Chair's Blog

February is Black History month. Recognizing Black history is essential for fostering a more comprehensive understanding of Canada's past and present. It challenges historical oversights and promotes inclusivity, encouraging a shared acknowledgment of the diverse narratives that shape our wonderful nation. Moreover, by highlighting the achievements and resilience of Black Canadians, it inspires collective efforts towards a more equitable and just society.

Embracing and celebrating Black history ensures that the rich tapestry of Canada's multicultural identity is woven with threads of awareness, respect, and unity. CBC news is featuring a four-part, 5 min series (Legacy Echoes: Passing Down Our Roots) that focuses on different aspects of Black culture, along with other content.

How do you recognize Black History Month?

Last year, at this time I was fortunate to be introduced to “Feed the Soul” Dining Week – created to showcase Edmonton’s diverse Black-owned food scene. I love spicy food, and this week not only feeds my soul, but sates my craving for flavourful, tasty dishes which I actually enjoy year-round!

Dr. Narmin Kassam, Professor and Chair
Department of Medicine

In Memoriam: Dr. Richard W. Sherbaniuk

Please join us in welcoming the following new faculty members:

During cold snaps, please secure your offices and belongings. More individuals seek shelter as the temperature drops. Please be mindful of our community guests and kindly direct them to helpful resources, such as the Community Assistance Team of U of A Protective Services (780-492-5050).

Recipients of CIHR Project Grant Fall 2023 Competition 

Congratulations to the following DoM faculty members who were successful in the CIHR Project Grant Fall 2023 competition:

• Dr. Satyabrata Kar (Neurology)
  Native PLGA nanoparticles attenuate aggregation, phosphorylation and internalization of Tau protein: potential implication in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
   
• Dr. Jason Plemel (Neurology)
  Aging impairs microglial phagocytosis and stalls remyelination
   
• Dr. Carrie Ye (Rheumatology)
  Gaining Insights Into Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Associated Inflammatory Arthritis Using Administrative Data (bridge funding)
   
• Branko Braam (Nephrology) co-PI with Dr. Caroline Richard (ALES)
  An investigation of potassium sources on bioavailability and homeostasis for adults living with advanced kidney disease

New Research Project

Title: Evaluating a role for polysialic acid as a diagnostic prognostic and therapeutic target in systemic sclerosis.

A team led by Dr. Mo Osman (Division of Rheumatology) and Dr. Lisa Willis (Faculty of Sciences) received a grant from the National Scleroderma Foundation to determine the importance of the sugar modification, polysialic acid, in scleroderma – a life threatening inflammatory disease with no effective treatments. Their team aims to determine how this sugar modification promotes scarring in the skin and the lungs of patients with scleroderma. They also aim to develop a simple blood test that can better predict disease poor outcomes in patients with this lethal disease. Together, their study may lead to developing novel insights and treatment approaches for patients with scleroderma and possibly other inflammatory diseases. This new grant enables the team to continue their research highlighted in Folio.

Research Funding and Grants Deadlines

1. CIHR Project Grant Spring 2024 Competition (Registration by Feb 7)
   • CIHR webinar on the requirements of the Project Grant Spring 2024. (Thurs, Feb 8 @ 11 a.m. MT) - Join English Session OR French Session
   • RPNet and RAS webinar on submitting your CIHR Project Grant for internal administrative review (virtual). (Fri, Feb 9 @ noon) - Register here
2. NEW: CIHR Operating Grant: National Women’s Health Research Initiative: Innovation Fund (Feb 13)
    
3. CIHR Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) Network Catalyst Grant (Feb 15)
    
4. Call for Nominations: National Research Prizes (Feb 28). Prizes of $50,000
   • Dr. Chew Wei Memorial Prize in Cancer Research
   • Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize
   • Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize

Trainee Awards

1. 2024 NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (DoM deadline, Feb 14)
    
2. 2024 CIHR Undergraduate Student Research Awards for Black students 
   (DoM deadline, Feb 14)
    
3. American Osler Society William B. Bean Student Research Award (Mar 1)
    
4. 2024 Alberta Innovates Postdoctoral Fellowships (AI PDF) Program (Mar 20). 
   The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is pleased to announce the first competition round of the Recruitment Fellowships stream, in health-related priorities.

Many more grants and sources of funding opportunities are listed on the Research News and Funding web page.  

Members' Research Publications

DoM publications related to February's Heart Month:

• Sivakumaran, Soori & Kimber Shane (co-authors), January 2024
  Long-Term Outcomes of Resynchronization-Defibrillation for Heart Failure
  NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE IF: 158.5 Randomized Controlled Trial DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2304542
   

• Oudit, Gavin (co-author), January 2024 
  Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation is the major source of cardiac ATP production in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
  CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH IF: 10.9 Journal Article DOI 10.1093/cvr/cvae006

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

• Are you experiencing job burnout? Dr. Quentin Durand-Moreau (Assistant Professor, Division of Preventive Medicine) says excessive work hours (> 55 hrs/wk) are the number one killer when it comes to occupational health. (Folio)
   
• For many drug users, feeling part of a community is a crucial part of getting out of the cycle of addiction. Getting rid of supervised consumption sites will have disastrous effects on communities, says Dr. Monty Ghosh (Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine). (Global News)
   
• Is the blood glucose tracking wearable technology worthwhile? Dr. Peter Senior (Professor, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism and General Internal Medicine) says they can be life-saving for a person with diabetes or even pre-diabetes. But the benefits may be questionable for healthy individuals. (QR Code Press)
   
• Dr. Lynora Saxinger (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases) commented in the media articles below:
  • No, vaccines did not kill 17 million people | COVID-19: everything about the pandemic (The Times HUB)
  • Latest COVID-19 variant wrestles its way to the top in Alberta (CBC)
  • How this year's flu season is different than the past (CBC)
  • Canadians are seeking alternative medical treatment for Lyme disease in Mexico (The Gateway)
  • Drug companies must update evidence for paxlovid (ASBMB Today)
• Dr. Stephanie Smith (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases) commented in the media articles below:
  • Respiratory viruses in Alberta are surging, U of A infectious disease specialist says (The Gateway)
  • Alberta health experts urge caution as Canada sees record number of invasive Strep A infections (CTV)

Long live the chief lead.

You may wonder why the term "chief resident" has now been changed to "lead resident" at the University of Alberta, as well as at several other institutions across Canada.  The term "chief" carries colonial connotations that cannot be overlooked. Historically, colonial powers imposed this term in a reductive or dismissive manner, simplifying complex Indigenous leadership structures into a framework that discounted other leaders in a tribe/community, especially women.  The term "chief" was implemented to identify the person in charge and discounted other traditional leadership roles such as council, elders, traditional healers, and spiritual leaders.  This not only misrepresented the leaders' actual status and role(s), but imposed a foreign hierarchical structure onto Indigenous communities.

In a medical context, the title "chief" (resident/site, etc.) may inadvertently perpetuate these hierarchical and colonial underpinnings, potentially alienating groups with a history of colonial subjugation. At times, it has been used to "other" Indigenous colleagues.  Though professionally established, the term can evoke negative connotations, undermining the principles of equality and respect that are crucial in healthcare. As such, re-evaluating and adapting our professional language to be more inclusive and culturally sensitive is a step towards healing historical wounds and fostering an environment of mutual respect and understanding. It’s a recognition of the power of language to either perpetuate or dismantle historical inequities.  

Dr. Lindsay Bridgland, Director of EDI Working Group, DoM

Join us in commemorating a century of achievements!

In 2024, the Department of Medicine marks its 100th anniversary, a milestone reflecting the remarkable evolution in both medicine and our department.

We want to hear from you!  Please email your ideas, stories, accomplishments, pictures, and recommendations of DoM members (past and present) whom we should highlight.

Congratulations to the Medical Residents!

Winners of the 2024 DoM Medical Jeopardy

Thank you to everyone who took part on February 2nd. We extend our gratitude to
Dr. Matthew Church and Dr. Tim Chan, the organizers of the game, for hosting an engaging and informative competition.

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

• Dossetor Centre Health Ethics Seminar – Moral Distress in Healthcare (Feb 8). Learn about moral distress, common causes and symptoms, understand some strategies and practices to mitigate moral distress and learn about the interventions and supports from AHS.

• Upcoming Faculty Development Workshops - visit the FoMD calendar.

• Amazon Web Services and U of A team up to make the power of AI more accessible. Bringing clinical trials to people in rural and remote areas is a movement happening around the world but is uniquely relevant to the province’s geography.

• U of A launches a new action plan to support student success. The three-year strategy aims to ensure all students have opportunities for connection, exploration and challenge that will set them up for success at the university and beyond.

• Google storage at the university. Google will discontinue unlimited storage for higher education. This includes Gmail, Google Drive, and Photos. As of May 15, students = 10 GB storage. As of Jan 31, 2025, staff = 15 GB and academic = 30 GB storage.

• From the President's Desk: Black History Month. The U of A is creating space to recognize, listen to and learn from the many Black scholars, students, alumni and educators that enrich the U of A community.

• 2024 Annual Information Verification Attestation (AIVA). On Jan. 22, you will have received an initial notification for your 2024 AIVA, which is due Feb. 17. 
  
  The AIVAs have a new look this year. The Service Now platform has been upgraded. You can navigate pages rather than tabs and will be prompted to confirm you have reviewed a page before moving to the next. Progress is saved, so if you are pulled away, you can return to your AIVA and complete it within the same day. You will also receive a PDF copy of your completed AIVA via email. The AIVA should take an average of five minutes to complete.
   

• Update your Apple device to the latest operating system. Due to a security vulnerability, please update to the latest operating system ASAP if you use an Apple iPhone, iPad or Mac computer (AHS-provided or your own).

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

Support Resources: 

• Heroes for Health Grant (Feb 9). Turn your idea into action. Apply for the Heroes for Health Grant and get up to $5,000 to fund your wellness initiatives to make your workplace a healthier place.

• Submit your 2023 benefit claims BEFORE Mar 31. All 2023 health, dental and vision benefit claims must be received in Sun Life’s office by March 31.

• Transit safety - know who to call. Text or call 780-442-4900 for transit safety and security concerns or use the blue emergency phones located in City of Edmonton LRT stations and major bus terminals. If it is an emergency, call 911.

• How to Prepare Emotionally and Financially for Retirement (Mar 26-28). Retirement is a significant milestone and one filled with many transitions. Update your plan (or start one).