MB Medicine - Issue 12 Summer 2014

ISSUE 12 | summer 2014

MB medicine Magazine of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine, Alumni and Friends

SEEDING THE FUTURE Celebrating Research | Largest Med School Class | Knowledge Translation

Photo: Grajewski Fotograph Inc.

dean’s message Seeding the Future of Health Care We recently celebrated the convocation of our largest medical school class in our 135-year history!

On May 15, the University of Manitoba conferred MD degrees on 109 graduates of the Faculty of Medicine Class of 2014.

I am delighted that 90 graduates will remain in Manitoba to complete their residency programs.

The fact that we retained over 80 per cent of our graduates across departments bodes well for stocking Manitoba’s physician resource needs into the future.

Last year, the Faculty of Medicine committed to take actions during the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) process to retain the majority of our graduating medical students to U of M residency programs who will, ultimately, deliver patient care to Manitobans across the province.

Our Student Retention Steering Committee recommended a number of changes to recruit and retain 70 per cent of our graduates to U of M residency program positions – we clearly succeeded! And we will continue to strive to meet that 70 per cent target in future years.

Across Canada, a surplus of specialists is looming in some areas while there is a growing demand for generalists like family physicians. Medical students everywhere have taken notice, with a marked interest among our students to pursue family medicine.

This year, 34 graduands began a residency in family medicine July 1 at the University of Manitoba. Of the 34, 19 are conducting their residency in rural areas and one in the bilingual stream (who will train in Ste Anne, St. Boniface and Notre Dame de Lourdes).

We have expanded our family medicine distributed education sites which include residency positions in northern and remote communities, as well as in Dauphin, Brandon, Morden/Winkler, Steinbach, and Portage la Prairie.

Residency training is changing in other ways too across the country.

Residency programs are evolving towards a more competency-based medical education.

Family medicine training will follow a “Triple C” curriculum – one that is comprehensive; focused on continuity of patient care and education; and centred in family medicine and what family doctors will need for their ever-demanding practices.

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All of these shifts indicate we will better meet the health-care needs of the populations we serve – which are distributed across Manitoba in urban, rural, northern and remote communities.

For some graduates, the appeal of rural-based postgrad training is living in a close-knit rural community where they get to know families and feel welcomed. For others, a rural residency program is a chance to head back to their own rural roots.

Likewise, our northern & remote family medicine stream offers new MDs broad clinical practices in a community where they will be greatly appreciated and a chance to experience Canada’s beautiful north.

Our U of M admissions process casts a wide net to place value on applicants with rural attributes. In the Class of 2014, 49 students entered medical school with these attributes. I believe our efforts to attract students with diverse backgrounds are now bearing fruit and will positively impact physician shortages faced by rural communities.

We know that where doctors earn their MD degrees and complete their residency training influences where they will practice.

In an analysis of our graduates, we found 73 per cent of physicians who completed both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in Manitoba practiced in Manitoba two years after completing their training (65 per cent practiced in Manitoba five years after training, and 58 per cent after 10 years).

Approximately 95 per cent of our graduating students are Manitobans; we want them to stay in Manitoba for residency programs and beyond.

As Manitoba’s only medical school, we have a responsibility to the whole province to retain the physicians we educate and train so they will provide health care service to all Manitobans.

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:

http://blogs.cc.umanitoba.ca/postlnotes/

editor’s message

IN this issue:

Welcome to the summer edition of MB Medicine.

In this issue, we have lots to celebrate!

PHOTO: GRAJEWSKI FOTOGRAPH INC.

From the largest U of M medical school class in history to the George &

05 MLL Invests in FASD U of M & Hebrew U Partnership

Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation’s new new patientoriented research unit.

You will read about how Manitoba was selected as one of the new Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) SPOR SUPPORT Units for patient-oriented research and trials providing unprecedented, province-wide support to health-care researchers and clinicians.

Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials (SUPPORT) units bring together patients, researchers, clinicians and policy makers to enhance patient care and health care practices while helping to recruit and retain health care professionals and patient-oriented researchers.

The SUPPORT Unit infrastructure supports researchers and clinicians looking to improve the quality and quantity of clinical research in Manitoba.

Knowledge Translation is also a mandate. You will learn how the new unit collaborates with many different partners to accelerate the integration of research findings into practice, especially as it relates to local health-care needs.

Speaking of health care needs, we have much research news to celebrate in this issue as well. Read about our University of Manitoba investigators who are collaborating on national and international research endeavours: Doctors Geoff Hicks, Brenda Elias, Miyoung Suh and Ab Chudley are the Principal Investigators on a University of Manitoba/Hebrew University of Jerusalem consortium on FASD research; Dr. Keith Fowke is the sole Western Canadian representative on the Canadian HIV Cure Enterprise, a collaboration of leading Canadian HIV/AIDS researchers; and Dr. Andrew Halayko is the director of training and mentoring for the Canadian Respiratory Research Network.

What better way to celebrate our successes than at Homecoming?

We invite all alumni to join us at the Dean’s Homecoming breakfast and campus tours on Saturday, September 20. We have ten Medicine class reunions taking place this year – including eight at Homecoming!

If you are celebrating a milestone reunion in 2014 or 2015 and want more information or to help plan your class reunion, please contact: Darcy Routledge, Alumni Affairs Officer at darcy.routledge@med.umanitoba.ca or 204-977-5650.

Ilana Simon ilana.simon@med.umanitoba.ca

09 C entre for Healthcare Innovation New SUPPORT Unit

11 C lass of 2014 Largest in 135 Years

06 CPD’s inaugural Oral-Systemic Health Day 15 Heart & Stroke Foundation Supports Research

17 Alumni Profile: Rob Brown [MD/87] PGME Accreditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Teacher Recognition Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Interprofessional Education: Day Shift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Research News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Into Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Medical Students’ Art Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 MedTalks; Rich Man, Poor Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Alumni News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Faculty Awards & Honours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 EDITOR: Ilana Simon Director of Communications & Marketing, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba Tel: 204-789-3427 E-Mail: ilana.simon@med.umanitoba.ca CONTRIBUTORS: Renee Barclay, Melni Ghattora, Garrick Kozier, Brian Postl, Ilana Simon, Cliff Yaffe.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Rob Blaich, Leah Crockett, Melni Ghattora, Grajewski Fotograph Inc., Garrick Kozier, Dan Gwozdz, Rebecca Krause, Mike Latschislaw, Andrew Sikorsky, Grant Warren.

Design: Guppy Graphic Design Cover Photo: Mike Latschislaw Printing: The Prolific Group

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L-R: Dr. Cliff Yaffe, Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education; Dr. Brian Postl, Dean, Medicine; and Dr. Sarkis Meterissian

PGME Accreditation Update: Complete & Moving Forward

By Dr. Cliff Yaffe [MD/76], Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education

We welcomed more than 35 surveyors and staff from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) to our Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) accreditation survey visit Feb. 23-28, 2014. We began our first day with an overview of the priorities and strengths of the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine and PGME Program presented by myself and Dean Brian Postl [MD/76].

This was followed by a successful welcome reception hosted by the Dean, Gary Harding [MD/00], Associate Dean, Accreditation and myself. Residency Program Directors had the opportunity to meet their Program Survey Team in a relaxed setting before the start of the formal survey activities.

A total of 37 of 50 Royal College Programs and the seven family medicine program streams were reviewed over the five-day visit. The Surveyors commended the Office of the Postgraduate Associate Dean and the engagement of program directors and hospital administrators.

Within Winnipeg, surveyors visited and met with faculty, staff and residents at the Health Sciences Centre, St-Boniface Hospital and Grace Hospital, as well as the Pan Am Clinic, Northern Connection Medical Centre, Kildonan Medical Centre, and Family Medical Centre at Seven Oaks Hospital. Outside Winnipeg, surveyors visited Boundary Trails, Steinbach, St. Anne, Brandon and Dauphin clinical sites.

On the last day of the visit, the chairs of the RCPSC and CFPC surveys, each outlined their respective accreditation processes and jointly presented their preliminary recommendations from the team surveying

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the University, Faculty and Postgraduate Office (A Standards Team) and the teams surveying the individual programs (B Standards Teams) and the CFPC team. We will receive the final findings in June 2014, following the deliberations of the Colleges’ Specialty and Accreditation Committees.

Amongst our strengths, surveyors cited the leadership of the Associate Dean, PGME and strong clinical sites for offering a variety of clinical cases. They were impressed with the new VENTIS curriculum management system, and by the Clinical Learning and Simulation Facility and Skills Lab. As well, they pointed to Dr. Rob Brown, Academic Lead, Ventis as an asset to the PGME mission and to Associate Dean, Professionalism Dr. Samia Barakat and Associate Dean, Students Dr. Bruce Martin as assets for the residents.

All PGME programs continue to be accredited, with 29 of the 37 Programs receiving recommendations for full approval, and eight royal college programs and seven family medicine programs receiving recommendations for follow up within two years. Accreditation is not an endpoint but an ongoing process, and the PGME program will incorporate the valuable feedback from the survey as the programs move forward and will continually enhance the delivery of our resident education and training.

Over the past two years, many faculty and staff have worked extremely hard in advance of the survey visit. Special thanks to Wendi Charette, Karen Howell and all of the Faculty PGME program team for their tireless work and dedication, as well as U of M staff across the Bannatyne Campus, our internal and external partners, RCPSC, CFPC, Professional Association Residents in Medicine (PARIM) and residents.

Photo: Garrick Kozier

FACULTY & STUDENTS THANK MED SCHOOL EDUCATORS The Honourable Theresa Oswald shared her views on what it means to be a teacher at the fourth annual Faculty of Medicine Teacher Recognition Dinner. The event, hosted by Dean of Medicine Dr. Brian Postl on January 29 at the U of M’s Bannatyne Campus, honoured the invaluable group of educators in the faculty dedicated to training medical students.

Addressing the future physicians in the crowd, the Minister recalled her speech given at the annual Inaugural White Coat Ceremony where she encouraged students to take a moment to think about the teacher that had an impact on them.

“I asked you to find a moment to send an email, make a call and say; ‘I had a special day today and I shared it with family and friends and I wanted you to know I was thinking about you today because you had such a huge impact on how it is that I got to be at this day where somebody put a white coat on my shoulders on my first day of medical school. Thanks.’”

The Teacher Recognition Dinner was yet another opportunity for the learners to recognize those who have had a positive impact on their time throughout medical school. This marked the second year the Faculty has joined forces with medical students and hosted the Manitoba Medical Students’ Association (MMSA) 2012/13 Teaching Awards presentation as part of the event.

The MMSA awards committee members lauded their profs for being inspiring, innovative faculty members “who mentor their students on a daily basis and exemplify professionalism, clinical teaching, patient advocacy and interdisciplinary collaboration.”

As Med II student Phoebe Thiessen looked back on a successful first year, she gave credit to the teachers and their dedication to prepping and delivering lectures, leading tutorials and demonstrating clinical skills. “I believe it is the inspiration, innovation and mentorship incorporated into each interaction between student and teacher that is the real demonstration of the quality of education here,” she said.

Oswald echoed those sentiments. “You have so many marvelous role models in this faculty and so many unbelievable acts of generosity and kindness that you might never know,” the former Health Minister said.

“If you want to ask me today about what makes a good teacher, I don’t think I need to give you any answers other than to say look around you because the good teachers are going to reveal themselves to you every single day probably in what they say – please listen to that stuff.

Honourable Theresa Oswald, Minister of Jobs and the Economy, Province of Manitoba provides inspiring keynote address at Teachers’ Recognition & MMSA Teaching Awards dinner.

“But it’s the things you are not going to find in a book like when you know that someone has lost somebody they love, you put on a shirt and tie.”

Med III students Hoang Nguyen and Adrian Stacy agreed. “As teachers, you are asked to teach us not only about the human body, diseases and treatments but also to be our role model, to guide us through emotionally charged situations and to mentor each of us to become compassionate and caring doctors,” Nguyen said.

Med IV students Melina Zylberman and Elizabeth Smith also had a heartfelt message for faculty members: “We are so grateful for the time you have all taken out of your busy schedules to make a difference in our careers.

Pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines can all be memorized from books, but it is from your words that this information develops a meaning and comes to life, and it is from your experiences that we learn the art of medicine; the emotion and passion behind it.”

MMSA Awards Winners Med I 2016 Innovation: Dr. Adrian Gooi 2016 Inspiration: Dr. Davinder Jassal 2016 Mentorship: Dr. Bruce Martin Med II 2015 Innovation: Dr. Keevin Bernstein 2015 Inspiration: Dr. Sari Hannila & Dr. Don Houston 2015 Mentorship: Dr. Bruce Martin Clerkship: Clinical Teaching: Dr. Geoff Cuvelier Interdisciplinary/Collaboration: Dr. Fernando Gonzalez-Pino Patient Advocacy: Dr. Greg Stanges Professionalism: Dr. Michael West

FACULTY NEWS

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Dan Gwozdz

MLL Boosts Funding for ‘Invisible Disorder’

Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries announced $1.35 million to fund research aimed at improving early diagnosis, intervention and prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

The funding was awarded to the Canada-Israel International Fetal Alcohol Consortium (CIIFAC), comprised of research teams from the University of Manitoba and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The consortium’s research focuses on susceptibility factors for FASD including genetics, nutrition, and socio-economic factors to aid in prevention strategies and developing new tools for diagnosing FASD earlier to improve health outcomes.

“Today is about world class research,” said Honourable Kevin Chief, Minister of Children and Youth Opportunities. “When you think about what world class research is, it’s always grounded in partnership and collaboration. We have academics, future doctors and researchers, members of the broader community, and government. When you bring lots of different people like that together, it’s always great news for children and families.”

The $1.35 million supports three research projects, led in Manitoba by Brenda Elias [PhD/04], assistant professor in the U of M’s dept. of community health sciences, Geoff Hicks [PhD/91], director of the U of M’s regenerative medicine program, Ab Chudley [MD/74], professor, depts. of pediatrics and biochemistry & medical genetics, and Dr. Miyoung Suh, associate professor of human nutritional sciences at the U of M. “The research team consists of researchers from Manitoba and Israel with multi-disciplinary expertise. Firstly, the strategy aims to understand the role of genetics to identify children at risk at a younger age, which would allow for earlier intervention and result in a profound difference in well-being. Secondly, the goal is also to understand the role of nutrition and reducing the risk of FASD,” explained Hicks. “The research projects funded include developing novel animal models with FASD that allow us to discover some of the earliest molecular targets of alcohol exposure that leads to FASD disorder.”

The research consortium was made possible through the work of the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which was instrumental in bringing together all of the stakeholders.

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L to R: Dr. Geoff Hicks, Murray Palay, Dr. Digvir Jayas, Honourable Kevin Chief, Dr. Brian Postl

“FASD research is an area where the University of Manitoba and the Hebrew University have made substantial scientific contributions and are already known as world leaders. Today’s announcement means contributions to FASD science and research is going to grow substantially,” said Dr. Digvir Jayas, Vice-President (Research and International) and Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba.

The impact of this research has far-reaching potential given the preponderance of the disorder in Canada alone. “The current estimate for FASD prevalence in Canada is one to six per cent … several recent studies indicate that the actual number is quite a bit higher than that. This means that there are probably one or two children with FASD in every Manitoba classroom today,” stated Hicks, adding FASD is often called an “invisible disorder”, having no physical manifestations in the majority of affected children and adults which results in delayed or complete lack of diagnosis.

“Without question, the biggest challenge we have when it comes to FASD is trying to overcome the stigma that it can represent,” noted Chief.

“Removing that stigma is an incredibly important aspect of what we need to do with FASD. The only way which we can do it, is by reaching out to people and ask them to share their struggle and hardship.

Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries commits two per cent of annual net income (this year $11.6-M) for liquor and gaming social responsibility programs in research, education, and awareness including FASD-related public awareness programs related to the correlation between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and development of FASD. “We would like to thank Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries for their commitment to FASD research and prevention,” said Murray Palay, national chair, Canadian Friends of Hebrew University. “At Canadian Friends, we remain committed to promoting collaborations between Israel’s and Canada’s leading institutions and researchers and re-doubling the efforts to eradicate the diseases that affect us all. By working together, we can make a difference – a world of difference.”

University of Manitoba Bridges the Gap Between Medicine and Dentistry at

First-ever Oral-Systemic Health Day

By Renee Barclay

Manitoba-based physicians, nurses and other non-dental health-care providers (HCPs) will be better prepared to recognize and refer certain oral diseases and conditions thanks to a first-of-its-kind collaborative clinical practice education day focused on oral-systemic health.

Oral-Systemic Health Day was hosted by the Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Manitoba on Feb. 7, 2014. The full-day event was part of the Bannatyne Continuing Professional Development Series for Physicians, and it attracted more than 200 health-care and human services providers from across the province. Dentists, dental hygienists, physicians, nurses, pharmacists and medical rehabilitation therapists were among those in attendance.

“This is a special day for us as it highlights several years of effort within our International Centre for Oral Systemic Health, the Office of Continuing Professional Development, the University Interprofessional Education and Practice Initiative, and the establishment of our new Faculty of Health Sciences which brings together our professions of medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and rehabilitation sciences,” Dr. Anthony Iacopino, Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, said during his opening remarks.

“We have now sufficiently developed our infrastructure and resources to organize and deliver programming for practicing professionals that revolves around how we can think differently and work together more effectively to improve health outcomes for Manitobans.”

OSH Day presenters Dr. Susan Müller of Emory University and Dr. Travis Nelson from the University of Washington addressed many of the risk factors associated with oral diseases. Course participants were taught how to screen for dental caries in children and adolescents and how to recognize cancerous and precancerous lesions of the oral cavity and oropharynx.

“Oral-Systemic Health Day is absolutely about our patients, and it is about increasing our knowledge and understanding to benefit them.

Making the connections between the mouth and the rest of the body is to recognize that they are truly extensively integrated,” said Dr. Bruce Martin, Associate Dean, Students, Faculty of Medicine, who was also a speaker at the event.

During a working lunch, participants engaged in facilitated round-table discussions where they considered one of two hypothetical case studies and discussed how dental and non-dental HCPs can collaborate to improve patient outcomes. Common take-away messages included: • addressing issues of access to care and appropriate referral processes; • ensuring oral-systemic health knowledge and information for non-dental HCPs is available, meaningful and consistent;

L to R: Oral-Systemic Health Day speakers Anthony Iacopino, Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Manitoba; Travis Nelson, University of Washington; Casey Hein, University of Manitoba; Susan Müller, Emory University; and Bruce Martin, Associate Dean, Students, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba.

•h aving appropriate knowledge and protocols in place for screening and early detection of oral diseases and conditions; • ensuring there is good communication, coordination and collaboration among dental and non-dental HCPs; and • a ddressing social determinants in order to break down barriers of education and social isolation.

A number of participants were interviewed following the roundtable discussions, and they provided positive feedback about the overall learning experience and the opportunity to network and collaborate with peers.

More than 50 people stayed for the afternoon optional hands-on workshop, where they reviewed and practiced how to screen for caries and oropharyngeal cancer.

OSH Day also resulted in some impromptu teaching points. Dr. Nelson demonstrated on a standardized pediatric patient how to conduct an oral examination by holding the toddler knee-to-knee with the patient’s parent. A Manitoba-based doctor then suggested and showed how physicians might use the same positioning for a follow-up ear examination, with the parent still holding the child.

“Programs like Oral-Systemic Health Day bridge the gap between medicine and dentistry,” said Casey Hein, Director of Education, International Centre for Oral-Systemic Health, Faculty of Dentistry, and Director of Interprofessional Continuing Development, Faculty of Medicine. “Manitobans can expect physicians and nurses will be screening patients for oral diseases and conditions, and dentists and dental hygienists will be thinking more about how oral infections and other conditions influence a patients’ overall health.”

OSH Day was part of an innovative curriculum in Oral-Systemic Health Education for Non-dental Healthcare Providers — a continuing education project funded by industry and the Manitoba Government.

The Curriculum offers evidence-based peer review education in oral health to help non-dental HCPs assess, refer and co-manage high-risk populations with limited access to dental care.

To see Oral-Systemic Health Day video footage, photos and participant responses, visit: umanitoba.ca/cpd/oshealthday.

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Building Health-Care Teams Through IPE

Photo: Courtesy of Faculty of Nursing

By Garrick Kozier

Students discuss a patient’s care plan at the Day Shift event in the Clinical Learning & Simulation Facility in the Faculty of Medicine.

There may be no greater example of the power of collaborative learning than the Interprofessional Education (IPE) Day Shift event.

Thrusting students from the Faculties of Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, School of Med Rehab and Spiritual Health Services (HSC) together in a collaborative setting, the IPE Day Shift provides an opportunity for students to understand the patient experience, practice skills required for inter-professional teamwork for patient-centered care, and practice clinical skills in a safe environment.

Taking place in the Clinical Learning & Simulation Facility (CLSF) at the Bannatyne Campus and facilitated by faculty members from all participating faculties, the event sees students from the various health professions play the role of patients and professional care providers in a simulated hospital setting.

Fiona Jensen, Faculty of Nursing IPE Coordinator, says the educational event offers students a unique perspective on working and interacting with professionals from across the health-care spectrum. It also prepares them for what they will experience in their careers as health-care professionals.

“Interprofessional education, by definition, occurs when students learn, from, with and about each other,” says Jensen. “This is a fabulous opportunity for students to learn together, develop their team communication skills and learn about the unique qualities of each health profession. “We hear things like ‘I had no idea a pharmacist had such a wealth of knowledge,’ or ‘I never knew about the role of a respiratory therapist in creating a care plan’,” adds Jensen.

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The pre-selected simulated events and incidences require collaborative assessment and planning. An example scenario: a 60-year-old female is admitted with a toe ulcer with a 20-year history of Diabetes Mellitus, blood sugar elevated, blind and uses a cane for ambulation and wants to be discharged. During the shift she has a hypoglycemic episode.

The students are divided into two inter-professional teams in charge of the well-being of a group of patients, and each team is composed of students from all the participating Colleges.

Each health profession is given equal weight and input into the patient’s needs. Also, students are grouped into team rounds to simulate the collaborative nature of planning care. To date, IPE has hosted two Day Shift events; one in October 2013, and the most recent taking place in February 2014. Due to positive feedback from students and faculty alike, two more are planned for 2015.

Caitlyn Farr, a College of Nursing student who took part in February’s event, says the experience provided her with a realistic glimpse of what it’s like to problem solve with other disciplines.

“The collaboration that occurred within my group was fantastic. We all filled in the gaps in each other’s knowledge, and worked as a team to develop plans for our “patients,” says Farr. “This setting was excellent to get students comfortable with talking with other professions and collaborating together. I think it truly sets the stage for the development of our inter-professional communication skills.”

National Research team including University of Manitoba researchers - to lead project to cure HIV The Canadian HIV Cure Enterprise (CanCURE), a collaboration of leading Canadian HIV/AIDS researchers, will look to find new effective approaches to cure HIV infection in humans.

The project, led by Dr. Éric A. Cohen in Montréal and nine Principal Investigators across the country -including the University of Manitoba’s Dr. Keith Fowke- received $8.7 million in funding from the Canadian Initiative for HIV Cure Research, a partnership between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) and the International AIDS Society (IAS). The investment was announced Nov.28 at the IRCM by Canada’s Minister of Health, the Honourable Rona Ambrose.

“This research funding announcement is significant in that it creates a network of researchers from all across Canada united under the common goal of trying to eliminate HIV infection, a goal which would have been viewed as impossible a decade ago. Our research team at the University of Manitoba is proud to be part of this national effort,” said Dr. Keith Fowke, Professor and Head, Dept. of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine.

U of M, the only Western Canadian university with a principal applicant represented, will receive $400,000 over five years for its role in the potentially groundbreaking research.

CanCURE ultimately aims to enhance our understanding of how HIV remains latent despite antiretroviral therapy, develop new research infrastructure relevant to HIV cure research, and establish therapeutic strategies that will bring us closer to the discovery of a cure for HIV infection.

U of M, an international leader in HIV/AIDS research, will play an important role in this pursuit. “We will be leading a scientific project to understand how key cells of the immune system are rendered dysfunctional in HIV infection,” Fowke explained, adding by blocking a regulator protein on the surface of the cells researchers hope to restore the immune system’s ability to eliminate HIV infected cells and control or even eliminate the infection.

The CanCURE project brings together an expert group of 26 basic and clinical scientists, who span 10 universities and affiliated research centres and operate in outstanding environments favouring high-quality research within their respective programs.

Canadian respiratory research network launched A new network of national researchers has received more than $7 million in federal and private funding to help discover why 20 per cent of smokers are diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) while 80 per cent are not.

“That’s not to say 80 per cent don’t get sick with other smoking related illnesses, it just means they’re not diagnosed with this specific disease,” explains Andrew Halayko [PhD/97], professor in departments of physiology & internal medicine in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba and director of training and mentoring for the Canadian Respiratory Research Network (CCRN).

The Emerging Network will receive $4.2 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research over the next five years with matching funds of $2.5 million from industry and not-for-profit organizations such as the Canadian Lung Association.

Manitoba has a unique repository that’s decades old. “We have developed a bio bank of human lung cells and tissue donated by consenting adult patients. Physicians from across Canada will send samples so Manitoba will become the hub for that,” says Halayko, also a research scientist at the Manitoba Institute of Child Health.

Halayko will lead the discovery platform, a basic research platform that’s embedded within the network; it includes researchers from the Universities of Calgary, McGill and McMaster.

“Dr. Halayko has been a leader in developing the concept for the network and ensuring it comes to fruition through efforts to align it with the national respiratory research strategy,” said Dr. Brian Postl, Dean of Medicine and Dean, Vice-Provost (Health Sciences). “The collaborative research conducted through the network will have direct patient impact and make a difference on a global level.”

Director of the CCRN Dr. Shawn Aaron, Head of Respirology at the Ottawa Hospital, senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa, will lead the network’s main objective of identifying and/or diagnosing disease sooner and to better understand why people get sick so that health care providers can intervene.

Halayko further explains that there is a large population of individuals out there who are sick but don’t know it; by the time they see a physician it’s essentially a palliative condition. COPD is becoming the fourth leading killer worldwide.

The Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Airway Cell and Molecular Biology is looking forward to the potential outcomes that will emerge for those suffering from COPD and asthma as a result of the network’s findings.

“It’s very exciting for me because it plugs in to the leading scientists in Canada, who are also the leading lung health scientists in the world,” he says.

“Clinical studies make your basic research really relevant so that when you make a discovery it doesn’t take four to eight years to make a difference.”

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PHOTO: Andrew Sikorsky

REINVENTING RESEARCH: ENGAGING PATIENTS AND PARENTS

by Melni Ghattora

As a young girl Serena Hickes was carted in and out of the emergency department. Living with two distinct chronic illnesses from birth, some of her earliest memories include being cared for by kind nurses and gentle doctors; but she also remembers being alone.

The Parent Advisory Group is really driving the innovation and helping the CHI to better understand how to engage parents, he explains. The long-term goal is to eventually host similar advisory groups in cities across Canada.

“The people who were bringing me into the ED [emergency department] as a child weren’t even allowed in the back with me. I don’t know if it was a secret what was going on back there,” Hickes jokes. “Or maybe they thought if something happened parents would become hysterical and get in the way. I was the child that was left alone behind-the-scenes, being cared for.”

“Parents can actually see how research is impacting care in Manitoba but they also help shape it and tell us how we can do better. We’re using the knowledge we’re collecting right here in this province to build national standards for how we engage patients and parents.”

That picture – the one where a young Hickes acts as her own healthcare advocate – is the polar opposite of the picture she’s looking at today. The mother of two is one of six Manitoba parents that make up a national Parent Advisory Group working closely with TRanslating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK).

The Manitoba-based advisory group engages parents and patients.

“They will be driving the agenda and become a central part in how we design health care systems and how we plan research,” explains Terry Klassen [MD/82, B.Sc. (Med)/82], academic director of the George and Fay Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI). The innovative centre is a partnership between the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

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He shares a childhood memory that resembles the image of a lonely young Hickes being treated in an ED. His older brother had croup when Klassen was a young boy. “My parents brought him into hospital and he had to stay there by himself and my parents were at home.”

Fortunately that scenario has also faded. “If we didn’t have research, we would still be back in the middle-ages doing things no differently.

Through research we’ve made a huge impact,” says the associate dean (academic), Faculty of Medicine.

L-R: Erin Selby, Manitoba Minister of Health; Dr. Terry Klassen, Academic Director (CHI); Rona Ambrose, Federal Minister of Health; Dr. Alain Beaudet, President CIHR; Dr. Digvir Jayas, Vice-President, (Research & International) (U of M); Rod Bruinooge, Member of Parliament (Winnipeg South).

PHOTO: dan gwozdz

Translating the acronym TREKK is a growing network of researchers, clinicians, national organizations and health consumers who share the same goal – to improve emergency care for children across Canada.

The network is supported by CHI’s Knowledge Translation (KT) platform – one of seven platforms within Manitoba’s recently established Support for People and PatientOriented Research and Trials (SUPPORT) Unit funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research through Canada’s Strategy for Patient Oriented Research.

TREKK reports up to 85 per cent of Canadian kids in need of emergency care are managed in a general emergency department and close to 40 per cent aren’t receiving treatment for which clear evidence exists; up to 20 per cent of our nation’s children receive treatment that has been shown to provide zero benefit and in some cases cause harm.

This knowledge mobilization initiative is a partnership and exchange between over 30 general emergency departments across Canada and members of Pediatric Emergency Research Canada, Pediatric Emergency Research Networks (an international collaborative) and Knowledge Translation Canada.

Bridging the gap According to Kristy Wittmeier, director of the KT platform, bringing in moms or dads, patients or members of the public can often provide a different lens. “They see things that we don’t see and they say it in a way that we might not say it and can relate it more easily to other people.”

Researchers come up with projects they want opinions and expertise on, she explains.

“Once I have that information, I bring these two groups together and that’s when the magic happens. We ask parents on the topic of croup – for example – ‘What info do you need or want at your fingertips?’”

During one of their assignments the group was asked to review the TREKK website.

“We wanted to know what makes a site credible. We asked the group to go to the site and not just read it but really believe it,” recalls Wittmeier. “We asked, ‘How can we present our research knowledge in a way that could be useful? What are you interested in finding out? When we do find out, how can we tell you in a way that’s useful?’”

Hickes shares how she feels the opportunity to be part of the group is beyond incredible, “I can say 100 per cent that our children are being very well cared for and we’re lucky.

We have these amazing people who are working very hard to see what works best and then implement it.” Wittmeier is quick to point out, “you’re not just seeing it, you’re helping shape it.”

A single mom with kids now in their 20s, Hickes remembers what it was like as a parent dealing with a child suffering of a chronic condition. “It can be tiring to be your child’s advocate. When you’re done in the ED, where do you go for your own care? Simply clicking on the TREKK website and realizing ‘Oh, this is normal. Ok I feel better,’ helps.

Because you feel like you’re the one and only case and that’s an awful, scary feeling.”

The parents meet four times a year or as needed. “We have a list of questions and an agenda that we work through but it’s basically us sitting back and listening as much as we can because they are the experts in this scenario,” Wittmeier explains.

The goal is to make research meaningful for people who would access those services.

“We want patients to be engaged and to be involved in every step of that process,” she adds. Parents offer the “lived experience” that can really help guide researchers.

Wittmeier says the feedback lets investigators know if they’re on the right track.

Funding better outcomes for tomorrow It’s through research that a huge impact has been made in health care. “One of the most dramatic examples that I know of relates to acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Going back 50 years ago, most kids died,” says Klassen. “Through research and doing trials, we now have 80 per cent of kids who survive. There needs to be other examples of that and there will be, if we invest as a society.”

The federal and provincial governments agree. In February 2014 Rona Ambrose, Federal Minister of Health and Erin Selby, Manitoba Minister of Health announced $22.4 million in funding ($11.2M from each level of government over a five-year period) to launch the Manitoba SUPPORT Unit for patientoriented research.

“Our Government is committed to improving the health-care system and patient care through research and innovation. Through the Strategy for PatientOriented Research, we will bring research evidence and innovation to the front lines of health care, for the benefit of all Canadian patients,” said Minister Ambrose.

Knowledge Translation (KT) – which focuses on engaging patients and parents like Serena Hickes – is one of the seven platforms within the SUPPORT Unit housed at the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation. The research infrastructure will provide guidance, support and services to researchers and clinicians looking to improve the quality and quantity of clinical research in Manitoba, ultimately accelerating the integration of research findings into practice.

The platforms, which include: KT, Knowledge Synthesis, Project Management, Data Science, Health Systems Performance, Evaluation and Clinical Trials, will work interchangeably with each other to develop projects that will challenge and transform the health care system. (Check out: www.chimb.ca to learn more on each platform.)

“Five years from now, it would be lovely if we could show in a very clear way how we’ve improved the health system of Manitobans. That’s maybe sometimes tough but I hope we’ll have some very demonstrable ways of showing that impact,” says Klassen, also Scientific Director of the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (MICH) and a pediatric emergency specialist.

According to Hickes, they are. “I hope readers understand that researchers, parents and professionals can all work together and learn from each other.”

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PHOTO: Dan Gwozdz

Steve Melnyk, Class of 2014, gives the valedictory address.

CONVOCATION 2014:

‘Graduates: How Can you make a difference today?’

By Melni Ghattora

The Class of 2014 is a record-setting group: the 109 new MDs make up the largest graduating class to date; for the first time in recent memory two med students, Ju-Yoon Yoon and Nicole Lovat, have successfully completed the MD/PhD program requirements for two independent degrees; and 90 graduates will remain in Manitoba to complete their residency programs and deliver high-quality patient care across the province.

While all notable accomplishments, the latter seemed to receive the most attention. A packed Brodie Centre Atrium erupted into applause at the May 15 Faculty of Medicine Convocation when Brian Postl [MD/76] Dean of Medicine shared, “I think it’s remarkable that a record 80 per cent of you have chosen residencies in Manitoba and of course we hope it translates into that number or more that will spread their wings in this very province.”

Among those completing their residency in Manitoba is Nathan Colman who will be entering the Family Medicine Northern & Remote Stream.

Raised in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia – he moved there in Grade 2 – Coleman identifies a number of similarities between the landlocked country and Manitoba.

“The northern environment has very similar community aspects, particularly First Nations communities. It’s very much a community mentality rather than a city atmosphere and individualist mentalities where we chart our own path,” says the 27-year-old.

The father of four originally considered a career in pediatrics, “I enjoyed working with kids and I worked in a daycare … these are the things that I really learned to appreciate in Ethiopia.” His focus shifted during a pre-med school northern exposure offered through the Rural Manitoba Health Mentorship Program – a partnership between the Office of Rural and Northern Health and various rural Manitoba hospitals.

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“I really liked the comprehensive approach. I realized I like taking care of the elderly and I really enjoyed obstetrics,” he recalls. “Through that exposure and med school it was confirmed that I like the whole person, whole lifespan approach.”

Coleman is one of 34 graduands set to pursue a residency in Family Medicine in Manitoba.

Of the 34, 19 grads will complete a residency in a rural community such as classmate Ashleigh Sprange.

“I was placed in Dauphin for a family med rotation. I absolutely loved it there and loved the rural atmosphere and the way medicine is practiced in a rural setting,” says the 31-year-old, “for me that was my first choice. If I was doing family, I wanted to do it in Dauphin so that’s where I’m headed.”

During her medical training, Sprange had the opportunity to work with communities in The Pas and Thompson (in addition to Dauphin). “In each of these places, I felt embraced by the communities, and my preceptors were eager to teach me both about medicine and their passion for rural medicine,” she recalls.

Adding that she’s always enjoyed the atmosphere of a tight knit community, “to know that I will be doing my residency in a place where I am truly appreciated by the community is a really nice feeling.”

As Coleman and Sprange sit among their peers during the ceremony, just moments away from turning to the last page of their training, Dr. Postl prepares the Class of 2014 for what they might face during the next chapter. He describes a world where increasingly the discussion is going to be around equity and its demands over equality are going to become important, “what that really means is if we can’t afford to keep doing everything we’re

“ Whatever your reasons for coming down this road, we all together came much further than we thought we would. The true honour and privilege I feel today is to have spent four intense years working alongside such an inspiring group of friends.”

- Steve Melnyk, Class of 2014 Valedictorian

PHOTO: Dan Gwozdz

Addressing difficult and important issues on a societal level, the University bestowed honorary degrees upon local community pioneer and pediatrician Dr. Joseph Du; and the trailblazing woman who facilitated the establishment of a national organ donation system Ms. Leah Hollins, Chair of the Canadian Blood Services Board of Directors. Each was presented the degree of Doctor of Laws during the assembly.

“Standing here in front of you today reminds me how long and rewarding my career has been,” says a soft-spoken Du. “As physicians we have a responsibility to give back and contribute in as many ways as we can.”

L to R: Brian Postl, Dean of Medicine; David Barnard, President & Vice-Chancellor, U of M; HD recipient Dr. Joseph Du; HD recipient Leah Hollins; and Harvey Secter, Chancellor, U of M.

doing now, we must focus our resources on those that need it most. In this province, frankly, that’s our indigenous neighbours and it’s something that I hope you all participate in throughout your careers.”

During his remarks, U of M President and Vice-Chancellor, David Barnard takes the opportunity to reflect on a tradition of excellence that makes the University feel proud, adding, “It’s hard to find a Manitoba success story that doesn’t have a University of Manitoba connection.”

That said, President Barnard points to a list of extraordinary achievements within the Faculty of Medicine. “We’re proud that our outstanding researchers have distinguished themselves through award winning discovery with Manitoba roots and a global impact,” he says.

He adds whether it’s preventing the spread of HIV-AIDS in Africa (read more on page 20), discovering the cause of Type 2 diabetes in adolescents or improving emergency care for children (read more on page 9), the medical faculty’s health research teams have taken on difficult and important problems.

Dr. Du is a community leader who has been the driving force behind the development of the Winnipeg Chinese community since the 1970s. In the 80s he formed the Winnipeg Chinatown Development Corporation and over the next decade, lobbied governments for funding to help build the Chinese garden and the gate that spans King Street, as well as the Dynasty Building, home to the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre. In 2013 the City of Winnipeg renamed a street in Chinatown in his honour. His career as a distinguished paediatrician has spanned nearly four decades; he retired his clinical practice in 2002 and stepped down from his 30-year appointment as a University of Manitoba faculty member in the department of pediatrics the same year.

Hollins is currently chair of the Board of Directors of Canadian Blood Services, Canada’s national blood system, with an annual budget of $1-billion. A leader in program review, organization structure and governance-related issues, her tireless and inexhaustible energy ultimately facilitated the transfer of responsibility for organ and tissue donation and transplantation from the Canadian Council for Donation and Transplantation to Canadian Blood Services.

“In a country of 35 million, you are part of a select and distinguished group,” says Hollins, “it’s a field that demands passion, responsibility and focus, and one to be very proud of. I urge you to continue to reflect on your motivation for becoming a physician. On a regular basis ask yourself ‘how can I make a difference today?’”

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PHOTO: Leah Crockett

Rebecca Krause (second from left) posing with Community Health Workers.

by Melni Ghattora

Instead of spending last summer studying so she could finish her Bachelor of Nursing degree a few months early, fourth-year nursing student Rebecca Krause was offered – and accepted – the chance to travel to Kenya for three months to work on the Mwanzo Mwema project.

“During our three months in Kenya we worked on phase II of the project; developing resources and training materials for field officers and CHWs,” Crocket explains. “We also developed care cards for the CHWs to bring with them into the homes.”

“I couldn’t resist. I knew this was the opportunity I had been hoping for since the beginning of my academic career,” says Krause.

The materials and care cards cover key areas identified across the continuum of care, including a range of topics within the pre-conception, antenatal, labour and delivery, postpartum and childhood stages.

The Mwanzo Mwema project (which in Swahili means best start/healthy beginnings) is a partnership between the Universities of Manitoba and Nairobi; supported by the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The agency funds the Students for Development (SFD) program which is administered through the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

The objective is to create a model of delivering critical nutritional and maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) services to vulnerable women, infants and children in the Taita Taveta district of Coastal province in Kenya.

Krause was en route by early May. “I went open-minded, prepared to do what I could and use whatever skills I had gained until this point in relation to cross-cultural immersion and health promotion.”

Krause adds, “this was based on months of baseline survey work within homes and communities as well as ongoing collaboration between the partners and community members – phase I.” The CHW approach was modeled after other successful models of mobilizing and training individuals from within a community to link its members with critical health services and reach women and children in their homes.

Another key component of this project, conducted through the Faculty of Medicine’s Centre for Global Public Health, is to design and implement projects in a way that is sustainable for communities long-term. “Generally, many development programs end when the funding ends,” says Crockett.

She spent her first few weeks getting to know the country, the project, and meeting with colleagues, leaders, and in-country partners. Her role would see the establishment of a curriculum for Community Health Workers (CHW): health care providers who go into the homes of families and link those families to health services in that community through referrals.

To overcome this, the project was designed to work within existing health infrastructure and build the capacity of local partners and community members to address and respond to the health care and nutritional needs throughout the design, implementation, monitoring and delivery stages of the project. Thus allowing locals to carry forward the knowledge gained and build on long-term progress.

According to Krause the CHWs provided a great deal of teaching on issues that can present during pregnancy, after birth, and during a child’s first few years of life.

The fourth and final group of SFD students were in Kenya in Fall 2013; they experienced the implementation portion of the project. Unfortunately SFD funding ended December 31, 2013.

A month into the project Krause was joined by Leah Crockett, a master’s student in Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine. Crockett also recalls feeling excited and grateful of the “life-changing opportunity.”

“Beyond that it has also strengthened my passion to pursue an understanding of health inequities experienced by Canada’s northern populations,” says Krause, who points to her time in Kenya as solidifying her interest in public health on a global scale.

Though she’s conducting her research on a local level - using data collected by the medical faculty’s Manitoba Centre for Health Policy - Crockett is particularly interested in health inequities on a global scale.

“I felt this experience would enhance my ability to conduct meaningful research and give me an opportunity to learn and apply different frameworks, such as program science, to develop context specific research-driven community initiatives that aim to mobilize and empower communities,” says Crockett.

To date the project has developed and implemented tools to conduct rapid assessments to identify gaps in critical health services and nutritional needs (phase I) and is currently implementing a health and nutrition community link worker program to improve utilization of critical health interventions and nutrition programs (phase II).

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Crockett nods in agreement. “My time in Kenya was more than I could have hoped for. It not only allowed me to gain a greater understanding of health inequities and social justice issues, but also to then reflect this over to our situation in Canada, where surprisingly we have many parallels.”

Growing up in northern Manitoba sparked Crockett’s strong interest in how health care is delivered in rural and isolated areas. “I noticed many similarities when working in rural communities in Kenya. I also had exposure to project development and implementation at the grass roots level, experienced some of the challenges of development work, and learnt the importance of working closely with the community – they are the experts and truly amazing, strong individuals.”

LIVING THE DREAM …sharing the dream Students, faculty, staff and guests were treated to an evening of art and entertainment at the U of M’s Bannatyne Campus on April 22.

The annual art exhibit – led by led by first and second year med students – transforms the Brodie Centre atrium into a gallery. This year’s theme “Living the Dream” attracted submissions from 20 artists from the Faculty of Medicine and School of Med Rehab and several faculty grad students.

Loni Cheng, Med II student and co-chair of the art show committee, feels many students struggle with finding a balance between academia and pursuing other personal interests. “It’s important for students to engage in arts whenever we can, whether it’s music, or drawing or painting – just for our own well-being.”

Jonathan Wong, a palliative care consultant with WRHA and instructor with the College of Medicine relates. As a high school student he played a lot of piano, “I grew up thinking I wanted to be a professional musician.” He was one of five musical acts that performed for a packed atrium.

Wong recently released Keys to Home, a 15-track album featuring musical pieces composed by Frederic Chopin. He’s managed to find a balance with his medical career and artistic gift by partnering with not-for-profit organizations and donating 100 per cent of sales from each of his albums. Keys to Home is his third partnership; proceeds will go to the 2014 Habitat for Humanity build project – which will include broad participation by faculty, staff and students of the new Faculty of Health Sciences.

Patrons also heard Med II student Caleb Yeung on the piano followed by a voice and piano performance by Med II students Loni Cheng and Diane Kim – who wowed the audience when she belted out a beautiful rendition of Ava Maria. Other performances included a saxophone quartet –made up of Med I and II students Matthew Packer and Andrea Wills who were joined by friends – and closing the show was Mike Zdan (Med II) who played an assortment of notable works on the violin.

According to art show advisor Dr. Merril Pauls, the Faculty is proud of the show’s successes. “What we’re most proud of is this is a program where we do the least to make it happen. Fundamentally it’s a student inspired, student-driven event … all credit goes to the students,” said Pauls, Director, Pre-Clerkship, Faculty of Medicine.

The University of Manitoba medical student art show was originally conceived as a way to help students bridge the gap between the scientific and the humanistic – to give students who have spent years immersed in facts and theories the opportunity to explore emotion and experience.

Pauls adds that an important goal of the art show is to help students imagine and explore what the illness experience is like from the patient perspective. “Over the years we have found that not only are students using the art show to explore their patients’ experiences, but they are also sharing their own stories of illness and vulnerability in incredibly creative ways.”

The votes were tallied and the winners announced at the opening of the Art Show: First Prize: Ryan Chard (Med III); The Leader, acrylic painting on canvas and The world weighs heavy, acrylic on canvas.

Second Prize: Irene Xie (Med I); Pathologies, (four) acrylic and watercolour paintings on canvas.

Third Prize: Chris Proctor (Med II); an untitled collection of photographs.

Winners pictured above, top to bottom.

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PHOTO: Rob Blaich

Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, recipient of HSF funding, is a research scientist at St-Boniface Hospital Research.

Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada has made a transformational commitment of $5,000,000 over 10 years to health research at the University of Manitoba as part of an unprecedented $300 million, multi-year commitment to 19 leading research institutions across Canada.

The Foundation’s Heart and Stroke Foundation Research Leadership Circle will direct the majority of foundation research dollars toward partner institutions, such as the U of M. This will accelerate the progress of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s goal to reduce Canadians’ rate of death from heart disease and stroke by 25 per cent by 2020.

The Foundation will provide an average $500,000 per year in peer-reviewed research grants and philanthropy to support heart and stroke research and education at the University of Manitoba from 2013 to 2022.

“This innovative new funding approach will provide us with the funds to strategically recruit the best researchers and support long term research programs,” said Dr. Digvir Jayas, Vice-President (Research and International) and Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba.

Each year, the Foundation funds nearly 1,500 researchers in medical institutes, universities, hospitals, and communities across the country.

This new approach commits longer term funding to partner research institutions whose research programs are most likely to advance Foundation goals.

“We applaud the Heart and Stroke Foundation for committing to a long-term research strategy that will support researchers in Manitoba and have a positive impact on decreasing the incidence of heart and stroke among Canadians,” said Lorrie Kirshenbaum [M.Sc./88, PhD/92] Professor, Depts of Physiology and Pharmacology & Therapeutics; Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiology, and research scientist at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, a joint institute of St-Boniface Hospital and the University of Manitoba.

“Having received funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, I am pleased to see the rigorous peer review process continue, while at the same time, it means researchers can plan for the future knowing that stable funding is in place for the next 10 years.”

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donor NEWS

Commits $5-M over 10 years to the University of Manitoba

This is the first time Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada has committed funding at this level for this length of time. Since 1952, the Foundation has provided more than $1.35 billion to heart and stroke research – second only to the federal government. But, it has never been an up-front commitment that can support long-term research planning.

“Simply put, there’s an urgent need to save more lives faster and that’s why the Foundation has brought together the Research Leadership Circle,” said David Sculthorpe, CEO, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. “This $300 million commitment will allow our partners an unprecedented ability to plan major research projects, foster greater collaboration and attract even more of the world’s best researchers within and outside of Canada to fight these insidious diseases.”

Over the past 60 years, research has helped reduce Canadians’ rate of death from heart disease and stroke by approximately 75 per cent. However despite these impressive gains, heart disease and stroke still account for almost 30 per cent of all deaths every year in Canada. Every seven minutes someone dies from heart disease and stroke, that’s nearly 69,000 people annually. These diseases are also a major drain on the Canadian economy, resulting in spending of more than $20.9 billion annually in physician services, hospital costs, lost wages, and decreased productivity.

Notwithstanding the advance commitments to the 19 Research Leadership Circle partners, the Foundation’s merit-based, peer review process will continue to govern all funding.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke, reducing their impact through preventing disease, saving lives and promoting recovery. www.heartandstroke.com

“ Simply put, there’s an urgent need to save more lives faster and that’s why the Foundation has brought together the Research Leadership Circle.”

Highlights from MedTalks. Tweets from @um_medicine:

Dialogue on Health Matters

By Garrick Kozier Did you know over 200 bariatric weight-loss surgeries are performed in Winnipeg every year? That Winnipeg is now a centre of concussion care, treatment and research? Or, for optimum sleep, it’s recommended to slumber in an environment 3-5 degrees cooler than normal?

It was facts, figures and advice such as the aforementioned that made MedTalks 2014 so informative –and timely. From February 26 to April 9, 2014, Faculty of Medicine professors and health-care professionals gathered at the Bannatyne Campus to present on stimulating and intriguing medical topics that matter to the general public. Sessions also included talks on Celiac disease, sleep hygiene, ADHD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, physician-assisted suicide and more.

For the first time, MedTalks was live-streamed from umanitoba.ca/ medicine. MedTalks was also live tweeted, and Twitter followers were encouraged to use the hashtag #MedTalks to provide comments, tweet questions and to follow along.

Apr 9

@um_medicine Meat and meat alternatives typically are gluten free ... but deli meats often contain gluten as filler or in seasoning. #MedTalks

Apr 9

@um_medicine Mar 26 Best way to treat allergies? Avoidance. Read labels, avoid high risk situations. #MedTalks @um_medicine Tree nuts, fish and shellfish: the three most significant causes of food allergy in adults. #MedTalks

Mar 26

@um_medicine Mar 26 Light therapy has been used to great success in treating #SAD. Regulates melatonin in the brain. #MedTalks @um_medicine Mar 19 The story on napping: 20-30 minute naps are ideal. They recharge and reenergize. Naps lasting longer may create prolonged sleepiness. #MedTalks @um_medicine Sleep is as fundamental to health as is nutrition and exercise. #MedTalks

Mar 19

@um_medicine Mar 12 While ADHD has nothing to do with IQ, forty per cent of students with ADHD don’t graduate high school. #MedTalks

PHOTO: Garrick Kozier

MedTalks

@um_medicine Obesity is second only to smoking in preventable deaths in Canada. #MedTalks

Dine like the rich, or the poor:

Impact made at Annual Rich Man, Poor Man fundraiser

By Garrick Kozier It was a night to remember: A call to action by a young medical student to care about homelessness; learning about Siloam Mission’s focus on building community to address poverty; and an inspiring video on a non-profit’s goal to give people living in poverty a second chance.

Nearly 200 people attended the third-annual student-organized Rich Man, Poor Man dinner, which aims to increase awareness of the social determinants of health. The February event collected food for Winnipeg Harvest and raised approximately $4,000 for Siloam Mission, a humanitarian organization that alleviates hardships and provides opportunities for change for those affected by homelessness.

Rich Man, Poor Man isn’t your typical fund-raising dinner. Eight to 10 guests are seated to a table and one, selected at random, enjoys a generous meal including side dishes and a glass of wine. The others, meanwhile, are served a small selection of soups, potatoes and bread: a menu that reflects the diet consumed by 90 per cent of the world’s population.

Event organizers Med II student Scott Hodgson and Med I student Shilpa Alex welcome guests to Rich Man Poor Man dinner.

Each year, a specific charitable organization is targeted for the fundraising efforts of Rich Man, Poor Man. The selection of Siloam Mission, which prepares and serves approximately 400,000 meals a year to Winnipeg’s less fortunate, was an appropriate one.

“The passion and effort that the students put toward this event proved their dedication to changing the world and helping their community,” said Scott Hodgson, Rich Man, Poor Man event chair and Med II students. “Throughout our medical student training, we have been instilled with the values of advocacy and community. This event is our answer to those teachings.”

Over the past two years, Rich Man Poor Man has raised $5,000 for different charities throughout the city, including Winnipeg Harvest. The funds raised have been donated in full, and have made actual impacts within the community.

Guest speakers at this year’s event included Siloam Mission Director of Volunteer Services, Lindsay Smith and Luke Stewart, General Manager, Manitoba Green Retrofit.

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“To me, family is everything.

It’s my true passion and probably the most interesting thing about me”

PHOTO: Garrick Kozier

Rob Brown [MD/87] husband, father and son

By Garrick Kozier

Anesthesiologist Dr. Rob Brown wears many hats in both his personal and professional life. Amongst them: Associate Head of Education, Department of Anesthesiology; Medical Director of Clinical Learning & Simulation Facility; Mindermar Professor in Human Simulation; VENTIS Academic Lead.

Brown, however, is most comfortable with the role of husband, father or son.

“To me, family is everything. It’s my true passion and probably the most interesting thing about me,” says Brown, as a stethoscope rests evenly across his shoulders, neatly draped over his green scrubs. Yes, Brown is currently on-call on the labour and delivery floor—he is also a clinician at Health Sciences Centre.

“I love what I do in my many jobs, but being a good husband to my wife and a positive influence to my kids is what drives me.”

Brown, the eldest of four siblings (he has three younger sisters), was born in Toronto and raised in St. James, from age two. He attended St. Paul’s High School and played for the Crusaders football team (“I wasn’t very good, but at least I made the team,” he chuckles). After spending two years immersed in pre-medicine studies at the University of Manitoba, Brown entered the Faculty of Medicine, Class of 1987.

While a career in medicine was seemingly in the cards for Brown (his father was a physician; his mother a nurse), he admits to aspiring to a career in health care since before he could even remember. The decision, he says, came from an innate desire to want to make the world a better place.

“I wanted to be a doctor at such a young age that it’s hard to say that I just wanted to do what my dad does,” says Brown. “But I do believe it’s just part of the way I grew up with an attitude of wanting to help people and with a fascination in health and how things work – qualities I certainly got from my parents. They had an immeasurable impact on me and taught me how to care. That’s why I do what I do today.”

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He doesn’t hesitate to shine the spotlight on his father, Kenneth, (also a former registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba), for providing him with a bedrock of inspiration and the blueprint to successfully balance his personal and professional life.

“My dad was a huge role model for me in terms of modeling one’s professional life: being a great family guy while being someone strong and successful in their profession and a great person to work with.

Everybody loved my dad. That’s the guy I wanted to be.”

Brown, a proud husband and father himself (his wife, Nancy, is a nurse who recently earned a PhD in bioethics; his two daughters, 21 and 19, are currently enrolled in post-secondary studies in accounting and fine arts, respectively), heeds his father’s examples every day – lessons which enable him to be almost as equally as passionate about his profession as he is about his family.

“When I look at myself professionally and ask ‘who am I?’ I’m a physician and anesthesiologist first, and I love that. I also love the fact that I’m a teacher. Really, my love of anesthesia is my core professional passion.”

As an anesthesiologist, Brown greatly values the multiple aspects of the practice, aspects that include pre-operative, operative, clinical and post-operative care. But it’s the interactions he has with his patients – an area of the practice most people aren’t aware of – that he relishes most.

“One of the myths of practice is that we have little patient contact.

The fact is I have lots of patient contact. Some of it is brief, but it’s intense, as interactions happen during vulnerable times. My actions and skill-set have an enormous impact on people’s well-being.”

Being a champion of people’s well-being is why Brown became a physician in the first place, fulfilling a vision he had for himself as a young child. While he’s worked hard to get where he is today, he wouldn’t necessarily call it a sacrifice. To him, it’s the life he’s always wanted.

“Yes, I put forth a lot of effort, but it’s what I love to do. And when you love to do something, you would do it anyway.”

BOARDROOM DEDICATION TO HONOUR JOHN (JACK) A. HILDES, MD FRCP Colleagues, family, and friends of the late Jack Hildes gathered to In addition to funding of the boardroom, a painting by Blake Debassige, dedicate a new boardroom in his memory last summer. The Jack Hildes (a member of the Woodlands Indian Art Group) and two Inuit prints Doctors is pleased provide Boardroom, R301, School of Medical Rehabilitation Building wasManitoba built were donated in honour ofto Dr. Hildes. and furnished to serve as a resource centre adjacent to a group of The gathering opened with a wonderful choral presentation by students laboratories that will be used by the FacultySponsorship of Medicine’s Biomedicalof the Family Medicine Retreat of Niji Mahkwa School, home of the BYP’s Inner-City Science Centre, Youth Program (BYP). co-founded by the Faculty of Medicine and the Winnipeg School Division.

BYP works with Manitoba’s inner-city and disadvantaged youths.

Several colleagues and former students reminisced about the impact The boardroom and laboratories will serve as an important component of Dr. Hildes on their education and future career aspirations. of this established program directed and founded by Dr. Francis Amara.

Dr. Amara spoke and provided an inspiring account of the success of The program, whose goal is to improve science literacy among the current BYP acitvities. At the reception which followed there were inner-city, new Canadian and Indigenous youth, is a culmination of smiles, tears and pride in the exchange of “Hildes” stories. The Class of one of many Hildes’ dreams to make life better for the disadvantaged.

1961 appreciates that they “stood on the shoulders of giants” and Dr. Funding for the Boardroom creation was, in part, given by the Medicine Hildes was amongst the greatest of these.

Class of 1961 Legacy Fund as a tribute to “a great teacher, mentor, friend who was dedicated to social justice for the Indigenous people of our nation.”

We would like to wish the Residents and their families a successful weekend!

With Doctors Manitoba youʼve got a team of professionals representing the interest of the provinceʼs medical doctors: Negotiation Services

•

Health Policy Advocacy

•

Negotiated Benefits

•

Physicians at Risk

•

Personal Insurance Program

•

Physician Health & Wellness

Doctors Manitoba 20 Desjardins Drive Winnipeg MB R3X 0E8 204-985-5888 www.docsmb.org Pictured left to right: Allan Downs [MD/54], Lawrence Elliot [MD/85, M.Sc./96], Ira Ripstein [MD/80], Perry Gall [MD/87]

PHOTO: Melni Ghatorra

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Elske Hildes-Ripstein [MD/88], Marianne Hildes were touched by boardroom dedication in honour of their beloved husband, father.

Doctors Manitoba is pleased to provide Sponsorship of the Family Medicine Retreat

We would like to wish the Residents and their families a successful weekend!

With Doctors Manitoba youʼve got a team of professionals representing the interest of the provinceʼs medical doctors: •

Negotiation Services

•

Health Policy Advocacy

•

Negotiated Benefits

•

Physicians at Risk

•

Personal Insurance Program

•

Physician Health & Wellness

Doctors Manitoba 20 Desjardins Drive Winnipeg MB R3X 0E8 204-985-5888 www.docsmb.org ALUMNI NEWS

MB medicine | summer 2014

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FACULTY AWARDS & HONOURS Compiled by Garrick Kozier

Dr. Guillermo Rocha (1), associate professor (ophthalmology) received the prestigious 2014 iCARE Award, presented by the Honourable Philip S. Lee, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.

Sheldon Permack [MD/80] is recipient of the 2014 “Manitoba Family Physician of the Year” award, presented by The Manitoba College of Family Physicians. “Dr. Permack displays all the attributes of a skilled family physician with exceptional leadership skills, promoting the role of Family Physician in the health care system and is a champion of innovation.”

Dr. Hilary Grocott (2), professor (anesthesia) has been appointed by the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society Board as the new Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, for a five-year term effective January 2014.

The Manitoba College of Family Physicians presented “Awards of Excellence” to Shelly Pidsadny [MD/92] and Dr. Bruce Martin, Faculty of Medicine associate dean (students), for their outstanding contributions to the discipline of family medicine.

Dr. Chris Christodoulou (3), assistant professor (anesthesia) was selected as the winner of the 2013/14 PARIM Professionalism and Mentorship award.

Nominations were based on criteria such as quality of patient care, quality of and commitment to teaching, interest in trainee’s development, and service as a positive role model.

Dr. Elizabeth Boustcha (4), professor (internal medicine) and Dr. Patrick Montgomery, retired faculty member, have jointly been awarded the National Canadian Geriatrics Society (CGS) Ron Cape Distinguished Service Award for 2014. Each year the CGS presents an award at its Annual Meeting to recognize an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the health care of older adults in Canada; this is the highest honour that the CGS can confer.

Doctors Manitoba recognizes local physicians for their outstanding contributions at the Awards and Presidential Installation Dinner held on May 14, 2014. Faculty of Medicine alumnus Robert Kippen [MD/71] (5), a Winnipeg-based gastroenterologist, was appointed president for a one-year term. Also recognized that evening was:

Peter Nickerson [MD/86, B.Sc. (Med.)/86] (6), professor (internal medicine and immunology); Faculty of Medicine associate dean (research), received the “Scholastic Award,” for Scholarly activity in the health professions (examples of scholarly activity are research, teaching and writing).

Dr. Ken Van Ameyde, associate professor (internal medicine) was awarded “Physician of the Year,” For significant contribution to the practice of medicine and/or to the community by a member of Doctors Manitoba.

Michael West [MD/73, B.Sc. (Med.)/73] (7), professor (surgery) was given the “Distinguished Service Award,” for recognition of services rendered to patients and the community which have enhanced the image of the physician through devotion to the highest ideals of the medical profession and in the promotion of the art and science of medicine through teaching, writing and administration.

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ISSUE 12 | summer 2014

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FACULTY NEWS

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Dr. Pingzhao Hu (9), assistant professor (biochemistry and medical genetics) received $150,000 from the “Research start-up funds,” which is awarded by the University of Manitoba Office of the Vice-President (research and international) and the Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Marni Brownell (10), associate professor (community health sciences) was awarded $672,080 by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, for the, “Seeding success: Identifying factors that contribute to positive early childhood health and development in Aboriginal children,” study.

Warren Froese [MD/86, B.Sc. (Med.)/86], received the “Dr. Jack Armstrong Humanitarian Award,” for outstanding contributions by a member or former member of Doctors Manitoba in the service of humanity either within Canada or abroad.

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Dr. Kirk McManus [M.Sc./99] (8), assistant professor (biochemistry and medical genetics) received the Winnipeg Rh Institute Foundation Inc. Rh Award. He will receive $12,000 over a five-year period; this honour is given to academic staff members who are in the early stages of their careers and who display exceptional innovation, leadership and promise in their respective fields.

Faculty alumna Chau Pham [MD/05] (11), an Emergency Room Physician with the WRHA and Postgraduate Ultrasound Director (emergency medicine), was recognized as a 2014 University of Manitoba Distinguished Alumni; she received the “Young Alumni Award,” for her desire to help others far beyond the emergency room and her aspiration to make contributions that can improve Canada’s health care system as a whole.

Distinguished Professor and Faculty of Medicine professor (physiology) Dr. Naranjan Dhalla (12) was presented “Recognition of Exemplary Contributions to Science and Technology,” by the Prime Minister of India at the 101st Indian Science Congress held at the University of Jammu (India).

He was also Conferred a Honorary Doctorate Degree, University of Kragujevac, Serbia, 2014 Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla, Distinguished Professor (physiology) and director of Cardiovascular Developments (St-Boniface Hospital Research) has been awarded an honorary doctorate of the University of Kragujevac (Serbia). Dr. Dhalla also received “Recognition of Exemplary Contributions to Science and Technology,” by the Prime Minister of India at the 101st Indian Science Congress held at the University of Jammu (India).

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FACULTY AWARDS & HONOURS Robert Lotocki [MD/75], professor (cbstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences), received the Academic Professionals in Obstetrics & Gynecology “Carl Nimrod Award.” This award recognizes excellence, commitment, innovation and leadership demonstrated in teaching knowledge, attitudes, and skills to the next generation of practitioners. It also represents his exceptional work and dedication to the betterment of obstetrics and gynecology education.

Dr. Sari S. Hannila (13), assistant professor (human anatomy and cell science) was awarded $240,000) from the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation for research on spinal cord injury. The organization was founded by the CEO of Red Bull and is based in Salzburg, Austria. This international grant competition attracts applications from Europe, the United States, and Canada; Dr. Hannila is the first U of M researcher to receive funding from the foundation.

Drs. Mike Jackson and Tiina Kauppinen (14), both assistant professors in the department of pharmacology and therapeutics, secured $799,000 for new microscopy and imaging equipment that will be housed in the Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine. The funding was awarded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation John Evans Leader’s Opportunity Fund.

Distinguished Professor Frank Plummer [MD/76], Canada Research Chair in Resistance and Susceptibility to Infections and U of M Distinguished Professor, was awarded the PIR Biomedical Science

Two new University of Manitoba Distinguished Professors have been named.

Dr. Patricia Martens [M.Sc./94, PhD/99] is a professor in University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Medicine and senior scientist, as well as former director, of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy – an internationally-acclaimed centre using administrative data to study health and social services, population and public health.

Dr. Martens is co-PI in the pan-Canadian CIHR CNODES (Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies) and nominated PI of “PATHS Equity for Children” program of research. She was awarded the 2010 Manitoba YM/YWCA Woman of Distinction for Health & Wellness, a CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Chair (2008-2013), and is a Fellow (FILCA) of the International Lactation Consultants’ Association.

In 2013 she received the R.D. Defries Award (highest award of the Canadian Public Health Association for outstanding contributions in public health) and became a member of the Royal Society of Canada. She is a Member of the Order of Canada (CM), and in 2014 received the Justice Emmett Hall Laureat award for a lifetime of ground-breaking work to promote the ideals articulated by Justice Emmett Hall: equity, fairness, justice and efficiency in Canada’s health system.

Ambassador Award in May 2014.

Charles Bernstein [MD/85] trained as a physician at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Medicine in the 80s, and went on the complete his postgraduate training in internal medicine alma mater.

His outstanding contributions to medicine as a public health pioneer have garnered him many awards including Order of Canada (2006), Order of Manitoba (2009), McLaughlin Medal of the Royal Society of

He is currently the Bingham Chair in Gastroenterology Research, the Section Head of Gastroenterology at the University of Manitoba, and Director of the University of Manitoba Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical and Research Centre, which he had led since 1994.

Canada (2012), Prix Galien Research Award (2013) and Killam Prize in Health Sciences (2014).

Dr. Plummer’s significant contributions in the field of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection, have influenced research, implementation of interventions, prevention strategies and training. Some of the ground-

His expertise in gastrointestinal and inflammatory bowel disease is highly recognized by his students, colleagues and collaborators. He has published extensively in well-known specialty journals and has been an invited lecturer locally, nationally and internationally.

breaking achievements of Plummer and his research team include the discovery of a largely heterosexually-transmitted epidemic of HIV in Africa; protective effect of male circumcision on HIV acquisition in men; identification of Female Sex Workers (FSWs) who are resistant to HIV infection; and focused HIV

He has won numerous awards throughout his career, including Rh Award for Outstanding Contributions to Scholarship and Research in the Health Sciences (2000), Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada Research Scientist Award (2001-2005), which he again won the following year, and in 2007 he was voted by his peers into Best Doctors Canada.

transmission prevention programs for FSWs and their clients.

His innovative and transformative work has led to the development of research programs and policies which have saved thousands of lives and prevented hundreds of thousands of new infections.

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FACULTY NEWS

MB medicine | summer 2014

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Compiled by Angela Peloquin

obituaries OSCAR DOMKE [MD/52] CCFP

CRAIG R. HILDAHL [MD/78]

It is with sadness the family announced the passing on May 7, 2014 of their beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Oscar Domke who was born October 2, 1927.

With great sadness, the family announces the passing of their beloved husband, father, afi, brother, uncle and friend - Dr. Craig Hildahl on January 30, 2014 at St. Boniface Hospital at the age of 62.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 63 years, Lois (Harkness), by his five children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild; sister Ruth (Reg) Ebbeling, and special family friend Bonnie.

Oscar’s life was one of deep devotion and commitment to his patients, his profession, his family and his church.

Oscar was raised in Libau, Manitoba with his early schooling in East Selkirk, Manitoba. He graduated from the University of Manitoba with his medical degree in 1952 and received his CCFP in 1972. His career as a family physician spanned 57 years and engendered the traditional medical philosophy of comprehensive care to patients and families. He particularly enjoyed delivering babies, surgery, and the care of the elderly.

During his distinguished medical career he served in many capacities. He was the Director of the University of Manitoba Student Health Program from 1954 to 1969 and Director of Staff Health at the Health Science Centre from 1970 to 1985. From 1984 to 1988 he served as Council member for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.

He was an active member of Misericordia General Hospital Department of Family Practice for 40 years and served as Chairman of the Department.

From1973 to 1974 he was president of the Winnipeg Medical Society and has also been an ardent supporter of all Manitoba Medical Association initiatives since its inception.

In 1998, he was honoured with the Misericordia Hospital Ian Goldberg Meritorious Service Award for excellence in patient care. In 2010 he received a Director Emeritus Award for 40 years of service as the Medical Director of Luther Home. In 2005 he was awarded the Physician of the Year Award by the Manitoba Medical Association for significant contributions to the practice of medicine and community.

Oscar was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and participated in mission work in 1988 with Lutheran World Relief in Ethiopia and Tanzania. He served as Chairman of the congregational board during the construction of the church in 1962, and was an active member on church committees, serving as president and elder for many years.

Oscar and Lois, with their family and friends enjoyed many happy times at Delta Beach. He enjoyed building cottages, sailing, and all the summer activities. It was his special place. Winter vacations in Florida with friends were also cherished.

He will be remembered for his faith, his boundless energy, his positive attitude, his encouraging words and wise counsel, but most of all for his love of life and all people. You are forever in our hearts.

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

ISSUE 12 | summer 2014

Craig was born on August 28, 1951 to Vern and Evelyn Hildahl. He attended the University of Manitoba, where he was a member of the Bison football team. Craig graduated with a science degree and went on to complete his medical degree in family medicine. Craig met the love of his life, Wendy, while at university and they married in Langruth, Manitoba on July 19, 1975.

Craig began his career as a family doctor, which he was so passionate about.

He compassionately cared for thousands of patients over the years and took a genuine interest in the lives of all of his patients, far beyond the basic medical care. He truly loved going to work every day and making a difference in the lives of those he cared for.

Craig loved spending time with his family, and consistently demonstrated that family was of utmost importance to him. There are many fond memories from childhood family vacations including several trips to Disney World, Vancouver, California and South Dakota. In recent years the family traveled to Iceland, where they were able to reconnect with family. They also traveled to Norway, where they visited the town of Hildal, where Craig’s relatives originated. This was a highlight of the vacation for him.

Craig was truly a special person. He was the pillar of strength to his entire family, close friends and patients. His kind, compassionate nature, amazing sense of humour and easy going attitude are some of the things we will miss the most. Craig instilled the value of hard work and determination in his children and was incredibly proud of their success and accomplishments.

Craig is survived by his wife Wendy; his three children; one grandson; brothers Keith (Ellen) and Wayne (Rita); sisters-in-law Johanna (Ken) and Patricia; numerous nieces and nephews and many close friends. Craig was predeceased by his brother Ken (Judy) and his parents Vern and Evelyn. He will be missed dearly by all who knew him. The family is very grateful for the compassionate care by the staff at St. Boniface Hospital on 4AS and the palliative care ward.

Donations can be made in Craig’s memory to the “Dr. Craig and Wendy Hildahl Scholarship Fund” for the Faculty of Medicine, care of Donor Relations, University of Manitoba, 179 Extended Education Complex, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2.

FRANCIS (FRANK) JOHN ESSLEMONT PURDIE [B.Sc./39, MD/44] F.R.C.S.C. Francis (Frank) John Esslemont Purdie died peacefully at Brandon, MB, December 26, 2013.

Born May 26, 1920 at Griswold, MB, Frank was predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Gwyneth (Jonesy) Helen Campbell Purdie (nee Jones). He is survived by his three children, three grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; two great-grandchildren.; his nieces and nephews.

Frank Purdie grew up in Griswold, MB, the son of a country doctor and nurse, who enjoyed the respect of generations of patients and community members.

In Griswold’s three-room schoolhouse he attained Grade 11 by the age of 15, and during 1935 / 1936 he took Grade 12 at Brandon Collegiate Institute while living with his Esslemont grandparents. He continued studies at the University of Manitoba, graduating with a B.Sc. in 1939 and M.D. in 1944. As a medical officer during the Second World War he was at Camp Borden, ON when he met his wife, Lt. Gwyneth (Jonesy) Jones, an army nursing sister from Toronto. They married in September 1945 and upon his discharge as a Major, they lived in Winnipeg while he took part of an orthopedic residency. In 1947, they moved to Brandon where Frank practised with Doctors Evans, Matheson, Hirsch and Duggan. In 1962, Doctors Purdie, Evans, Matheson, Hirsch, Findlay, Myers and Elliott founded the Brandon Clinic. The Brandon Clinic has operated for more than 50 years carrying on a tradition of full-service medicine. Frank did post-graduate studies and qualified as a general surgeon in 1964, practising at the Brandon Clinic until he formally retired in 1979 and took three locum positions in New Zealand before travelling home via Australia, South Africa and Scotland.

Charles Mackay Burns MD/51 | December 9, 2013 at Winnipeg, MB Roger T. Collins MD/57B | July 31, 2013 at Buffalo Point, MB Robert Irvine Dickson MD/64 | December 5, 2013 at Vancouver, BC Michael Heimbach MD/54 | May 9, 2014 at Calgary, AB Ross Ketcheson MD/46 | January 21, 2014 at Calgary, AB Jlee Lewis MD/86 | March 18, 2012 at Peterborough, ON Peter Lindsay MD/69 MD/69 | December 17, 2013 at Leduc, Alberta Donald Robert Magee MD/49 | December 20, 2013 at Winnipeg, MB Ian Mcdonald MD/53 | November 25, 2013 at Saskatoon, SK Charles John Mongeon MD/57B | July 8, 2013 at San Diego, CA Leonard Arthur Moroz MD/59 | April 17, 2014 at Montreal, PQ Eldon Leonard Carswell Muttitt MD/49 | January 9, 2014 at Edmonton, AB Ian Livingston Reid MD/56 | January 12, 2014 at Selkirk, MB E. A. (Jim) Russell MD/45 | February 6, 2014 at Saskatoon, SK Gilbert John Clement Welch MD/64 | May 17, 2014 at Winnipeg, MB Gerald L.T. Wilson MD/53 | September 25, 2013 at Lubbock, TX

With Jonesy, he travelled to every continent including Antarctica. A six-month round the world backpacking trip in 1983 / 1984 was their longest. Between trips, Frank worked as a G.P. and general surgeon at the Brandon Clinic, consulting surgeon for Souris, administrator of a rural hospital in Eastern Manitoba and assisted with operations at the Brandon General Hospital until 2003. Frank served his patients, the medical profession, and his community - following his father’s footsteps, he became President of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba 1967 / 1968, and after many years of service on several committees and chairing many discipline inquiries, received the highest honour of a life membership in the College.

Frank believed in active sports - skating on ponds and sloughs until Griswold opened its indoor rink in 1929, curling with his parents and his brother Jack - winning the Griswold Bonspiel when he was 13 - and later at 83 winning an event at the Winnipeg Bonspiel. He was in demand to pitch or catch baseball including many years for the Brandon senior men’s team. He played basketball at University of Manitoba for science and medicine and the junior varsity; he earned medals for shotput, discus, and hammer throw. He golfed recreationally until he was 92, playing two 18-hole games one after the other.

In the 1960s when Frank and Jonesy built a cottage on Pelican Lake, the whole family started sailing and water-skiing; they also enjoyed downhill and cross-country skiing in the winter with family, friends and relatives, at Glenorky, their “condo” at McCreary and ski resorts.

In 2006 he wrote some of the events of his full life, and summarized: “My life has been filled with all the joy and satisfaction I could ever want: Gwyneth, my children and medicine plus my many friends. It is as though I have lived in Utopia”.

MB medicine | summer 2014

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welcome back!

Memories abound for Faculty of Medicine alumni of unforgettable professors, classmates, labs, lectures, social events and all of the Winnipeg attributes that make coming home so special. Now is your chance to reconnect with fellow alumni, old friends and your alma mater at a Medicine class reunion. Many Faculty of Medicine milestone class reunions will take place over the University of Manitoba Homecoming Weekend September 19-21, 2014.

All Faculty of Medicine alumni – including those not celebrating reunions – are invited to join us for the Faculty of Medicine Dean’s

Class of 1954 – 60th Reunion

Homecoming Breakfast and Tours at Brodie Centre Atrium, 727 McDermot Ave on September 20, 2014. The Breakfast begins at 9:00 a.m. (registration opens at 8:30 a.m.) with tours at 10:15 a.m. The Clinical Learning & Simulation Facility and Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library will be highlights of the tour.

For more information about the 2014 Medicine reunions, Homecoming Breakfast, or to get involved in organizing your own class reunion for next year, please contact: Darcy Routledge, Alumni Affairs & Events Officer at 204-977-5650 or darcy.routledge@med.umanitoba.ca.

Class of 1969 – 45th Reunion

June 19-22, 2014 | Winnipeg June 19 | Welcome Reception at Hy’s Steak House June 20 | Scientific Session & Reunion Luncheon on Bannatyne Campus / CMHR Tour / Reunion Dinner at Bergmann’s on Lombard June 21 | Reunion Dinner at the Velvet Glove June 22 | Farewell Brunch at the Fairmont Hotel

August 29-31, 2014 | Winnipeg August 29 | Welcome Reception at the Fort Garry Hotel August 30 | Breakfast at Fort Garry Hotel / Winnipeg Trolley Tour / Dinner at the Fort Garry Hotel August 31 | Lunch at Qualico Centre / Hermetic Code Tour / Dinner at Sal’s

Class Leader: Dr. Allan Downs

Class Leaders: Dr. Diane Biehl, Dr. Allan Becker, Dr. Cal Gutkin

Class of 1959 – 55th Reunion

September 19-21, 2014 | Winnipeg September 19 | Welcome Reception at Inn at the Forks September 20 | Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast & Tours / Royal Canadian Mint Tour / Reunion Dinner at the Fort Garry Hotel September 21 | CMHR Tour Class Leaders: Dr. Vic Chernick, Dr. Bob Blanchard, Dr. Bill Bebchuk

Class of 1964 – 50th Reunion

September 19-21, 2014 | Winnipeg September 19 | Reunion Luncheon at St. Charles Country Club September 20 | Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast & Tour / Scientific Session / Dinner at Sidney’s at the Forks September 21 | CMHR Tour Class Leaders: Dr. Gerry Bristow, Dr. Keith Merrick, Dr. Harold Wiens

Class of 1974 – 40th Reunion

September 19-21, 2014 | Winnipeg September 19 | Welcome Reception at the home of Dr. Richard Blouw September 20 | Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast / Scientific Session/ Reunion Dinner at Assiniboine Park Conservatory September 21 | Brunch at the Fort Garry Hotel

Publications Mail Agreement Number: 40063171

University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine 280 Brodie Centre, 727 McDermot Ave. Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P5 Contact us:

Ilana Simon, Editor ilana.simon@med.umanitoba.ca umanitoba.ca/medicine

September 19-20, 2014 | Winnipeg September 19 | Welcome Reception at the home of Dr. Teresa Cavett September 20 | Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast & Tour / Scientific Session / Reunion Dinner at Tapastry by Amici Class Leaders: Dr. BJ Hancock, Ms. Charisse Campbell, Dr. Brent Kvern, Dr. Jeff Sisler

Class of 1989 – 25th Reunion

September 19-21, 2014 | Winnipeg September 19 | Welcome Reception at the WAG September 20 | Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast & Tour / Scientific Session / Reunion Dinner at Bergmann’s on Lombard September 21 | Farewell Brunch at Fort Garry Hotel Class Leaders: Dr. Kristel van Ineveld, Dr. Michael Goytan, Dr. Michael Raabe, Dr. Shayne Taback

Class of 1999 – 15th Reunion

Class Leaders: Dr. Nora Kobrinsky, Dr. Sylvia Kovnats, Dr. Richard Blouw, Dr. Arthur Blanks, Dr. Ab Chudley, Dr. Wil Fleisher, Dr. Eric Sigurdson

September 20, 2014 | Winnipeg September 20 | Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast & Tour/ Reunion Dinner at Mise

Class of 1979 – 35th Reunion

Class Leader: Dr. Tamara Miller

September 19- 20, 2014 | Winnipeg September 19 | Welcome Reception at the home of Dr. Alec Chochinov September 28 | Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast & Tour/ Reunion Dinner

Class Leaders: Dr. Judith Campbell, Dr. Mark Lander, Dr. John Kirk, Dr. Michael Bass

Return undeliverable Canadian Addresses to:

Class of 1984 – 30th Reunion

Class of 2004 – 10th Reunion

September 19-21, 2014 | Winnipeg September 19 | Welcome Reception - Home of Dr. Nancy Porhownik September 20 | Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast & Tour/ Reunion Dinner September 21 | Family Event Class Leaders: Dr. Heather Barske, Dr. Nancy Porhownik, Dr. Hang Trinh, Dr. Alim Pardhan