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Department of Medicine
PULSE | MAY 2026
In this issue:
- Message from the Chair
- What You Need to Know
- Introduction of Biennial Faculty Review Process
- Disclosure Report for Conflicts of Interest and Commitment
- Learn more about Me2 Majumdar Research & QI Day, May 14
- Transitions in Medicine Session 3, June 3
- ACB: Creating Safe Spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ Persons
- DoM Research
- ID Research Day, May 28
- DoM Translational Research Implementation Fund
- DoM News
- Happenings in DoM
- Helpful Support and Tips
- FoMD News
- U of A News
- AHS and AMA News
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
We would love to hear your thoughts about Pulse!
What is working for you and what is NOT working?
Complete Pulse survey (5–10 minutes).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Introduction of Biennial Faculty Review Process
The University is implementing a biennial evaluation process for eligible academic and professional staff in accordance with the AASUA Collective Agreement ratified on October 31, 2025. This will apply to DoM Tenured Academic Faculty and DoM Continuing Faculty Service Officers (FSO).
Disclosure Report for Conflicts of Interest and Commitment
The University of Alberta requires all faculty members to complete the Disclosure Report for Conflicts of Interest and Commitment annually. The current reporting period covers July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
Keynote Speakers
- Dr. Philip Wells, Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine, Ottawa Hospital - General Campus; and Senior Scientist, Ottawa Health Research Institute
- Dr. Mayur Brahmania, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Hepatologist, Liver Unit, University of Calgary
7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Bernard Snell Hall, University of Alberta Hospital
All graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are required to attend and bring their ONEcard to check-in.
Learn about REDCap with CHS (exhibitor)
During program breaks, learn how the College of Health Sciences (CHS) can support your research with REDCap, a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and research databases.
Meet the Clinical Trials Office (exhibitor)
During program breaks, learn how the Clinical Trials Office (CTO) supports investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored trials at the University of Alberta. The CTO takes a quality-driven, risk-based approach to clinical trial oversight, streamlining processes, reducing guesswork, and helping researchers focus on what matters most: advancing health innovation.
If you supervise students, run grants, or hold active research ethics protocols, stepping away from your PI role requires more than just setting a retirement date. We’ll walk through the practical steps involved in transitioning supervision, transferring or closing grants, managing signing authority changes, and clarifying what can and cannot continue under emeritus or post-retirement arrangements.
Participants from earlier sessions have been enthusiastic about the Transitions in Medicine series. If you haven’t attended yet, you don't want to miss out!
DoM ACCESS, COMMUNITY
AND BELONGING
Creating Safe Spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ Persons
Supporting 2SLGBTQ+ individuals begins with intentionally creating environments where people feel safe, respected, and valued. Safe spaces promote well-being, authenticity, and self-actualization. Thoughtful visual cues, such as Pride symbols or inclusive signage, and access to gender-neutral washrooms signal a commitment to safety and belonging. Use of inclusive language is equally important: consider introducing yourself with your pronouns and using gender-neutral terms like “partner” to normalize diversity in everyday interactions. When mistakes happen, briefly apologize and move forward with a willingness to learn. This can help foster trust and respect.
Building authentic connections can also strengthen inclusivity. When appropriate, sharing supportive personal experiences or connections to the 2SLGBTQ+ community can help individuals feel seen and understood, whilst recognizing that not everyone is comfortable disclosing their identity or sexual orientation. Creating a culture of inclusion also requires active allyship. Speaking up against discrimination or harassment reinforces shared values and encourages others to do the same.
Ultimately, supporting 2SLGBTQ+ communities is about cultivating a positive, affirming environment where diversity is embraced. Through small but meaningful actions—both individually and collectively—we can promote well-being, authenticity, and a stronger sense of belonging for everyone.
For more information, please see:
- Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Gender Expression (SOGIE) Safer Places Toolkit (Alberta Health Services)
- 7 Ways to Promote Positive Spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ Communities (McMaster University)
Read other ACB definitions and topics on the DoM ACB site.
DoM RESEARCH
Research News
Join the Division of Infectious Diseases for their Annual Research Day in conjunction with the Dr. Geoffrey Taylor Lectureship.
CIHR Update: Tri-Agency CV Transition. CIHR has confirmed that the new narrative-style Tri-Agency CV will not be required for the Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 Project Grant competitions.
IST has launched the Sensitive Data Research Environment (SDRE), a secure, high-performance computing platform for researchers handling sensitive or confidential data. SDRE features AI-optimized NVIDIA GPUs and ensures alignment with UAPPOL and government security guidelines while supporting secure collaboration. Register for Tours.
- Changes to Co-Investigator Roles in Peoplesoft. During the proposal phase, teams will select roles based on their level of contribution. This ensures fair sharing of revenue and data across Faculties. Researchers must choose appropriate roles (NPA, CPA, CA, Collaborator) based on responsibility and impact. These updates will improve collaboration tracking, ensure fair revenue distribution, and replace the generic “Co-PI” label with more accurate role definitions.
- Looking for support with clinical research projects? Learn more about available resources including AbSPORU, EPICORE, and the AI Hub.
Faculty Funding and Awards
Deadline: August 2
The TRIF supports research aimed at generating preliminary or pilot data for future grant applications, particularly to Tri-Agency programs (e.g., CIHR). Eligible projects typically align with CIHR priorities and include translational research (e.g., animal models or patient-derived tissues/cells), clinical research, and quality improvement initiatives. Up to one $30,000 award and up to two $20,000 awards available.
- WCHRI: Innovation Grant Program | RAS: May 8. This grant supports projects or pilot studies that generate data for future provincial or national funding for women and children’s health research. Sponsor: May 15.
- J Alan Gilbert Chair Grants in Health Professions Education | May 15. For more information, contact mailto:fomdvde@ualberta.ca.
- 2026 U of A Internal Honours & Prizes | starting May 29 to Dec 4. Eight different awards are available, including Killam prizes.
- DoM Internal Review of CIHR Fall 2026 Applications | NOI: June 1
- AI + Health Hub 2026 Seed Grant Competition | June 1. Funded by the Henry Gusse Family Foundation, this competition will support two projects ($50,000) that foster research collaboration, improve health equity and access to care through the use of AI and machine learning technologies.
NSERC: Discovery Grants | NOI: Aug. 4. The Discovery Grants support development and sustainability of diverse, high-quality research in natural sciences and engineering (NSE) at Canadian universities, fosters research excellence and strengthens the research training environment.
Trainee + Postdoctoral Scholars
Funding and Awards
AbSPORU Graduate Studentship in Patient-Oriented Research | May 27. This studentship provides opportunities for individuals enrolled in any year of a thesis-based Master’s or PhD program to undertake research that both meaningfully engages patients and addresses their priorities.
- GPS Graduate Travel Awards are now available. Awards are granted on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible graduate students as long as funds remain available. Applications will open for travel with departure dates from April 1 to June 30, 2026.
- 2026 FoMD Undergraduate Summer Students' Research Projects Database is open for posting your summer research positions for two, three or four months between May to August.
Application Deadline: April 30
The Division of Neurology is accepting applications for the Roozen Family Neurology Fellowship positions, to start in July 2027. The max. value is $100,000 per year for up to two years.
Application Deadline: May 8
The Dr. Jutta Preiksaitis Publication Award for Infections in Immunocompromised Hosts will award $1,000 to the top FoMD trainee (undergraduate, graduate, or medical student, resident, transplant ID clinical or postdoctoral fellow) with published papers in the field of Infections in Immunocompromised Hosts.
Application Deadline: May 8
The Dr. Barbara Romanowski Research Award for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) provides up to two awards of $1,000 to the top FoMD trainee student (undergraduate/graduate/medical student), resident or fellow (clinical or postdoctoral), who published papers in the field of STI.
Application Deadline: June 11
The Department of Medicine Graduate Program is accepting applications for the Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship. This year, the department is pleased to offer one award of $25,000 to an outstanding prospective PhD student.
For more Funding and Award Opportunities, see:
DoM NEWS
- Dr. Gopinath Sutendra (associate professor, Division of Cardiology and co-associate chair of DoM Research) and team have developed a cardio-oncology drug that protects the heart from chemotherapy damage (Folio)
- Dr. Evangelos Michelakis (professor, Division of Cardiology) and team find a genetic variant that can help identify patients in need of urgent CV care (Folio)
- Research by Dr. Liam McCoy (resident, Division of Neurology) and team suggest that physicians team up with AI diagnostic tools (Folio)
- Dr. Sofia Ahmed (professor, Division of Nephrology)
- Women's Health Equity (Ryan Jesperson, starts @ 44:20 timestamp)
- Women's Health Equity (Ryan Jesperson, starts @ 44:20 timestamp)
- Dr. Mohit Bhutani (professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine)
- Severe Asthma: It’s Time to Act for Patients — and Health Systems (Politico)
- Severe Asthma: It’s Time to Act for Patients — and Health Systems (Politico)
- Dr. Monty Ghosh (assistant professor, Division of General Internal Medicine)
- Why Calgary's Supervised Consumption Site is closing (CBC Radio, This is Calgary @ 8:30 timestamp)
- Alberta health experts warn of tranquilizer in drug supply that does not respond to naloxone (DATAC)
- Dr. Ross Mitchell (professor, Division of General Internal Medicine)
- AIberta AI researchers and physicians create innovative tech to help healthcare professionals (Global)
- AIberta AI researchers and physicians create innovative tech to help healthcare professionals (Global)
- Dr. Vivian Mushahwar (professor, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation)
- Tailored to Move (Edify)
- Tailored to Move (Edify)
- Dr. Peter Senior (professor, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and General Internal Medicine)
- Alberta making tubeless insulin pump available on 5-year cycle (Lethbridge News)
HAPPENINGS IN DoM
Do you know all 14 Division Directors?
Our division directors provide leadership for their specialty division’s academic mission, including faculty recruitment, research, education, and strategic planning.
Classroom D - 2F1.04 WMC, University Hospital
Join us in person for coffee and good conversation, or click on links below to register on Zoom.
- May 8 - Percy Russell Lectureship - Obesity and Psoriatic Disease: A causal link? Dr. Lihi Eder, Canada research chair in Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases (Tier 2), University of Toronto
- May 15 - Research Grand Rounds - Dr. Philip Wells, professor and chair, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa; chief, Department of Medicine, Ottawa Hospital - General Campus; senior scientist, Ottawa Health Research Institute
- May 22 - Artificial Intelligence - Separating Hype from Reality.
Dr. Muhammad Mamdani, clinical lead, Artificial Intelligence, Ontario Health, and Director, Temerty Faculty of Medicine Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM), U of Toronto - May 29 - Henry Pabst Lectureship - Idiopathic Infections as Insights into Human Immunity. Dr. Don Vinh, associate professor, McGill University Health Centre
- June 5 - Research Grand Rounds. Dr. Arnav Agarwal, assistant professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, DoM, U of A
In case you missed it:
See more previous recordings on the MGR Library web page.
Want to see more events?
You can see more upcoming events by visiting:
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HELPFUL SUPPORT and TIPS
- Burnout to Boundaries: The Key to Life-Work Harmony | Jun. 18. In this course, you will create or update boundaries that can flex but not break when they are faced with demands, challenges and changing circumstances.
- Recognize. Rest. Reset. | Jun. 24. This course provides an opportunity to discover and uncover your personal values and life purpose. It integrates self-compassion, awareness of the types of rest and the reset of life-work balance.
- Writing tip: minimize capitalization wherever possible, especially in articles, because it impedes readability. For instance, put the name before the title to avoid front-loading, especially for long titles: John Doe, dean of medicine and dentistry OR Jane Doe, dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (proper noun). See more at U of A editorial style guide.
FACULTY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY
- 2026 Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research Lecture | May 5 @ 1 p.m. This year’s laureate, Dr. Brenda Andrews is an internationally renowned geneticist whose work in functional genomics and genetic networks has significantly advanced our understanding of cellular function.
- FoMD Faculty Development Workshops
Practicing Difficult Conversations | May 7 @ 9 a.m., online
Time Management Workshop | May 11 @ 9 a.m., online
AI Chatbots in Clinical Medicine | May 27 @ 2 p.m. - online
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA NEWS
- U of A and Tohoku University forge an agreement that will expand international research and learning opportunities in AI, renewable energy, robotics, nanotechnology, and more. The agreement also expands opportunities for graduate students and early-career researchers to gain international experience.
AHS and AMA NEWS
Start Solving the Deep Problems: Using the Cynefin Framework to lead within healthcare complexity | May 20. Speaker Dr. Charlie Chen and Avery Acheson. Hosted by the AHS Provincial Medical Leadership Educational Series.
Free AMA webinar that support PPIP requirements. The Alberta Medical Association Accelerating Change Transformation Team (AMA-ACTT) is offering free, interactive webinars to help physicians meet the Physician Practice Improvement Program (PPIP) requirements by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta.
