WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1

Day of Discovery - 08:00 - 14:00

Bernard Snell Hall and BSH Lower Foyer

Celebration Gala Dinner - 18:00 - 23:00

Edmonton Convention Centre, Hall D

Tickets

The Gala Dinner is open to all members of the Department of Medicine, alumni, partners, and supporters. We're pleased to share that we're covering a portion of your ticket cost, allowing you to enjoy this special evening at a reduced price.

Scholarship in Medical Education

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

1. Scholarship in Medical Education Grant. Our new grant is now open for early bird applications. Watch our brief video to learn more.
2. Medical Education Research Assistant (MERA). We have a new research assistant. Watch our brief video about MERA.

Please join us in welcoming the following new DoM member:

• Dr. Stephen Joza, Assistant Professor, Division of Neurology

Organizational Charts

The Department of Medicine is the largest department at the University of Alberta. Under About Us, are some visual charts to help you navigate the department's organizational structure:

• Leadership Team
• Administrative Services
• Zone Clinical Department Team

DoM RESEARCH

Research News

DoM TRIF Awardees

Congratulations to our members who are recipients of this year's DoM Translational Research Implementation Fund (valued at $90,000 this year):

• Jonathan Windram - Division of Cardiology
  Detection of subclinical cardiovascular dysfunction in adults with congenital heart disease

• Toru Tateno - Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
  Elucidating cellular mechanisms underlying pituitary tumorigenesis and hormone production using pituitary tumor cell spheroid generated without chemicals/genetic modifications

• Kam (Ming) Chan – Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
  The Novel Role of Bone in Promoting Nerve Regeneration Following Injury

Research Data Storage Service (RDSS) - The RDSS provides a powerful data storage solution for U of A researchers (free 50 TB). This repository provides large volumes for long-term storage of research files, including videos, photos, documentation, and specialty file types. Request the RDSS.

Google Drive Breakdown - While Google Shared Drives do not contribute to individual quotas currently, data stored in Shared Drives does impact the overall quota that Google has given to the University of Alberta. To assess your research storage needs, please contact research.support@ualberta.ca or submit an IST service request.

Faculty Funding and Awards

1. The 2025 Royal Society of Canada nominations for Fellows and College Members are now open. Contact Research Awards Officer Priscila Magaldi Netto: Oct 18. Register for the nominations webinar on Oct 15.

2. NSERC: Discovery Grant: RAS: Oct 22; Sponsor: Nov 1

3. CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD) Early Career Researcher Partnership Prize: RAS: Oct 25; Sponsor: Nov 1

4. Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) - New Investigator Operating Grant: RAS: Oct 28; Sponsor: Nov 4

5. CIHR: Planning and Dissemination Grants – ICS: RAS Full Application: Nov 12; Sponsor: Nov 19

6. 2024 Kaye Competition: LOI: Nov 18. $1.04 million available.

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

1. DoM Research Events calendar (postings in green)

2. RAS Calendar

Trainee Funding and Awards

1. NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships – Doctoral. GPS Application Submission Deadline (via applicable CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC portal): Oct 3. 
   Value: $40,000 per year (3 years).
    

2. 2025 Canada Graduate Scholarships — Doctoral program. GPS Application Submission Deadline (via applicable CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC portal): Oct 3. Value: $40,000 per year (3 years).

3. NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships. Deadline: Oct 17. Value: $45,000 per year (2 years).

4. Graduate Student Engagement Scholarship (GSES). Deadline: Oct 17. 
   Value: $10,000 one-time payment.

5. 2025/26 AbSPORU Studentship competition is open. Deadline: Oct 23. Value: $30,000 (1 year).

6. Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) – Postdoctoral. Sponsor: Nov 4. Value $150,000 (2 years)

7. Canada Graduate Scholarships - Master's (CGS-M) Competition. Deadline to apply (via the Research Portal): Dec 1. Value: $27,000 (1 year). 

Members' Research Publications

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

DoM IN THE NEWS

Congratulations to Dr. Monty Ghosh (Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine) on receiving the 2024 Emerging Public Health Professional Award from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University.

• Dr. Monty Ghosh (Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine)
  • Opioid-related deaths in Alberta decline again in May, drop 55% from same time last year (The Globe and Mail)
  • Why are overdose deaths declining in Alberta? (The Big Story podcast)
• Dr. Ameeta Singh (Clinical Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases)
  • Clinicians Criticize Alberta's Proposed Sex Ed Policy Changes (Medscape)
• Dr. Stephanie Smith (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases)
  •  Doctors warn cases of new mpox strain likely inevitable in Alberta (CBC Calgary)
• Dr. Lynora Saxinger (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases)
  • How to protect yourself from late-summer sickness (CBC Edmonton)
  • Clinicians Criticize Alberta's Proposed Sex Ed Policy Changes (Medscape)
  • Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine is coming to Alberta, but Novavax shots are not (CBC Calgary)
• Dr. Janis Miyasaki (Professor, Division of Neurology)

  • CurePSP Announces Growth of Care Network for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Related Diseases (CurePSP)

DoM EQUITY, DIVERSITY
AND INCLUSION

Equity Quest

Incorporating equity and diversity principles into the search and selection process is imperative. A diverse workforce (students/residents/faculty) improves residency culture, teaches inclusion, fosters innovation, and optimizes patient outcomes.

Some residency programs at the University of Alberta have implemented EDI initiatives into their CaRMS selection process, but not all program directors know where to start. As such, Dr. Lindsay Bridgland and Dr. Tehseen Ladha have developed an educational video, Equity Quest, in collaboration with the University of Alberta's Learning Design Studio, to help raise awareness of unconscious bias and incorporate equity into the CaRMS search and selection process.

The video is educational and engaging with the hope that it will stimulate self-reflection and inspire further learning. This video may also be used for other search and selection committees within the FoMD.

Dr. Lindsay Bridgland, Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, DoM, and 
Dr. Tehseen Ladha, Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion PGME, FoMD

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

HAPPENINGS IN DoM

2024 Pulmonary Update approved for professional development credits!

This Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Alberta Chapter for up to 5.50 Mainpro+ credits.

This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and approved by the University of Calgary Office of Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development. You may claim a maximum of 5.5 hours.

Registration closes Wednesday, October 2!

Diabetes & Endocrine Update 2024 is approved for professional development credits!

This group learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for 7.00 Mainpro+ credits.

• Oct 4 - Is Diastolic Dysfunction an Important Target for Management in People with Early Stage Type 2 Diabetes? Dr. John Ussher, Dept. of Pharmacology
• Oct 11 - Talking your Language: Decoding Medical Terminology, Dr. Stephen Russell, McMaster University
• Oct 18 - Topic: regulatory landscape and ethical considerations for the clinical translation of stem cell therapies in Canada, Dr. Nevicia Case
• Oct 25 - Topic: AI to forewarn of changes in patient condition, Dr. Amol Verma
• Nov 1 - 100 Years Celebration

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

• GLA:D Back Pain Webinars: Oct 5, by Lifelong Learning
   
• Rheumatology Revealed: Updates on Common Diseases and Referral Tips for Family Physicians: 4-part webinar by Lifelong Learning
  • ​​​​​​​Oct 15 - Fibromyalgia I Dr. Mena Bishay
  • Oct 22 - The Joint Effort: OA management- Common Practices Versus Clinical Guidelines I Dr. Shafiq Akbar
  • Oct 29 - Navigating Polymyalgia Rheumatica: State of the art Insights and Referral Strategies for Optimal Patient Care I Dr. Dale Sholter
  • Nov 5 - Advancing Gout Care: Latest Updates in Diagnosis, Management, and Effective Referral Practices for Family Physicians I Dr. Andrea Johnson
• Minds that Matter: Gairdner Symposium: Oct 21, featuring Dr. Pieter Cullis (2022 Canada Gairdner International Award, UBC) and Dr. David Julius (2021 Nobel Prize Winner, University of California San Francisco). 

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA NEWS

• New web hub: University Community Care: Care and conversations during crises and across differences. Current affairs, crises and tragedies impact the university’s diverse communities and people—and the communities and people we care about—in many and very different ways. This new webpage will help navigate how we can support each other and our greater communities during difficult times.

• 2023-24 U of A Research and Innovation Annual Report. With stories and statistics from across the community — and focused within our six areas of global excellence and growth — this digital-first report is the first institution-wide report on research and innovation.

• The new University Services, Operations and Finance website has launched following the integration of the University Services and Finance and Facilities & Operations portfolios earlier this summer. An adjacent website, titled Campus Operations + Services has been developed to house task-oriented service information previously available on the Facilities & Operations website under the Services menu.

ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES NEWS

• Edmonton Zone e-News
• New neurology clinic opens at WestView Health Centre to help more patients living in rural areas get the care they need in their community.

• AHS staff and physicians are eligible to receive discounted rates with select businesses. For more details or to browse discounts please visit - Workforce Discounts | Insite (albertahealthservices.ca).

HELPFUL SUPPORT & TIPS

• Professional Expense Reimbursement for faculty members: Did you know that the rental of formal apparel is an eligible expense?
   
• The Options Navigation Network (ONN) is a group of University units that assist those who have experienced sexual and gender-based violence in exploring and understanding the options available to them through the University.
   
• Heroes for Health grants. Applications are now open for grants to help implement health and well-being initiatives that benefit the university community.
   

• Promote a safe and healthy workplace through the Simple Acts of Safety initiative. Creating a safe workplace across our university is a multi-faceted effort that includes taking simple actions to advance physical, psychological and cultural safety. The Simple Acts of Safety initiative works to physically insert these safety reminders into the university community through decals, providing quick access to online resources and tools to help you succeed. Support this initiative by ordering decals for your workspace and help promote a culture of care at the university.

• New medical/general illness leave process. The task of keying medical and all general illness leave requests in PeopleSoft has shifted from managers to Shared Services. This is applicable to NASA staff following 10 consecutive illness days. This change reduces the administrative steps required of managers and is part of a larger endeavor to improve how benefits and entitlements are managed when medical/general illness leave is taken.