MB Medicine - Issue 15 Winter 2015

ISSUE 15 | WINTER 2015

Magazine of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Medicine Alumni and Friends

DEAN’S EDITION

Community Engagement

Dr. Brian Postl (left) at the 2014 Habitat build.

DEAN’S MESSAGE

In the University of Manitoba’s Taking Our Place Strategic Plan (2015–2020), one of the key pillars is Community Engagement. The University’s mission of service to community has evolved to reflect the reality that we now engage and partner with communities in a collaborative way locally, provincially and globally.

In the College of Medicine, community engagement and social accountability are inextricably linked. This means directing education, service and research to priority health concerns and engaging with community and stakeholders in identifying what these priorities are.

The College of Medicine champions engagement with Indigenous communities in many different ways, led by Faculty of Health Sciences Vice-Dean, Indigenous Health Cathy Cook [MD/87]: clinical service (J.A. Hildes Northern Medical Unit), research (Manitoba First Nations Centre for Aboriginal Health Research) and education (Centre for Aboriginal Health Education, new UGME longitudinal Indigenous health curriculum) and through the community outreach project manager, Karen Cook, who you will read about in the coming pages.

The section on First Nations, Métis & Inuit Health recently produced a framework for conducting research with Indigenous populations. This summer, we launched a FHS Truth & Reconciliation Commission action planning workgroup to address the following themes: Closing the Gaps in Admissions; Traditional Healing; Retention and Student Supports; Creating Safe Learning Environments and Professionalism and Education Across the Spectrum. Workgroup members are currently identifying priority short and long-term actions; ensuring respect to Indigenous self-determination and leadership; setting specific targets and goals; and identifying advocacy issues.

In the general community, we have worked with community agencies developing educational experiences for medical students (Winnipeg Harvest, Siloam Mission, Pathways to Education), implemented the Alan Klass Memorial Health Equity Program to ensure health equity is understood and addressed, and supported students in their endeavours (Jacob Penner Park drop-in program, Rich Man Poor Man dinner.)

We are also striving, on many fronts, to break down barriers between the university and our community by taking incoming FHS students on community bus tours, hosting the Winnipeg School Division Science Fair, partnering with the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame on Discovery Days; and welcoming the national First Nations Science Camp (twice in the last three years.)

Over a year ago, during National Aboriginal Day (which we host in partnership with the Winnipeg Health Region and others), we opened the Medicine Wheel Garden of Indigenous Learning. It is a welcoming space for students, staff and community. Throughout the year, an Elder will host teaching circles on traditional medicines and knowledge in this space.

The Winnipeg Interprofessional Student-Run Health (WISH) Clinic at Mount Carmel Clinic has been ongoing throughout the past decade. Its mandate is to address the health and social needs of the inner-city community we serve while facilitating an interprofessional learning environment for students.

The College of Medicine was the first—and we believe only—medical school in Canada to partner with Habitat for Humanity. We are planning another build next spring to engage our students and the entire Faculty of Health Sciences with the community in a tangible way.

Lastly, the Biomedical Youth Program (BYP) was created to increase diversity in our medical school and improve “science literacy” among under-represented populations. Since 2006, over 3,000 students have participated in Biomedical Youth camp, the Inner-City Science Centre, after school Science Buddies clubs and science fair mentors.

We see BYP and revised admissions criteria as essential long-term strategies to increase enrollment of Aboriginal, inner-city and disadvantaged youth in the science and health professions. Last spring, the U of M senate approved changes to our admissions guidelines that will help to attract medical students reflective of Manitoba’s diversity in ethnicity, socio-economic and socio- cultural conditions and sexual orientation. With these new guidelines in place, the U of M will become only the second medical school in North America to consider low socioeconomic status among its admissions criteria.

The key to ensure our community engagement efforts have an impact is to invite our neighbors in; partner with nearby schools and agencies; facilitate student volunteer/service learning activities; conduct research in a collaborative way; and continue to look for more opportunities to work with community members and support their aspirations.

Brian Postl [MD/76], Dean of Medicine;

Dean & Vice-Provost (Health Sciences), University of Manitoba KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH FACULTY NEWS. FOLLOW MY BLOG AT:

BLOGS.CC.UMANITOBA.CA/POSTLNOTES/ 1

ISSUE 15 | WINTER 2015

EDITOR’S MESSAGE PHOTO: ANDREW SIKORSKY

Welcome to the winter edition of MB Medicine. As you read through this issue, you will no doubt be inspired by our outstanding alumni. They are local and global trailblazers starting with our most recent graduates to our worldclass researchers and teachers who are mentoring the next generation of health and scientific leaders.

In the eight years I have worked at the University of Manitoba, I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to engage with many different communities from the Siloam Mission “family” to Habitat for Humanity partner families.

Among the many memorable conversations I have had, the stand-out ones are those with kids attending our outreach programs including Biomedical Youth Program (BYP) day camp, CanU Reach, First Nations Science Camp or Discovery Day. Every participant I met had a curious mind. They were excited about being on a university campus and “using tools the professionals use” such as responding to a code-blue in the simulation lab or extracting DNA from a strawberry for analysis under a microscope .

When asked about future career paths, it’s not uncommon for students to express an interest in medicine, research or other health professions. Jade Mayham, a Grade 12 student from Chief Sam Cooke (Split Lake, MB), travelled by plane to attend the First Nations Science Camp. “Before I came, I didn’t think I wanted to go into dentistry. After the hands on stuff and learning more about it, I became more interested in a health career,” she told me.

When I asked Debbie Ayanwale, a Grade 7 student participating in the BYP summer camp to weigh-in on why it’s important for a university to open its doors to youth, she said, “Universities should host camps like this to help kids and inspire them to do what they want to do. And maybe they’ll go into science or check out what scientists do and see if they want to be any of the types of doctors there are.”

They may change their mind along the way, but if at the very least we have them thinking about a career in health or believing they are capable of doing lab research and helping patients, then we have achieved success.

Another stand-out moment this year was when I participated in a pipe ceremony for the first time. The university was celebrating National Aboriginal Day. At the Bannatyne Campus some of the events were held in the new Medicine Wheel Garden for Indigenous Learning, where a teepee was set up for the ceremony.

Elder Roger Armitte began by talking about what the pipe ceremony represents. He then recited prayers for his family, his community, the earth and all peoples. It was a powerful yet peaceful ceremony that gave me insight, and understanding, into Indigenous culture and spirituality.

This sentiment was brought up again just this past month when the Manitoba First Nations Centre for Aboriginal Health Research (MFN CAHR) launched an exhibit that has much to teach all of us. “Honouring the Voices: 40 Years of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Indigenous Health Research in Manitoba” is based on more than 50 interviews with people who have worked closely with Indigenous communities over the past four decades.

The oral histories were collected by MFN CAHR, in partnership with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Manitoba Métis Federation and Manitoba Inuit Association, to develop an intriguing collection of displays and create an interactive website (umanitoba.ca/honouringthevoices).

While initial relationships varied in their degree of collaboration, today’s partnerships in research reflect a respect for self-determination and Indigenous knowledge. This is a key focus in the College of Medicine for all of our collaborations and community engagement activities with Indigenous communities.

Ilana Simon ilana.simon@umanitoba.ca

IN THIS ISSUE:

9 D IGGING DEEP

Doug Maguire [MD/82] volunteers in Nepal

13 S LAM DUNK

Basketball program connects with community

14 C AN U REACH

FHS students stoke youth potential

5 CAPITALIZING ON RESILIENCY 11 WHAT A RIDE: MEET ALUM DAVID MCEWAN [MD/72] 15 BRINGING HISTORY TO [DIGITAL] LIFE Community Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Sowing Seeds: BYP Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 ‘It’s OK to be who you are.’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Wave of the Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Donor Relations Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Medicine Donor Honour Roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Faculty Awards & Honours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Check up on Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 EDITOR: Ilana Simon Director of Communications & Marketing Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Medicine University of Manitoba Tel: 204-789-3427 E-Mail: ilana.simon@umanitoba.ca CONTRIBUTORS: Annette Elvers, Melni Ghattora, Garrick Kozier, Douglas Maguire [MD/82], Brian Postl [MD/76], Ilana Simon, Marshall Wiebe PHOTOGRAPHY: Katie Chalmers-Brooks, Dan Gwozdz, Garrick Kozier, Mike Latschislaw, Andrew Sikorsky, Marshall Wiebe Design: Guppy Graphic Design Cover Photo: Katie Chalmers-Brooks Printing: Prolific Group

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By Garrick Kozier

Karen Cook (centre) engaging with community.

What do we mean when we talk about community engagement?

“It’s all about relationships, relationships, relationships” says Sharon Macdonald [MD/72, B.Sc. (Med.)/72], director, community engagement, department of Community Health Sciences (CHS). “For doctors to be effective healers, they need to understand the context in which people live has an impact on their health and on their understanding of disease and their treatment choices. They need to understand that relationships are reciprocal and that patients are their educators. They can and should be our teachers.”

Karen Cook, Project Manager, Community Engagement, CHS echoes that sentiment. Cook is a match-maker of sorts. She plays a role in connecting Faculty of Health Sciences’ students with the community and vice-versa. The goal is to create experiences and relationships that have a positive and long-lasting impact for everyone involved.

“Our goal is to direct service activities to specific populations and communities that students will have a mandate to serve once they become healthcare professionals,” adds Cook. “It helps connect what they’re learning in the classroom to realistic scenarios and real people.”

CHS partners with approximately 15 community-based organizations, working to identify their needs.

One example is the partnership CHS has fostered with Pathways to Education, an organization that helps youth and young adults in low- income communities stay in school and graduate to post-secondary.

“Some of the youth or young adults don’t have parents or older people in their lives who have finished high school or who have gone on to post-secondary education,” says Cook.

To help bridge that gap, CHS and Pathways to Education developed a series of mentorship evenings. The open forum format provides a safe, unintimidating venue for Pathways students to interact with Health Sciences’ learners and ask questions about their lives and experiences.

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COLLEGE NEWS

“A lot of the kids said they’ve never spoken to a university student before,” adds Cook. “They learn that there are university students, and even medical students, who aren’t that different from them, who’ve also gone through struggles. It helps them relate and connect.”

The Faculty of Health Sciences considers all of Manitoba part of its community. One way we demonstrate that is through the Biomedical Youth Program (BYP). The program sees Grade 6–12 students from under-represented populations spend a week during the summer at Biomedical Youth Camp (on Bannatyne Campus) to learn about science and potential careers in research and/or the health sciences professions.

In 2014, BYP was expanded to Moose Lake, Man., a remote community 80 miles southeast of The Pas, operating out of a high school on the lands of the Mosakahiken Cree Nation.

This partnership is reciprocity in action. Health Sciences’ students gain the experiences and knowledge necessary to develop into well-rounded healthcare professionals; the youth, conversely, are exposed to a world involving science and research and the potential it offers.

Cook thinks the experience pays the bigger dividends to the Health Sciences’ learners.

“Some of the students we bring up there haven’t been farther than Victoria Beach or Brandon,” says Cook. “After the first year we went up there, one of the med students pulled me aside and said ‘more med students need to come up here’. They also see how big Manitoba is and how remote these areas are. That’s going to be important once they become healthcare professionals…and see patients from all over Manitoba.”

For Macdonald, the concept of community engagement rouses some important questions.

“What can we do to connect university resources to community resources? How can we open doors so youth can attend programs here and be mentored by FHS students?” asks Macdonald. “We can welcome the community in by supporting activities of nearby schools; by collaborating and looking for opportunities to work in the community and supporting their aspirations.”

PHOTO: DANIEL GWOZDZ

BRIDGING THE GAP, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Biomedical Youth Program inspires path to U of M

By Melni Ghattora

One of the first kids to take part in a U of M outreach program in Winnipeg’s inner city takes his first steps on campus as a university student.

Peter-John Homeniuk sits at the corner table of a coffee shop in University Centre, his backpack at his feet. The soundtrack of campus life buzzes around him, but it’s muted by earbuds playing a Metalcore track.

The University 1 student might look like an ordinary teenager. But to those who know him, he is “extraordinary.”

Francis Amara, the founder of the College of Medicine’s science outreach program for kids in Winnipeg’s inner city, is one of Homeniuk’s most vocal supporters. “I remember when I first met PJ: he was a bright and curious kid,” says Amara, a professor of biochemistry and medical genetics in the College of Medicine. “He really took an interest in the activities and I could see even then he was an extraordinary kid.”

The unassuming 18-year-old is soft-spoken and polite. He describes himself as an introvert but once you get him chatting he’s an open book. Homeniuk lights up when he shares his dream of one day pursuing a medical degree. “Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor and help people,” he says.

His introduction to the University of Manitoba came early on—in sixth grade—when he joined Amara’s afterschool program, Science Buddies.

Amara’s vision was to work closely with the inner-city community and its disadvantaged youth, with the hope of engaging them in science at young age. He would pack his lab, made up of coolers and containers, into his minivan and head over to Niji Mahkwa School to meet 30 or so students to talk about science for half an hour. This initiative grew into what is now the Biomedical Youth Program, run out of the Faculty of Health Sciences. Its summer science camp invites participants into Bannatyne campus labs to do hands-on activities; last year, 120 kids took part.

In the past eight years Amara has stayed close by, just a phone call or email away, and watched Homeniuk face—and overcome—some of life’s toughest challenges.

He’s the eldest of two; his younger sister is nine and they both live with their mom Tammy, a single parent. Homeniuk’s mother has been in a wheelchair for as long as he can remember. She has Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare inherited

PHOTO: KATIE CHALMERS-BROOKS

SOWING SEEDS:

neuromuscular disease that mainly affects the nervous system and the heart.

“They said my mom was supposed to die when she had my sister—that’s why my sister was named Faith. I’ve always known eventually the disease will kill her and that’s always made me think, ‘What will happen to my sister?’”

Growing up in the North End, Homeniuk would see gangs, drugs and alcohol abuse. He says getting caught up in the bad influences around him was not an option. “Some days I’m like, ‘Man I could be out doing this, and I could be a bad kid and kind of have that freedom’…. But then I think, ‘Well that won’t get me anywhere in life.’ I want to do more so I can support my family.”

Day-to-day life can be trying at times, Homeniuk admits. He wakes up early to catch a bus to university, using the hour-long ride to read course notes. He attends classes and squeezes in study time between lectures. Then at the end of the day he heads home to carry out household chores and prepare dinner for his mom and sister.

Despite his hurdles, Homeniuk keeps a positive outlook and finds healthy and creative ways to have fun. “I like to play hockey so I try and go to the rink whenever I can. I play guitar, drums and piano; playing helps relieve the stress of homework and school,” says the self-taught musician.

He played hockey for six years and wants to be a sports medicine physician with the NHL. “I always wanted to play professional hockey but I couldn’t do that because of money issues so I thought, ‘What would be the next best thing?’” Homeniuk wants success for himself and also doesn’t want to disappoint the people in his life who have helped him on his journey. He has a big group of supporters in his corner. He counts his mom, Amara and his best friend among them. “My mom because she raised me and really wants me to do well. Francis because he’s put so much time and effort into me, making sure I stay on track. My best friend because we’re always pushing each other to do better in life. That’s why he’s working to become a chef and why I’m doing this,” he says.

Homeniuk recognizes the meaningful impact of a mentor. He too wants to help mentor kids just like him. Amara’s guidance has spanned almost a decade. “Francis always messages or emails to make sure I’m studying and doing well in school,” Homeniuk says. “He watches out for me and considers me like a son. The fact that I know I have that mentor, father figure—it helps me out.”

COLLEGE NEWS

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For Jon McGavock, the connection between exercise and lifelong well-being is a personal one and a source of his passion for diabetes and obesity research.

McGavock, Associate Professor in the department of pediatrics and child health, University of Manitoba and CIHR Applied Research Chair in Resilience and Obesity, is a long distance runner competed in his first marathon this year in Ottawa. The 40-year-old began running when he was 10, eventually running for Sisler High School and later becoming a member of the University of Alberta cross-country team.

According to McGavock, running not only informs his research, it is also a key to his own personal mental health.

“Juggling all of these different projects can be stressful at times, but going out for a run is the best way to deal with a lot of the issues that come up,” he says. “I don’t worry about what the run is going to do for my body. I think of how it’s going to make me feel mentally.”

McGavock, also a research scientist at Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, traces his interest in diabetes research back to his undergraduate days.

“I was interested in exercise and physiology, so I was looking for conditions where exercise would have the biggest impact. Diabetes came out the clear winner,” says McGavock who completed two Post-Doc fellowships and holds a PhD in Physical Education (Alberta), MA in Kinesiology (McGill), and Bachelor of Physical Education (Manitoba).

After being invited to work with Dr. Heather Dean, pediatric endocrinologist, at her clinic at the Children’s Hospital, McGavock observed a gap between what he’d been taught in terms of the prevention and management of diabetes and the reality of the barriers facing the young patients he was seeing every day.

DIABETES PREVENTION At this point, McGavock began to examine what was missing when it came to diabetes prevention and management, particularly with Indigenous youth.

“With our current medical model, we teach the disease but we don’t always teach the factors that patients are facing,” he says.

One of the most underappreciated barriers Indigenous youth face is adversity, which can manifest itself in different ways.

“First and foremost, there’s transgenerational stress with youth living with parents and grandparents that have lived through residential schools and have suffered through colonization. Another big issue is poverty and food insecurity,” McGavock says. “On a mental health level, these youth are isolated. Not only geographically, but youth who are overweight and living with diabetes are often bullied and isolated within their schools. When young students come into conventional treatment and prevention programs it just doesn’t resonate with them because weight loss or blood glucose control are not top priorities for them.”

By Marshall Wiebe

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RESEARCH NEWS

That’s where the work of the Applied Research Chair in Resilience and Obesity seeks to develop a theoretical framework that moves away from simple diet and exercise and focuses on the issues that are relevant to young people, particularly resilience. Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Chair will focus on the area of resilience to promote strong, independent youth that over the long run will combat obesity and Type 2 diabetes in Indigenous youth.

PHOTO: DAN GWOZDZ

The initial model for McGavock’s research outlook was formed when he was invited to Garden Hill First Nation by Larry Wood, the local Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative worker. Wood’s work is challenging as his community suffers from a rate of Type 2 diabetes in youth that’s significantly higher than the general population.

CAPITALIZING ON RESILIENCY While there he found that despite the adversity they face, the children were very resilient. That was where he decided to focus his research.

“The first time you go into a Grade 4 classroom in a remote northern community, the kids are exactly the same as they would be in Tuxedo or River Heights,” he says. “They want to learn, they want to get involved in things and they love to play and be happy. That was when we developed this program to focus on the resilience and on the strengths of youth, rather than on the deficits.”

DEVOTION Recently, Research Manitoba announced $2.5 million in funding for DEVOTION, a new research network in Manitoba focused on the developmental origins of diseases, led by McGavock and colleague Dr. Andrew Halayko.

The DEVOTION Network will focus on improving health outcomes among Manitoba’s children and youth by bringing together clinical and basic researchers from multiple disciplines to create a team that will work together to unravel the early life determinants of chronic disease in children.

“Some kids get a chronic disease and others don’t,” McGavock says. “We’re asking what we can do in the early years to prevent that from happening.”

DEVOTION also includes an advisory stakeholder group consisting of

Indigenous stakeholders, policy makers and health-care professionals that will guide the research program.

To capitalize on that resiliency, McGavock worked in consultation with Larry Wood and community stakeholders to implement an Aboriginal Youth Mentorship Program. This after school initiative, delivered by high school students, provides physical activity, healthy snacks and games for elementary school children.

“That’s really an important piece,” McGavock says. “The research of DEVOTION is going to be driven by the needs of community members.”

The model for this program was originally developed by Dr. Joannie Halas and Amy Carpenter from the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management. It’s guided by a theoretical framework consisting of four elements—belonging, independence, mastery and generosity—that together are called the Circle of Courage. This framework was developed

by Dr. Martin Brokenleg.

“Manitoba is leading the charge in Indigenous health research in youth,” he says, mentioning the pioneering work of College of Medicine faculty Drs. Heather Dean, (the late) Pat Martens and Cathy Cook. “I am standing on the shoulders of giants and following a clear path set by leaders in this area. None of this would have been possible without the work that’s already been done by the leading Manitoba scientists and Indigenous scholars that came before. They’ve made it possible for someone like me to come in and do this kind of work.”

Since its inception, the program has been adopted by four more communities across Manitoba with over 300 youth participating.

“The success of this program would be making it available to any Indigenous child in any region in Canada and support their goals to well-being and a healthy life.”

Collaboration plays a significant role in McGavock’s work and he is quick to credit the many mentors and health professionals who have come before.

FIRST PUBLISHED IN RESEARCHLIFE MAGAZINE.

RESEARCH NEWS

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PHOTO: GARRICK KOZIER

U OF M SCHOLARSHIP WINNER: “It’s OK to be who you are”

By Garrick Kozier

It’s been said good things come to those who wait.

Third-year College of Medicine student Shayne Reitmeier was recently presented with a two-year, $21,000 scholarship from the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

It was an award 14 years in the making.

Back in 2001, Reitmeier was a 10-year-old leading a typical pre-adolescent life: playing with friends, learning about the world, and not really worrying about anything… until his mom was suddenly diagnosed with cancer.

“It was a confusing time, being such a young age,” he recalls. Compounding the issue, his mom had to travel out east to Hamilton, Ont. to receive treatment. “It was hard being away from her,” he says.

This was a significant moment in Reitmeier’s life, now 24. Admittedly anxious about his mom’s diagnosis and her up-hill journey to recovery, Reitmeier was actually able to find inspiration during this difficult time. He also found his calling.

“ a student walking to class can look up at a wall and see a poster that says ‘this is a safe place’.”

“The healthcare team our family dealt with while she was there were so phenomenal,” he says.

Everyone from the technologists, radiologists, and general hospital staff made sure the whole family knew in detail what his mom’s treatment entailed when they traveled to visit her.

This world of medicine impressed Reitmeier. So much so that by age 13, his mind was set. He knew he wanted to become a doctor.

“From that time I knew I wanted to do something in medicine, so I started improving my grades and it just went from there,” he says.

As for the award, the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) partnered with donors and Canada’s 17 medical schools to identify young leaders who exemplify the qualities of CMHF Laureates.

Students completing their second year of medical school, who demonstrate leadership through community involvement, superior interpersonal and communication skills, academic excellence and an established interest in advancing knowledge, were invited to apply.

Of all the attributes listed above, Reitmeier identifies most with leadership.

He’s taken a leading hand in the development of Bannatyne Campus’ first LGBTTQI* Interest and Mentorship Groups with the goal of creating greater awareness about an “underrepresented and generally misunderstood community.”

As someone who identifies as LGBTTQI*, Reitmeier says coming into medical school he had “a lot of fear” about how his sexuality would be perceived by others. A major goal of the mentorship group is to make sure other LGBTTQI* students feel welcome and comfortable with who they are.

“We’ve put up simple posters around campus so a student walking to class can look up at a wall and see a poster that says ‘this is a safe place’ and feel comfortable walking there and knowing that in this facility it’s OK to be who you are,” he explains. “It’s about support and networking with other students and physicians who also identify within the community.”

Reitmeier, along with the other 16 award winners, will receive a travel subsidy to attend The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame 2016 Induction Ceremony on April 14, 2016. Coincidentally, or maybe even fittingly, the ceremony will take place in Hamilton.

“This many years later I’ll get to return to a place where one of the most influential experiences I had on my journey to becoming a doctor took place,” he says. “I’ll be returning as a medical student and a very thankful one for receiving such a generous award.”

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STUDENT NEWS

THE WAVE OF

THE FUTURE

MPAS STUDENTS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

By Marshall Wiebe

The Faculty of Health Sciences is renowned for producing exceptional medical professionals who are also committed to the betterment of their community.

In the College of Medicine, the Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program, educates outstanding Physician Assistant (PA) clinicians who serve their communities and advance the profession in Manitoba and across Canada. The MPAS program nurtures the future leaders of the profession and leads the field in academic preparation of PAs in Canada.

Cam Krisko is a second-year MPAS student who is devoting his time to a community effort. Krisko is the local president of ‘Making Waves’, a national not-for-profit organization that provides affordable swimming lessons to children with special needs. The program currently serves 285 children in Winnipeg, Brandon, Dauphin and Carman, with plans to expand further across the province.

Interestingly, before ‘Making Waves,’ Krisko had worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the University of Manitoba. Through the ‘Making Waves’ program, Krisko has developed organizational and leadership skills that he hopes will serve him well in his future career as a healthcare professional.

“When I heard about ‘Making Waves’ and the possibility of it coming to Winnipeg, I was immediately very excited and I knew that I had to become involved in some way,” Krisko says. “In three short months we had a pool, 10 swimmers, 10 volunteers and the first-ever session of ‘Making Waves’ in Winnipeg had begun. I often tell people that when my day involves ‘Making Waves’-related work, I know it’s going to be a great day.”

Krisko is gratified when he hears that the families who participate in ‘Making Waves’ are having a positive experience.

“Our feedback has been incredible,” he says. “The parents and families involved with the organization are amazing people and often express there are no programs quite like ours. They love how dedicated our volunteers are and that the programming is of high quality.”

Krisko also finds that his volunteer work complements his work in MPAS.

“I think that my work with ‘Making Waves’ and learning how to communicate with volunteers, parents, swimmers and sponsors will equate to being a great clinician,” he says. “It has also helped to fuel my passion to work in a pediatric setting when I graduate.”

Danika Taylor is another MPAS student who is making a difference.

Currently in her second year of the two-year program, Taylor has focused her efforts on literacy, a cause that’s close to her heart. She spearheaded the local ‘Words in Action’ program through Girl Guides of Canada.

Through this initiative, Taylor organized a book drive in Transcona that collected over 600 books that were donated to the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre.

“I have always been passionate about literacy,” the 23-year-old says. “I have been a leader with Girl Guides for six years and have always been looking for a new way to be involved in my community. When the opportunity arose to become the Manitoba representative for ‘Words in Action’ I took it.”

Taylor sees her work with ‘Words in Action’ as a natural fit with her role in MPAS. “As a physician assistant, much of our time will be spent working towards health literacy among our patients and the community,” she notes. “My work with ‘Words in Action’ is very similar. I am working to promote literacy and help educate people in underserved communities.”

In fact, Taylor attributes her interest in medicine as a key component in her desire to give back.

“I was drawn to the MPAS program because of my interest in medicine, but also by my desire to remain involved in my community, which is possible because of the flexibility and mobility provided by being a PA,” she says. “I want to serve my community in more ways than one and I believe that being a PA will allow me to do so in several different capacities as a healthcare worker and community volunteer.”

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PHOTO: DOUGLAS MAGUIRE

DIGGING DEEP:

Anesthetist volunteers in Nepal with Red Cross

By Douglas Maguire [MD/82], Associate Professor, Anesthesia, Univeristy of Manitoba

Nepal lies nearly on the opposite side of the planet from Manitoba, sandwiched between the Asian superpowers of India and China. This landlocked country is one quarter the size of Manitoba but has a similar population to all of Canada. It is one of Asia’s poorest countries with salaries of $1–$3 per day for many labourers. Yet this country is very well known to westerners; the charm of Nepal emanates not only from the mountain scenery but also the traditional culture and hospitality.

It is also known to the Canadian Anesthesia community because of over 30 years of collaboration in anesthesia training programs. On April 25, 2015, a major earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale rocked the region with widespread damage and loss of life from northwest of Kathmandu to the eastern Everest region. Tremors were felt 1,100 km away in New Delhi.

RED CROSS EMERGENCY RESPONSE There was an immediate global outpouring of support that included the Canadian Red Cross decision to deploy a mobile field hospital. Planning and training are critical to an optimal emergency response; I had spent considerable time over the previous two years attending courses, doing online assignments and getting immunizations etc. to qualify as an Emergency Response Unit delegate.

When the alert came out I did not hesitate for a moment, but with hundreds of delegates on the roster, I was not very optimistic. To my astonishment, the day following the earthquake I received an email with instructions to be in Ottawa the following day for debriefing and

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embarkation on a one month rotation to an undetermined destination in the earthquake region. The email asked, “Do you have approval and support from your employer?” Saying “yes” proved to be an understatement. There was direct and strong support from department head Dr. Eric Jacobsohn and other department leadership, as well as good wishes from a host of colleagues who picked up my nine abandoned calls.

NEPAL EARTHQUAKE • MAY 14, 2015 SITUATION

8.1 Million

531,874

8,111

302,982

18,376

900

people affected

people killed

people injured

houses destroyed

houses damaged

health facilities damaged or destroyed

The scope of medical conditions was not complex. Seriously earthquake related injuries had been evacuated by military helicopter in the first two days. Several ward patients had wounds requiring debridement and daily wound care. Mobile clinics to even more remote communities were in demand; childhood pneumonia and diarrhea outbreaks were encountered.

OR CHALLENGES The OR cases were largely non-earthquake related such as appendicitis, I & D, cholecystectomy and caesarian section being the most common procedures. Isoforane was available with a draw over vaporizer and up to five liters oxygen from an oxygen concentrator. No muscle relaxants were available, but the anesthesia kit included 175,000 mg of ketamine. There were ample antibiotics including Bestocef, obviously the best cephalosporin.

Sterilization of instruments proved to be very challenging with the simple pressure cooker devices that we had.

The team totaled 22 delegates, including two surgeons, an obstetrician, four medical doctors and seven nurses, plus communications and logistics delegates and team leaders. Our kit included everything; some 43 tonnes of tents, medications, generators, complete OR and a 50-bed ward.

The emotional scene in airports and flights enroute to Nepal was fascinating as relief volunteers encountered Norwegians or Swiss that they had last seen in Haiti or Chad or Sierra Leone or some disaster elsewhere. There were additional emotions of excitement and apprehension, as no one really knew what we would encounter or what we would be assigned to do and no one had slept.

The Foreign Medical Team Coordination committee, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, the International Federation of Red Cross and WHO, all participated in the assessment and assignment of medical team to affected districts. The Canadian delegation was split and I was included with the first wave of volunteers to travel by Indian Military Helicopter to Dhunche, the administrative center for the district of Rasuwa, located at 2,100 m, 117 km north of the capital. The District Hospital was a collection of fine stone buildings constructed on a terraced mountainside. While still standing, most of the buildings were missing a wall or more and unsafe for occupancy.

A 30-minute walk from our hospital compound would take you from the dust and noise of construction into a lush fir and rhododendron forest with abundant birds, waterfalls and snow-covered peaks. It became a morning ritual for me to lead a small group on a two-hour forest walk and be back for 8:00 a.m. rounds.

A real highlight was to spend some time on my way back through Kathmandu with former residents from 1999-2000. They had harrowing stories to tell of their experience during the major quake and the second quake of May 12.

They operated for days on a parking lot and in a cargo container as no one dared venture to the sixth-floor operating rooms with daily aftershocks.

On a ward round they proudly detoured to show me their pre-admission clinic and block facilities for ultra-sound guided regional anesthesia. They used advanced spinal anesthesia effectively for procedures that I would not have even thought feasible. Amazing, as 15 years ago I had to strongly encourage spinal techniques.

In closing, I am truly grateful to my family, the Red Cross and the U of M Anesthesia Department which enabled me to participate in such a unique response in a country that I am so fond of.

SUPPORTING MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH We erected a tent hospital to support the local doctors and nurses with the acute disaster related injuries and the ongoing health needs of the community, with particular emphasis on maternal health. There were 126,000 pregnant women in the affected area at the time of the quake.

Flat land to erect a large hospital tent is scarce in this mountain landscape.

Existing damaged buildings had to be dismantled by hand to create space for replacement tents to be established. These rugged tents are expected to remain in use at this site for the next two years and possibly longer.

The CRC will send a third and forth rotation of staff with the later group handing off responsibilities to Nepalese staff. Ongoing support but not a full compliment of delegates is expected to have a multi-year horizon with the goal of strengthening the health services to the district.

In addition to medical needs, we also established programs aimed at the psychosocial needs of this traumatized community. A child-safe play area was established and tent accommodations for a boarding school was provided. Teachers and elders were engaged in sessions on dealing with loss and fear.

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An Alum’s Journey From Healing Hippies To AIDS Activism

By Melni Ghattora

It was the summer of 1970. A med student named David McEwan [MD/72] was working crowd control at Festival Express—the storied music tour that travelled by train to three Canadian cities boasting a roster that included top rockers like The Grateful Dead, The Band and Buddy Guy. It wasn’t the job McEwan had volunteered to do but there he was, working front-of-stage security, focused on festival-goers inching their way closer as one of the main acts hit the stage. That’s when something cold and wet suddenly hit the back of his head. “I turned around to see what was going on and it was Janis Joplin slugging Jack Daniels from the bottle and spitting it into the crowd,” he says with a laugh.

His desire to help others is what brought him to the show. In fact, he’s built his whole life around helping those in need. In his early twenties, he helped found one of Winnipeg’s first clinics aimed to improve quality of life for people of every age, background, ethnicity, gender identity, and socio- economic circumstance. With that same pioneering spirit, he later shaped public awareness and support systems for a rapidly emerging health issue on the Hawaiian islands.

In the lead up to the Bomber Stadium mega-concert, McEwan had been approached by the Festival Express organizers to see if he and some classmates would be interested in running a first-aid tent; they had heard about a clinic founded by med students that was run out of an old gas station turned drop-in centre called Committee Representing Youth Problems Today (CRYPT).

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While CRYPT had become a refuge for U.S. draft dodgers and runaways, the free medical clinic focused on helping transients and local youth with health-related needs.

“Naively we said ‘of course we can do that.’ They asked how much we would charge and I said ‘Oh, it’ll be $1,000’ and they said that was ok,” he recalls.

“A lot of it was Band-Aids and sprained ankles but there were a few kids tripping out on various drugs, so we had a place for them to sit and talk if they were having a rough time.”

It might be hard to imagine but the marijuana-scented, hippie-populated music festival and the small-time student-run clinic is how ‘Klinic with a K’—a renowned local not-for-profit community health centre—got its start. The money earned from the entrepreneurial endeavour was the clinic’s first source of funds.

In 1971, CRYPT had received funding from the Manitoba Health Services Commission to expand its basic medical services. By now the clinic was officially named “Klinic” and was offering counselling services and a 24-hour crisis line. The major focus of the crisis line was to help people who had ingested a wide variety of hallucinogens, stimulants and depressants and were experiencing difficulty as a result.

McEwan stayed on as a volunteer from Klinic’s early days, right up until he earned his medical degree in 1972.

PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, WINNIPEG TRIBUNE FONDS.

WHAT A RIDE:

“ I saw what the world was really like and it began to affect my thoughts about future plans for medicine.”

Four decades later, he returns to his alma mater. It’s a hot summer day in Winnipeg. Just fresh off the heels of his retirement, McEwan enters the University of Manitoba’s medical college for the first time in 40 years.

Today the campus is referred to as Bannatyne and a glassed-in atrium now sits in the middle of what was once a thoroughfare.

“Class of ’72… there’s me and that was at the Fort Garry Hotel,” says McEwan, smiling as he points to his class picture mounted in the Joe Doupe Concourse.

“I have a copy of this photo.”

Soon after he completed his medical training McEwan went on a trip around the world. “I was hitchhiking—with a plane ticket—around the world,” he says, as he lets out a chuckle. “I spent a year and a half on the road going to many, many places. I didn’t really know much about life so that was a chance for me to grow up; I saw what the world was really like and it began to affect my thoughts about future plans for medicine.”

The first place he visited was Hawaii, an island he had forever dreamed of seeing. “When I was a child of 12 I had read [James A.] Michener’s book called Hawaii. At that time I had this fantasy that Hawaii would be a beautiful place to live and practice medicine,” recalls the 69-year-old. “I was particularly impressed by the work of Father Damien, even though I’m not Catholic. He’s a Catholic priest who I thought had incredible principals.”

Father Damien, “the Leper Priest” or “the Hero of Molokai”, was a Belgian priest who devoted his life to missionary work among Hawaii’s leprosy patients. Father Damien was sent to Honolulu in 1864 (where he was ordained); he arrived on the island shortly after the government had started deporting leprosy patients. A lack of understanding of the disease and other factors led to the forced exile of patients to the secluded peninsula of Kalaupapa on the north shore of Molokai.

Father Damien volunteered to take charge of the settlement and went on to serve as a pastor and physician, improved water and food supplies and housing, and founded two orphanages, receiving help from other priests for only six of the 16 years he spent on Molokai. In 1884, he contracted leprosy. He died in 1889 at the age of 45.

“When I eventually did pass through Hawaii, I fell in love with it but thought to myself it was impractical to move there, but then while I was doing my residency I thought ‘Ok well let’s just apply to a couple of places and see what happens because it’s probably not going to work out,’” says McEwan.

“My time in Hawaii has been a unique experience that I could never have expected and it relates to Michener’s book,” he shares. “In the book, Father Damien worked with an ostracized group of people that had a disease that was not understood. Those people were oppressed and banned, put onto an island, a hidden piece of land. In 1980, I had patients with the early symptoms of the HIV infection and I had Hawaii’s first case of pneumocystis pneumonia.”

McEwan referred that patient—Hawaii’s first AIDS case—to Dr. Donald Abrams, now co-director of the AIDS unit at San Francisco General Hospital, who was studying adult T-Cell leukemia virus.

“For me it was kind of an awesome moment.

Dr. Abrams and I were looking at lymph node biopsy slides and he turned to me and said, ‘David, I’m just doing my fellowship here. I don’t have any money… we can’t get any serious money to study this but my early prediction is this new disease is caused by a T-Cell leukemia-like virus and that it’s a sexually transmitted virus and it’s a terminal illness,’” McEwan recalls, adding Abrams was right but no one was listening because he was a “nobody” at the time.

Not knowing then how the virus was spread, McEwan felt he needed to be proactive and get the message out. In addition to working as a full time physician, he did volunteer work and and co- founded Hawaii’s first AIDS organization in the 80s—when the cultural stigma attached to HIV/AIDS was profound.

He’d spend the next 10 years volunteering tirelessly to establish an organization with sister organizations on the outer islands while simultaneously setting up his own practice. When Life Foundation reached a point of stability, McEwan started to think about what he could do next.

By 1990, he immersed himself in advocating for same sex marriage; that battle went on for years. McEwan says from the beginning his work with AIDS was all about understanding the science behind it and helping the ill. “I naively decided same-gender marriage would be a way to make hope and change. I really believed that and that’s why I jumped on board behind the scenes and volunteered for 24 years,” he says.

Same-sex marriage was legalized in Hawaii on December 2, 2013. “I’m just so very grateful for the next generation. It’s profoundly going to change the rest of history for the world,” says McEwan. “Mostly I am grateful to all my professors, classmates and friends at U of M who gave me so much and started me on this incredible journey.”

But it did. He started work in Honolulu on Sept. 1, 1977 at the Honolulu Medical Group (in family medicine) and it wasn’t long before his life’s work started to mirror the work of Saint Damien.

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PHOTO: GARRICK KOZIER

SLAM DUNK

SWISH scores big with neighbours

By Garrick Kozier

Parking lots, although necessary, have long been thought of as an impediment to community engagement; tarred areas muffling the sounds of urban life.

Dennis Bayomi, however, prefers to imagine a little bit of paradise in a parking lot.

“It occurred to me that parking lot E [located on the corner of McDermot Ave. and Tecumseh St.] could be useful in the summer on weekends for a basketball program for inner-city kids,” recalls Bayomi, a data analyst and workshop facilitator in the College of Medicine.

Bayomi, who has worked at the University of Manitoba for over 30 years, started his long-standing connection with basketball as a coach in the city’s suburbs and later at Rossbrook House, an inner-city youth drop-in centre. He felt inner-city kids didn’t have the same access to structured activities, especially during the summer months. Bayomi also thought the university needed to have a bigger impact in the neighbourhood.

“I was always on the lookout for ways we could reach out to our community in a positive and productive way,” he says.

Bayomi pitched his idea of a loosely-structured, drop-in basketball program on Saturdays from July to August to leaders in the university’s community health sciences department (College of Medicine) in April 2012.

The concept quickly gained momentum and by July 2012, the Summer Weekend Inner-City Supervised Hoops Initiative (SWISH) was born, becoming the epitome of a community effort. It’s partnered with various university areas, including Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Rehabilitation Sciences, Kinesiology (Bison Sports and Recreation Services), Bannatyne Parking Services, and Joe Doupe gymnasium. Community-based organizations such as the Youth Agencies Alliance, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM), and Spence Neighborhood Association are also supporters.

The hoops are supplied by Basketball Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg provides water and transportation for the kids. A bus will either pick the kids up from their homes or participants are issued bus tickets to make their own way to the program.

But the basketball program extends beyond fun and games. “We want to be a better neighbour to the community around us,” says Karen Cook, Community Engagement project manager in the dept. of Community Health Sciences, College of Medicine.

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Bannatyne Campus is located on the same grounds that house Health Sciences Centre (HSC) and other healthcare centres and establishments.

Some people living in the community see the buildings on campus and automatically think it’s all hospitals, says Cook. She says an outlying goal of the basketball program is to help change that perception.

“SWISH is just one way to help bring awareness to the community and let people know the university is here, and that we’re not here just to do our own thing. We want be a good neighbour. It’s about building relationships with our community,” says Cook.

The program has also helped build self-esteem in the young people taking part. Xavier Smith has witnessed this first hand. Smith, or “X” as the kids call him, is a former Bisons basketball star and current SWISH program coordinator. He spends his summer Saturdays with his staff teaching kids the ins and outs of the game. He also does his best to inspire confidence in the participants of the game.

“You can literally see the confidence growing in them with each passing week,” says Smith. “They’re learning new skills, they’re meeting new people, and they’re seeing their hard work pay off.”

The community’s families and children aren’t the only ones reaping the benefits from this program. Faculty of Health Sciences’ students, who are often recruited to help either run the program or assist in fundraising to sustain it, may be the biggest benefactors.

“Our students are learning about all the things that affect health, like poverty, access to housing, food security. Exposing them to a community which faces these issues will augment what they’re learning in the classroom,” says Cook. “We want students to get involved with their community because they can learn from what goes on out here.”

The Basketballs for Inner-City Kids program is another way the university has forged a relationship between itself and the community’s youth. Created in 2006, a few colleagues from CHS decided to raise money to purchase and deliver basketballs for graduating Grade 6 students from local K-6 schools. The idea has grown and to date, over 4,000 basketballs have been presented to more than a dozen schools surrounding Bannatyne campus.

“A lot of these kids don’t have access to even something as simple as a ball, so it gives them something to do in the summer and lets them know about the university,” says Bayomi. “It plants a seed that will hopefully grow into something bigger.”

CANU REACH: FHS students stoke potential

By Melni Ghattora

The 12-year-old was one of approximately 45 kids involved in a 14-week after school pilot project last year, called CanU Reach, held weekly at the Bannatyne Campus. The Faculty of Health Sciences’ student-led initiative is an offshoot of the CanU program which runs out of the U of M’s Fort Garry Campus.

“It’s very good,” says Daniel, when asked what he thought of the program.

“Last year I went to Dalhousie School and some kids went through the program and I wanted to go too. I think this is really nice for me.”

The hands-on, interprofessional workshops are designed and facilitated by medical, dentistry, dental hygiene, rehabilitation sciences, and pharmacy students. Over 100 Faculty of Health Sciences students volunteer with CanU Reach, now in its second year at Bannatyne Campus and no longer a pilot project.

Student feedback at the conclusion of last year’s pilot project show CanU Reach is making an impact. A student named Pricilla found the program, “fun and enlightening.”

“During my time at CanU Reach I learned a lot of things about medical science, which is what I want to do when I grow up,” she said. “For me it was not just a place where I could learn about medical sciences, but a place where I could also meet new friends and mentors. It has taught, challenged and inspired me not only to become a better person, but to become a better member of society.”

This year, the CanU Reach program has over 65 participants in Grades 7 and 8. Activities so far have included hands-on sessions with the students using simulation equipment, stethoscopes, blood pressure monitors, exercise balls and more.

PHOTO: MARSHALL WIEBE

Daniel is a middle school student at Acadia School. He recently decided he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. He tried dentistry—even filled a cavity—and learned how to make sunscreen and label bottles in pharmacy, but ultimately he wants to study medicine and help people.

Junior high students from nine Winnipeg schools are participating in the program this year.

CanU Reach is the result of a series of coincidences, says Roger Berrington, executive director for CanU. The U of M alumnus recalled a conversation he had with Fatima, a Grade 6 student who wondered what she would do the following year as CanU is only offered to Grades 5 and 6.

“Fatima came up to me …she said ‘Roger, is there a CanU program for Grade 7 kids?’ It got me thinking, ‘Yeah, we need to get something going for the Grade 7 children,’” Berrington recounted.

Around the same time Fatima had posed the question, Shilpa Alex (then a Med I student) was thinking of ways medical students could become more involved with the community that neighbours Bannatyne Campus.

“When I started medicine, I was running for the Global Health Liaison position. Part of that position involved planning the Rich Man Poor Man dinner, but I wanted to add to the portfolio,” says Alex, now in her third year of study. “I thought to myself, ‘I really want to do something more and reach out to the community around us and build a connection with them.’”

She came up with a concept of an after school program and called it “Reach.” She took her idea to Karen Cook, project manager, community engagement, dept. of Community Health Sciences, and the pair reached out to Berrington who was known to Cook through the highly successful CanU program.

The program’s vision is to inspire hope and confidence in the kids, their families and communities, according to Berrington. “The kids [involved in CanU] have been selected because they show great potential and they are being given opportunities through CanU that they may not otherwise have had,” he explained.

COLLEGE NEWS

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BRINGING HISTORY TO [DIGITAL] LIFE

By Annette Elvers

Patients today understand that tackling disease might call for more than just a prescription. It’s not unusual to leave a doctor’s office with directions to add exercise to your daily routine or to practice a little preventive medicine. In fact, physicians have long been dispensing helpful tips along with their prescriptions.

For example, back in 1829, those suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis might have been told to try some vigorous horseback riding—doctor’s orders. Mothers were advised to protect little ones from the threat of malaria by tucking a bit of Peruvian bark into their children’s waistcoats.

A wide variety of natural remedies were endorsed too: Scotch snuff plaster was recommended for croup, a poultice of leek was used to treat gout, and a decoction of carrots could be drunk for jaundice. If all that wasn’t enough, sufferers might also find relief for what ailed them through a professional bleeding…

Once you start digging into some of the ‘tried-and-true’ practices espoused over the College of Medicine’s 132-year history, it’s tough to look away. And now with a newly launched online website created by the College of Medicine Archives, history lovers—curious alumni—won’t have to.

These fascinating details are just a snippet of what’s contained in a lecture called, “Folk Healing, Alternative, and Parallel Medicines,” by Dr. Ian Carr, Professor Emeritus of the College of Medicine. It’s just one of over 1,000 entries that are part of the Medical Heritage Manitoba, produced by the University of Manitoba’s Jordan

Bass, Medical Archivist, and Justin Fuhr, Library Assistant based in the Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library.

This website, which took more than six months of digitizing, writing, organizing and programming, is now home to a wealth of photographs, documents, historical vignettes, digital exhibits, biographies of medical personalities, and a wide selection of other features and resources.

According to Bass, this kind of digital collection is the new face of contemporary archives. “Typically, we would acquire materials related to an individual and then create a text-based catalogue of their archives,” explains Bass. Essentially, visitors needed to know what they’re looking for, read through an index, and then request documents they think might be interesting.

“Now, instead of just creating a finding aid, we’re able to create a splash page, include photos, create a broader picture of who they were,” says Bass, adding the electronic medium offers a completely different kind of engagement that’s much more in line with the way readers approach content today. “I don’t know how we could ever go back to doing things the old way.”

Not only is the digital archive optimized for the way many of us now perform research—students, residents and the interested public alike—it’s also created the opportunity for a distinctly Manitoban collection to reach a much wider audience.

The archival content on the site is drawn from the many collections held at the College of Medicine Archives in the Neil John Maclean

Medical Heritage Manitoba is now live and available at: medheritage.lib.umanitoba.ca.

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Health Sciences Library. But unlike the physical contents of the archives, the digital collection can be accessed 24/7 by anyone with an interest in medical history—literally anywhere in the world.

Alumni can revisit their med school years viewing photos from special events, class clubs, beer n’ skits as well as other materials such as lectures and biographies of their beloved professors.

Those not able to visit the campus in person can now explore key moments in our province’s medical development, such as the local response to polio outbreaks, the Winnipeg Rh laboratory, the evolution of public health and the lives and works of early Prairie physicians.

While the website has just been launched, Bass says the project will never truly be over. “We’re just scratching the surface,” he says. “And keep in mind, the College of Medicine Archives is always acquiring new collections,” adds Bass. “These will continue to be reflected in Medical Heritage Manitoba.”

MESSAGE FROM DONOR RELATIONS, FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES Jessica Alkana, Donor Relations Officer, Faculty of Health Sciences

Homecoming 2015 was a fantastic celebration as we publicly launched Front and Centre: the Campaign for the University of Manitoba. Thanks to the remarkable support from our community, and the Government of Manitoba, the University has already raised more than $365 million to date.

Eight medicine classes celebrated their reunions during Homecoming and some commemorated the occasion by starting a class campaign aimed at raising funds for student awards and facility improvements. Current fundraising priorities underway that can be supported through class campaigns include upgrades to the laboratory of anatomical sciences, and the B.Sc.(Med.) program—one of the oldest formal undergraduate medical research programs in Canada.

In November, the University of Manitoba and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada announced a transformational $2 million investment in multiple sclerosis (MS) research from the Waugh Family Foundation. The gift will support a new endowed research chair in MS and fund ongoing MS research projects. Other generous donors have also supported the chair including the University of Manitoba Department of Internal Medicine, Research Manitoba, Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors (MHHLS), and the Dr. Alfred E. Deacon Medical Research Foundation.

DONATIONS TO THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE TOTAL $2,300,088.88 CORPORATION 2% ($51,212.44) FOUNDATION 23% ($519,453.62) FRIEND 7% ($152,632.88) GRADUATE 57% ($1,300,463.76) ORGANIZATION/GROUP 5% ($126,493.14) STAFF 3% ($61,483.04) STUDENTS 4% ($88,000.00)

DONATIONS BY TYPE OF GIFT

Includes gifts from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015 TOTAL $2,300,088.88 CAPITAL FUNDS 23% ($520,045.87)

The donor honour roll and legacy donor listing found in this issue recognize alumni and friends who have given over $10,000 to support the College of Medicine, or who have recognized the College in their legacy planning. I would like to thank all of the donors on behalf of the College including those who wish to remain anonymous. Your generous support is changing the lives of our students, faculty and researchers.

CHAIRS, PROFESSORSHIPS AND RESEARCH 35% ($812,944.87)

If you would like to take your place and support the Front and Centre campaign, or if you have any questions, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at Jessica.Alkana@umanitoba.ca or 204-789-3537.

STUDENT SUPPORT 27% ($622,080.00)

LEAVING A LEGACY

The College of Medicine gratefully acknowledges the following Medicine graduates and friends, who have generously remembered the University of Manitoba and/or the College of Medicine in their estate plans.

Miss Joyce Aitken Dr. Judith A. Barefoot Dr. Jaroslaw & Mrs. Mary Barwinsky Mrs. Robert E. Beamish* Dr. Norman J. Bell Lorne Bellan Mr. Edward J. Bennett* Ms. Annie W. Beynon* Dr. Ivan M.* & Mrs. L. Magda Bihler* Dr. David S. Bloom Dr. E. H. Botterell, O.C.* Dr. David M. Bowman* Mr. James W. Breakey Mrs. Marion Brodie* Ms. Dora M. Brown* Dr. Jennifer Burton Mr. Robert W. Cameron* Dr. W. Gordon* & Agnes* Chipperfield Dr. William B. Chodirker Mr. Victor Colcleugh* Dr. Robert L.* & Dr. Ruth E. Cooke* Dr. Juliette Cooper Caroline A. Cope* Mr. Steve Dawyduk*

Ms. Mary A. Dobush* Dr. John A. Downey Mr. Edward L. Drewry* Dr. Donald R. Dyck Mrs. Lois Y. Erickson* Mr. William F. Falk Dr. Marion H. Ferguson* Dr. Rhinehart F. Friesen* Dr. John L. Fumerton* Dr. Paul A. Galbraith Family Sandra* & David Goodwin Mrs. Isabelle M.* & Dr. Clair W. Hall* Dr. Theodore A. Harris* Dr. James B. Hartman* Mr. Gerald C. & Dr. Pamela G. Hawranik Mr. Donald W. Hurd* Ms. Margaret L. Hutton* Dr. Janice Ingimundson Mrs. Isabella Jack* Mrs. Gerda T. Jacobsen* Miss Hilda E. James* Dr. M. Harry & Mrs. Martha Janzen Mr. Valdemar Jensen* Ms. Marguerit C. G. Jerome*

FACULTY/DEPARTMENT/SCHOOL/ COLLEGE SUPPORT 14% ($328,978.5) LECTURESHIPS <1% ($12,273.10) LIBRARIES/GALLERIES/MUSEUMS <1% ($2,350) UNRESTRICTED <1% ($1,416.52)

Dr. Miriam Katz Mr. George Keates* Dr. Neil Kippen Dr. Alan A. Klass* Dr. Daniel J. Klass Dr. Allan Klein* Dr. Wilhelm J. Kreyes Mr. Leonard Krueger* Dr. Richard E. Larson Mrs. Georgia M.* & Dr. George W. Leroux* Dr. Patricia L. Ling Mr. Donald J. Little* Dr. William Locke* Mrs. Kathleen Lovelace* Dr. John A.* & Dr. Josefina Asa MacDonell Ms. Beatrice Mangin Dr. Jacque G.* & Mrs. Pamela Mar Mrs. Renee* & Dr. I. J. Matas* Dr. Phyllis J. McAlpine* Dr. C. Jean McFarlane* Mr. Clarence W. McLean* Dr. H. Keith Merrick Dr. William G. Merrick Dr. Harold A. Mooney* Ms. Palma E. Nagy* Dr. Arnold Naimark Dr. Colleen J. Northcott Dr. Carolyn D. O’Hara Ms. Florence E. Paget* Dr. Ella L. Peters* Dr. Bill Pope/Dr. Elizabeth Tippett-Pope Mr. Walter A. R. Prince*

Alex Pue M.D. Ms. Rosaleen P. Reader* Ms. Alice L. Robertson* Dr. Kenneth E. Robinson Gregory W. Rose, MD, M.Sc (Epi), FRCPC Dr. R. T. Ross Dr. Winifred M. Ross* Mr. Alfred Saler* Dr. Kenneth L. Schellenberg Dr. Charles Schom* Dr. Henry E. Sellers* Ms. Donna M. Shaw* Mrs. Phoeme Simkin* Dr. Abraham S. Sinclair* Miss Marjorie B. Spence* Prof. Josephine Stack-Haydon* Ms. Geraldine A. Stevens* Dr. H. K. Stinson Mr. John M. Stoddart* Miss Bjorg P. Thompson* Dr. T. Kenneth & Mrs. Lorna Thorlakson* Dr. Wilfred H. Thorleifson* Dr. Craig Troop & Mrs. Rozlyn Troop Dr. James A. Turner Dr. Phillip Unger Mr. Ulysses S. Wagner* Mrs. Maurine C. Wester* Ms. Anna Widiner* Ms. Lynda Wolf Dr. Pearl Yaffe* Mr. Charles E. Zink*

* Indicates donor has passed away. We make every effort to ensure that donors are properly recognized.

Please contact the Donor Relations office at 204-474-9195 or donor.relations@umanitoba.ca regarding any errors or omissions.

DONOR NEWS

MB MEDICINE | WINTER 2015

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$1-MILLION+

$100,000 - $499,999

AstraZeneca Canada Inc. Bayer Inc. Dr. Ivan & Lenka Bihler Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Dr. John Bingham Dr. Marjorie & Morley Blankstein Marion Brodie Robert Cameron Department of Internal Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Clinical Pharmacology Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences Department of Pediatrics & Child Health Department of Surgery Douglas & Allyson Flynn GlaxoSmithKline Inc. Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Husky Energy Inc. Li Ka Shing Foundation Manitoba Medical Service Foundation Merck Mindel & Thomas Olenick Flora Ross The Winnipeg Foundation Dr. George & Faye Yee

AAOW Anaesthesia Medical Corporation Anda Toporeck Medical Research Foundation Archer Daniels Midland Foundation The Arthritis Society Leonard & Susan Asper Astellas Pharma Canada Axcan Pharma Inc. Edward Bennett Dr. Jennifer Burton Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce CMA/MMA/MD Management Victor Colcleugh James & Mary Connacher Caroline Cope Donner Canadian Foundation Dr. Alfred E. Deacon Medical Research Foundation Inc. The Dr. Paul H.T. Thorlakson Foundation Lois Erickson Dr. Marion Ferguson Globe General Agencies Rae Lilian Grant Emil & Lynette Hain Dr. James Hartman Health Sciences Centre Foundation Health Sciences Centre Hoffmann-La Roche Limited Dr. C. Stuart & Mary Houston Imasco Ltd. Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba Dr. Ellen Judd The Kidney Foundation of Canada Dr. Arni Laxdal Georgia & Dr. George Leroux Manitoba Medical College Foundation H. H. McCain The Murphy Foundation Inc. D. R. Mussallem Dr. Arnold & Barbara Naimark Dr. Hiro Nishioka Nycomed Canada Inc. The Pash Family The Paterson Foundation Evans & Margaret Premachuk Dr. Angus & Margaret Reid Dr. Winifred Ross Dr. Evelyn Shapiro Dr. Hugh & Dr. Aynsley Smith

$500,000 - $999,999 Bassett/Falk Cancer Research Foundation Dr. James & Barbara Burns Diabetes Foundation of Manitoba Inge & Frederic Gaspard Health Sciences Centre - Department of Nephrology The Lupina Foundation Manitoba Paraplegia Foundation Inc. R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation RBC Foundation Searle Canada Inc. Dr. Margaret Sellers The Tolkien Trust The Winnipeg RH Institute Foundation Inc.

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DONOR NEWS

support of alumni, faculty, staff, corporate partners and friends who have generously given $10,000 or more to the College of Medicine during their lifetime as of March 31, 2015.

John Stoddart Sun Life Financial Dawn Swartz Vale Canada Limited Pawas & Dr. Mradula Verma The Vidda Foundation Wawanesa Insurance Martin & Michelle Weinberg Maurine Wester

$50,000 - $99,999 Abbott Laboratories Ltd. Bert & Lee Friesen Foundation Dr. Diane Biehl BMO Financial Group Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. H. G. Bohnet Dr. E. H. & Margaret Botterell Gloria Brown James Burns Mary Dobush Dr. John Embil Thelma Fast Flynn Canada Ltd. Dr. James & Marian Haworth Dr. Brian & Margaret Hennen Hudson’s Bay Company /

HBC Foundation Dr. John Hunkin & Susan Crocker Frank & Margaret Hutton Marguerit Jerome Dr. William Locke Manulife Financial Dr. I J. & Renee Matas David McGoey John McGoey McLean Budden Limited Robert McRae Dr. Keith Meloff Moffat Communications Limited James Morden Betty Nicks Procter & Gamble Inc. (Canada) Dr. Alexander Pue Rick Hansen Institute Dr. Arnold & Erica Rogers Dr. Leslie & Dr. Noralou Roos John Ross Dr. Robert & Angela Ross Dr. Charles Schom Scotiabank - Toronto Barry & Rena Shenkarow The Shankarow Family The Tallman Foundation Inc.

TD Bank Group Ruth Thomas Dr. Kenneth & Elizabeth Walton Anna Widiner Dr. Young Woo

$25,000 - $49,999 AMI Partners Inc. Frances Anderson Dr. Gail Asper & Dr. Michael Paterson Associated Medical Services Inc. Astra Canada Inc. Dr. Robert & Mary Beamish Lynne & Dr. Allan Becker Dr. Marcel Blanchaer & Audrey Kerr Dr. David & Rosalind Bloom Dr. Frances Booth Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Inc. Dr. Kenneth & Marcia Brookler Dr. Martin & Farron Brotman Phyllis Brown Charles & Joanne Burns I. Philip Burns Martha Burns & Paul Gross Dr. David Charlesworth & Dr. Sybil Henteleff Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba Dr. John & Janis Downey F. K. Morrow Foundation Dr. Gordon Fahrni Dr. John Foerster Thomas Frohlinger & Heather Pullan Gary Gray Dr. Raj Goel Dr. Monty & Marilyn Hall Investors Group Peggy Iverach J.R. Senecal & Associates George Keates Knight Bain Seath & Holbrook Capital Management Dr. Robert Krause Dr. Randall Law & Dr. Gisele Bourgeois-Law Donald MacDiarmid Dr. Sharon Macdonald Dr. Phyllis McAlpine McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited Clarence McLean MDS Capital Corporation Dr. Murray & Susanne Miller Dr. Michael & Sharon Moffatt The Estate of Emy Ozamoto

PHOTO: KATIE CHALMERS-BROOKS

DONOR HONOUR ROLL

The College of Medicine acknowledges the generosity and

Dr. Bill Pope & Dr. Elizabeth Tippett-Pope Gretna Purvis The Rockefeller Foundation William Rollins Dr. James & Joyce Ross Schwartz Family Foundation Donna Shaw Norman & Joanna Sher Phoeme Simkin Dr. Daniel & Maureen Sitar Helen Smith Speyer Family Foundation, Inc. St. Boniface Hospital Tembec Paper Group-Pine Falls Operations Dr. G. Les E. Ullyot Unicity Laboratory Services Vancouver Foundation Ulysses Wagner Dr. Sybella Wahl Walker Wood Foundation Dr. Michael & Lydia West William & Marlene West Dr. Cornelius & Betty Wiens Winnipeg Free Press Dr. Clifford Yaffe & Dr. Heather Levin

$10,000 - $24,999 Dr. John Agostino P. Joyce Aitken Robert & Joy Antenbring Dr. Fred & Grace Aoki Dr. Richard & Dr. Dawna Armstrong Earl & Cheryl Barish Dr. Jaroslaw & Mary Barwinsky Dr. Gary & Elizabeth Beazley Dr. James & Doreen Beckstead Dr. Dean Bell & Dr. Sandra Marles Ben Moss Jewellers Dr. Lionel & Dr. Anne Bercovitch Annie Beynon Bingo Palace BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. Border Chemical Company Limited Mary Boreskie Dr. Gordon Boroditsky Dr. Paul & Lois Bowman Dr. Robert B. Bracken Anne & James Brown Catherine Brown Dora Brown Helen Bruce Daniel Bubis & Jennifer Blumenthal Dr. Robert & Claire Burns Canadian Association of Clinical Surgeons West CancerCare Manitoba Dr. William Carr Henry Cheng Mark Chipman Dr. Gordon Chipperfield

The University of Manitoba makes every effort to ensure that donors are properly recognized. Please contact the Donor Relations office at 204-474-9195 or donor.relations@umanitoba.ca regarding any errors or omissions.

Dr. Douglas & Carole Craig Kenneth & Joan Crowshaw CryoLife Inc. Steve Dawyduk Gilda De Bonis Department of Psychiatry, Health Sciences Centre Don Mazankowski Scholarship Foundation Edward Drewry Dr. Glen Drobot Ada & Dr. John Ducas Dr. Donald Dunlop The Dutkevich Memorial Trust Dr. Douglas DuVal Dr. Richard Edwards Dr. Carl Eisener Eli Lilly Canada Inc. Dr. Alvin & Phyllis Elliott Dr. Christopher Engel Dr. Margaret Fast Federated Insurance Companies of Canada Dr. Frank Friesen Friesens Corporation Dr. Alison Froese ft3 Architecture Landscape Interior Design Dr. Ian Gilmour Dr. Lorna Grant & Dr. Frederick Orr Dr. Clair & Isabelle Hall Health Sciences Staff Donna & Dr. Kenneth Hodgins Dr. Grant Hoe Dr. Walter & Viola Hoeppner Dr. Robert & M. Hoeschen Dr. Charles Hollenberg Dr. William Howden Dr. Farrukh Hussain The ILLAHIE Foundation Industrial Alliance Insurance & Financial Services Inc. Dr. Vincent Ip Dr. Esther Israels Dr. Michael Janusz Dr. Thomas Joas Dr. Alfred & Susan Jones Dr. Kwan Chi Kao Dr. Shirley Katz Dr. Chris & Janice Kehler James & Gloria Keleher Dr. Wayne & Leslie Kepron Khartum Ladies Auxiliary Dr. Bryan Kirk Dr. Alan Klass Serena Kraayeveld

Dr. Franklin Labadie Dr. Robert Langdon Frank Lavitt Dr. Leonard & Pamela LeBoldus Dr. Albert Lecot Dr. David & Linda Lee Dr. Trevor Lee Dr. Mary Ann & Alan Levy Dr. Philippe & Dea L’Heureux Dr. Sora Ludwig & Dr. Brent Schacter Lupus Society of Manitoba Inc. Dr. Edward & Harriet Lyons Dr. Campbell & Leah MacArthur Dr. Andrew MacDiarmid & Dr. Leanne Docking Dr. Brendan MacDougall Dr. Alan & Penny Macklem Catherine Maclean Dr. Neil Maclean Manitoba Health The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Manitoba X-Ray Clinic Medical Corporation Dr. Jacque & Pamela Mar Dr. Neil & Elaine Margolis Mason Steele Partnership Dr. R. Donald McBane & Isabel L. McBane Dr. Jean McFarlane Muriel McKenty Alan & Erica McLaughlin Dr. Donald McLean Joan McNeely Dr. James & Winifred McPhee MDS Inc. Dr. Fred Mensink Dr. Robert Menzies Dr. H. Keith & Jean Merrick Dr. Kunal Minhas Dr. Doreen Moggey Monarch Industries Limited Dr. Patrick & Jo Anne Montgomery Dr. Philip & Lynda Murray Palma Nagy National Trust Co. Dr. Colleen Northcott Michael Nozick & Cheryl Ashley Organon Canada Ltd. The Oshawa Group Limited Dr. Brian Ostrow Dr. David & Pat Ostrow Dr. Richard & Patricia Palahniuk Murray Palay & Ivy Kopstein Dr. Peter Pang Dr. R. Wayne & Linda Paquin

DONOR NEWS

Dr. Yashesh Patel Dr. Janet & Dr. Ed Pavlin Dr. Erwin & Anna Penner Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals Dr. Roger Philipp The Pollard Family Foundation Dr. Brian & Dr. Sharon Postl Dr. John & Marilyn Potoski Dr. Ton Quong Dr. Robert & Dr. Norma Ramsay RBC Dominion Securities Inc. Marnie Reynolds Dr. George & Dr. Tannis Richardson Dr. Claudio Rigatto & Dr. Lisa Bryski Alice Robertson Dr. Allan & Myrna Ronald The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Richard & Joan Rue Sanofi-Aventis Canada Inc. Dr. Michael & Elsie Sasynuik Dr. R. Brenda & Dr. E. Kenneth Schmidt Dr. Marlis Schroeder Dr. Stanley Seah Dr. Satyendra Sharma Charles Shore Robert Silver Hilda Simmons Dr. Estelle & Dr. Keith Simons Dr. Robert & Leslie Smith Sobeys Inc. Elaine & Alex Sommer Dr. John & Eva Sutherland Dr. Peter Taylor Terry Gray Agencies Ltd. The ECCOLA Foundation Dr. Kenneth & Lorna Thorlakson Dr. Wilfred Thorleifson United Molgen Limited University Women’s Club of Winnipeg Dr. Helmut Unruh Dr. Daniel Vouriot Dr. John & Marilyn Wade Doris Waite Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation Dr. Peter Warren & F. P. Warren Dr. Kymberly Watt Dr. Reginald Whetter Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Dr. John & Janet Wright Dr. Klaus & Dorit Wrogemann Dr. Gerald Yu

MB MEDICINE | WINTER 2015

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FACULTY AWARDS & HONOURS Compiled by Garrick Kozier

Tracie Afifi [PhD/09], associate professor (community health sciences) was awarded a $883,855 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Foundation grant for her study entitled “Preventing child maltreatment: changing a child’s trajectory, improving health, and strengthening families.”

Dr. Benedict Albensi, associate professor (pharmacology & therapeutics) and Principal Investigator, Synaptic Plasticity and Cellular Memory Dysfunction, Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders (St-Boniface Hospital Research) was awarded the Manitoba Dementia Research Chair, a 5-year $500,000 award from Research Manitoba in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.

Dr. Kevin Coombs, professor (medical microbiology) and Dr. Darwyn Kobasa, adjunct professor (medical microbiology) received a 5-year Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant worth $657,715 for their project entitled “Signaling perturbations during influenza virus replication and pathogenesis.”

The Faculty of Health Sciences Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs were presented with two national awards of excellence at the National CPD Forum in Ottawa in September. CPD teams in Dentistry and Medicine were awarded the 2015 Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada Accredited CPD Provider Innovation award for the February 2014 Oral Systemic Health Interprofessional Education (IPE) Day. CPD-Medicine and Dr. Ryan Zarychanski [B.Sc.(Med.)/00], assistant professor (internal medicine) and his partners at Uniting Primary Care and Oncology (UPCON) at CancerCare Manitoba were presented with the 2015 College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) Continuing Professional Development Program Award for Blood Day for Primary Care Providers. This national prize is bestowed upon an educational program that has provided an exceptional learning experience to practicing or practice-eligible CFPC members.

Dr. Jim Davie, professor (biochemistry & medical genetics), was inducted into the Canadian Academy of Health Science.

Dr. Davie is a recognized leader in chromatin, a rapidly expanding field now known as epigenetics. His several seminal findings resulted in knowledge translation towards improving human health. His early studies set the foundation for development of histone deacetylase inhibitor drugs, which are approved therapeutics for hematologic malignancies and in clinical trials for a broad range of human disorders. His studies continue to significantly advance epigenetic knowledge synthesis.

Dr. Jim Davie, professor (biochemistry & medical genetics), was elected to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), the country’s most esteemed association of scholars and scientists. His findings have resulted in knowledge translation towards improving human health. His early studies set the foundation for development of histone deacetylase inhibitor drugs, which are approved

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FACULTY NEWS

therapeutics for hematologic malignancies and in clinical trials for a broad range of human disorders. His studies continue to advance epigenetic knowledge synthesis.

Dr. Sanjiv Dhingra, assistant professor (physiology & pathophysiology,) was awarded a $521,185 Canadian Institutes of Health Research operating grant for his study entitled “Preserving the immunoprivilege of transplanted allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells in the ischemic heart.”

Dr. Evelyn Forget, professor (community health sciences), was recently selected as the first recipient of the prestigious Kierans-Janigan Visiting Scholar award, from Massey College at the University of Toronto. This award recognizes Evelyn’s career achievements in health economics, and in particular, her leadership of the MINCOME guaranteed annual income experiment that was undertaken in Dauphin in the 1970s, and from which important findings continue to emerge.

Dr. Eric Jacobsohn, professor and head (anesthesia & perioperative medicine) is the recipient of the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society national 2015 Clinical Teacher Award. The Clinical Teacher Award recognizes excellence in the teaching of clinical anesthesia.

Dr. Elissavet Kardami, professor (human anatomy & cell science), was awarded a $646,363 Canadian Institutes of Health Research operating grant for her study entitled “The role of FGF2 isoforms in cardiac remodeling.”

Lorrie Kirshenbaum [PhD/82, M.Sc./88], professor (physiology & pathophysiology), was awarded a $569,850 Canadian Institutes of Health Research operating grant for his study entitled “Targeting cell death signaling pathways in the heart.”

Terry Klassen [MD/82, B.Sc. (Med.)/82], head (pediatrics & child health), received the first Dr. Marilyn Li Pediatric Emergency Medicine Leadership Award from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. The award recognizes a physician who, as a leader in pediatric emergency medicine, has promoted excellence in themselves and others.

Dr. Lisa Lix, professor (community health sciences), was awarded a $962,920 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Foundation grant for her study entitled “Advancing the science of data quality for electronic health databases: Applications to chronic disease research and surveillance.”

Dr. Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg, Distinguished Professor (pediatrics) received the Partners in Research Biomedical Science Ambassador Award. The award recognizes a Canadian researcher whose outstanding body of work over a period of time has contributed to the fields of biomedical science and/or clinical medicine, and their promotion of this research to the Canadian public. Dr. Rockman-Greenberg is an expert in genetic diseases who championed DNA-based diagnostics in Winnipeg.

Both a pediatrician and geneticist, Rockman-Greenberg is currently head of the department of pediatrics and child health, a professor within that department, a professor in the department of biochemistry and medical genetics, and the medical director of the child health program within the Winnipeg Health Region.

Dr. Tabrez Siddiqui, assistant professor (physiology & pathophysiology) was awarded a $795,210 Canadian Institutes of Health Research operating grant for his study entitled “Regulation of a neuronal synaptic pathway in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.”

Estelle Simons [MD/69], professor (pediatrics & child health), was elected to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), the country’s most esteemed association of scholars and scientists. Dr. Simons has developed novel approaches for investigation of the clinical pharmacology, efficacy and safety of medications used in treatment of asthma, anaphylaxis, and other allergic diseases. For more than three decades, her innovative research has helped move the pharmacologic treatment of these diseases from an empirical basis to a scientific basis and in so doing, reduced their morbidity and mortality and mitigated the impact of the allergy epidemic.

Dr. Alex Singer, assistant professor (family medicine), and his Manitoba Primary Care Research Network team won two runner-up awards valued at $10,000 each in the Canada Health Infoway Data Impact Challenge.

Dr. Carolyn Snider, assistant professor (emergency medicine), received $100,000 for the “Wraparound Care for Youth Injured by Violence: A Randomized Control Trial” project. Dr. Snider also received the Dr. Allan Drummond Advocacy Award from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians for her commitment and dedication to the cause of advancing the discipline at the regional, national, or international level through advocacy efforts.

Jitender Sareen [MD/95, B.Sc.(Med.)/95], associate professor, (psychiatry), received the 2015 Scholastic Award for Excellence in Scholarly Activities in the Health Profession from Doctors Manitoba. He also received a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Foundation grant worth $1,886,073 for his study entitled “Defining the longitudinal course, outcomes, and treatment needs of vulnerable Canadians with posttraumatic stress disorder.”

Merril Pauls [MD/91], associate professor (emergency medicine), received the Dr. Helen Karounis Memorial Award for Professionalism in Emergency Medicine from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. The award recognizes a physician who upholds the highest standards of professionalism in Emergency Medicine and who serves as a role model.

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR Dr. Leigh Murphy is persistent—she has to be in order to uncover new ways to fight an equally dogged disease: breast cancer.

Her tenacity over the last four decades is helping more women win their battle than ever before. As chair of the Breast Cancer Research Group at the University of Manitoba, and director of the Manitoba Breast Tumour Bank, she leads research against the most common form of cancer to strike women worldwide.

This internationally-recognized scientist zeroes in on the role of the estrogen hormone, which is a key player in the development of the disease. Along the way, Murphy has broken ground. In 1997, her team was the first to show that some types of breast cancer contain two estrogen receptors and not just one as previously thought. She was also among the first to identify the presence of this second receptor on its own in some forms of cancer, and to realize that breast tumours contain special chemical changes on the estrogen receptor that affect their behaviour.

Murphy joined the University of Manitoba’s College of Medicine in 1987.

In 2000, she became a senior scientist at what is now the Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, a partnership between the University and CancerCare Manitoba.

What began for Murphy as a scientific interest in cancer at the molecular level grew into a personal quest as the disease claimed friends and family members. Murphy is driven by a desire that her findings will lead to a clinical test that will precisely predict which women will respond best to anti- hormonal therapies, saving precious time and improving success rates.

In 2005, she received a YM-YWCA Women of Distinction Award for her contributions to research and science. She has also been honoured with the Medical Research Council of Canada Scientist Award and the NCI (Canada) Research Scientist Award.

To date, Murphy has secured more than $9 million in research funding as a principal investigator and over $2 million as a co-investigator. As a professor in the department of biochemistry and medical genetics and as a dedicated mentor, Murphy shares this wonder with the next generation, offering her guidance to high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty. This collaborative work motivates her to keep searching for answers, and moving science forward.

FACULTY NEWS

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ALUMNI NEWS Allan Ronald [MD/61, B.Sc. (Med.)/61] was presented with the Citizens Hall of Fame bronze medallion at an induction ceremony and reception held in his honour.

The Hall of Fame was initiated in 1986 by the Winnipeg Real Estate Board, honouring outstanding citizens who brought recognition to the city of Winnipeg or who have made outstanding contributions to Winnipeg’s quality of life. Busts of the inductees are displayed in the city’s Assiniboine Park. Ronald’s bronze portraiture created by local sculptor Madeleine Vrignon was installed at the Citizens Hall of Fame site on September 10, 2015. Ronald was honoured in the Community Service category—for voluntary activities and dedication that benefit the immediate and global community.

Class of 1972 Arnold Naimark Lecture in Medicine and Society The College of Medicine Class of 1972 Arnold Naimark Lecture in Medicine and Society presented Medicine & Human Rights by Jonathan Cohen, deputy director of Open Society Foundations Public Health Program, in Brodie Atrium at the University of Manitoba’s Bannatyne Campus as part of Homecoming celebrations.

PROFESSORS EMERITI Dr. Peter Duke’s career as a faculty member in the department of anesthesia and perioperative medicine is notable for his dedication to students and for pioneering new practices that advanced his field.

After receiving his MD from the U of M in 1964, Dr. Duke developed an interest in the evolving subspecialty of cardiac anesthesia and trained in this new field at the University of California, San Diego, at a time when cardiac surgery was still in its infancy.

When he returned to practice in Winnipeg he shared this innovative training with his colleagues and became the first Director of Cardiac Anesthesia at HSC, heralding a major growth period of scientific and clinical knowledge in this area.

In 1994 Dr. Duke established a medical student exchange between the University of Manitoba and Saitama Medical University (Japan) that continues to flourish today.

Dr. Duke was a major force in the field of cardiac anesthesia through his involvement in the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists and as president and CEO of the worldwide research organization MCSPI (Multi Centre Study of Perioperative Ischemia).

His research led to over 100 peer-reviewed publications and abstracts and he is a respected lecturer across the globe, receiving the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society highest award in 2004.

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ALUMNI NEWS

PHOTO: MIKE LATSCHISLAW

PHOTO: GARRICK KOZIER

In 2015, the University of Manitoba conferred the titles of Professor Emeritus to Peter Duke [MD/64] and Professor Emerita to Marlis Schroeder [MD/66].

For 40 years, Dr. Maria-Louise (Marlis) Schroeder has profoundly impacted the health of Manitoba’s children through her trailblazing research, innovations, and commitment to improving health services in Manitoba.

She earned her MD here in 1966, winning the gold medal. After training in pediatrics and pediatric hematology, she continued in immunology and bone marrow transplantation at the University of Washington. She returned to U of M in 1975 where she has since remained and conducted her transformative work.

Dr. Schroeder is a talented pediatric hematologist, but also a gifted administrator and leader: she established the HLA Laboratory and became its first director; she served as director of the Canadian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, Winnipeg Centre; and she provided leadership to programs that included the Manitoba Rh program and the Cellular Therapy Laboratory.

She also led the Manitoba Blood and Marrow Transplant Program from its inception in 1993 until 2008. Her research career is inseparable from her clinical commitments, particularly to children with severe immunodeficiency syndromes.

She has published more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, abstracts and book chapters focused on topics that include transfusion medicine, transplant immunology and immunodeficiency. She has made critical contributions to our understanding of congenital immunodeficiency syndromes unique to Manitoba.

Compiled by Angela Peloquin

OBITUARIES We extend our condolences to all family and friends of our University of Manitoba College of Medicine Alumni and Colleagues who have recently passed away.

DR. CHARLES A. FERGUSON Dr. Charles (Charlie) Ferguson was born August 19, 1932 and passed away August 19, 2014. Charlie was born and grew up in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and was fiercely proud of his Scottish roots. He earned an undergraduate degree from Mount Allison University, a medical degree from McGill University in 1957, and became a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1968.

Given his irresistible wanderlust, he spent the intervening years travelling and working across Canada and Europe. Charlie’s work in Canada’s north and on the D.E.W. Line ignited his passion for the care of children, and he returned from his travels with his infamous white jag to complete his residency in Pediatrics and become a champion for Canada’s children. He co-published the first paper on child abuse in Canada in 1973, and worked extensively with urban, rural and Aboriginal agencies and Child Abuse Committees within the Province of Manitoba.

Charlie served as Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Manitoba, Director of the Children’s Clinic at the Children’s Hospital, Director and co-founder of the Child Protection Centre and Chair of the Board at Mount Carmel Clinic. He was regarded as an expert in the area of child abuse and testified in court in many provinces.

Charlie had a huge impact on the lives of so many, and received numerous recognitions and awards throughout his career for his work and commitment to his community including two from the Queen. His wisdom and approach to life were truly inspirational. Charlie was a brilliant communicator who could establish rapport with every person he contacted, from frightened and isolated parents and children in the Far North, to colleagues and visiting experts.

He was devoted to his patients, and a knowledgeable mentor to his residents, each of whom would come to treasure and emulate some aspect of his approach and personality into their own practices. Charlie became affectionately known as the ‘Gentle Giant’.

A tireless advocate, Charlie always felt as though his work was never done, and he continued to work, mentor and provide advice to family, friends, colleagues and others throughout his retirement.

He married Patricia, a nurse and horse lover, 40 years ago, with whom he had two sons Neil and Ross. Together, they enjoyed the serene and quiet aspects of life— their St. Norbert family home and sanctuary, camping, and cottage life on Wolf Island on beautiful Lake of the Woods.

Recent trips home to Nova Scotia and to Scotland as well as several cruises were also especially meaningful to him. Charlie also loved soccer, and was the driving force behind many of the soccer programs and systems in Manitoba. He served as a Winnipeg South Soccer District President, and had two scholarship awards named in his honour. Charlie is survived by his wife Patricia, his sons Neil and Ross, his sister Isobel Bahn, niece Tracy Essoglou, and his granddaughter Ella (Ross).

Charles Sandwith Campbell MD/51 | November 17, 2014 at Whitby, ON R. Grant Benningen MD/72 | July 8, 2015 at Victoria Beach, MB Frank Alexander Herbert MD/55 | July 11, 2015 at Edmonton, ON Allan Klein MD/52 | December 31, 2014 at Edmonton, ON Wendy Mooney MD/86 | May 17, 2015 at Ottawa, ON Sunil Patel, MD/2002 | October 1, 2015 at Winnipeg, MB

GARRY KREPART [MD/70] MD FRCSC With dignity and family by his side, Garry Victor Krepart passed away October 8, 2015. Shaped by ethics, honesty and truth, Garry was a loving husband, brother, compassionate father and grandfather, loyal friend, and gifted physician. Garry was the retired head of the Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences department at the Health Sciences Centre/University of Manitoba and the retired Head of Gynecological Oncology at CancerCare Manitoba. He had the privilege of working with and training hundreds of fellow colleagues in the field of Gynecological Oncology.

His career took him around the world and was rich with the love of research, his colleagues and classmates and the passion he kept for the care of his patients.

With family he shared his time and his kind nature at home, in travel, and at his beloved Lake of the Woods. These were privileged times and will continue to be shared and honoured. His lessons shaped family; his routines and rituals will always be present. Garry is survived by a dedicated and loving family blessed with the memory of his laughter, his lessons and his virtue. He was extremely generous with both his time and his money, always going and working the extra mile, as well as supporting many charities his entire adult life. Many patients also received the benefits of “a one-time social work stipend that only a physician could apply for on behalf of their patients”. There was no need for them to bother themselves with the paperwork, he would do it for them. The next day, the fund was readily available. It was always patient care first and his dedication was reflected in his clinical practice every day, including time off as he would research like a fiend to ensure he was always up on the latest drug or therapy.

Garry was particularly interested in supporting the poor with social justice and their much needed medical attention. He also loved animals, “critters” as he affectionately referred to them, and supported their well-being also. He was a staunch defender of human equality.

A private, family service was held to honour Garry’s life.

LORNE W. PENNER [MD/58] It was with sadness the family announced the passing of Lorne W. Penner. He was born on November 5, 1929 in the Morris, Manitoba area and died peacefully surrounded by family on August 14th, 2015.

Lorne is survived by his children: Catherine (Doug), Kevin (Carolyn), Reg (Fai), Jenny (Claude), Geoff (Judy) and Gretchen (Raymundo); as well as 20 grandchildren and one great-grandson. He is also survived by his sister, Viola; sisters-in-law: Alvena, Betty and Edna; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his first wife, Jean (d.1986), the mother of his six children; and his second wife, Marnie (d.2010).

Lorne was born and raised on the farm near Morris, MB, attended Briercrest Bible Institute in Caronport, SK and then studied medicine at the University of Manitoba. He fulfilled his lifelong desire to be a missionary doctor in Eritrea until 1968 when he returned to Canada with his family due to illness.

He continued to practice medicine in Steinbach, MB, Moose Jaw, SK, Caronport, SK, Chetwynd, BC and Ladysmith BC. Family practice was his passion and he especially loved the babies and children, many of whom he remembered by name.

He was very proud of the fact that he had successfully delivered over 1000 babies in his medical career.

A second passion was music. He was blessed with a wonderful tenor voice and often would sing to his patients, whether in the delivery room or Emergency department. He retired at Caronport, SK in 1997 and continued to be very active in his church and community, and with the Gideons.

He moved to Moose Jaw in 2011 after the death of his wife Marnie. He kept in close contact with hundreds of family members, friends and colleagues from all parts of his life.

He will be remembered as a man of deep faith and prayer and had a positive outlook and generous spirit. He did not seem to know how to complain! He had many wonderful stories to tell and connected deeply with those he met regardless of age or station in life. All were seen as equal and worthy in Lorne’s eyes. To know him was to love him and he will be deeply missed by many.

Harold Unger Penner, MD/51 | September 30, 2015 at Victoria, MB Dr. Michel Tetreault | September 16, 2015 at Winnipeg, MB MB MEDICINE | WINTER 2015

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2015 UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA HOMECOMING Class of 1980 & Class of 1985

Classmates Arni Laxdal and Wilson Rodger take a walk down memory lane during Homecoming.

MD Classes of 1980 & 1985 enjoy a hands- on session at the Clinical Learning & Simulation Skills lab during campus tours.

Class of 1990

Class of 1965

Members of the Class of 1990 are all smiles as they celebrate their 25th milestone reunion.

The Class of 1965 celebrated its 50th milestone reunion with many special eventsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and lots of reminiscing.

PHOTOS: GARRICK KOZIER

Class of 1960

2016 UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA HOMECOMING

The University of Manitoba Homecoming weekend and Medicine class reunions offer a special opportunity to return to campus, reconnect with old friends, and discover whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new at your alma mater. Many College of Medicine milestone class reunions will take place over the University of Manitoba Homecoming weekend September 23-25, 2016. For more information about participating in any of the Medicine alumni class reunions, or becoming a class leader and helping to organize your class reunion in 2016, please contact Darcy Routledge, Alumni Affairs & Events Officer at 204-977-5650 or darcy.routledge@umanitoba.ca.

PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NUMBER: 40063171

Return undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: University of Manitoba Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Medicine, 280 Brodie Centre, 727 McDermot Ave. Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P5 CONTACT US:

Ilana Simon, Editor Ilana.Simon@umanitoba.ca umanitoba.ca/medicine