In this issue:

• Message from the Chair
• What You Need to Know
  • State of the Department
  • Welcome Back Picnic
  • Scholarship in Medical Education Grant
  • Building a Culture of Wellbeing Together
  • Annual Review with the Chair
  • New Generic Email Address
  • Sabbatical
  • Welcome to the DoM
• Happenings in DoM
• DoM News
• ACB: Cultural Safety in Health-care Learning and Practice
• DoM Research
• Helpful Support and Tips
• FoMD News
• U of A News
• AHS and AMA News

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Join Us for the State of the Department

Venue Change: Classroom F, 2J4.02 WMC 

What’s happening across the Department of Medicine? Join us September 11 for our State of the Department presentation and hear about our progress, priorities and what’s ahead. We’d love to see you there!

Join us for coffee in person in Classroom F - 2J4.02 WMC or register for Zoom (you will receive a confirmation email with a Zoom link).

Kick-start the Semester

Spend some time reconnecting with colleagues, sharing summer highlights, and welcoming new members to the team.

Venue: Corbett Quad, corner of 112 Street and 82 Avenue
Food Trucks: Satay Madura, Starvin Marvin's and Veggie Delights
For Whom: Free for DoM faculty, residents, staff and learners, however you must complete the registration to reserve your attendance. 

Scholarship in Medical Education Grant

Unlock your research potential with the help of the Scholarship in Medical Education Grant. We are now accepting applications for the Fall 2026 grant.

DoM's Scholarship in Medical Education Grant supports projects up to $20,000 for larger projects and mini-grants for smaller needs. The objective of this award is to support research in medical education done principally by a DoM faculty member with preference given to research involving U of A DoM or Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry learners.

Building a Culture of Wellbeing Together

What does a healthy, supportive and thriving workplace look like? The Department of Medicine has been exploring this question and how we can foster a culture where our people feel supported, connected and able to thrive.

In a message to the department, Dr. Karen Kroeker, DoM's Director of Wellness, introduces the new DoM Culture of Wellbeing and invites us to reflect on the role each of us plays in creating a positive workplace. She also shares what’s ahead, including a Physician Wellness Survey launching this fall.
 

This is your opportunity to step away from the everyday, pursue bold ideas, and return with fresh perspectives that inspire innovation, discovery, and growth. Consider a sabbatical opportunity for the 2027-2028 academic year. 

Please join us in welcoming the following new staff:

• Dr. Fernando Riesgo Gil, associate professor, Division of Cardiology, friesgog@ualberta.ca.

New Role-specific Email Addresses

Using a generic or role-specific email address helps ensure inquiries are always received and responded to, even when individual staff members are away or change roles. Please use the role-specific emails for the following:

• RaeAnne Barkhouse, Divisional Administration Team Lead, domdatl@ualberta.ca

HAPPENINGS IN DoM

New Public Health Education Series Launching This September

The Department of Medicine is pleased to launch Let's Talk Health: Conversations with Physicians from the Department of Medicine, a new virtual community education series presented in partnership with Edmonton Public Library.

INAUGURAL WEBINAR:

The Truth About GLP-1 Medications:
Separating Facts, Myths, and Headlines
Wednesday, September 9 | 6–7 p.m. via Zoom
with Dr. Saifal Anwar, associate clinical professor

Our inaugural webinar will explore the realities behind GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, including common misconceptions, potential benefits and risks, and what current medical evidence tells us about these increasingly talked-about therapies.

Other Upcoming Webinars:

• Oct. 14: Making Sense of Vaccines: Answers to common questions and misconceptions about adult immunization with Dr. Robyn Harrison, Division of Infectious Diseases
• Dec. 9: Joint Pain, Arthritis, and Inflammation with Dr. Stephanie Keeling, Division of Rheumatology
• January - June 2027: visit the Let's Talk Health web page.

We encourage you to share this opportunity with your family, friends, patients, colleagues, and community networks.

That’s shorter than reading the whole newsletter.🤣

Have you noticed the changes we've made? Your voice matters.
Thank you to those who have already completed our survey! 

Join us in person for coffee and good conversation, or click on links below to register on Zoom.

• Sep. 11, Classroom F - State of the Department, Dr. Narmin Kassam, chair and professor, Department of Medicine, U of A
• Sep. 18, Classroom D - Title TBA, Dr. Stephanie Keeling, division director and professor, Division of Rheumatology and Dr. Oscar Fernandez Garcia, assistant professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, U of A
• Sep. 25, Classroom F - Primary Aldosteronism, what is new and old?, Dr. Ally Prebtani, professor of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Endocrinology & Metabolism, McMaster University

See more previous recordings on the MGR Library web page.

Register by Sept. 12 for the Early Bird Rate

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

Last date to register: September 18

Join us for an opportunity to delve into the latest breakthroughs and advancements in Adult and Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine.

"It was a great educational program - Thank you!"
- 2025 participant

Registration is now open

Did you know? Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder in the world—now surpassing Alzheimer’s disease in growth rate. This course will empower clinicians to provide thoughtful, evidence-based care to people living with Parkinson's disease—and their care partners—through every stage of the illness

DoM NEWS

Congratulations to Dr. Sofia Ahmed (professor, Division of Nephrology) on becoming a Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellow.

• Dr. Monty Ghosh (assistant professor, Division of General Internal Medicine)

  • Lloydminster non-profit responds to fatal overdose increase with naloxone training (CBC)

  • Alberta records highest number of opioid-related EMS calls as potent drug supply complicates overdose responses (Edmonton Journal)

  • Calgary Fire Department sees surge in overdose calls (CBC)

DoM ACCESS, COMMUNITY
AND BELONGING

Cultural Safety in Health-care
Learning and Practice

What Is Cultural Safety?

Cultural safety is the outcome of respectful engagement in health care, education, and the workplace. It creates environments where patients, learners, and colleagues feel respected, valued, and free from discrimination related to their cultural identity.

Unlike cultural awareness or cultural competence, cultural safety is defined by the individual's experience. It recognizes the impact of power imbalances, implicit bias, and systemic inequities while acknowledging that each person's beliefs, values, traditions, and lived experiences shape how they experience care and learning.

Creating Culturally Safe Environments

Creating culturally safe environments requires ongoing reflection from both individuals and organizations. Health-care professionals, educators, and learners must examine their own assumptions and biases, approach interactions with humility and curiosity, and recognize how power dynamics influence patient care, teaching, and teamwork.

For learners, culturally safe clinical environments foster psychological safety, encourage meaningful participation, support professional growth, and model respectful, equitable care. 

Organizations also play an essential role by fostering inclusive policies, equitable learning environments, and meaningful partnerships with communities to ensure education and care reflect the needs and perspectives of those they serve.

Why It Matters

Cultural safety is essential to high-quality, person-centred care and effective health-care education. When patients and learners feel safe to express their identities without fear of judgment or discrimination, they are more likely to build trusting relationships, communicate openly, engage in shared decision-making, and achieve better outcomes.

Cultural safety strengthens trust, inclusion, equity, learning, and quality of care.

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

DoM RESEARCH

Faculty Funding and Awards

• NSERC Discovery Grant 2026 | NOI: Aug. 4. Full application opens: August 12; Final application: Nov. 2.
   

• CIHR Fall 2026 Applications | Sep. 9 @ 10 a.m. - deadline to submit via ResearchNet (CIHR's portal). CIHR application deadline: Sep. 10.

Trainee + Postdoctoral Scholars
Funding and Awards

• FoMD Studentships | Sep. 15. The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry Graduate Studentships include the 75th Anniversary Award, Dean's Doctoral Student Award, and Endowed Studentships. Apply via Google Form. 
   
• 2027 Canada Graduate Research Scholarships–Doctoral | Sep. 16. The CGRS D program provides federal doctoral scholarships through CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC. The Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) has a specific application process and deadlines for each competition in correlation with the applicable Tri-Council portal. See the GPS website and the NSERC website for university-specific application processes and deadlines. For assistance, contact gradawar@ualberta.ca.

Members' Research Publications

• Karthivashan G, Wang S, Wu Q, et al. Native PLGA nanoparticles attenuate disease pathology via multiple pathways in 5xFAD Alzheimer's model. Alzheimer's Dement. 2026; 22:e71348. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71348
   
• Real MGC, Zhang Y, Falcione SR, Joy T, Clarke M, Abbasi Habashi S, Alavi P, McFeetors R, Boghozian R, Jickling GC. Senescence Gene Expression Profiles and 90-Day Outcome in Stroke Patients. Neurology. 2026 Aug 11;107(3):e218295. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000218295. Epub 2026 Jul 21. PMID: 42479998.

For more Funding and Award Opportunities, see:

HELPFUL SUPPORT and TIPS

• Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) | Oct. 1 - Dec 31. HRDF is now available for support staff to apply for up to $1,000 toward courses, workshops, seminars, in-school apprenticeship training, or programs that will enhance your capacity to perform work, or prepare you for an expanded or different role.

FACULTY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY

• Fall Workshops with DoM's Dr. Vijay Daniels
  • Clinical Teaching Workshop 1, How to Maximize Clinical Teaching | Sep. 9
  • Time Management Workshop | Sep. 18
     
• Office of Lifelong Learning (L3)

  • Dare to Lead™ Program I Tuesdays, beginning Oct. 6 and continuing until Nov. 17. For those seeking leadership training, this program builds the courage and skills needed to lead effectively.

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA NEWS

• 2026 Support Staff Research Enhancement Award | Oct. 2. This award recognizes research support staff who provide direct research support to their faculty/department/unit and consistently contribute to the success of the University by embodying the University’s institutional values.

Update Your Profile, Amplify Your Impact

Your U of A profile showcases your expertise, research, teaching, leadership, and accomplishments to colleagues, learners, collaborators, media, and the broader community. Keeping it up to date ensures your latest achievements are reflected and helps highlight the outstanding work taking place across our Department. We encourage you to take a few minutes to review and update your profile.

To Edit Your Profile:

1. On the U of A Directory, enter your name.
2. When your page pops up, click on Login (top right). Enter your CCID and password. Then you can begin editing. 

AHS and AMA NEWS

Free AMA webinar that support PPIP requirements. The Alberta Medical Association Accelerating Change Transformation Team (AMA-ACTT) offers free, interactive webinars to help physicians meet the Physician Practice Improvement Program (PPIP) requirements by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta.

• Steps for Growing a Healthy Team Culture | Sep. 15
• Artificial Intelligence Tools Checkup: Taking the Pulse on Your Practice Readiness | Sep. 22

Physician engagement in Alberta is at an all-time low: What can we do about it? | Sept. 16. Speaker Dr. Curtis Johnston is an Associate Chief Medical Officer Medical Leadership and Development at Alberta Health Services. Hosted by the AHS Provincial Medical Leadership Educational Series.