toastmasters provides members with an inclusive environment to practice public speaking and leadership.