News & Recognition

2011 CANADIAN STUDENT HEALTH RESEARCH FORUM

The event, now in its 24th year, was held in Winnipeg this past June, provides a venue for students and trainees from across Canada to present their research in the areas of  CIHR pillars 1, 2, 3 and 4, network with other professionals and be recognized for the excellence of their contributions.  This event also features research poster days, awards of excellence presented by Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR, tours and social events as well as a symposium on a cross-disciplinary scientific theme by some of the world's leading scientists in that field. 

This year University of Calgary nominated eight students to attend, three of which were recognized: Melissa Bennett, Jackie Wamsteeker and Magda Hudy. 

DR. JAN BRAUN TO CO-DIRECT MEDICAL SCIENCES PROGRAM

The GSE office would like to welcome Dr. Jan Braun to the educational directors team. Dr. Braun will be co-directing the MDSC program alongside Dr. Mark Giembycz. 

Dr. Jan Braun is an active researcher and educator in the Faculty of Medicine. As a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Dr Braun studies how neurons ensure the conformational integrity of their cellular machinery.  Specifically, she and her research team are actively engaged in identifying molecular chaperones, proteins that are critical in maintaining synaptic machinery and providing defense against neurodegeneration. 

How neurons ensure the conformational integrity of complex biological machinery constitutes a fundamental and medically relevant problem in biology.  Braun’s work in defining the biochemical pathway responsible for chaperone-mediated neuroprotection and the damaging consequences of their inactivation is relevant to a number of debilitating neurodegenerative diseases such as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE’s), Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Pharmaceutical modulation of neural chaperones holds considerable therapeutic promise in protecting nerve terminals from misfolded proteins. 

Braun received her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of Calgary in 1991.  From 1992 she was a postdoctoral fellow with Professors Richard Scheller and Daniel Madison at Stanford University.  Braun joined the UofC Department of Physiology in 1998.  She received CIHR New Investigator and AHFMR scholar and senior scholar research awards.  Recent, administrative contributions have included Acting Associate Dean of Equity Teacher Learner Relations, AIHS studentship advisory committee, CIHR operating grant committee and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women.

Website:  http://www.ucalgary.ca/~braunj/index.html  

 

GRADUATE STUDENTS AWARDED VANIER SCHOLARSHIPS!  (Utoday - August 9, 2011)

Eight University of Calgary graduate students have been awarded prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, double the number from last year!  “We are pleased that we have so many Vanier winners from the 2010-11 competition,” says the former Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Fred Hall. “This increase reflects not only the caliber of the applicants but is also due to the increased involvement and support from supervisors, the individual programs and the Graduate Scholarship Committee in the application process.”

The scholarship is worth $50,000 per year for three years. The highly competitive selection progress includes nomination by the university  review by designated Vanier committees at each of the three councils, and final selection by a Vanier Selection Board.

This year’s Graduate Science Education student winners are:

• Osama Harraz– Medicine: Using a range of physiological and biochemical techniques, he is investigating the role of newly identified “calcium channels” in the brain’s blood vessels to improve understanding of cerebral vessel dysfunction.
• Lisa Allen– Medicine: Her research aims to develop a health impact assessment framework that will guide public health professionals and researchers when identifying and evaluating intervention-related unintended harms.
• Trisha Finlay– Medicine: She is investigating a protective protein, alphaB-crystallin and how it may play a role in the regeneration of cells targeted for death in multiple sclerosis.

To read more about the other U of C student winners, the Vanier Scholarship and student comments, please visit the UToday link or Faculty of Medicine News.

DR. TARA BEATTIE ASSISTANT DEAN GRADUATE SCIENCE EDUCATION QUALIFIES FOR 2011 IRONMAN 70.3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!   

This past weekend Dr. Beattie qualified at the ½ Ironman in Cochrane to go onto the World Championships next month to be held at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson Nevada.  We all know Tara is dedicated to her research here in the Faculty of Medicine where she specializes in the human telomerase complex with a focus on cancer and aging, and to her students and postdocs. But, she’s also dedicated to achieve her goals of becoming an Ironman Athlete at an international level.   We’d like to congratulate her on her past achievements which have lead her to this huge accomplishment, and wish her all the best with her upcoming month (37 days and counting) of hard training and, of course, the race itself on Sunday, September 11^th.    

Dr. Beattie is a full member of SACRI (Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute), and an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

For more information on the Ironman Race in Henderson, click here.  For more information on Ironman in Calgary, click here.    

 

CO-DIRECTOR LEADERS IN MEDICINE MSC/MD and PHD/MD PROGRAM DR. MORLEY HOLLENBERG AWARDED ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA McLAUGHLIN MEDAL  (from the Faculty of Medicine Intranet 7/13/2011)

Established in 1978, through the generosity of the R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation, the Royal Society of Canada awards the McLaughlin Medal in recognition of distinguished achievement in medical sciences in Canada.  Dr. Morley Hollenberg was selected as the award recipient for 2011.

 A professor in the Departments of Physiology & Pharmacology, and Medicine, Hollenberg expressed surprise, delight and humility when told of his selection.  “It is humbling in terms of the current stature now reached by previous awardees.  The award sets further high expectations.”

Hollenberg feels a great sense of gratitude to his family for their constant support, and to his mentors at the University of Manitoba, Oxford University and Johns Hopkins University.  It is somewhat bittersweet though as his father and his family, who set the stage many years ago with their research-oriented practice of medicine, are not here to share the honour.  Read More....

 

MDSC PROGRAM DIRECTOR DR. MARK GIEMBYCZ APPOINTED TIER 1 CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR

Graduate Science Education would like to congratulate the director of our largest program (MDSC), Dr. Mark Giembycz on his receipt of a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair.  Dr. Giembycz's principal research focus is to provide new insights into better ways of treating airways inflammation-specifically looking at the mechanism of action of existing and novel anti-inflammatory therapies for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and other respiratory conditions that are characterized by chronic inflammation.  For more information on this article please click here.   

MDCH STUDENT ON CTV NEWS!  "REVIEWS CONFIRM IT: ALCOHOL REALLY IS GOOD FOR THE HEART!"   

MDCH Student Dr. Paul Ronksley was recently interviewed and seen on CTV News!  (Click here to see the interview). He reviewed 84 studies that looked at the link between alcohol consumption and heart disease. The studies compared alcohol drinkers with non-drinkers and their outcomes in relation to heart disease, death from heart disease, incidences of stroke and death from stroke.

It concludes that people who drink alcohol in moderation are 14 to 25 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than those who don't drink alcohol.

Another study by Dr. Susan Brien reviewed 63 studies and found that moderate consumption of alcohol significantly increases levels of "good" cholesterol, which has a protective effect against heart disease. As well, other heart disease markers, such as inflammation and blood vessel clotting, were also lower in moderate drinkers.

Read More...
 

NEUROSCIENCE GRADUATE  WINS PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL AWARD

MDNS graduate Christopher Gregg is the winner of the prestigious international neuroscience award. Gregg has been awarded the Eppendorf Science Prize for Neurobiology for his work on how inherited maternal and paternal genes affect the brains of children.  For the complete story covered by CBC News click here.  For more information on the Department of Neuroscience click here.