WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Significance of this Milestone

Watch this short video featuring former Chairs and DoM leaders as they reflect on the profound impact our department has made over the past century.

This event holds a special place in our hearts. It's a time when we come together to honour the stars of our Department. Congratulations to all our award recipients and honourable mentions!

Please join us in welcoming the following new faculty members:

• Dr. Mohamed Abdalla, Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine
• Dr. Dylan Johnson, Clinical Lecturer, Division of Rheumatology

• Dr. David Page, Clinical Lecturer, Division of Hematology

DoM RESEARCH

Research News

Congratulations, Recipients!

Two DoM PhD students have been awarded the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship. This is the most prestigious graduate award administered by the U of A. The last time an DoM student won this award was in 2012!

• Kostiantyn Dmytriiev, supervised by Dr. Michael Stickland and Dr. Jason Weatherald
• Olawunmi Olagundoye, supervised by Dr. Adrian Wagg

Upcoming Research Opportunities

CIHR Project Grant: Fall 2024 Competition

The anticipated launch is on July 4, with a possible registration deadline of August 14.

• Visit RAS CIHR Project Grant for deadlines and research support.
• Contact Gareth Corry for more information on the Fall 2024 competition and CIHR in general. 
• Here is a useful tipsheet on Fall 2024 CIHR Project Grant.

NSERC CCV tip sheet now available. This useful tip sheet provides resources on completing your CCV and common missteps that could lead to a rejection of your proposal.

More Research Opportunities

1. Award: Canada Gairdner Momentum Award: July 15. Two awarded annually to mid-career researchers working in Canada, who in their last six active years have produced exceptional scientific research contributions with continued potential for impact on human health.
    
2. Drop-in Q&A sessions: Need help navigating research on campus? The Research Partner Network can answer your research administration questions. 
   1. Monday, July 15: 11:30 a.m. – 1:20 p.m., BUS 1-10
   2. Wednesday, July 31: 11 a.m.– 1 p.m., ECHA 2-125
   3. Request 1:1 support by emailing rsoinfo@ualberta.ca.
3. Grant: CIHR Planning and Dissemination Grants (Summer 2024 competition): RSO deadline: July 30.
    
4. Awards: 2025/26 Heart & Stroke Research Competitions:
   1. Grants-in-Aid   
   2. New Investigator
   3. NEW Postdoctoral Fellowships 
5. Grant: NSERC: Discovery Grant. Notice of Intent: August 1.
    
6. Grant: Canada Gairdner Early Career Investigator Competition: August 15.
    
7. Grant: Brain Canada Foundation and CQDM, Collaborative Research Projects on the Brain. RAS: August 8. 
    
8. Award: Steacie Prize 2024: August 31. This $10,000 award is presented to a scientist or engineer of 40 years of age or less for outstanding scientific research in Canada. See VPRI memo for more details.

    

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

1. DoM Research Events calendar (postings in green)

2. RAS Calendar

Research Trainee Opportunities

1. Fellowship: BrightFocus Foundation Alzheimer's Disease - Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Pre-application: August 2. BrightFocus provides research funds to researchers pursuing pioneering research leading to greater understanding, prevention, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
    
2. Awards: 2025/26 Heart & Stroke Research Competitions:
   1. Women’s Personnel Awards
      1. Doctoral Awards
      2. Postdoctoral Awards 

Members' Research Publications

World Hepatitis Day is July 28. Here is a featured publication related to World Hepatitis Day where the DoM Faculty member is either the first or last author.

1. Aldo J. Montano-Loza. First Author. Prognostic Scores for Ursodeoxycholic Acid-Treated Patients Predict Graft Loss and Mortality in Recurrent Primary Biliary Cholangitis after Liver Transplantation. Journal of Hepatology  29 May 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.05.010
    
2. Aldo J. Montano-Loza. Co-Senior Author. Treatment response and clinical event-free survival in autoimmune hepatitis: A Canadian multicentre cohort study. Journal of Hepatology 24 March 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.03.021

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

DoM IN THE NEWS

Imagine a world where emergency departments in Alberta operate more efficiently, thanks to a $1M grant from the Canadian Medical Association. Our U of A team is on the brink of transforming patient care with the "AI Scribe," a revolutionary tool that listens to conversations between physicians and patients, and then seamlessly generates medical notes. Our project was one of 11 selected for funding from over 230 applications from across Canada. DoM's Dr. Ross Mitchell (bottom row, centre) is the Canada CIFAR AI Chair, AHS Chair in AI in Health, and Professor in General Internal Medicine.

Congratulations to Dr. Karen Madsen and Dr. Sander van Zanten on receiving the 2024 Alberta Society of Gastroenterology Awards!

Congratulations to Dr. Rshmi Khurana (Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine) on receiving of the 2024 Canadian Women in Medicine Dr. Setareh Ziai Inspiring Woman Physician Award. 

Dr. Khurana founded the Obstetric Medicine program in Edmonton, filling previously unmet internal medicine needs for pregnant people. She has been a leader in obstetric medicine, both clinically and in research. Colleagues and trainees admire her integrity, compassion, and kindness. Outside of work, she is a dedicated mother, partner, and friend, fostering a community among women physicians.

Congratulations to Dr. Gurpal Sandha (Professor) and Dr. Mahmod Mohamed (Associate Clinical Professor), who were voted Clinical Teacher of the Year and Endoscopy Teacher of the Year respectively, by the Gastroenterology Residents.

• Dr. Monty Ghosh (Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine)
  • Alberta and opioids III: You can’t always just stop? (Todayville)
• Dr. Grace Lam (Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine)
  • '30-year-old in an 80-year-old's body': Edmonton nurse recalls 36-month case of long COVID (CTV News)
• Dr. Jaggi Rao (Professor, Division of Dermatology)
  • Whole-body deodorant is trending, but do we need it — or are we being scent-shamed? (CBC News)
• Dr. Lynora Saxinger (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases)
  • COVID-19 on the rise in Alberta as summer approaches (CBC News)
  • Scientists closing in on why some people never get COVID. A new study identified a specific gene in people who didn't get infected (CBC News)

DoM EQUITY, DIVERSITY
AND INCLUSION

The Myth of Meritocracy

Meritocracy is the idea that the "best" individual will be selected for a position strictly based on hard work, dedication, and intelligence. It is the belief that who you are, what your skin colour is, or where you were born will not affect your opportunity for success. On the surface, hiring, promoting, or selecting leaders based on merit sounds like a great idea. But, in reality, privilege and bias play a role, leaving women, Indigenous peoples, and people of colour behind.

Who defines merit? Who determines what the "best" is? These decisions are often made using proxies for aptitude and those proxies are inherently biased. For example, in 2014, a study of urology program directors in the United States investigated factors that gave applicants special consideration (Urology. 2015 Apr; 85(4): 731-736). Forty-seven percent of urology program directors gave special consideration to applicants who were a child of an academic urologist. This is not merit.

Food for thought: There is no one "best fit" in medicine. As physicians, we serve a diverse group of patients who all have different backgrounds and different needs. Let's consider that our selection processes and hiring/promotion practices may need to evolve to meet the needs of our current population as meritocracy is flawed and inherently biased.  

Dr. Lindsay Bridgland

HAPPENINGS IN DoM

Presented by the Division of Pulmonary Medicine in partnership with the Alberta Respiratory Centre

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

FACULTY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY

The MD Program's Patient Immersion Experience is seeking volunteers who are living with a chronic medical condition or disability to mentor medical students by sharing their experiences. You can make an important contribution to improving medical education and patient care. Mentors must live within a 40 km radius of the U of A.

• Crucial Conversations (weekly October 8 - 29, early bird before July 15). Research has shown that healthcare providers tend to struggle to confront their peers when they see errors being made or issues that impact team morale and quality of care for patients. These conversations are high stakes and often difficult to initiate. Crucial Conversations® teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering an open dialogue.

COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Five health science researchers awarded funding for transformative, interdisciplinary research.

Sherilee Harper, Margie Davenport, Zamaneh Kassiri, Puneeta Tandon (above left) and Jessica Kolopenuk each had projects supported by the New Frontiers in Research Fund. Dr. Puneeta Tandon is Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology.

• 2024 Discovery Day in Health Sciences: October 24. This national program encourages high school students to explore exciting career options in health sciences. The college is looking for dynamic presenters to host an engaging workshop in the morning and/or afternoon or to take part in the "Health Pros Tell All" panel discussion.  For more info, email jburwash@cdnmedhall.ca by September 9.

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA NEWS

• U of A rises to sixth in the world for sustainability impact. University ranks first in North America in Times Higher Education’s ranking of institutions making progress on achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.

• Presidential reappointment: Bill Flanagan has been reappointed as the University of Alberta’s president and vice-chancellor for a second term. 

• Integrated portfolio: We have a new, merged portfolio called University Services, Operations and Finance (USOF), which was formerly the Office of the Vice-President, Facilities and Operations and the Office of the Vice-President, University Services and Finance.

ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES NEWS

Read the June 2024 MD Culture Shift, an AHS publication created by physicians for physicians.

HELPFUL SUPPORT & TIPS

• Voluntary Personal Leave Plan (PLP): apply by July 26. The PLP offers eligible support staff, academic staff and excluded staff with the opportunity to take unpaid personal leave, with the cost being deducted from your pay over a 12-month period.
   
• Stay cybersafe while travelling this summer. Be aware of cybersecurity threats that can target your devices and know what to disable. 
   

• Burnout to Boundaries: The Key to Life-Work Harmony: August 13. In this course, develop strategies for setting and maintaining healthy personal and professional boundaries, as well as effective communication skills for asserting boundaries respectfully and assertively.

• Healthy Sleep Habits: August 22. In today's fast-paced world, quality sleep is more crucial than ever. This micro-session is designed to empower you with practical knowledge and strategies to determine activities that promote fatigue and strategies to implement a healthy sleep care routine.