Cumming School of Medicine | Report to Community
2020 - 2021
Focus on Impact is published by the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, providing news and information for and about our students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community. Editorial Team Communications Jordanna Heller, Director Amanda Fisher, Graphic Designer Donor Relations Krista Armstrong, Director Copy Editor Jordanna Heller Krista Armstrong Contributors Leigh Hurst, Kelly Johnston, Kyle Marr, O’Brien Institute for Public Health Staff, Dawn Smith, Mia Sosiak, Melanie Tibbetts Photography and Illustrations Alex Baron, Riley Brandt, Dylan Brenneis, Quentin Collier, Amanda Fisher, Eric Gonzalez, Kelly Johnston, Trudie Lee, Don Molyneaux, Adrian Shellard, Pauline Sydenham Dean Jon Meddings Vice Dean Todd Anderson Senior Associate Deans Richard Leigh, Faculty Affairs Beverly Adams, Education Marcello Tonelli, Health Research Gerald Zamponi, Research Senior Director Rose Yu Associate Deans Tara Beattie, Graduate Science Education Kelly Burak, Continuing Medical Education Pamela Chu, Professionalism, Equity and Diversity Derek Exner, Clinical Trials Aaron Johnston, Distributed Learning and Rural Initiatives David Keegan, Faculty Development Ebba Kurz, Undergraduate Health and Science Education Dianne Mosher, Indigenous, Local and Global Health Christopher Naugler, Undergraduate Medical Education Paul Schnetkamp, Research Infrastructure Ray Turner, Research Grants Lisa Welikovitch, Postgraduate Medical Education Samuel Wiebe, Clinical Research
To receive a free copy of this report please call 403.210.3964 or email fdmed@ucalgary.ca Alumni Update The Cumming School of Medicine is committed to staying in touch with our alumni. Please update your contact information via: alumni.ucalgary.ca (click on ‘update your info’)
cumming.ucalgary.ca/focus-on-impact
1
Message from the
Dean T
he Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) is grounded in our partnership with you — our community. Our mission is better health care through research and education. And our greatest strength is our people who, like you, are committed to making a difference.
While this year came with its challenges, we also witnessed remarkable progress across a number of fronts. We continue to lead and make important discoveries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, furthering knowledge of how to manage it, and examining the associated social, physical and mental health implications of the virus. Ours is a team effort with CSM researchers, scientists, donors, alumni, staff and students working tirelessly and collaboratively across our global community to effect change.
Ours is a team effort with CSM researchers, scientists, donors, alumni, staff and students working tirelessly and collaboratively across our global community to effect change.
Our impact in other areas is growing as well. As you’ll read, a research team led by Dr. S.R. Wayne Chen, PhD, is making exciting breakthroughs with the potential to prevent and reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Elsewhere, CSM researchers are using data science and advanced analytics to improve our understanding of cancer risk, detection and treatment. Work that’s being done now is preparing us to take full advantage of new opportunities to meet the cancer challenge when the Calgary Cancer Centre opens in 2023. None of these achievements happen on their own. They would not be possible without public and private support and funders. UCalgary’s Energize: The Campaign for Eyes High celebrated its successful completion in 2020, raising a historic $1.41 billion to support research and education. With more than 10,000 donors committing $713 million to projects at the CSM, we are paving the way for critical research, student success and innovation in precision health. The campaign has ended but our work is just getting started — thank you to all of those who gave so generously to promote excellence at our medical school.
CSM Dean, Dr. Jon Meddings, MD
As we look ahead, we are guided by UCalgary’s new strategic direction, Unstoppable, our “growth through focus” plan. Together, we are charting an entrepreneurial and innovative course where students, faculty and staff have the tools to change the world. We continue to proudly lead the future of health, contributing to UCalgary’s new Child Health and Wellness Research Strategy and supporting the leaders of tomorrow through a new graduate Precision Health education program. We all have a role to play in the future of medicine; we are grateful for your partnership to advance health innovation in Calgary and Alberta. Thank you for your interest in our school and shared commitment to our community. I hope you enjoy reading Focus on Impact.
2
Meeting the Cancer Challenge An estimated 225,000 Canadians learned they have cancer in 2020.* CSM researchers are working to change this.
R
esearchers at the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, a partnership between the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, are working tirelessly across disciplines to meet the cancer challenge. Our mission is clear: to decrease cancer in the population, improve cancer treatment and outcomes, and improve patient experience. If anyone can do it, it’s Alberta.
The Calgary Cancer Centre, adjacent to our medical school and slated to open in 2023, offers us an unprecedented opportunity to change the trajectory of cancer impact for Albertans and patients around the world. We are proud to share a few exciting successes from the past year, as we look toward the tremendous possibility that lies ahead. *Source: Canadian Cancer Society.
Focus on Impact | CSM Report to Community
cumming.ucalgary.ca/focus-on-impact
3
Dr. Darren Brenner, PhD Dr. Robert Hilsden, MD, PhD
Decreasing cancer in the population Leading research in Canada’s battle against colon cancer
C
umming School of Medicine researchers are gathering data from more than 20,000 participants in one of the largest research projects in Canada designed to improve early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. By investigating the characteristics that could personalize the way Canadians are screened for this cancer, they hope to develop the next generation of screening tests.
Colorectal cancer is expected to be the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada in 2020, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. It is the second leading cause of death from cancer in men and the third leading cause of death from cancer in women. “Our goal is to improve screening for colorectal cancer and, ultimately, patient outcomes,” says Dr. Robert Hilsden, MD, PhD, (MSc ’96, PhD ’01) research director of the Forzani and MacPhail Colon Cancer Screening Centre at UCalgary’s Foothills campus. “First, we want to better understand who is at high risk for colorectal cancer and who is not,
so we know who needs to be screened and how best to do it. Second, we want to improve the screening experience to maximize participation.” The data collected from patients includes biospecimens (blood, urine, normal colon tissue) and detailed information about each participant’s medical history, lifestyle, physical activity and diet. “More than ever before, this research is allowing us to use data science and advanced analytics to understand cancer risk,” says Dr. Darren Brenner, PhD, the associate research director of the centre. “From this work we can develop and advocate for improved policy, practice and personal change to bend the curve and reduce the cancer burden in Canada. The work has the potential to save lives and have a positive economic impact, as we reduce the need to access the health-care system.” Both researchers are members of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health.
4
Focus on Impact | CSM Report to Community
Improving cancer treatment Improving treatment for glioblastoma patients
N
iacin, a B-vitamin you see on grocery store shelves, may help glioblastoma brain cancer patients live longer when paired with chemotherapy and radiation. A new five-year clinical trial is looking at how this vitamin, also known as vitamin B3, may kickstart the body’s own defences to fight this cruel disease.
Glioblastoma cells are stubbornly resistant to treatment, and patients usually succumb to the highly aggressive brain cancer less than two years after diagnosis. Niacin has been shown to reboot immune cells, prompting them to attack stem cells that fuel the growth of the tumours. A 2020 study by Dr. V. Wee Yong, PhD and Dr. Susobhan Sarkar, PhD, members of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, found that mice with glioblastoma lived nearly four times longer when receiving niacin with chemo and radiation – up from 40 days to 150 days. A new clinical trial, led by the Clark H. Smith Brain Tumour Centre’s Dr. Yong and Dr. Gloria Roldan Urgoiti, MD, (PGME ‘14) is looking at
Dr. V. Wee Yong, PhD, (left) and Dr. Susobhan Sarkar, PhD
whether niacin can be added to temozolomide chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The first step is to see if patients experience unexpected toxicities. After confirming that it is safe and finding the adequate dose, the clinical trial will continue to see if niacin controls the tumour when paired with temozolomide chemotherapy and radiation therapy. “This is a story of homegrown bench-to-bedside collaboration that seeks to improve the prognosis of a deadly brain tumour,” says Yong, who is the Canada Research Chair in Neuroimmunology. “I am excited for this trial and the potential it has to help patients.” The trial is moving forward with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Alberta Health Services, the Alberta Cancer Foundation Kvisle Fund and the generosity of the Ronald and Irene Ward Foundation through the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.
cumming.ucalgary.ca/focus-on-impact
5
Improving patient experience and life after care Coping with cancer during the pandemic
L
iving through a pandemic is stressful for all of us. Adding the uncertainty and anxiety of a cancer diagnosis to your list of unknowns makes this an even more unsettling time. Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology, Dr. Linda Carlson, PhD, (BSc ‘91) is leading a team of Canadian researchers studying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of cancer survivors.
The team from the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) Supportive Care Committee has spearheaded a study of more than 1,000 survivors across the country diagnosed with cancer in the past ten years. The 2020 study, titled “Living With Cancer in theTime of COVID-19,” asks participants to complete a series of surveys covering the impact of the pandemic on their mental health and quality of life, including stress levels, worries, depression, changes in cancer care and any positive changes that may have resulted from the pandemic.
“When the pandemic started, we knew this was going to affect cancer patients in many different ways,” says Dr. Carlson. “We just didn’t know in how many different ways. Some things are potentially positive for patients because they can get care at home and travel less, but there are drawbacks, too. Treatments and surgeries were delayed, and there was a lot of talk about being at higher risk of death or complications if they were to get COVID.” The researchers hope the data will expose the full impact of the pandemic on this potentially vulnerable group and help direct strategies to better support cancer survivors through this exceptionally difficult period in history.
March 17, 2020 Alberta declares a local state of public health emergency
CSM steps up: COVID-19 Many Albertans will remember March 12, 2020 as the day our province announced the first COVID-19 related restrictions. For our Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) community, it will also be remembered as the day our attention urgently shifted towards an unknown virus that caused the world to come to a halt.
T
he novel coronavirus has resulted in a challenging year for our research, scientific and clinical communities. More than ever, the focus has been on our experts to provide answers, solutions and care.
Despite the circumstances, our specialists stepped up, developing innovative ways to prepare front-line health-care workers, address supply shortages, track transmission, create vaccines, investigate the effects of the virus on the overall health and well-being of the populations we serve, and keep our local communities safe and informed.
In extraordinary times, the CSM continues to be a leader in research and a reliable source of information. This is because of the highly-skilled, devoted, passionate people who make up our CSM community, the generosity and support of our community members and strong partnerships with other faculties at the university and Alberta Health Services (AHS). Together, we are contributing to conversations of global importance and changing the future of health in southern Alberta and around the world.
Community support fuels important research and education priorities within the Cumming School of Medicine, including our response to COVID-19 and the core infrastructure that supports this work. Giving to the CSM Impact Fund can help minimize the consequences of the pandemic in our community and beyond. For more information please visit: cumming.ucalgary.ca/giving
Alberta timeline informed by Global News: globalnews.ca/news/7538547/covid-19-alberta-health-timeline/
Focus on Impact | CSM Report to Community
8
The CSM quickly deploys its big data expertise to help the City of Calgary tackle the pandemic in real time. Highly skilled data scientists build the UCalgary Centre for Health Informatics COVID-19 tracker, a data-integrated system for decision-making and public use. The tool provides a provincial breakdown of when and where the virus is spreading, while contrasting Alberta’s data to the data of public health interventions taking place globally. The team monitors COVID-19 trends to ensure the province’s health system does not become overwhelmed.
March 2020 March 2020
A multidisciplinary team of researchers led by Drs. Jim Kellner, MD, and Francois Bernier, MD, investigates the genes and immune response of Alberta children in a pan-Alberta study focused on tracking the impact of COVID-19 on their young bodies. The research team will follow a cohort of more than 1,000 children and conduct studies on biological samples to better understand the unique genetic code of the virus.
Non-essential businesses in Alberta temporarily close; gatherings are limited to 15 people.
Alberta Health offers COVID-19 testing to any Albertan displaying symptoms.
March 27, 2020 April 2020
April 13, 2020 April 2020
The CSM helps compile a list of volunteers to assist AHS with COVID-19 response efforts; more than 800 volunteers sign up to help.
The pandemic underscores the need for innovative strategies to better support continuing care residents. The Brenda Strafford Foundation Chair in Geriatric Medicine, Dr. Jayna Holroyd-Leduc, MD, and her team work with Calgary-based long-term care facilities to detect acute changes in residents’ conditions earlier to ensure the right care is provided in the right location.
April 2020 May 2020
May 2020 May 2020
A team of CSM researchers, including study lead Dr. Dylan Pillai, MD, PhD, develop a new method to test for the virus that can provide results in 30 minutes without the need for high-tech equipment and reagents.
A UCalgary team led by ACHRI researchers Dr. Catherine Lebel, PhD, Dr. Gerald Giesbrecht, PhD, and Dr. Lianne TomfohrMadsen, PhD, surveys pregnant women across Canada to shed light on stress, depression and infant brain development during the pandemic.
A COVID-19 outbreak at the Cargill meat packing plant, located in High River, spreads home to workers’ families and roommates. CSM alumnus Dr. Adam Vyse, MD ’93, and other members of the Calgary Zone Primary Care Network, mobilize a successful primary care pandemic strategy for the region. In addition to testing, isolating and contact tracing, the strategy places an emphasis on connecting with and supporting patients virtually for the duration of their illness.
Two months after shutdown, Calgary joins Alberta in Stage 1 of reopening.
May 25, 2020 May-June 2020 A Mathison Centre study led by researchers Drs. Paul Arnold, MD, PhD, and Iliana Ortega, MD, investigates the mental health impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable youth. The findings will help identify who is most impacted to develop targeted interventions and treatments for this population.
A team of CSM alumni and students develop an online dashboard, SeroTracker, to track global COVID-19 antibody testing studies. SeroTracker, mobilized by alumni Rahul Arora, BHSc ’19 and Tingting Yan, BHSc ’19, helps public health officials and researchers understand population immunity patterns in their countries, and monitor which groups have been most affected and study vaccine programs. This UCalgary-led project garners the interest of the World Health Organization and other international partners.
cumming.ucalgary.ca/focus-on-impact
Dr. Doug Mahoney, PhD, re-focuses his experience with viruses by exploring whether one of the cancer treatments he works with can be modified and repurposed as a vaccine for COVID-19. In collaboration with other investigators and supported by philanthropy, Mahoney creates a viral vector vaccine — a type of hybrid vaccine which creates a memory response from the immune system so it knows to attack when exposed to the novel coronavirus.
June 2020
June 2020 The Canadian Institutes of Health Research provide a second round of rapid funding for COVID-19 research funds eight CSM-led projects.
9
Dr. Stephen Freedman, MD, leads a study to track how COVID-19 may be transmitted by children. To understand if and how likely children without symptoms are to transmit the virus, participants are tested and followed at 17 sites across North America.
Supported by philanthropic donations from TransAlta and others, researchers at UCalgary, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, AHS, and Alberta Precision Laboratories partner with the Stoney Nakoda Nations to connect remote communities to laboratory services and to deliver medical equipment and COVID-19 test kits using remotely piloted drones.
Face coverings (masks) become mandatory in Calgary and Edmonton.
July 2020
August 1, 2020
July 2020
October 2020
September 2020
Intensive care units in Alberta approach capacity limits as hospitalizations rise.
UCalgary researchers participate in an international multi-centre study evaluating decontamination methods to maintain respirator mask integrity and performance. An effective decontamination and reuse strategy would ensure a sustained supply and help combat future global supply shortages.
COVID-19 vaccines become available to all Albertans 40 years of age or older. The province administers more than one million doses.
November 21, 2020
November 2020
A group of researchers investigate the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks at meat processing facilities in Alberta, including Canada’s largest single location outbreak – the Cargill plant. Led by Dr. Gabriel Fabreau, MD, the project focuses on how the outbreaks began and the factors which led to their rapid spread.
January 2021
December 15, 2020
April 2021
May 10, 2021
Alberta’s first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are delivered to health-care workers in Calgary and Edmonton.
Many schools reopen, as Alberta passes the one-million mark for COVID-19 testing.
The CSM announces the reopening of the Bio-safety Level 3 (BSL-3) lab allowing scientists and clinicians to safely advance their research into vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. The university pools resources and partners with government and philanthropists, including Joan Snyder, to support reopening of this vital space in the Snyder institute for Chronic Diseases.
Alberta shows the highest vaccine hesitancy of all Canadian provinces. CSM dean Dr. Jon Meddings, MD, joined by infectious diseases expert Dr. Cora Constantinescu, MD, and UCalgary Chancellor Deborah Yedlin, pens Calgary Herald OpEd imploring Albertans to come together to end the pandemic.
Focus on Impact | CSM Report to Community
10
McNiel–Inyani Keri
Black Lives Matter CSM’s Black Medical Students’ Association (BMSA) was established in 2018 to create a safe, welcoming community for Black medical students. Since then, it has evolved into a group that raises awareness of the bias and systemic racism in our institutions, including medical education.
A
s the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery and the associated Black Lives Matter protests were making headlines, the BMSA took action to provide an evidence-based framework for the medical school to use to initiate meaningful change to combat the racial inequality that is currently woven into our processes and systems. In June 2020, BMSA members, Aya Ebdalla (BA, BSc ’19), McNiel–Inyani Keri, Mursal Mohamud and Chidera Nwaroh (MSc ’19) released “Calls to Action to Address Institutionalized Racism in Medical
cumming.ucalgary.ca/focus-on-impact
11
Chidera Nwaroh
Education and Health Care,” a concise document that highlights actions that are needed to “provide informed, anti-oppressive practices to prevent health inequities.” The group identified three themes in which tangible measures can be made to counter racism in medical education and health care: commitment to increasing diversity; equipping all CSM graduates to care for patients who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC); and promoting wellness in BIPOC students. These themes share a common goal — to move towards an antiracist future for medicine. These calls to action highlight that “the presence of racial diversity within all levels of the Cumming School of Medicine, including medical students, residents, administrators, lecturers, faculty, and leadership is paramount. Creating a community of support in which this is possible is the first step.”
An early response from the CSM included establishing the Black Applicant Admissions Process (BAAP) for the 2020-2021 medical school application cycle. This new process gives Black applicants the choice to self-identify and provide an essay to include in their overall file. To ensure those with similar lived experiences are involved in the evaluation, BAAP applicant files will be reviewed by at least two members of the BIPOC community.
“The presence of racial diversity within all the levels of the Cumming School of Medicine, including medical students, residents, administrators, lecturers, faculty, and leadership is paramount. Creating a community of support in which this is possible is the first step.”
“Introducing the BAAP is a step in the right direction. However, there is more we can do to achieve equity and diversity in our admissions process and within our school,” says dean, Dr. Jon Meddings, MD. “The BMSA would like to thank the CSM for listening and more importantly, taking action — demonstrating their leadership in the fight against institutional racism and their commitment to our collective communities.” says BMSA member Keri.
Artwork courtesy of Dylan Brenneis https://dylanbrenneis.ca/art/
Focus on Impact | CSM Report to Community
BMSA Themes:
• Commitment to increasing diversity • Equipping all Cumming School of Medicine graduates to care for patients who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC)
• Promoting wellness in BIPOC students
Aya Ebdalla
“A
lthough the fight against institutional racism is far from over, these initial steps do not go unnoticed. We look forward to continued commitment from CSM leadership in maintaining what has been established while actively taking further steps in the fight against institutional racism,” Keri continues. Other changes have been initiated to address specific calls to action, including hiring additional mental health professionals with expertise in racialized trauma, evaluating the medical school curriculum to identify implicit bias and a tool to self-report acts of racism.
The BMSA student leaders continue to work tirelessly to advocate for changes to our system – a considerable task considering they are enrolled in an academically rigorous program.
Mursal Mohamud
Their contributions were recently celebrated by UCalgary with the 2021 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Team Award, a testament to their work to help the university in its journey to becoming a more inclusive place.
Heart drug may prevent, reverse Alzheimer’s Disease A new discovery spells hope for patients and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
A
research team led by Dr. S.R. Wayne Chen, PhD, has made an exciting breakthrough with the potential to prevent and reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.
The CSM team discovered that limiting the open time of the ryanodine receptor, a channel which acts like a gateway to cells located in the heart and brain, reverses and prevents the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in animal models. They also identified a drug which limits the opening of this channel, interrupting the disease process. Dr. Chen’s team used a portion of an existing drug used for heart patients to treat mice models with Alzheimer’s symptoms. After one month of treatment, the memory loss and cognitive impairments in these models disappeared. “The effect was quite amazing,” says Chen, the Heart & Stroke Chair in Cardiovascular Research. “We couldn’t tell the drug-treated disease models and the healthy models apart.”
“The significance of identifying a clinically used drug that acts on a defined target to provide anti-Alzheimer’s disease benefits can’t be overstated”
Previous research has shown the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is driven by a vicious cycle involving a protein that makes neurons more active than usual. These neurons, in turn, produce more of the protein. However, it wasn’t clear why that happens, nor were there effective treatments to stop the cycle. “The significance of identifying a clinically used drug that acts on a defined target to provide
anti-Alzheimer’s disease benefits can’t be overstated,” says Chen, a member of CSM’s Libin Cardiovascular Institute and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. Dr. Jinjing Yao, PhD, a student of Chen’s, is the first author of the study. This research – supported by philanthropic donations from the Alvin and Mona Libin Foundation, Canadian Pacific Railway Company and Sam and Beverley Mozell – is potentially highly impactful, as more than 500,000 Canadians live with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, suffering from memory loss and other cognitive impairments that negatively impact quality of live. The results of the groundbreaking study were published in the peer-reviewed journal, Cell Reports. While there are many steps to be taken before this finding could lead to a clinical trial, Chen is optimistic about the future of this research and its potential to improve the lives of patients living with Alzheimer’s around the world.
Focus on Impact | CSM Report to Community
14
Reversing the effects of spinal cord injury International clinical trials to begin on the benefits of neurostimulation for regulating blood pressure
D
r. Richi Gill, MD (BSc ‘04), is treating patients again, able to enjoy time with his family and get a good night’s sleep, thanks to a new medical discovery by CSM researchers.
and Courtine co-led an international study that proves spinal cord stimulators can bridge the body’s autonomous regulation system, controlling blood pressure without medication.
Three years ago, Gill broke his neck in a boogie board accident while on vacation with his young family. “What many people don’t realize is that a spinal cord injury prevents some systems within the body from regulating automatically,” says Gill. “My blood pressure would drop drastically, leaving me fatigued, dizzy, and unable to focus. The condition can be life threatening, requiring medication for life.”
“The spinal cord acts as a communication line allowing the brain to send signals to tell the body such as when and how to move, as well as how to control vital functions, including blood pressure,” says Phillips. “This communication line is broken after a spinal cord injury. We created the first platform to understand the mechanisms underlying blood pressure instability after spinal cord injury, which allowed us to develop a new cutting-edge solution.”
“What many people don’t realize is that a spinal cord injury prevents some systems within the body from regulating automatically.”
But new research from Drs. Aaron Phillips, PhD, and Grégoire Courtine, PhD, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), has been life-changing for Gill and could be for others living with spinal cord injury (SCI). Drs. Phillips
That solution was developed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers and engineers from the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, all part of the UCalgary RESTORE Network.
cumming.ucalgary.ca/focus-on-impact
RESTORE – which stands for REsearching STrategies fOr Rehabilitation – was created to enhance the recovery and lives of patients living with SCI, stroke, and other movement impairments by evaluating and discovering new treatments. RESTORE is supported by a generous gift from the estate of Edith Rodie in partnership with the Calgary Health Foundation. In the study, targeted electrical stimulation of the spinal cord was used to stabilize blood flow throughout the body, allowing vital organs to maintain an appropriate supply of blood. “People feel more alert, are able to be upright and in their wheelchair without losing consciousness, and over the long term we think this may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke,” says Dr. Sean Dukelow, MD, PhD, clinician scientist and co-author on the study. Dr. Dukelow leads the RESTORE Network.
15
Gill was the first patient in Calgary to participate in this research. Next is a series of clinical trials to test the device further and bring it to the community, planned for Calgary and Switzerland and expected to begin later this year. Based on their findings, Dr. Phillips and the team will work with industry partners to develop a neuro-stimulation system dedicated to the management of blood pressure in people with SCI. “It’s exciting to see the science help push things forward,” says Gill. “I’m excited that Calgary will be one of the sites for a clinical trial. Research made a positive effect on my life and I’m glad others will benefit, too.” Gill continues to work as part of the Calgary Adult Bariatric Surgery Clinic and is now the director of the Alberta Obesity Centre.
Dr. Sean Dukelow, MD, PhD (above) and Dr. Aaron Phillips, PhD (above left)
“We created the first platform to understand the mechanisms underlying blood pressure instability after spinal cord injury, which allowed us to develop a new cutting-edge solution.”
