Health Research. Microscope. Under the. Thursday May 3, 2012

Transcription

1 M a k i n g t h e C o n n e c t i o n Y O U T H O u t r e a c h P r o g r a m Health Research Under the Microscope Thursday May 3, 2012 McMaster University Student Centre, 3rd floor, CIBC Hall 1280 Main Street Hamilton, ON L8S 4S4 OBJECTIVES Hosted by in partnership with St. Joseph s Healthcare Hamilton and McMaster University, this annual event is aimed at attracting youth, in grades 10 through 12, from across Ontario toward a career in science and technology. Through face-to-face interactions with research mentors from a wide range of professional careers, youth will be given hands-on experience in the field of sciences and technology. Host Institution Contact Information Office of Integrated Research Services 293 Wellington St. N., Suite 102 Hamilton, ON L8L 8E7 Phone: (905) , ext Fax: (905) HRUM@hhsc.ca

2 P R O G R A M A G E N D A At-a-glance (HRUM) McMaster University, Student Learning Centre "CIBC Hall" 8:15 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Buffet Breakfast 9:00 a.m. 9:10 a.m. 9:10 a.m. 9:45 a.m. Opening Remarks Clinical Dietitian Workshop 9:45 a.m. 10:15 a.m. Icebreaker Contest 10:15 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Part I Mentor Roundtable Discussion 10:45 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Break 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Part II Mentor Roundtable Discussion 12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. Buffet Lunch Prizes & Networking 1:00 p.m. 1:45 p.m. Interactive Mini Lab Workshop 1:45 p.m. 2:45 p.m. Leadershifting Towards Higher Performance Dr. Nick Bontis 2:45 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Prizes & Closing Remarks Adjournment 1

3 D E T A I L E D P R O G R A M A G E N D A Arrival and Breakfast 8:15 9:00 Registration and self-serve continental breakfast available. Opening Remarks 9:00 9:10 Participants are welcomed and the event is kicked off with awarding prizes. Opening remarks provide a general overview of the day and explain that the role of the teacher chaperone is to facilitate dialogue among students and mentors. Twenty-eight mentors in a variety of professions and careers will share work and educational experiences. The small group discussions highlight why each mentor selected their career path and what inspires them about their career. The mentors begin the day at their home table and rotate to a different group of students every 20 minutes. Clinical Dietitian Workshop 9:10-9:45 Martine Auger Strumas will lead an interactive workshop on high blood pressure, diabetes and recent myocardial infarction. Icebreaker Contest 9:45 10:15 The aim for the icebreaker quiz is to engage and educate students on research innovation from each institutional partner. This quiz will facilitate interaction among students from different schools sitting at the same table. Students will become acquainted with one another while learning key points about each partner institution to complete the quiz. Resource materials is placed at each table. Students have a maximum of 30 minutes to complete the quiz. The mentor distributes the quiz and resource material to the chaperone when the contest begins. The mentor may not participate in finding or giving answers during the contest; but may assist with pointing out relevant material as needed. The teacher chaperone may participate in assisting the students. The students objective is to complete the quiz as accurately as possible in the shortest timeframe. First, second and third prizes are awarded to the tables with the most correct answers handed in with the fastest time. Part I Mentor Roundtable Discussions 10:15 10:45 Mentors will begin roundtable discussions with their home table, and will rotate to a new table every 20 minutes to engage in discussions with students and chaperones. Question 1 Why did you choose your current career? What were the educational requirements and tuition costs associated with your career? How did you pay for your education? What was your best learning experience? 2

4 Question 2 What is the best aspect of your career?. Describe your typical work day and the factors that drive your work. Are there any non-paid benefits in your career eg. travel, flex hours, opportunities to pursue other interests? What are the most exciting highlights/breakthroughs of your career? How do you achieve work/life balance? 10:45 11:00 Break Part II Mentor Roundtable Discussions 11:00 11:50 Mentors proceed to the next table from where they left off prior to the break. Mentors continue to engage in group discussions, rotating every 10 minutes to a new table, using the suggested question outline/guide (above). 12:00 1:00 Buffet Lunch Mentors return to their home table for lunch and are free to roam the room during lunch. Students and chaperones are encouraged to network with mentors who they may have already had discussions with or speak with mentors they may not have spoken to during the roundtable discussions. Mentors are identified by profession, colourcoded name badges. 1:00 1:45 Interactive Mini Lab Workshop An overview of interactive experiments is provided. Mentors are asked to return to their home table for the remainder of the day. A research scientist will lead interactive experiments to be conducted at each table, as well as selecting volunteers from the audience to participate in controlled experiments on a platform stage. Lab Activities Dr. Sandy Raha will lead general science experiments involving group activity at each table, as well individual experiments calling upon student volunteers to assist or carryout the experiments in a controlled setting. These experiments are designed to be fun and illustrate a range of principles which are routinely applied in biomedical research. All experiments conducted will be linked/connected to clinical and/or laboratory application/use. The proposed experiments include: 1) May the Force be with you How does force affect the behaviour of non-traditional liquids like blood. This knowledge is valuable in designing artificial blood vessels. Like blood, quick sand is also a non-traditional liquid. How are they related? Wait to find out! 3

5 2) Let there be light The principle of chemiluminescence widely used in biomedical research. It is useful in detecting proteins, cells and can even be used to monitor tissue in live animals. How does this work? Stay tuned and be enlightened! 3) Superconducting Magnets Magnetic fields can be dramatically enhanced when they are supercooled. Such principles are at the heart of imaging technologies based on magnetic fields, such as MRI. The fun properties of supercooled magnets will be demonstrated and related to MRI imaging. 4) The peroxide problem our bodies produce hydrogen peroxide! Yes the same chemical we use as a disinfectant and hair colouring. How do our cells manage this we will carry out a colourful experiment to show you. 5) The power of sugar All food contain energy. You ll be surprised at how much energy is stored in a Gummy bear. 6) Magnetic cereal we need certain metals, like iron, in our daily diet. How much metal do we consume? Is it enough to make our food magnetic? 1:45 2:45 Leadershifing Towards Higher Performance Nick Bontis, PhD 3M National Teaching Fellow Director, Undergraduate Programmes DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University Known as one of Canada's leading up-and-coming management gurus, Dr. Nick Bontis ( is recognized as a pioneer and one of the world's real experts on intellectual capital and its impact on performance. He was recently named #22 on the World s Top 30 Management Gurus for 2010 along with such luminaries as Jack Welch, Tom Peters, Michael Porter and Jim Collins ( His brand new book is entitled Information Bombardment: Rising above the digital onslaught ( Nick is the only faculty member to have received the DeGroote Researcher of the Year award twice. He has also won over a dozen prestigious teaching awards including Canada's top 3M national teaching fellowship. He is an internationally sought-after management consultant, keynote speaker and media personality. He has transformed his academic research into an innovative software platform (Knexa Solutions) and a thriving mutual fund company (Harvest Portfolios Group). Within the community, he contributes as a youth soccer coach, and basketball coach and is a member of the Board of Governors at Hillfield Strathallan College. His weekly Bontis on Business segment appears on CHCH TV and in the form of a weekly column in The Hamilton Spectator. His volunteerism was 4

6 nationally recognized when he was selected as a 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Torchbearer. Hamilton Magazine recognized him as one of the top 25 most influential people in the city. In 2012, Dr. Bontis will Chair of the United Way of Greater Hamilton campaign. He is a former national all-star soccer player and national silver medallist in the running long jump. He currently resides in Ancaster with his wife Stacy and their three young children Charlie, Dino and Tia Maria. During this action-packed keynote presentation, you will learn how to: work smarter, not harder cope with information bombardment improve your ability to manage change lift productivity and efficiency achieve top level performance Prizes & Closing Remarks 2:45 3:00 The day's events are recapped and participants are thanked for attending and asked to complete the evaluation forms. Mentors are encouraged to leave business cards with students and chaperones from their home table. A brief overview is given on the Hamilton Health Research Bursary Awards program that is open to youth interested in participating in a 7-week mentorship program with a researcher, in Hamilton, in a health science and technology setting over the summer. 3:00 Adjournment Completed evaluation forms are used as draw ballot for final prize. 5

7 Mentors B R I E F B I O G R A P H I C A L S K E T C H E S Heather Arthur, PhD, FESC Registered Nurse Chief Scientific Officer/Full Professor, School of Nursing /McMaster University Dr. Arthur is a Full Professor in the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University and she holds the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario/Michael G. DeGroote Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Research. She is also the Chief Scientific Officer at Hamilton Health Sciences. Dr. Arthur completed her BScN at McMaster University; her MScN and PhD in Medical Sciences were completed at the University of Toronto. Dr. Arthur s research focus is behavioural cardiology. She is interested in psychosocial factors that contribute to risk for, and recovery from, cardiac illness. She also has a special interest in women s cardiovascular health. Dr. Arthur holds research grants from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. Dr. Arthur has published approximately 100 scientific papers and several book chapters; she is the recipient of approximately $10 million dollars in peer-reviewed research funding. Alya Bhimji, BHSc PhD Candidate Bachelor of Health Sciences (honours) Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto Alya Bhimji is recent graduate of the Bachelor of Health Sciences program at McMaster University and is currently pursuing her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toronto. Under the supervision of Dr. Shana Kelley, her current PhD research involves developing electrochemical biosensors to detect biomakers of disease. A graduate of the International Baccalaureate Program at Robert Bateman High School in Burlington, Alya received the Research Bursary Award out of high school, kick-starting her career in medical research. For the past four years, she has been working alongside Dr. Sandeep Raha, with whom she has been studying how molecular changes can predispose children to obesity. She has also obtained industry experience by working in the Research & Development department at Luminex Molecular Diagnostics. She is the recipient of numerous research awards including a CIHR Studentship, NSERC Industrial Undergraduate Research Award, NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Graduate Scholarship, and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. 6

8 Seema Chacko, RN, BScN Registered Nurse Research Nurse / Research Coordinator Seema Chacko completed her undergraduate degree in Nursing at McMaster University. She has 2 years of experience on a Cardiology ward at Hamilton General Hospital. She then completed a Critical Care Certification course at Humber College and worked 2 years in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Toronto General Hospital. Since October 2010, Seema has been working for in the Neuroscience program. She is currently coordinating 5 research studies for Dr. D. Sahlas. The research studies hope to improve stroke assessments, stroke diagnosis, stroke treatments and stroke rehabilitation in an inpatient and outpatient basis. Seema is mostly responsible for Research Ethics Board applications, budgeting, consenting research participants, assessing research participants, health educating research participants, electronic and paper documentation, reporting and following up on serious adverse events. Seema is currently enrolled in the Certified Clinical Research Associate (CCRA) program at Mcmaster University. She hopes to have this completed by December Oren Cheifetz, MSc, PT Physiotherapist Clinical Specialist Physiotherapy Oren has been working as a physiotherapist at since 1996 in a variety of positions including in and out patient orthopedics, amputee and spinal cord rehabilition, surgical patients, pediatrics, and in the home care setting. Currently in the Oncology program, in addition to direct patient care, Oren conducts cancer related research (e.g. investigating the knowledge and interests of people with cancer related to exercise) and educational activities. Oren is the chair of the Oncology Division within the Canadian Physiotherapy Associated. Oren is also an Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University, and together with other allied health professionals is currently working on developing an exercise program for peopled diagnosed with cancer at the Hamilton YMCA. Other activities that Oren is involved with includes supervising physiotherapy students who are conducting research projects, mentoring new physiotherapy staff at Hamilton Health Sciences, and educating staff at the local cancer center on the benefits of exercise for people diagnosed with cancer. In his free time, Oren is working on finishing his PhD studies. 7

9 Leanne Dyal, MSc Senior Biostatistician Population Health Research Institute Leanne Dyal completed her undergraduate studies in Mathematics and Statistics at McMaster University where she later completed her Masters degree in Statistics. Following graduation Leanne worked with the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health as a statistical analyst and SAS programmer. She currently is a Senior Biostatistician for Population Health Research Institute, a joint institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. As a senior biostatistician, Leanne is responsible for the design, monitoring of patient safety and data integrity, final analysis and presentation of results for multiple large-scale clinical trials. Leanne has also been a sessional lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at McMaster. Russ Ellis, MSc, MLT Laboratory Coordinator, Integrated Science Program McMaster University Russ completed his undergraduate degree in the Biology Program at McMaster University in 1987 and began working as a research technician at McMaster afterwards. After a year of working full time in the Department of Biology he returned to school and completed his Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology at Mohawk College. Russ was able to combine the skills from both levels of education as a research technician in the Department of Medicine at McMaster where he worked until During this period he returned to school part-time and earned his Masters Degree in Health Research Methodology from the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Russ is currently the Laboratory Coordinator for the Honours Integrated Science Program (isci), an elite, limited-enrolment undergraduate program targeted toward highly motivated, high achieving students. isci is an interdisciplinary, research-based science program that focuses on the development of self-directed learning skills in a supportive and collaborative environment. Russ is responsible for managing all aspects of the laboratory facilities, designing and overseeing labs, and instructing students. 8

10 Bev Eybel-Misch, BA/BSW; MA-SWP Social Worker Bev Eybel-Misch is a graduate of Mohawk College s Social Services Worker Program (1983) and the BA/BSW combined program at McMaster University. Her BA degree is in Political Science. After graduating from the BA/BSW program she went on to complete a Masters Degree from the School of Social Work at McMaster in Social Welfare Policy. She graduated from this program in She was briefly employed at Children s Aid Society of Brant as a Float Social Worker. Bev moved to Norfolk General Hospital, she was a Home Care Social Worker, then was Director of the Placement Coordination Services. Bev moved to Niagara Region and worked as a Home Care Social Worker for 12 years. After leaving this position, she moved to Hamilton Health Sciences, where she has worked at different locations/positions: Hematology Oncology, ICU/CCU, Complex Continuing Care, Surgical Oncology. During most of her career, Bev has worked part time for various organizations in addition to her full-time job. The positions include social worker for Arthritis Society in Niagara, Community Support Worker for the Huntington Society in Niagara and Hamilton, Weekend Respite Worker for Community Living in Niagara and most recently, researcher for the McMaster School of Nursing. Bev has volunteered as a Student Placement Educator for McMaster Social Work students. Bev serves on committees at Hamilton Health Sciences. She has acted as an educator in various train the trainer sessions and as a GBLTQ workshop facilitator. Bev has a strong commitment to ongoing education, and has taken many courses and workshops throughout her career, as well as conducting literature searches and reviewing articles on a regular basis. 9

11 Jim Fredenburgh, PhD Scientist Research Associate McMaster University Dr. Fredenburgh is a graduate of Queen's University, obtaining a PhD. in Biochemistry in He joined McMaster Department of Medicine as a Heart and Stroke Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow and has remained in the department as a Research Associate in the lab of Dr. Jeffrey Weitz at the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute at Hamilton General Hospital. Dr. Fredenburgh's research interests involve blood coagulation. This is the biological healing process where blood responds to injury. With age and in certain diseases the coagulation system becomes overactive, which results in blood clots that can cause strokes or heart attacks. Many drugs have been developed to treat clots but they are not always effective. Dr. Fredenburgh is investigating why drugs fail by understanding the molecular mechanisms by which they work. This involves testing current and new drugs in enzyme assays in test tubes. Computers are used to view the structures of the drugs and enzymes to see how they interact. Dr. Fredenburgh performs experiments and helps manage the lab. His responsibilities include supervising technicians and undergraduate and graduate students. This involves designing experiments, analyzing data, and editing research reports. He attends and makes presentations at local and international scientific meetings. Findings from the lab are published in international scientific journals for review by other scientists. Amanda Giesler, MSc Graduate Student McMaster University Amanda transferred to McMaster for her second undergraduate year because this University provided her with greater opportunities to accomplish her goals. Amanda's specific goal was to apply in third year to the Biology and Pharmacology Co-op program. This program offers problem-based pharmacology classes, allowing for active involvement in the learning process, as well as three work terms that provide valuable hands-on experience in the real world. For two of her work terms and her undergraduate thesis, Amanda worked in Dr. Luke Janssen's lab, developing an assay for viewing the migration of pulmonary smooth muscle cells in realtime. During her time in this lab, she was able to attend and present a poster at the annual North East Smooth Muscle Society conference in Rhode Island. Amanda recently completed her Master's degree in Medical Sciences at McMaster. She was fortunate to be a part of Dr. Parameswaran Nair s clinical lab, and her independent project aimed to discern the inter-cellular relationship between obesity and asthma. She had the pleasure of presenting her research at the international American Thoracic Society conference in Denver, Colorado. During her Master s, Amanda taught radioligand binding exercises as a teacher's assistant for the introductory pharmacology lab course of the Biology & Pharmacology Co-op program. Amanda was also the St. Joseph's site representative for the Health Sciences Graduate Student Federation. Currently, she is actively seeking employment in health research. 10

12 Leslie Gillies, RN, BScN, MEd Registered Nurse Chief of Nursing Practice, Juravinski and St. Peter s Hospitals Leslie Gillies is a registered nurse and is serving in the Chief of Nursing Practice role at the Juravinski and St. Peter s Hospitals at Hamilton Health Sciences. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor with McMaster School of Nursing since Leslie has over 20 years of nursing experience at. She has held a number of positions including Staff Nurse, Nurse Clinician, Advanced Practice Nurse, and Clinical Manager. She has worked in the Intensive Care Unit, Burn/Trauma Unit, and Surgical Services at Hamilton General Hospital. She has served as an Advanced Practice Nurse in the Critical Care Program and a Clinical Manager in the Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Care Units, including the Cardiology Inpatient Unit and the Electrophysiology Lab. Leslie graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and from Brock University with a Master of Education (Administration) degree. Leslie is the Primary Investigator for the CHORD (Centre for Healthcare Optimization Research and Delivery) funded patient care initiative Implementing Gentle Persuasive Approaches into Acute Care. Kim Hall MLT, ART Medical Laboratory Technoloigst Manager of the Clinical Research and Clinical Trials Laboratory Kim Hall s career began in the field of Medical Laboratory Technology working in the Clinical Chemistry Laboratory at the Henderson General Hospital Site. During her 17 years in this position, she was responsible for performing a variety of laboratory tests and procedures to assist physicians in diagnosing, monitoring, treating and preventing disease. She also had the opportunity to develop her management skills when she moved to the position of Assistant Chief technologist of the chemistry laboratory. Building on her technical and management skills, she had the opportunity to move to a Laboratory Research position in 1997 and under the guidance of the director by Dr. M. McQueen and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) she is responsible for development and management of the Clinical Research and Clinical Trials Laboratory (CRCTL). The CRCTL provides scientific, analytical and Biorepository support for large multinational clinical trials and epidemiologic studies. The CRCTL is a 10,000 sq. ft. facility which supports the research of the affiliated PHRI, as well as independently contracted clients, with accessioning, reception, storage and analytical services. The CRCTL currently has an inventory of more than 3 million samples, primarily stored in nitrogen vapor at -160 C from approximately 30 different studies. 11

13 Karen Harkness, RN, CCN(C), PhD Registered Nurse Nurse Clinician/Assistant Clinical Professor /McMaster University Dr. Harkness completed her undergraduate studies in Nursing at McMaster University in 1986 and her PhD studies in During her graduate studies, Dr. Harkness received a Junior Research Fellowship from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and graduated from the FUTURE Program for Cardiovascular Nurse Scientists. Dr. Harkness has been a cardiovascular nurse with the since 1987, working in variety of clinical areas such as CCU, cardiac surgery, cardiac rehabilitation and education. Currently Dr. Harkness is a Nurse Clinician in the Heart Function Clinic. After completing graduate studies and a post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. Harkness received an Early Research Career award and New Investigator Funding from the. Her research interests include caregiver burden, patient and caregiver emotions, self-care and cognitive function in patients with heart failure. Dr. Harkness is the first nurse clinician scientist with the. She is also a member of the primary panel for the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Heart Failure Guidelines and an expert panel member for the task force that is adapting these guidelines for Long Term Care. Alison Holloway, PhD Scientist Associate Professor McMaster University Dr. Holloway received her BSc in Zoology from the University of Toronto in She then obtained her PhD in Zoology from the University of Guelph in She worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto and then in 2003 was hired as an Assistant Professor in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster University. Dr. Holloway s current research studies focus on how exposure to various chemicals during pregnancy can cause damage to the baby while it is still in the womb. She is also interested in the long-term health consequences of these chemical exposures for the exposed children. The chemicals that are of interest to her laboratory include: chemicals we may intentionally expose ourselves to through lifestyle choices such as cigarette smoking or the use of over the counter natural health products; man-made chemicals present in the environment and naturally occurring chemicals in our diet (e.g. plant phytoestrogens). The majority of the work in her lab at this time focuses on whether children born to women who smoke are more likely to get certain diseases including diabetes and obesity. 12

14 Peter Kavsak, PhD, FCACB, FACB Clinical Biochemist Laboratory Scientist Dr. Kavsak is a certified Clinical Biochemist and a Fellow of both the Canadian and American Academies of Clinical Biochemistry. His major interests are in diagnostic test development, clinical utility of laboratory tests and novel technologies for clinical chemistry, with special interest in cancer and cardiac biomarkers. His work in this area has garnered financial support from public funding bodies and industry as well as several awards, most notably the 2011 Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists Award for Research Excellence. He is presently a member in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research Translational Research Team at McMaster as well as a Scientist in the Escarpment Cancer Research Institute within McMaster University and. In addition to providing clinical service within the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program, he is member of the /McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Board as well the Editor-in-Chief for Clinical Biochemistry an international scientific journal with a significant impact in the field. Lisa Kellenberger, BScH Graduate Student PhD Candidate University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College, Department of Biomedical Sciences Lisa Kellenberger was one of the first recipients of the Hamilton Health Sciences High School Research Bursary Award in the summer of After graduating from high school, the bursary program matched her to the lab of Dr. Alison Holloway at McMaster University. She returned to work in the Holloway lab for three more summers while completing her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences at Queen s University. Lisa is currently working on her PhD in the department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Guelph where she holds a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Her studies with Dr. Jim Petrik focus on understanding the relationship between high blood sugar and tumour growth in ovarian cancer. Outside of the lab, Lisa is the poetry editor of the hybrid literary-arts magazine Carousel and serves on the Board of Directors of the U of G newspaper. For the past three years, Lisa has organized a fundraising event for childhood cancer research and has been actively involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters Guelph. Lisa also enjoys teaching and will be leading an interdisciplinary first year seminar on social enterprise this fall. 13

15 Lesia Kicak, RD Registered Dietitian Chief of Dietetics Lesia Kicak is currently the Chief of Dietetics at, and the President of the College of Dietitians of Ontario. Lesia is also on an advisory council for Conestoga College, and has acted as a scientific reviewer for the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research. Lesia holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Guelph, and a Master of Science from the University of Toronto. She is also a graduate of the Health Leaders Institute. Lesia s professional career has also included practice in clinical nutrition focusing on Total Parenteral Nutrition and critical care, lecturing internationally, and authoring publications. Lesia s current focus is facilitating the implementation of best practices at the bedside such as MedPass, Transfer of Accountability, and Strategic Planning. These practices have involved extensive interprofessional collaboration and have been implemented for health professional groups within and outside of Dietetics. Tara Packham, OT(Reg)Ont, MSc Occupational Therapist Tara Packham is an occupational therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience in hand therapy. She divides her time between clinical practice with the dedicated team in the Hand Therapy Program at Hamilton Health Sciences and PhD studies at McMaster University. Clinical and research interests include outcome measurement, complex regional pain syndrome, and the role of the brain in pain, sensation and movement. Tara also serves as an international editor for a multi-lingual e-newsletter on somatosensory rehabilitation. Tara is actively involved at McMaster University in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences in teaching and student supervision, especially in the area of evidence-based practice. She is an active member of both the Canadian and American Society for Hand Therapists 14

16 Menaka Pai, BSc, MD, FRCP(C) Medical Doctor Consultant Laboratory Hematologist, Assistant Professor Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program, McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine Dr. Menaka Pai completed medical school at McMaster University, then went on to complete a residency in Internal Medicine at McMaster University and a fellowship in Adult Hematology at the University of Toronto. She has worked at the Hamilton General Hospital since She provides care for patients with blood diseases, bleeding problems and clotting problems. As a Consultant Laboratory Hematologist with the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program, Dr. Pai also assists in the provision of laboratory services for patients across Hamilton, with a focus on quality improvement and effective resource utilization. As a member of the Clinical Thromboembolism Program of McMaster University s Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), Dr. Pai s research deals with the optimal prevention of blood clots in hospitalized patients. She is studying how to translate current research into clinical practice, to improve patient safety and encourage physicians to follow healthcare guidelines surrounding blood clot prevention. She also works with the McMaster Transfusion Research Program (MTRP), conducting research on how to use laboratory and clinical methods to diagnose mild bleeding disorders. Shawn Petrik, MSc., DVM, Dip.LAM Veterinarian, Assistant Professor (PT) Veterinary Director, Comparative Medicine McMaster University, Faculty of Medicine Dr. Shawn Petrik is the Veterinary Director of Comparative Medicine at the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute at McMaster University and an Assistant Professor (PT) in the Faculty of Medicine. A 2002 graduate of Ontario Veterinary College, she obtained her BSc at the University of British Columbia and her MSc at the University of Guelph prior to beginning veterinary college. Dr. Petrik has worked in small animal practice, and emergency veterinary practice as well as in research. When not at work, Dr. Petrik is busy with her family including her two children Sydney, 4 yrs and Cooper 3 yrs. 15

17 Danielle Petruccelli, MLIS Research Coordinator, and Measurement & Evaluation Specialist Danielle Petruccelli completed her graduate studies in Information Sciences at the University of Western Ontario, and is currently a Health Research Methodology Masters candidate at McMaster University. Her research focuses on total joint replacement patient outcomes and continuous quality improvement in clinical service, research, and education in the field of hip and knee arthroplasty. Danielle is the Research Coordinator to the Hamilton Arthroplasty Group at Juravinski Hospital, and holds an adjunct position as Measurement & Evaluation Specialist to the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN Regional Joint Assessment Program. Danielle is involved in active mentoring of Orthopaedic Medical Students, Residents, Fellows, and bachelor of health science thesis students. Jennifer Phillipchuk, RN, MSN Registered Nurse Clinical Education & Development Clinician Jennifer Phillipchuk graduated from Mohawk College in 1988 with a diploma in nursing. In 1998, Jennifer attended Daemen College in Amherst, NY, won the Joy Barlow-Price Scholarship Award in 2000 and graduated with honours in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. In 2008, she fulfilled the requirement of a Masters degree/adult Health Nurse Practitioner program from Daemen College. In 1988, Jennifer began her career as an RN working on the Orthopedic Surgical Ward at the General site of Hamilton Health Sciences. In 1990, she accepted a position as a staff RN in the Intensive Care Unit at the General Hospital. In 2006, Jennifer worked both as an ICU nurse and in a leadership role as Community Liaison Coordinator for HHS. In this leadership role, she assisted with the development of culturally competent health care practices by liaising directly with diverse populations in HHS catchment area and conducting community-based research. Her work has been presented at both local and international conferences. In 2011, Jennifer accepted a position as Clinical Educator in the Neurosciences Program at the General Site of HHS. As Clinical Educator, Jennifer provides front-line staff with educational opportunities both in the clinical setting and formal classroom. Jennifer assists with the expansion of the Neurosciences Stepdown Unit and Neurosurgical Outreach Program to improve access to services for neurosurgical patients and their families. 16

18 Katie Porter, MA Clinical Research Contract Professional Clinical Research Agreements and Contracts Specialist With 15 years of experience in hospital and university research administration, Katie Porter is an expert in all aspects of contract management. She is a regular lecturer at the McMaster University Centre for Continuing Education s Clinical Research Associate Program, where she has developed and coordinated academic programs on Risk and Liability in Clinical Research, Laws and Guidelines in Clinical Research and An Overview of Clinical Research Agreements. Katie is also a voting member of the /Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Board. An accomplished speaker, Katie has presented at national and international conferences on topics including publication rights, intellectual property and patient privacy. Her writings have been published in peer-reviewed journals, and she has co-authored numerous articles on research administration, including a series of articles on best practices on hiring and retaining research administration staff featured in National Council of University Research Administrators magazine. Last November, she was one of two plenary speakers at Canadian Association of University Research Administrators (CAURA) Ontario on achieving a successful career in research administration, based on her book, Steer Your Career, written to coach, support and energize administrators in their daily tasks to support excellence in research. She will present this May at the CAURA National Conference. Sandeep Raha, MSc, PhD Biomedical Scientist Assistant Professor McMaster University Dr. Raha completed his PhD from the University of Toronto in the field of Biochemistry. He then spent 4 years working in a laboratory at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, studying how problems with your cells ability to produce energy can lead to a variety of diseases. Dr. Raha has also worked in industry developing strategies for rapid point of card DNA diagnostic testing. Since 2004, Dr. Raha has been an Assistant Professor in the department of Pediatric, at McMaster University and is interested in studying why the children of women who are overweight or obese during pregnancy are more susceptible to obesity and heart disease. Dr. Raha is involved in teaching and supervising undergraduates, as well as graduate students who are working towards obtaining their MSc or PhD. Dr. Raha s research is focused on understanding how obesity during pregnancy can affect the biological systems which program the babies metabolism. A poor uterine environment can change the programming of the energy factories in the tissues of the baby. This change can affect how the baby or child s body responds to different foods or stresses to the body. His work aims to understand these processes and develop new therapies which may reduce the rates of diseases in babies that are born to obese mothers. We routinely work with human samples, animals, as well as isolated cells to understand how proteins and genes interact to control the Bodies metabolism. 17

19 Elyanne M. Ratcliffe, MD Medical Doctor Pediatric Gastroenterologist McMaster Children s Hospital Dr. Ratcliffe grew up in Hamilton, Ontario and undertook her undergraduate and medical studies at McMaster University. She trained in Pediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and completed her subspecialty in Gastroenterology at Columbia University, where she undertook a postdoctoral fellowship in the field of developmental neurogastroenterology. Dr. Ratcliffe returned to McMaster in 2007 to join the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, where she is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics. She applies her interests in gastrointestinal motility, developmental biology and nutrition by serving in dual roles as Medical Director of both the Feeding and Swallowing Team (FAST) and the Short Bowel Rehabilitation Team (ShoRT). Dr. Ratcliffe has an active research program and supervises both undergraduate and graduate students in the laboratory. She is a full member of the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute and an associate member in the Department of Biology. Her research program is based on her combined clinical experience and research interests in neurogastroenterology and focuses on the development of the innervation of the gastrointestinal tract. More recently, her laboratory has been exploring how endogenous microbiota might influence developmental programming of gastrointestinal function. Ellen Ryan, PhD Professor of Psychology and Gerontology Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Aging McMaster University Dr. Ryan earned an MA in Linguistics at Brown University and PhD in Psycholinguistics at the University of Michigan. She served as Chair of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame (in Indiana) before her appointment as Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and in the Department of Health, Aging and Society at McMaster. She founded the Gerontology Program at McMaster. Her research, funded continuously over 35 years by the US and Canadian federal governments, has addressed the communication skills of older adults and the impact on frail elders of person-centred communication by health professionals. A special interest is drawing out the capabilities of individuals with dementia. Currently, as Professor Emeritus, she supervises students from Health Sciences and Social Sciences conducting research with older adults; writes for health professionals and students about aging; and offers workshops on successful aging and fostering personhood in dementia. See website: 18

20 Suzette Salama, PhD Pharmacist Chair, Research Ethics Board McMaster University/ Dr. Salama is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine, McMaster University. Her undergraduate degree is in Pharmacy and she obtained her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Montreal. She is currently the Chair of the Medical Research Ethics Board at McMaster University/. Starting in a basic research career, Suzette proceeded to do clinical research in the fields of infectious diseases and pharmacoeconomics. In the last two decades she has been very involved in teaching, administration and promoting research ethics to researchers. Currently, she teaches and directs the Clinical Research Associate Certificate Program at McMaster University. Rebecca Stepita Undergraduate Student Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Program McMaster University Rebecca Stepita is currently studying in her second year of the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Program at McMaster University. Upon graduating from Grimsby Secondary School, Rebecca began her involvement in research at McMaster University with the Research Bursary Award during the summer of Rebecca worked under the supervision of Dr. Alison Holloway in a Reproduction Biology Lab in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It was here that she was granted the opportunity to learn laboratory techniques involved in the investigation of the effects of anti-depressant use, particularly how maternal anti-depressant use correlates with adult onset of related disease in offspring. In the summer months of 2011, Rebecca returned to Dr. Holloway s lab to further this understanding and gain a deeper appreciation for scientific research. Looking forward, Rebecca is excited to participate in a third year research project course (contributing to her BHSc degree) in the Holloway lab allowing her to integrate her undergraduate studies with her interest in research. 19

21 Martine Auger Strumas, RD Registered Dietitian Martine completed her undergraduate degree in Applied Human Nutrition at the University of Guelph and went on to the Dietetic Internship Program at. Her career began with a focus on nutrition support in surgical, trauma, burn and critical care patients. For the past 12 years she has developed expertise as a nutrition and risk factor modification counselor at the Cardiac Health and Rehabilitation Centre. She has a passion for helping people make positive and lasting lifestyle change. She has conducted clinical research in the area of Weight Management. Martine has also been a mentor in the Dietetic Internship Program supervising clinical rotations, research projects and the development of patient education tools. Andrea Tjahja, BSc, BEd, MLT, ART Medical Laboratory Technologist Education & Communications Manager, Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program St. Joseph s Healthcare Hamilton Andrea completed her Bachelor of Science degree specializing in Biology, from the University of Western Ontario and then graduated as a Cytogenetic Technologist from the Toronto Institute of Medical Technology. She went on to obtain her Advanced Registered Technologist in Cytogenetics, and subsequent certification in Molecular Genetics. Andrea recently completed her Bachelor of Education in Adult Education through Brock University. Andrea is the Education and Communications Manager for the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program (HRLMP), a regional laboratory program comprised of 4 acute care hospitals and one cancer clinic. Andrea is also Professional Practice Leader for the Medical Laboratory Technologists at both and St. Joseph s Healthcare Hamilton. She is involved in the development of training programs and competency assessments, as well as the design and delivery of professional development workshops for laboratory staff. Her role in training and development reaches all facets of the laboratory, from the implementation of new instrumentation and techniques to the development of an e-learning system for the HRLMP. Andrea is also the clinical coordinator for the Medical Laboratory Technologist student placements. Andrea currently sits on the Advisory Committees for St. Clair College and Mohawk College Bridging Program for the Internationally Trained-Technologists. 20

22 Greg Toffner, BSc, MRT(R), RTR Medical Radiation Technologist Manager, Professional Services and Deputy CEO Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Technologists Greg is currently employed by the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (OAMRT) as Manager, Professional Services & Deputy CEO. Prior to his appointment with the OAMRT, Greg worked as full time faculty in the undergraduate Medical Radiation Sciences program at the Mohawk- McMaster Institute for Applied Health Sciences; Health Services Manager at a hospital in Northwestern Ontario; and a front line Medical Radiation Technologist before that. He has also had the opportunity to travel across North-Western Ontario, Nunavut and the North West Territories into remote native communities teaching basic x-ray curriculum. Greg's specialties include Radiographic Physics, Digital Imaging, Radiation Biology and Protection, the Canadian Healthcare System and Quality Management. In 2009, based on his affiliation with McMaster University, he joined a group of Masters students and faculty on a 3 week excursion to the Ukraine and Belarus for a scientific, social and cultural exploration of the world s worst nuclear accident in Chernobyl. 21

23 A heartfelt thank you for our Corporate Sponsors Superconductor Experiment Sponsor: Rob Luneberg Air Liquide Canada Inc North Service Rd. Burlington ON L7L 6C1 Tel: Direct Line: As well as a special thank you to our generous donors: McMaster Education Services 22

24 Office of Integrated Research Services 293 Wellington St. N. Suite 102 Hamilton, ON L8L 8E Ext (research) Health Research Services 1200 Main Street West, Room HSC-1B7 Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z Ext Research Administration 50 Charlton Avenue East Hamilton, ON L8N 4A Ext