Dr. Ernesto L. Schiffrin, Professor and Vice-Chair (Research) in the Department of Medicine at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine, Physician-in-Chief in the Department of Medicine at the Jewish General Hospital and Canada Research Chair in Hypertension and Vascular Research at the Lady Davis Institute has been selected as the 2017 recipient of the Prix Galien Canada – Research Award.

The Prix Galien is the most prestigious award in the field of Canadian pharmaceutical research and innovation. Referred to as the Nobel Prize of pharmaceutical research, it recognizes the efforts and achievements of pharmaceutical research and development and is presented to the researcher or the research team judged to have made the most significant contribution to pharmaceutical research in Canada.

“I feel honored and delighted at being chosen as this year’s recipient of the Prix Galien Canada,” says Dr. Schiffrin. “I have been fortunate that my work and that of my team has allowed the development of biomarkers and pharmaceuticals that contribute to improve outcomes of patients with hypertension and heart failure.”

Born in Buenos Aires, where he obtained his MD degree at the University of Buenos Aires and trained in Internal Medicine, Dr. Schiffrin moved to Montreal in 1976 to do research under R. Boucher and J. Genest Sr. at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (IRCM). He obtained a PhD in Experimental Medicine at McGill University in 1980. Dr. Schiffrin obtained his FRCPC in Internal Medicine in 1982, directed the Experimental Hypertension Laboratory at IRCM (1982-2005), was Professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal, internist at Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, and directed the IRCM MRCC (later CIHR) Multidisciplinary Research Group on Hypertension and the Hypertension Clinic (1990-end of 2005). In January 2006, he moved to the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University.

Dr. Schiffrin studies mechanisms and treatment of hypertension, from molecules and cells to humans, vascular intracellular signaling and oxidative stress and remodeling of resistance arteries in animals and humans with hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. He demonstrated differential beneficial effects of ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor antagonists (ARB), mineralocorticoid receptor blockers and calcium channel antagonists, on vascular structure and endothelial function in human essential hypertension and diabetes.

He is author of more than 550 peer-reviewed publications, many book chapters and editor of 4 published books on molecular and clinical aspects of vascular disease and hypertension. His discoveries include natriuretic peptides as biomarkers of severity of heart failure, their inhibition of aldosterone secretion, demonstration of increased endothelin (ET) and its role in experimental hypertension and the overexpression of the endothelin-1 gene in small arteries of patients with severe essential hypertension, leading to potential use of ET antagonists in resistant hypertension, for which a trial is being developed. His group generated the first transgenic mouse overexpressing human ET-1 in the endothelium, demonstrating its role in abdominal aortic aneurisms, and recently developed an inducible mouse overexpressing ET that is hypertensive. Among his most impactful discoveries/inventions is the first ARNI with valsartan/sacubutril, demonstrating significant beneficial effects on the heart and vasculature of SHR, leading to development of the most effective treatment for heart failure (Entresto®). Dr. Schiffrin’s work has studied the role of innate and adaptive immunity, and specifically T regulatory lymphocytes and gamma/delta T lymphocytes.

Funded by MRC and CIHR uninterruptedly since 1983, he is currently recipient of a 3.2 million dollar First Pilot Foundation Grant from CIHR that supports his studies on endothelin, immunity and microRNAs in experimental animals and humans.

Dr. Schiffrin was President of the Canadian Hypertension Society (1991-92), Chair of the American Heart Association High Blood Pressure Research Council (2002-2004), President of the InterAmerican Society of Hypertension (2005-2007), President of the Quebec Hypertension Society (2009-2011), President of the International Society of Hypertension (2012-2014) and President of Hypertension Canada (2013-1016), Associate Editor of Hypertension (AHA journal, 2003-2015), and is since January 2016 Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Hypertension.

Dr. Schiffrin is Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 2006. He received the 2007 Irvine Page-Alva Bradley Lifetime Achievement Award of the AHA High Blood Pressure Research Council, the European Society of Hypertension 2010 Bjorn Folkow Award, the AHA 2011 Excellence Award on Hypertension, the American Society of Hypertension 2013 Robert Tigerstedt Distinguished Scientist Award, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society 2013 Distinguished Scientist Award, the Canadian Society of Clinical Investigation 2015 Distinguished Scientist Award, and the 2016 National Margolese Prize on Cardiac Disorders. He was appointed Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.) in July 2010.

Congratulations Dr. Schiffrin!

(Files from Prix Galien and the Lady Davis Institute)

October 13, 2017

Dr. Raquel del Carpio, Professor of Radiology at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Senior Radiologist at the McGill University Health Centre has recently been named as the 2017 recipient of the Société de radiologie du Québec’s (SRQ) Prix Albert-Jutras 2017.  The award is considered the SRQ’s most prestigious, recognizing the entirety of a Quebec radiologist’s career.

“This most important Prix Albert-Jutras, granted to me by the Société de radiologie du Québec, is a recognition of the entire Department of Radiology at McGill,” says Dr. del Carpio. “With the support of my colleagues and Faculty I have been able to achieve many of the goals for which I am being rewarded.”

Albert Jutras was a pioneer in radiology in Quebec. While practicing general medicine in Abitibi he headed off to France to study this burgeoning specialty and returned to develop it at the Hôtel-Dieu in Montreal. His intelligence and culture added to the talent of a radiologist curious about new discoveries to make him a remarkable personality in Quebec society. The Albert Jutras Prize was created in 1986 thanks to the contribution of Squibb Diagnostics.

Dr. del Carpio is an eminent neuroradiologist who has had a brilliant academic career spanning three decades at McGill University. Her commitment to her profession is evident in her outstanding record of teaching and mentorship. As a teacher, she has helped shape the careers of innumerable radiologists who now practice around the world. Her emphasis on lifelong learning has led to numerous prestigious teaching awards.  She has published 43 peer-reviewed papers, co-authored 6 book chapters, been involved in 14 research projects, and has been an invited speaker at countless national and international meetings. Her reputation as a clinical leader in neuroradiology is evidenced by the number and breadth of her publications and academic endeavours.

Dr. del Carpio will be presented with the Prix Albert-Jutras in Montreal on November 14 during the SRQ’s annual congress.

Congratulations Dr. del Carpio!

October 26, 2017

Pictured left to right: Dr. Ayse Kuspinar, Dr. Sara Ahmed, Dr. Nancy Mayo, Dr. Cynthia Gross, Dr. Ana Maria Rodriguez, and Dr. Skye Barbic

By Erin Douglas, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy

Dr. Nancy Mayo, Professor at the McGill Faculty of Medicine’s School of Physical and Occupational Therapy is the 2017 recipient of the President’s Award from the International Society of Quality of Life (ISOQOL). The award is given annually to an individual who has advanced Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) research and has made outstanding contributions to the Society in one or more of the following areas: education of professionals, patients or lay individuals about HRQOL’s value; promotion or execution of HRQOL or other scholarly activities; and facilitating or furthering policy initiatives that have an impact on HRQOL.

Dr. Mayo is recognized for her contribution to training, education and mentoring  of future HRQOL researchers, for advancing methods for HRQOL measurement and research, and for her role as Editor of the Dictionary of Quality of Life and Health Outcomes Measurement (2015) the proceeds of which go to support ISOQOL’s activities to “advance the scientific study of health-related quality of life and other patient-centered outcomes to identify effective interventions, enhance the quality of health care and promote the health of populations.”

“The ISOQOL community includes the world’s most renowned health outcomes researchers and to be selected from among all these rock stars for this award is a highlight of my career,” says Dr. Mayo, who was conferred the award at the Society’s annual meeting in Philadelphia on October 21, 2017.

Dr. Mayo is a James McGill Professor in the Department of Medicine (Division of Geriatrics and Division of Clinical Epidemiology) and at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy. She is also a Research Scientist at the McGill University Hospital Center Research Institute where she leads a research program on Function, Disability and Quality of Life for vulnerable populations. She received her BSc in Physical Therapy from Queen’s University and her MSc and PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University. Dr. Mayo was the recipient of the 2006 Paul Morley Award for Mentorship from the Canadian Stroke Network, was appointed to the McGill University Faculty of Medicine Honour List for Educational Excellence in 2009, received the 2012 Enid Graham Memorial Lecture Award, and was awarded McGill University’s 2014 Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Mayo is also a founding member of the Canadian Stroke Network.

Congratulations Dr. Mayo!

October 26, 2017

On October 30, 2017, the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA) announced the six recipients of its biennial awards which recognize significant contributions to cancer research in Canada. Included among the six is Dr. Eduardo Franco, James McGill Professor in the Departments of Oncology and Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational Health, Director, Division of Cancer Epidemiology, and Chairman, Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology, at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Franco receives the CCRA’s Award for Distinguished Service to Cancer Research in recognition of his significant role in cancer prevention by generating critical scientific evidence for the HPV vaccine and actively promoting the adoption of HPV vaccination across Canada, his research and advocacy for cost-effective cervical cancer prevention approaches in low- and middle-income countries, and his proponency of appropriate peer-review and editorial oversight to ensure the publication of quality cancer research.

“These awards demonstrate CCRA’s continuing recognition of excellence in cancer research,” says Dr. Sara Urowitz, Executive Director of CCRA. “We take this opportunity to showcase these achievements during our biennial scientific conference so that these awardees can be honoured in the presence of their peers and can serve as a source of inspiration for our new investigators and trainees.”

“I am very grateful to the CCRA for the immense honour of receiving this award,” says Dr. Franco. “Scientific discoveries alone do not do much. It is necessary to translate these discoveries into knowledge that can make a difference. It is also necessary to advocate for policies that should come in consequence of those discoveries, but frequently do not. The road to cancer prevention and control is arduous and full of obstacles. It is only with persistence, hard work, and luck that we eventually succeed. A good “home” is also essential; Canada and McGill have been essential. I very much doubt that I would have achieved even a fraction of what the CCRA chose to recognize in giving me this prize without the warm embrace that this country offers to those who reach its shores and without the support of a nurturing environment such as what we have at McGill.”

Throughout his illustrious career Dr. Franco has illuminated the transmission of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and its role in causing cervical cancer. His work as a molecular epidemiologist paved the way for the ongoing transition from the 70-year-old Pap screening test to a more sensitive molecular assay for HPV infection, and for the widespread adoption of HPV vaccination. Those successes stemmed in part from Dr. Franco’s willingness to buck conventional wisdom about the cause of cervical cancer, which three decades ago held that Herpes virus simplex was the culprit. His tenacity in marshalling evidence to support his skepticism eventually managed to shift the mainstream view of the medical community, and led to the successful efforts to develop the vaccine. His studies of epidemiological methods for evaluating cancer screening strategies, of the impact of measurement error in epidemiology, and of societal and clinical influences on cancer patient survival have often been international in scope. His innovation in correcting for verification bias in studies of screening has become accepted practice, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now requires be done in all trials.

Dr. Franco has trained over 100 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and almost 30 undergraduate trainees. He has given more than 650 presentations as either an invited speaker or session chair, has published over 450 scientific articles and 58 chapters, has edited two books on cancer epidemiology and prevention, and has co-edited 10 journal supplement issues. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Preventive Medicine and Founding Editor of Preventive Medicine Reports, and has served on the editorial boards of various journals, including Epidemiology, the International Journal of Cancer, and PLoS-Medicine. He served twice as an advisor to the U.S. President’s Cancer Panel and is an elected council member representing North American epidemiologists in the International Epidemiological Association.

Dr. Franco will receive his award during the 4th Canadian Cancer Research Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, November 6.

Congratulations Dr. Franco!

October 30, 2017

Principal Suzanne Fortier (left) presents Dr. Linda Snell with the McGill University Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Education. / Photo: Owen Egan

By Caroline Guay, McGill Reporter

The field of medical education would not be anywhere near where it is today if it weren’t for the outstanding vision, leadership and dedication of Dr. Linda Snell, this year’s winner of the McGill University Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Education. Dr. Snell accepted her Award during the Fall Convocation ceremony on October 31.

“Over the span of nearly four decades and McGill University, Dr. Snell has had a tremendous impact on teaching, education leadership and education research at all levels of medical training,” said David Eidelman, Dean of Medicine and Vice-Principal (Health Affairs), in introducing Dr. Snell. “McGill has not been the sole beneficiary of Dr. Snell’s contribution to advancing health professions education. Her passion and exemplary leadership has reverberated across the country and beyond.”

A medical doctor in the Department of General Internal Medicine at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Dr. Snell is internationally recognized for advancing the field of medical education through all aspects of health professional development – from designing curricula and evaluating programs to researching learning conditions and developing competency frameworks. A prolific researcher with close to 100 peer-reviewed publications and nine book chapters, she is also a core member of McGill’s Centre for Medical Education.

“Dr. Snell’s career illustrates a lifetime of commitment to leadership in education, sustained productivity in research and scholarship in health professional education, unwavering support of learners and teachers alike, and a passion for innovation and integration of new knowledge into educational practices,” said Dean Eidelman

The McGill Reporter recently reached Dr. Snell at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, where she was leading a multi-day leadership course for residency program directors, discussing quality in education. When asked how she developed her initial interest in medical education, she explains that it occurred in parallel with her own experience of becoming a doctor, and as a result of some of the issues and challenges that she experienced as a student and resident –  for example, needing more role model clinicians.

Good doctors, notes Dr. Snell, have certain intrinsic skills – such as the ability to communicate effectively, to advocate for their patients, to incorporate research in their practice, and to teach residents and other health professionals – and she firmly believes that these skills can be taught (and learned). This fundamental belief led her to pursue a Masters in Medical Education and helped set the stage for her high-impact career in the field of medical education.

By Dr. Snell’s account, the field has changed substantially over the past 20 years. One such change is the increasing professionalization of medical education; “clinician-educators” and “medical educators” are now recognized as having a specific area of expertise. Scholarship in the field has also developed and expanded; there is a great deal more research available to inform decisions around ideal learning conditions, effective teaching and student motivation.

While these are positive developments, Dr. Snell recognizes that medical educators still have a way to go before they are granted the same level of recognition as researchers, especially when it comes to academic advancement. She is confident that this is gradually changing, however, and as the field continues to gain traction, recognition should too.

Her own philosophy of education is refreshingly straightforward, and can be summed up in four words: “the learner comes first.” She is more concerned about setting up an environment conducive to learning than she is about the mere delivery of content. She describes her teaching style as more informal and interactive, rather than formal and didactic. The focus, in her view, should be more about learning than about teaching. “I want to welcome the learners into our community of doctors and hope they will enjoy the practice of medicine as much as I do.”

Despite having dedicated over 37 years of her career to research and practice in medical education, she shows no sign of resting on her laurels. When asked what she still wanted to achieve in her career, her response is clear: “I want the [medical education initiatives] I’m involved in to be the best – so that they can be models for others, in Canada and around the world,” says Dr. Snell.

November 1, 2017

Chancellor Michael A. Meighen presents Principal Emerita heather Munroe-Blum with her honorary doctorate (Doctor of Science honoris causa). / Photo: Owen Egan

By Neale McDevitt, McGill Reporter

In 10 years as McGill’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Heather Munroe-Blum gave her fair share of speeches at Convocation. But none of them were ever quite like the one she delivered the morning of October 31, after she was conferred with an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Science honoris causa) as part of 2017 Fall Convocation ceremonies.

The Principal Emerita began by telling the audience that the day was fraught with emotions for her.  Almost immediately she had to fight back tears when she spoke about her husband, Len Blum. “How grateful I am to you, Lenny, for the love and support we have shared for almost 50 years,” Munroe-Blum said. “Without this I most certainly would not be standing here today.”

The Principal Emerita told the audience that, in preparing her address, said had taken her daughter’s advice to tell the story of her life and “speak your truth, mom.”

“This is a personal story, just that,” Munroe-Blum offered as a simple preamble.

“On my third birthday I was rushed to a children’s hospital where I was diagnosed with polio. My mom was told that I would never walk again,” said Munroe-Blum, one of hundreds of thousands of children who were stricken by the polio virus during the epidemic of the 1950s.

“The disease would’ve killed me as it did many other children around the world except for a few lucky breaks,” continued McGill’s first-ever female Principal.

“I was sent to the Hospital for Sick Children that was staffed with nurses, doctors and researchers who were dedicated to extending the lives of children like me. My muscles were too weak to draw air into my lungs so I was put into a piece of modern technology –  an iron lung – which kept me alive through the crisis of the disease,” said Munroe-Blum.

Months into her stay at the hospital, Munroe-Blum was still desperately ill, “fragile and paralyzed,” she said.

The kindness of strangers

A retired physiotherapist (“a complete stranger”) volunteered to take Munroe-Blum, now wearing a full metal body brace, into her home for treatment. Munroe-Blum lived there for one year, following a physiotherapy regimen that completely went against the widely-accepted treatment of the day, which was bedrest.

Former Principal Heather Munroe-Blum addresses the Class of 2017. / Photo: Owen Egan

“This woman drew on her vast experience with patients like me and her own observational talents to offer me a different treatment,” said Munroe-Blum. “Each day she removed my braces, carried me to her ironing board and spent the day pumping my legs back-and-forth.

“The time spent being cared for by that remarkable woman is filled with positive memories of being on her ironing board, of looking out at her beautiful Victorian garden, of her telling me the story of the Little Engine that Could,” she said “I hear her voice say ‘I think I can. I think I can. I think I can’ over and over again as she moved my legs.”

One year later, Munroe-Blum returned to her family’s home with only small braces on her lower legs. “I could walk,” she told the audience quietly but triumphantly.

Her rehabilitation continued at the Hospital for Sick Children, driven to and from by volunteer drivers from the Kiwanis Club week after week after week. “I was taught to swim,” she said. “And every week I swam a little further.

“When I was five years old I walked into kindergarten with neither crutches nor braces,” Munroe-Blum said. “I looked just like all the other excited five-year-olds.”

That same year, Munroe-Blum pointed out to the audience, polio began to be eliminated in North America. “A devastating disease eradicated through the achievement of scientific research – the discovery of the polio vaccine by Dr. Jonas Salk.”

Anything but a miracle

The Principal Emerita skipped ahead to Grade Three, when a substitute teacher doing roll call paused at Munroe-Blum’s name. The teacher told the confused child to approach her desk.

“Astonishingly [the teacher] began to cry,” said Munroe-Blum. “She said ‘I was a nurse on your ward in the hospital when you were in an iron lung. We thought you would never walk again and we are worried you might die. But you didn’t die and you can walk. It’s a miracle.’

“Now you might take these facts and come to the conclusion, like that teacher, that my extraordinary progress was a miracle. But you would be wrong. Or you might come to the conclusion that, as a child, I had some greater source of courage, some greater power of will than other children. But again you would be wrong. There are other truer reasons why I am literally standing here,” said Munroe-Blum.

“I am standing here because I lived in a place that had outstanding, well-funded public institutions dedicated to the advancement of science and knowledge, state-of-the-art technology and dedicated to informed practice,” continued Munroe-Blum. “I am here because they were individuals, both professionals and volunteers, who did not accept tragic outcomes, who did not accept standard practices that didn’t show a positive effect, who believed they must find a better way.

“I’m here because I live in a country that has certain values. It values its citizens, it values the effort to achieve a high standard of health and education for everyone,” said Munroe-Blum, her voice wavering at times. “It values institutions dedicated to pushing both the horizons of knowledge and the applications of that knowledge. It values individuals with vision, courage and determination to use their lives to make a difference.”

Turning her address back to the audience, Munroe-Blum challenged graduates to be like the many people who had had positive impact on her life in those trying early years. “When you leave this hall today, when you walk out into the daylight of your future, hold onto these values. Don’t accept a tragic outcome. Don’t accept pessimism or mediocrity.

“Today at this moment in your lives I urge you to find your truths, what ever these may be. They will lead you to around corners, over hills and through valleys never imagined. Embrace your strengths and see your challenges simply as goals to be reached in your own way,” said Munroe-Blum in closing. “Lift yourself higher, work with those around you to do the same. This is my truth.”

November 1, 2017

By Tod Hoffman, Lady Davis Institute

Dr. Roderick McInnes, Director of the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital and Acting President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, is being honoured with the 2017 Distinguished Scientist Award by the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation (CSCI). Dr. McInnes, who holds the Alva Chair in Human Genetics and a Canada Research Chair in Neurogenetics at McGill University, is being recognized for significant and innovative contributions in the field of human genetics.

“It is a particular honour to receive the CSCI’s Distinguished Scientist Award because of the Society’s focus on the physician scientist, who plays such a crucial role in building the bridges between bench and bedside,” said Dr. McInnes. “The CSCI does so much to promote clinical research, which is the key to advancing medicine and improving health care.”

Dr. McInnes will receive the Award at the CSCI’s annual meeting this month in Toronto, where he will deliver a keynote address.

“The Distinguished Scientist Award from the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation is awarded to a Canadian medical doctor or medical scientist who has made significant contributions to new knowledge and is recognized in their field as expert, innovator, and as being in the forefront of research endeavours. Dr. Roderick McInnis has long been recognized for his leadership in Canadian basic and applied biomedical research. He is internationally renowned for his contributions to the molecular genetics of inherited metabolic disorders, to the molecular genetics of retinal and eye development, and to the genetic basis of retinal degenerative diseases,” said Dr. Brian Bennett, Chair of the CSCI Awards Committee.

Congratulations Dr. McInnes!

November 1, 2017

Pam and Rolando del Maestro with 2017 Osler Essay contest co-winners, Clare Fogarty and André Lametti (center). Photo courtesy of Dr. Rolando del Maestro

Once again this year, the three finalists of the Pam and Rolando del Maestro William Osler Medical Students’ Essay Awards had the opportunity to present their essays on November 1 in the Wellcome Camera of the Osler Library in the McIntyre Medical Building.

The presentations, part of the annual Osler Day activities, offered an unusual twist this year as one of the finalists, Philippe-Antoine Bilodeau delivered the presentation for his essay “A Tale of Two Brains: Cortical Localization and the Neuron Doctrine in the 19th and 20th Century” (Mentor: Professor Thomas Schlich) via Skype while in South Africa.

The winners were announced during the Osler Banquet later that day, with Bilodeau taking home second place and Clare Fogarty (“Sanitation, Sanity, and (Moral) Suitability: The History of the Medical Inadmissibility of Immigrants into Canada (1840s-1950s)” (Mentor: Professor David Wright)) and André Lametti (“Ars uero longa: Teaching Hippocrates in Medieval Italy” (Mentor: Professor Faith Wallis)) sharing first place honours.

Congratulations to all three finalists!

November 8, 2017

Dr. Pierre Pluye, Dr. Miriam Boillat and Dr. Yvonne Steinert have been selected as the 2017 recipients of the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s (CFPC) Family Medicine Researcher of the Year Award, Ian McWhinney Family Medicine Education Award and CFPC Lifetime Achievement Award in Family Medicine Research respectively.  The trio will receive their awards as part of the CFPC’s 2017 Family Medicine Forum, held between November 8 and 11 in Montreal.

Family Medicine Researcher of the Year

A Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University, Dr. Pierre Pluye is a specialist in family medicine and public health. His studies focus on assessing the outcomes of health information from the perspective of clinicians, patients, and the public. A founding member of the association Méthodes mixtes francophonie, his work contributes to the development of mixed methods for primary research and literature reviews. This work is instrumental for combining qualitative and quantitative evidence. Dr. Pluye has been a pioneer of teaching mixed methods for graduate students in Quebec since 2006.

“This award means a lot to me as I used to be a practicing family physician in rural and humanitarian settings, before becoming a full-time PhD researcher,” says Dr. Pluye, reflecting on his decision to pursue family medicine research. “During my postdoctoral research in social studies of medicine, I had to decide what I would do next.  I still remember the exact situation when I thought that primary care research would be an ideal career. This dream became reality 12 years ago in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University (thanks to my initial mentors in this area such as Drs. Grad, Dawes and Macaulay). I found a home at McGill and a friendly network at the CFPC where my work and expertise have been mobilized in educational programs and research committees.”

Dr. Pluye graduated in medicine, and completed his residency in general medicine at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France. In the 1990s, he worked as a general practitioner in rural communities in the southwest of France and in a pediatric setting in Réunion Island, in the Indian Ocean. Dr. Pluye helped to create and develop Réseau-1 Québec (FRQS-funded primary care research network), and the McGill Primary Health Care Research Network, as an executive member and director, respectively. Since 2015, he has led the Method Development component of the Quebec SPOR SUPPORT Unit. Among his other cutting-edge, patient-oriented research in primary and integrated care, Dr. Pluye has contributed to recommendations for organizational participatory research, an effective automated text classification method for selecting empirical studies in the literature, and an open source collaborative research trend monitoring system.

“The CFPC ‘Researcher of the Year Award’ was an amazing surprise,” notes Dr. Pluye. “In 2017, I have been privileged to be elected to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, which is prestigious, and to see our book published (Look it up! McGill Queens University Press), which is joyous. Then, I received the CFPC award, which constitutes the highest professional honour that I can imagine considering my clinical experience and research expertise. The Chair of the CFPC Researcher Council can testify that receiving this award left me speechless. I am extremely thankful for this recognition. Given my career path, it truly means a lot for me, more than I could ever express in a few words.”

In 2017, Dr. Pluye co-authored Look it up! What patients, doctors, nurses and pharmacists need to know about the Internet and primary health care (2017, McGill-Queen’s University Press) with best-selling author Julie Barlow and Dr. Roland Grad.

Ian McWhinney Family Medicine Education Award

“Receiving the Ian McWhinney Family Medicine Education Award is very meaningful to me,” says Dr. Miriam Boillat. “I have been teaching medical students and residents in Family Medicine since I completed my residency in 1986.  I love working as a family doctor and deeply believe in the role of family practice at the heart of the health care system.”

Three activities have remained at the core of Dr. Boillat’s career in family medicine: providing ongoing care for patients, serving as preceptor for family medicine residents, and teaching communication skills to medical students. She is an advocate for more family medicine teaching and role models in medical schools, a better understanding of family medicine by colleagues from other disciplines, and a greater recognition of family medicine by organization leaders.

Dr. Boillat has held many leadership roles in family medicine over the course of her career, including Family Medicine Program Director at McGill University for nine years. In that position, she developed a strong interest in faculty development, leading her to the role of Director of Faculty Development for the Department of Family Medicine. Currently, she is Associate Dean of Faculty Development, where she promotes a collegial process that supports teachers, fosters reflection, and strengthens teaching practices.

“Teaching about something you believe in and are passionate about is rewarding in and by itself,” notes Dr. Boillat. “To be recognized for my contributions to family medicine education by my peers is truly wonderful! Ian McWhinney is acknowledged as one of the founders of modern Family Medicine in Canada.   He articulated the unique characteristics of the practice of family medicine in the following way: caring for a defined group of individual patients over their lifetime, no matter what illnesses develop and at any age, with a strong emphasis on the quality of the patient-doctor relationship.  So, receiving an award named after this wonderful family medicine practitioner, educator and researcher, is also incredibly special.”
Dr. Boillat obtained her medical degree from McGill University in 1983. She then completed an internship in internal medicine at the Montreal General Hospital, and a two-year family medicine residency at St. Mary’s Hospital Center. She moved to New York City in 1987 to complete an academic family medicine fellowship at the State University of New York in Brooklyn. Since returning to Montreal in 1989, she has worked in the Department of Family Medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital Center, a McGill-affiliated hospital and family medicine training site.

CFPC Lifetime Achievement Award in Family Medicine Research

A clinical psychologist, Dr. Yvonne Steinert started her career in family medicine at the Herzl Family Practice Centre of the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, where she was responsible for the teaching and learning of behavioural sciences from 1976 to 2000. Since then, she has been actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, educational research, and designing and delivering faculty development programs and activities in various settings. She is passionate about teaching and learning at all levels, and her greatest joy is participating in the development of future health professionals.

“I felt extremely honoured and touched when I received this CFPC Lifetime Achievement Award, though I also felt that it was “too soon”,” offers Dr. Steinert. “In fact, I was reminded of a story about an artist who had received an award for his artistic accomplishments and, when receiving his award, humbly stated that he had not yet completed his best work.   I feel the same way!  At the same time, I am delighted that my work in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill, my academic home for over 25 years, has been recognized by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and that research in faculty development and medical education was considered for this award.   For me, working in the Department of Family Medicine and the Centre for Medical Education at McGill has given me incredible opportunities to learn and develop, to work with interested and dedicated colleagues, and to try to be innovative and scholarly in all that I do, and I honestly believe that I would not be receiving this award without the wonderful communities of practice of which I am a part.”

Dr. Steinert is a member of the McGill University Department of Family Medicine’s Promotions Committee and works closely with colleagues interested in curricular innovation and faculty development. She promotes faculty development in family medicine internationally and is frequently invited to deliver workshops for teaching and learning, leadership and management, and research and scholarship to family physicians.

As a Professor of Family Medicine, the Director of the Centre for Medical Education, and the Richard and Sylvia Cruess Chair in Medical Education in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, Dr. Steinert believes that research in medical education is a team sport, and she values being part of a creative, collegial, and collaborative community of educators and researchers, at McGill University and across Canada.

Congratulations Dr. Pluye, Dr. Boillat and Dr. Steinert!

November 8, 2017

William R. Skach, M.D., presented the Paul di Sant’Agnese Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award to Philip J. Thomas, Ph.D., and Gergely L. Lukacs, M.D., Ph.D. (From left to right, Thomas, Skach, and Lukacs). Photo courtesy of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

(With files from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s (CFF) 2017 Paul di Sant’Agnese Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award was recently presented to Dr. Gergely L. Lukacs, a Professor in the Department of Physiology at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and to Philip J. Thomas, PhD, a Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Considered the CFF’s highest scientific honour, the scientists were recognized for using genetic tools to validate the “two-hit” hypothesis that fixing two distinct defects in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein by separate means would improve its trafficking and function. This work helped to set the stage for the development of second-generation CFTR modulators.

“I feel both honored and thankful, for myself and also on behalf of the past and present members of my laboratory, to receive the 2017 Paul di Sant’Agnese distinguished scientific achievement award,” says Dr. Lukacs. “This award recognizes some 25 years of work on the molecular cell biology of the cystic fibrosis protein (CFTR).  Specifically, our discovery that uncovered a novel folding framework for a more efficient therapeutic strategy of the most common mutation by using rationally selected drug combination. Our prediction, based on the dissection of the normal and mutant protein folding, was published in 2012 in Cell and gained traction by the recent success using drug combination on cystic fibrosis patients in clinical trials. The results are particularly rewarding for a medical doctor who has devoted most of his activity to research, as I have.”

The award was created to honor Dr. Paul di Sant’Agnese, a pioneering researcher and clinician whose legacy will be forever linked to his advancements in cystic fibrosis research.

Dr. di Sant’Agnese began his career at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical School as a young pediatric pathologist caring for children with a newly recognized disease called “Cystic Fibrosis of the Pancreas.” At that time, little was known about the disease beyond the lack of pancreatic enzymes, and his early research provided insight into the effects of the disease on the lungs. In 1946, he reported the first use of an inhaled antibiotic (penicillin) to treat children with CF.

Two years later during a heat wave in New York City, he observed that infants on the CF ward were suffering from heatstroke and dehydration. Over the next five years, he demonstrated that people with CF have elevated salt in their sweat. This finding not only paved the way for the sweat test, which we still use more than 60 years later, but also contributed to the discovery of the underlying chloride transport defect, CF genetic variants and ultimately, the CFTR gene itself.

Dr. di Sant’Agnese served the medical and CF community throughout his five-decades long career. Among his many contributions, he launched one of the first CF centers in the United States, helped found the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and established the Pediatric Metabolism Branch at the National Institutes of Health, where he mentored physicians and trainees — many of whom went on to become leading CF scientists.

Congratulations Dr. Lukacs!

November 9, 2017

By Christina Kozakiewicz, Ingram School of Nursing

Vanessa D’Aquila is passionate about the art and science of nursing.

She was recognized for her passion and much more at McGill’s Fall Convocation Ceremony on October 31, when she was awarded the Evelyne Rocque Malowany Convocation Prize and the Anne Marie Hum Fong Memorial Prize.

The first award is determined by votes by the Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN) Program Directors, given to a student who has demonstrated initiative and leadership in the nursing profession. The latter is also decided via nominations, by both faculty members and peers, and goes to a student who has demonstrated particular sensitivity and skill in helping patients and families cope with situations related to long-term illness.

While convocation may mark the end of period of study, the beginning of Vanessa’s foray into the profession started with learning about an inspirational nursing icon. “It was during my last year of CEGEP that I opted to do a project on the renowned Florence Nightingale, and I was immediately inspired by her unbelievable story,” says Vanessa. “I knew I would one day aspire to becoming a nursing leader, with Nightingale’s philosophies at the core of my practice.”

Florence Nightingale’s story is just one of Vanessa’s many sources of inspiration, which she gives as much as she gets. Vanessa has been actively involved in several initiatives, including the ISoN Peer Mentorship Program, and as President of the Nursing Undergraduate Society. She also spearheaded McGill Association of Students in Healthcare (MASH), an interprofessional collaborative with other student leaders in McGill’s Faculty of Medicine and beyond. “I was elated to learn that I would be receiving these awards, as it symbolizes that all my hard work to strengthen and unify our nursing and interprofessional community throughout my undergrad has been recognized,” Vanessa says. “There is a sense of accomplishment that comes with contributing to the advancement of Nursing at McGill,” she says.

What is next for Vanessa, as she awaits the results of the Quebec nursing licensing exam? In the short term, she will be working as a nurse, and presenting at the Quebec Order of Nurses conference with ISoN faculty later this month on a new project focusing on professional nurses mentoring graduating McGill students transitioning into clinical practice. “I have also joined McGill’s Nursing Alumni Association in order to continue my connection with the ISoN and my fellow graduates,” she says. “I have a passion for cardiology and pediatrics, and would consider the respective Nurse Practitioner streams after acquiring more experience in those fields.”

Vanessa’s advice for anyone applying to the Ingram School of Nursing? “If you are genuinely passionate about helping those in need, then McGill’s nursing program will allow you to recognize your potential within the profession, wherever you choose to practice!”

*****

Hailey Schwass has wanted to be a nurse for as long as she can remember. “My mom has been a nurse for 30 years,” Hailey says. “And has always been an inspiration.”

At convocation on October 31 at Place des Arts, Hailey realized a lifelong dream, graduating from the Ingram School of Nursing at McGill, where she was awarded the Pearson Book Prize for the second highest GPA in the Bachelor of Science (Nursing) BSc(N) program. “I am extremely honored and thankful to receive this award at the end of a challenging and rewarding four years,” says Hailey. “I am thankful for the professors and clinical instructors who continuously taught, pushed and supported me.”

After four years of studying to become a nurse, Hailey’s drive and dedication continue to grow. “I started nursing at McGill because I hoped it would combine my love of science and my desire to help people,” she says. “I realized it is also a profession that allows for continuous learning, it challenges you daily, and you have the honor of helping people through some of the most important moments of their lives.”

While Hailey is still undecided on her exact plans for the future, she has her sights set on seeing the world. “I would love to take advantage of traveling opportunities as a nurse,” she says. “Learning from and caring for a wide variety of communities is a really exciting prospect to me.”

“It is important to realize that through McGill, one has the unique opportunity to learn from professors, nurses, students, and patients from around the globe.”

*****

Unlike Hailey, Carol-Ann Dom did not always know she wanted to be a nurse. She initially began her studies at McGill in anatomy and cellular biology, and after a year, she experienced an “ah-ha!” moment.

“I was learning all about cells, and how they make the body work—which was quite fascinating—but something was missing for me,” says Carol-Ann. “I needed to feel connected to people, to not only understand them on a physical level, and I saw nursing as an incredible opportunity to do just that.”

Fast forward to October 31, 2017, to Carol-Ann graduating from McGill’s Ingram School of Nursing, as a recipient of the Lexy Fellowes award, as the graduate with the highest GPA in her program.

“It might sound cliché, but I feel really proud,” says Carol-Ann. “After all these years of studying and spending days and nights in my room, I am now able to say that it finally paid off, and it’s a comforting thought.”

Hours of studying aside, Carol-Ann will always look back fondly on her undergraduate experience in nursing at McGill. “I not only found the profession I didn’t know I was looking for, but I also met passionate teachers and made great friends,” she says. “To anyone thinking of applying to Nursing at McGill, I would say it will not necessarily be easy, but in the end, it will all be worth it.”

November 9, 2017

Dr. Madhukar Pai, Director of McGill Global Health Programs (GHP) has been appointed as Adjunct Professor at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India’s equivalent of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research and is one of the oldest and largest medical research agencies in the world.

Dr. Pai currently serves on the International Scientific Advisory Group (pictured above) of the India Tuberculosis Research Consortium within ICMR, and he has also been invited to help ICMR develop a National Essential Diagnostics List. Several colleagues from ICMR and its affiliated institutes have participated as panelists for the McGill Summer Institute in Infectious Diseases and Global Health, and such reciprocal relationships have strengthened Canada-India relationships in medicine and science.

Dr. Pai’s recent article on how immigrant scientists can give back to their homelands can be read here.

Congratulations Dr. Pai!

November 14, 2017

Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan, Assistant Professor (Clinical) of Pediatrics and associate member, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatics and Occupational Health at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine was recently awarded the 2017 F. Estelle R. Simons Award for Research by the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI).  The award is presented to a CSACI member in recognition of his or her exemplary research in the field of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. To be considered for this award, the candidate’s research should be viewed as significant and of benefit to the Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology community.

“I am honoured that the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology have decided to grant me the F. Estelle R. Simons Award for Research,” says Dr. Ben-Shoshan. “Receiving this award acknowledges not only the important findings of my research on food and drug allergy but also the impact that this research has had on the management of severe allergies in Canadians.”

Dr. Ben-Shoshan graduated from The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv, Israel and completed his fellowship in Pediatric Allergy/Clinical Immunology at Montreal Children’s Hospital in 2009.  In 2011 he received his Msc degree in Epidemiology from McGill.  That same year he was granted the Emerging Clinician Scientist Fellowship Award by AllerGen NCE and in 2013 the  FRSQ junior 1 salary award. Dr. Ben-Shoshan established the first world-wide cohort to assess children with suspected antibiotic allergy through graded challenges and, together with Dr. Bruce Mazer, established the first rigorously designed and evaluated program in Canada for milk desensitization. More recently they have established protocols for peanut , tree nut and egg desensitization.  Dr. Ben-Shoshan has established the largest cross-Canada registries that collect data on the diagnosis and management of food allergy, anaphylaxis, drug allergy , anaphylaxis and primary immunodeficiencies.  His research has resulted in 85 published manuscripts. His work on the diagnostic approach of antibiotic allergy in children has led to a fundamental shift in clinical practice for the diagnosis and management of amoxicillin allergies in children. This study was named among the top 10 publications worldwide for Pediatrics in 2016 by the New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch.

Dr. Ben-Shoshan is currently a physician in the division of Allergy/ Immunology at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and is involved in research initiatives on anaphylaxis, chronic urticaria and immunodeficiency.

Congratulations Dr. Ben-Shoshan!

November 14, 2017

Olanrewaju Ayokunle, a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at McGill University, is the award winner of the Fonds Nature et technologies, one of the three Fonds awards of the Fonds de recherche du Québec. His Award-winning publication: Microfluidic Capillaric Circuit for Rapid and Facile Bacteria Detection is published in Analytical Chemistry.

Read the full abstract here.

In addition to promoting research careers in Quebec, this competition recognizes the exceptional research contributions of university students (master’s, doctorate), postdoctoral fellows and members of professional orders who are enrolled in advanced research training programs in any of the areas covered by the three Fonds de recherche du Québec.

To learn more about the awards, click here.

November 23, 2017

By Christina Kozakiewicz, Ingram School of Nursing

Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization specializing in the design and delivery of research and training programs, working with universities, companies and governments to support industrial and social innovation in Canada. On November 21, 2017 Mitacs held their 7^th annual awards ceremony to recognize five up and coming researchers from across Canada, among them, Justine Behan, graduate of the Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN), McGill University.

Justine received the Mitacs Master’s Award for Outstanding Innovation for her ethnographic study aimed at improving the lives of children living with cancer in India. Her work involved collecting data at three different study sites in New Delhi, with the goal of acquiring a better understanding of how young cancer patients participate in decisions, discussions, and actions when it comes to their health and health care. While parents and health care professionals often act as intermediaries when a child is ill, Justine, spoke directly to children living with cancer—ranging in ages from three to 17—and observed them receiving various aspects of their care, including chemotherapy and radiation.

Her work was supervised by a multidisciplinary and international team, including ISoN professors Dr. Franco Carnevale and Dr. Argerie Tsimicalis; Dr. Sameer Bakhshi, Consultant Pediatric Oncologist and Associate Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences; and Dr. Ramandeep Singh Arora, Senior Consultant, Paediatric Oncology, Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi. Bani Bhattacharjee, RN, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, was also a part of the team and assisted with the data collection. Justine’s project provided much-needed empirical findings to spearhead childhood ethics research specific to pediatric oncology in India.

This project was conducted in collaboration with CanKids and VOICE.

Congratulations Justine!

November 24, 2017

Earlier this fall, Dr. Donald Sheppard, Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine, was selected as the 2017 Mentor of the Year for Region 4 (Quebec) by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. A world-renowned expert in the diagnosis and treatment of invasive fungal infections, most notably those caused by the mold Aspergillus, Dr. Sheppard, Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at McGill and lead of the McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity, was selected for this award in recognition of his impact on the career development of students, residents and fellows.

“To me, mentorship is a chance to share my passion and love for medicine and science, and to ‘pay forward’ the debt I have incurred in my own career development,” says Dr. Sheppard who is also a scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. “I have also come to appreciate that mentorship is a two-way street and has provided me with many opportunities to learn from my trainees.”

Dr. Sheppard is currently the section head of the medical mycology laboratory and practices clinical infectious diseases at the McGill University Health Centre. His primary clinical area of interest is human fungal disease, particularly invasive aspergillosis in the immunocompromised host. Dr. Sheppard is a clinician-scientist whose research interests focus on elucidating the mechanisms by which the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus causes human disease in order to develop new therapeutics for these infections.

He has been actively engaged in teaching and mentoring of young clinicians and scientists as the Program Director for the McGill Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology training programs, and has developed a combined clinical, laboratory and didactic training program for medical mycology. He currently serves as a mentor for undergraduate and graduate research trainees, clinical fellows as well as several junior faculty members.

He has published over 100 research papers and book chapters and has delivered over 150 invited lectures worldwide. Dr. Sheppard has been the recipient of numerous awards including a Clinician-Scientist award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and a Research Chair from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé and has been elected to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences..

Congratulations Dr. Sheppard!

November 24, 2017

By Neale McDevitt, McGill Reporter

McGill medical student Alexander Lachapelle and Clare Lyle, a U3 Joint Honours Math and Computer Science student, are among the latest students awarded Rhodes Scholarships. This brings to 144 the number of McGill Rhodes Scholars since the awards were created in 1902 to provide for studies at the University of Oxford, the most in Canada.

The students will finish their McGill studies in May before heading out to Oxford in October for the next phase of their academic adventure.

Always more to discover

On the verge of completing his MDCM at McGill, Alexander Lachapelle has also undertaken a formidable engineering task over the past several years – working to build better bridges between medicine and innovation.

Partway through his studies, but wanting to learn the world of medical technology inside and out, Lachapelle took the road less travelled, but one he believed would best serve his vision. Putting his studies on hold for a year to work in healthcare policy, he moved to New York and joined an artificial intelligence start-up, where he worked applying machine learning to diagnostic radiology.

“Basically, we were creating deep learning algorithms to help reduce diagnostic errors and improve patient outcomes,” says Lachapelle. “It was one of the most enriching experiences of my life,” he says of his time in New York, “because it showed me two things. First, it gave me a real sense of how much machine learning can improve the quality of and the access to healthcare for patients, through early disease identification and management.

“But it also gave me insight into the complex process that goes into innovating clinical care,” Lachapelle continues. “Even once you’ve developed the technology and published the results, you still have to go through the regulatory process; you have to develop a commercialization strategy; you have to get all the right partners around the table working on the more entrepreneurial side of things, you have to teach the healthcare professionals how to use it and make sure it works, you have to update it and adapt it to changes in the literature. These are so many things you have to take on to get a new tool to the patient.”

Not surprisingly, Lachapelle plans on focusing on these interests while at Oxford. “I want to study how we can use technology – more specifically, machine learning – to improve access to healthcare, in Canada and globally. How can we work together and make sure that innovation doesn’t just live in a publication and that it actually benefits the patient?”

People working together is a common theme in Lachapelle’s life. A Terry Fox Scholar, he said he decided he decided to become a doctor when he was a teen working with the Dr. Julien Foundation, a Montreal social pediatrics enterprise that ensures children living in vulnerable circumstances have access to pediatrics care. “Rather than just treating the disease, [the Foundation] brought everyone from the child’s life around the table – from the parents to the teacher to the speech therapist to the pediatrician,” he says. “The Foundation works on dozens of projects, in Montreal and in Quebec. In this case, we developed a new summer social pediatrics program, and we raised over $200,000 to support it through partnerships with local organizations and the governments of Canada and Quebec. It made me realize firsthand the importance of the social aspect of medicine.”

As if Lachapelle wasn’t busy enough, he has also done a lot of health policy work over the past several years. Last year, he was elected to be the official representative of medical education for the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), an organization that represents some 1.3 million medical students from 127 countries.

As such, Lachapelle represented the IFMSA at conferences and meetings organized by, among others, the World Health Organization, UNESCO and the U.S. Congress. He also sat on the executive board of the World Federation for Medical Education.

“It really gave me opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes when health policies are being created,” he says. “How do you plan your health workforce; how do you ensure social accountability of the medical curriculum; how do you train the doctors of tomorrow?

“I saw a real desire for a lot of schools to teach their students to become lifelong learners,” says Lachapelle. “With medicine evolving so fast, especially on the technological side, how do you keep people in the mode where they always read the literature and stay up-to-date, so that they aren’t just learning medicine once? There is always so much more to discover!”

November 24, 2017

McGill professors Alan Evans, Andrea C. LeBlanc and Bernard J. Lapointe were awarded Senate of Canada 150 medals for their commitment to advancements in Alzheimer’s disease and palliative care research.

By Amanda Testani, McGill Reporter

McGill professors Alan Evans of The Neuro, Andrea C. LeBlanc of the Lady Davis Institute, and Bernard J. Lapointe, Director of Palliative Care McGill, were awarded Senate of Canada 150 medals for their commitment to advancements in Alzheimer’s disease and palliative care research. Senator Judith Seidman, a former research fellow at The Neuro and Associate Professor of the McGill School of Social Work, nominated them.

The medals are being awarded to Canadians or permanent residents actively involved in their communities who, through generosity, dedication, volunteerism and hard work, make their hometowns, communities, regions, provinces or territories a better place to live.

In her letter to Drs. Evans and LeBlanc, Seidman stated that, “I have chosen to nominate you because I believe that your tireless commitment to advancements in Alzheimer’s disease research is a great service to our province and an inspiration to others.” They are among 12 outstanding community leaders awarded medals in the province of Quebec by Senator Seidman.

Five other community leaders with connections to McGill were awarded medals by Senator Seidman: Olivia Monton, founder of the philanthropic organization, Live for the Cause and student of medicine at McGill; Houda Moussallier, a three-time ovarian cancer survivor who raises awareness of this disease at the McGill University Research Centre (MUHC); Wendy Wray, Nurse Director of the Women’s Healthy Heart Initiative at the MUHC; and Paige Isaac, former Coordinator of McGill University’s First Peoples House.

The Senate of Canada 150 medal was created to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first sitting of the Canadian Senate on November 6, 1867, the year of confederation. Created to commemorate this occasion and to give Honourable Senators the opportunity to recognize Canada’s unsung heroes, awardees are deeply involved in the betterment of their communities through generosity, dedication, volunteerism, and hard work. The bronze medal, struck at the Canadian Mint, features the Senate’s emblem on one side and the Senate Chamber, along with the recipient’s name, on the other.

“McGill is extremely proud of professors Evans, LeBlanc and Lapointe” said Martha Crago, Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation. “All are champions of research and discovery and this medal recognizes their significant contributions to Canada.”

Dr. Evans is a James McGill Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Psychiatry and Biomedical Engineering, and the Scientific Director of the Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics & Mental Health. He is also the Scientific Director of Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives (HBHL), a high profile, high priority multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral initiative in neuroscience at McGill, made possible with support from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).

In addition to pioneering neuroimaging techniques and advancing research into neurodegenerative diseases, Dr. Evans’ lab, the McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, has developed neuroinformatics technologies — the tools that make big-data analytics in neurosciences possible — that now underpin large-scale data-sharing initiatives globally. The cutting-edge infrastructure also underpins major research initiatives at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, including the Ludmer Centre, HBHL, and the new Tanenbaum Open Science Institute (TOSI).

In Alzheimer’s and dementia research alone, Dr. Evans’ neuroinformatics team supports or is the data-coordination centre for three Quebec initiatives (CIMA-Q, PREVENT-AD, Memory Clinic), Canada’s largest national initiatives (CCNA, CDAN), and the international Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Through Dr. Evans’ lab, the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital is strategically positioned to connect Canada’s neuroscience community in Alzheimer’s and dementia-related research both nationally and internationally.

“I’m absolutely flattered to have won the Senate of Canada 150 medal,” said Dr. Evans. “I am delighted that the field I’m working in has been recognized in that way. Alzheimer’s disease is such a terrible scourge and it is important that Canada puts research resources into this field so our older population are better protected against the disease.”

Dr. Andrea C. LeBlanc is a James McGill Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery and a researcher of the Bloomfield Center for Research in Aging in the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research in Montreal. Dr. LeBlanc focuses her research on the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases in aging individuals. She is renowned for her discovery of Caspase-6 in age-dependent cognitive (memory) impairment and in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. Her research results provide novel therapeutic targets to develop efficient medication or treatments against the disease before it causes irreversible damage to the brain.

“As a basic research scientist, it is an honour to be recognized with a Senate of Canada 150 medal,” said Dr. LeBlanc. “Many scientists, young and old, dedicate tireless efforts to finding mechanisms of disease that will allow the development of efficient treatments and medications. This medal recognizes their efforts to improve the health of many Canadians.”

Dr. Bernard J. Lapointe was appointed Chief of the Division of Supportive Care and Palliative Care at the Jewish General Hospital in 2001, a role he holds to this day. In addition, he is an associate professor of palliative medicine in McGill’s Departments of Family Medicine and Oncology. He has held the Eric M. Flanders Chair in Palliative Medicine at McGill since 2009.

Throughout his career, Dr Lapointe has been deeply committed to addressing the needs of the dying, particularly as president of the Quebec palliative care association, president of the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association and as an active member of both the Quebec and Canadian Societies of Palliative Care Physicians.

Dr Lapointe has been recognized for this work with numerous awards, including the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians (CSPCP) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.  Dr Lapointe continues to focus his research on reducing and controlling pain in people living with terminal illnesses. He has led or collaborated on a wide range of studies on pain management, including those that explore new and experimental medications in the treatment of cancer pain. Dr Lapointe is currently the Chair of the International Congress on Palliative Care organized biennially by McGill since 1976, of which the 22nd edition will be held in October 2018.

“I am deeply honoured by the attribution of the Senate of Canada Sesquicentennial Medal in recognition of my role in the development of palliative care in this country,” said Dr Lapointe. “I wish to thank and recognize the contribution of hundreds of collaborators and colleagues who have shared this quest to ensure access to quality end-of-life care for all Canadians.”

To learn more about how McGill researchers are using big data to advance research, listen to the recent lecture on Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research Powered by Big Data.

The Senate of Canada 150 medals are awarded to Canadians or permanent residents involved in their communities who, through generosity, dedication, volunteerism and hard work, make their hometowns, communities, regions, provinces or territories a better place to live.

November 24, 2017

Dr. Shaun Cleaver (left) with Dr. Matthew Hunt

Dr. Shaun Cleaver, a postdoctoral researcher in the Faculty of Medicine’s School of Physical and Occupational Therapy (SPOT) was awarded the 2017 Steinberg Global Health Postdoctoral Fellowship at the recent McGill Global Health Programs Award Night. The award’s purpose is to support the most promising scholars in global health and assist them in establishing a research base early in their careers. Shaun is a recent addition to SPOT, and as he states, “the Steinberg Award was a crucial factor to draw me to McGill.”

Steinberg Fellowships are designed to support 2-year research projects. Shaun’s initial Steinberg proposal was to build upon his existing research relationships in Western Zambia and investigate the well-being and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the context of a new poverty-alleviation policy. After having been awarded the Steinberg Fellowship, Shaun secured additional funding through an Edith Strauss Rehabilitation Research award, creating the possibility for a complementary component to the project in which he will explore the perspectives of national disability policy stakeholders regarding the use of information in the development of Zambian disability policy. Shaun’s work is being completed under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Hunt, Associate Professor at SPOT.

Shaun is an active participant in the Global Health Rehabilitation Initiative and the first member of the SPOT community to hold a Steinberg Fellowship. According to Shaun, “Postdocs sometimes occupy a poorly demarcated space within an academic department, such that they are not truly members of the department’s community; I am actively working to have a more visible presence within SPOT – possibly also for other postdoctoral fellows who seek community membership.”

Congratulations Shaun!

More information on the Steinberg awards can be found at: www.mcgill.ca/globalhealth/funding/steinberg-global-health-postdoctoral-fellowship

November 28, 2017

From left to right, Dr. David Eidelman, Dr. Srividya Iyer, Dr. Nicole Li-Jessen and Dr. Robert Carlin (Photo: Owen Egan)

On November 27, 2017, the McGill University Faculty of Medicine celebrated the 2017 winners of the Maude Abbott, Haile T. Debas and Rosemary Wedderburn Brown Prizes, Dr. Srividya Iyer, Dr. Robert Carlin and Dr. Nicole Li-Jessen respectively. During an evening event held in Holmes Hall each laureate had the opportunity to provide a brief overview of their research and personal journey after having been presented with their respective award by Dr. David Eidelman, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.

Maude Abbott Prize

Dr. Srividya Iyer, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, is the 2017 winner of the Maude Abbott prize. Dr. Iyer’s research interests lie in improving access to and quality of mental health care for young people in Canada and around the globe, particularly in India. This includes young people with serious mental health problems such as psychosis. “This research is important because there is evidence that the majority of mental health problems, including major ones, begin in late adolescence and early adulthood,” says Dr. Iyer.

Dr. Iyer, who completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and her postdoctoral work under the supervision of Dr. Ashok Malla at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and a researcher at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre. In addition to the Maude Abbott Prize, earlier this year she was elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists and at spring convocation was awarded the Principals Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers.

The Maude Abbott prize was established in 2010 by the Faculty of Medicine to recognize outstanding female Faculty members who excel in Education, Research or Administration with a focus at the early career stage. Maude Abbott was one of the first women to obtain a bachelor’s degree in arts from McGill University, and one of Canada’s earliest female medical graduates, although from Bishop’s. She was also an expert on congenital heart disease.

“Winning a prize named after Dr. Maude Abbott is especially meaningful,” says Dr. Iyer. “People like her challenged the status quo all those years ago and paved the way in academia for subsequent generations of women. It is encouraging to be recognized, especially because women in science still face challenges that their male colleagues often don’t encounter.”

Haile T. Debas Prize

The 2017 Haile T. Debas prize was awarded to Dr. Robert Carlin, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine.

A member of the McGill MDCM Class of 1995, Dr. Carlin completed his residency training in Family Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital/CLSC Côte-des-Neiges. Appointed as a Faculty Lecturer in the Department of Family Medicine in 1999, he is one of the key teachers at the CLSC Métro and is Public Health Director for the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay (Eeyou Istchee). Dr. Carlin has devoted considerable focus to health equity and marginalized populations in his teaching and was instrumental in the creation of the service-learning curriculum at McGill known as the Community Health Alliance Project (CHAP) for which he currently serves as Course Director.

The Haile T. Debas prize was also established in 2010 to promote equitable diversity at all levels in the Faculty of Medicine by recognizing a Faculty member who helps promote diversity, which could be by acting as role a model or mentor, or by implementing new approaches to increase underrepresented minorities. Haile T. Debas is a McGill Alumnus recognized internationally for his pioneering contributions to academic medicine, as well as to global health.

“I am deeply honoured to be the recipient of the 2017 Haile T. Debas Award,” says Dr. Carlin. “I am so pleased to be part of an academic institution that recognizes the need to promote equitable diversity at all levels in the Faculty of Medicine. The promotion of diversity, and the inclusion of underrepresented minorities takes the involvement and implication of more than one person. As such, I would like to thank my clinical colleagues, of all disciplines, at CLSC Métro for providing an environment that works to provide services to a diverse and sometimes marginalized clientele. I would like to thank my colleagues at the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay for inspiring me and widening my understanding of indigenous realities. And, I would like to thank all of the Montreal community organizations who have worked with students as part of the Community Health Alliance Project course in providing insights into the different challenges lived by our fellow citizens and exposing what we can do collectively to improve the health of our communities.”

Rosemary Wedderburn Brown Prize

The 2017 Rosemary Wedderburn Brown prize was awarded to Professor Nicole Li-Jessen, Assistant Professor at the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Dr. Li-Jessen conducts pioneering research on the wound healing response in vocal fold injuries, one of the most common communication disorders across the human lifespan (highly prevalent in those who use their voice intensively, such as actors, singers, and teachers). Her work informs questions about vocal fold biology and engineering, vocal injury and recovery, and personalized medicine in the area of voice treatment. She is also a tireless advocate who is promoting voice research nationally and internationally by educating clinicians and the public with up-to-date research on voice care, as the National Coordinator of World Voice Day in Canada. She has partnered with different units on campus to raise vocal awareness in the community, has engaged her students to develop and deliver voice training workshops to student teachers and singing students at McGill as well as workshops to transgender populations in Montreal for voice transition. Her students were the first at McGill to participate in the Wikipedia educational initiative, Wikiedu.

The Rosemary Wedderburn Brown Prize recognizes Faculty members in the Schools of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nursing and Physical and Occupational Therapy with outstanding scholarly potential and demonstrated research excellence in the early stages of their career. Rosemary Wedderburn Brown, also a McGill alumnus, was a renowned advocate dedicated to equality and rights for women, minorities and the disadvantaged. She was also the first Black Woman Elected to a Canadian Provincial Legislature.

“I am very grateful to be the recipient of this year’s Rosemary Wedderburn Brown Prize,” says Dr. Li-Jessen. “This is a very humbling award and my first career award. I would like to thank the Faculty of Medicine for this prize. I would also like to thank all my students and colleagues at the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and across McGill for their continued support and faith in me. I always feel that I have done nothing but learn from them. I am very grateful to work with all these giants and have very big shoes to fill in the years to come.”

Congratulations to all three laureates!

November 29, 2017