New This Week
YWCA Women of Distinction Awards
On Friday, March 8 2024, Dr. Shazhan Amed was nominated for a YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the category of Research, the Sciences & Technology for her work in pediatric diabetes research.
Recognized nationally, the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards presented by Scotiabank, honours extraordinary women leaders and businesses.
Dr. Amed is the Head of Pediatric Endocrinology at BC Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Professor with UBC. She is a scientist dedicated to public health research.
Learn how her program, Live 5-2-1-0, is working to build healthier communities for children in British Columbia.
Best of Luck!
MORE:
https://bit.ly/43hnS7x
https://live5210.ca/pages/home
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THANK YOU! Celebrating Canadian Women Physicians’ Day | March 11 2024
Today we honour and thank our Canadian Women Physicians.
Celebrated for the first time on March 11, 2021 with the generous support of Canadian Women in Medicine. March 11 was the date of licensure of Dr. Jennie Trout, the first woman licensed to practice medicine in Canada.
Canadian Women Physicians’ Day (CWPD) was created by Dr. Liana Hwang, a family doctor at Canmore General Hospital and Foothills Medical Centre in Alberta.
CWPD is a way to remember the amazing women who paved the way and to celebrate those who are making a difference today.
THANK YOU!
MORE:
https://cmajblogs.com/announcing-the-first-ever-canadian-women-physicians-day/
https://www.cma.ca/about-us/what-we-do/press-room/cma-recognizes-canadian-women-physicians-day
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International Women’s Day | Mar 8 2024
For International Women’s Day, we are showcasing some special individuals from our community. Let’s celebrate their unique contributions and extend our thanks to each of them for helping us to create a thriving community that support and inspire each other.
Learn more about our 2024 staff & faculty spotlights, which are: Ms. Louise Aromin, Ms. Zufina Shirazneen Ali, Dr. Jennifer Retallack, Dr. Nita Jain, Ms. Sarabjit Bains, Dr. Lára Malks-Jjumba and Ms. Natalie Garrett. VIEW PROFILES
International Women’s Day is one of the most important days of the year to:
• Celebrate women’s achievements
• Educate and awareness raise about women’s equality
• Call for positive change advancing women
Learn more: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/History
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2024/25 Catalyzing Research Cluster (GCRC) Grant | Child and Youth Overdose Prevention Cluster
Congratulations to Dr. Matt Carwana and his team. They are the recipients of a 2024/25 grant from the UBC Office of the Vice-President Research + Innovation.
A total of 45 research excellence clusters led by researchers at UBC Vancouver will be supported through the Research Excellence Clusters initiative in 2024/25. These clusters are inter-departmental networks of researchers at UBC who collectively represent leaders in a particular field of study.
The Child and Youth Overdose Prevention Cluster led by Drs. Matthew Carwana and Danya Fast is studying the effects of Illicit drug toxicity and overdose, which are the leading causes of death for children and youth aged 10-18 in British Columbia. Research indicates that there are significant gaps in substance use care for this population, particularly those experiencing structural vulnerabilities along axes of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. This cluster will bring together world-leading experts at UBC with colleagues across Canada and the United States to improve quality of care and health outcomes for young people that use drugs. [MORE]
To learn more or to get involved, contact: Matt.Carwana@cw.bc.ca
The Child and Youth Overdose Prevention Cluster Team
Co-Leads:
Drs. Matthew Carwana & Danya Fast
Members:
Drs. Dzung Vo, Sara Jassemi, James Wang, Eva Moore, Emily Jenkins and Hasina Samji
Congratulations to all of the 2024/25 GCRC competition grant recipients.
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A safer treatment path for high-risk children to overcome food allergies
New UBC research reveals a safe path to overcoming food allergies for older children and others who can’t risk consuming allergens orally to build up their resistance.
It’s called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), and it involves placing smaller amounts of food allergens under the tongue.
A study conducted by UBC clinical professor and pediatric allergist Dr. Edmond Chan and his team at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute found SLIT to be as safe and effective for high-risk older children and adolescents as oral immunotherapy is for preschoolers.
“Our work confirms the safety and effectiveness of SLIT for older children and adolescents with multiple food allergies at higher risk of severe reaction,” said Dr. Chan. “These are patients for whom oral immunotherapy would typically be denied because it’s felt to be too risky, so this could be the best approach for that population.” MORE
Learn more:
https://bcchr.ca/eschan
Cross-posted with permission.
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Canadian Cancer Society 2023 Challenge Grant (CHA-24)
Congratulations to Dr. Catrina Loucks!
Dr. Loucks and her team are the recipients of a Canadian Cancer Society 2023 Challenge Grant (CHA-24) for their project, “Better pain management for children with cancer.”
This project will analyze genetic patterns that may influence how children with cancer respond to pain medication. DNA from samples donated by children with cancer and their families will be compared to the data of children who did and did not experience painful side effects from their cancer treatments.
More:
https://www.bcchr.ca/cloucks
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Helpful Gut Bacteria Seem to Reduce Allergic Disease in Kids
Did you know that in babies, the right combo of gut bacteria might stave off later allergies, so scientists are testing “cocktails” of helpful microbes as therapy?
In infancy the gut microbiomes of children who later develop allergies or asthma look different from those of children who don’t go on to have allergies. “Children who are at the highest risk are missing important health-promoting bacteria in that first year of life,” says Stuart Turvey, a pediatric immunologist at the University of British Columbia and British Columbia Children’s Hospital.
In a study of more than 1,100 children published in 2023, Turvey and his colleagues found that children who had these microbiome disruptions at age one were more likely to be diagnosed with eczema, food allergies, allergic rhinitis or asthma at age five. “Not every kid gets all four [diagnoses], but often the kids who had two or more had a more pronounced microbiome imbalance signature,” he says.
Another type of bacteria that has a positive effect on humans is Bifidobacterium infantis, which eats sugars in breast milk and is more abundant in some children who are breastfed. B. infantis was once common in people’s guts but is much less so now in Western countries. “Only 16 percent of Canadian kids have this, and rates are lower in the U.S.,” Turvey says. Among youngsters who had to have antibiotics in infancy, the presence of B. infantis protected them against developing asthma by age five, Turvey’s studies have shown.
Link to MARCH 1, 2024 Issue of Scientific American
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Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grant
Congratulations to Dr. Christine Voss, and her co-investigators Drs. Erica V Bennett, UBC School of Kinesiology, Kevin Harris and Trent Smith, Dept of Pediatrics!
They received a CIHR New Investigator Grant for their project entitled, “Physical activity and the clinical management of chronic diseases in children.”
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Michael Smith Health Research BC 2023 Reach Award
Congratulations to Dr. Shelina Babul and her co-lead Ms. Karen Takai from Back in Motion Rehab Inc. on their from Michael Smith Health Research BC.
Their project, “Drawing Attention to an Invisible Injury: Increasing Awareness and Reducing the Burden of Concussion among Workers and Workplaces in British Columbia,” looks at the potential long term impacts of concussion, particularly if not managed properly.
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2023 UBC Partnership Recognition and Exploration Fund
Congratulations to Dr. Jen Mooney, members of the Adolescent Health and Medicine Fellowship Program, BCCH and the Surrey Wraparound Program (WRAP).
Their project, “The WRAP Youth Clinic: Expanding our Current Community Partnership to Meet the Identified Needs of an Underserved Population” was awarded funding from the UBC Partnership Recognition and Exploration (PRE) Fund.
“The WRAP clinic has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my fellowship. This is a collaborative clinic with the Surrey Wraparound Program that provides Adolescent Medicine care to marginalized youth. The PRE Grant allowed us to engage as a team and learn from each other, improve our current clinic, and begin to build a vision for our future.” – Dr. Jen Mooney MD, FRCPC
Dr. Mooney is a second-year Fellow in Adolescent Health and Medicine and she collaborated on this educational training partnership with The Surrey Wraparound Program (WRAP), which is a partnership between the Surrey School District, RCMP and the City of Surrey to fill a gap in adolescent health care in Surrey.
Congratulations all!
Learn more about these inspiring community-university partnerships
The Surrey Wraparound Program (WRAP)
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