Amazing mentor

34

LIBIN LIFE

Nurturing talent

Dr. John Tyberg praised for his commitment to students

By Dawn Smith

On the wall of one of the oldest labs at UCalgary’s Foothills Campus hangs a banner beautifully scripted in Chinese characters. Translated, the Chinese proverb reads “the peaches and plums that you have nurtured are everywhere.” It is a fitting tribute to the career of Dr. John Tyberg, MD, PhD. Tyberg, 81, was a young scientist with a focus on cardiovascular mechanics and dynamics when he started his lab at the University of Calgary in 1981. Thirty-eight years later, that lab— one of only a handful in the world that investigate the cardiovascular system according to engineering principles—is still producing results. Tyberg’s research interests are varied, but generally focus on topics that have a tangible impact on patients. “I am interested in today’s problems,” he says. Tyberg’s is a well-known name in the field, due to his contributions in the areas of pericardial interaction,

LIBIN LIFE

35

Dr. John Tyberg, MD, PhD, poses in his lab with trainee Dr. Maryell Urroz, MD, and his longtime lab manager and friend Cheryl Hall.

cardiac pulmonary function and his wave reservoir theory. Although Tyberg is part of an elite group of world-class investigators, the soft-spoken scientist doesn’t have an ounce of arrogance. What does stand out is his genuine interest in others. The warmth of community surrounds you the minute you step into Tyberg’s lab, immediately easing the concerns of the day. Tyberg’s community started small with just a handful of researchers, but now includes scholars, clinicians and colleagues from around the world. The commonality is that each person has had the good fortune to work with Tyberg in some capacity. “He is one of the most intelligent and kind-hearted people that I know,” says Cheryl Hall, who started working with Tyberg in 1982 and is now his lab manager. “He’s genuinely interested in the people in the lab and their families and what is going on with them. We’re family.” The lab photos – taken almost every year for the last 38 - that line the wall of the lab feature the other members of Tyberg’s lab family: the 29 students who have trained in the lab over the years. Many of those trainees have gone onto successful careers as physicians, researchers and academics. “I still have contact with most of these people,” says Tyberg of the individuals in the photos, which show the progression of time through the changing faces, many of which appear year after year. “I consider a great many of them as personal friends.” Dr. Carol Kroeker, PhD, an adjunct professor in the Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology, knows firsthand what a wonderful mentor Tyberg is. She completed her doctoral and postdoctoral studies with him and can’t say enough about her mentor’s kindness, flexibility and ability to motivate. “It’s really hard to describe what Dr. John Tyberg did for me,” she says. “I don’t think I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for him, and I don’t think I would be the teacher I am today if he hadn’t shown me how to treat students. If I could inspire even one student the way John inspired me, I would feel like a success.” Dr. Nairne Scott-Douglas, MD, PhD, was a young football player with an interest in science when he came to study in the Tyberg lab. Today, he is the Senior Medical Director of the Alberta Health Services Kidney Health Strategic Clinical Network, the Medical Director of the Southern Alberta Renal Program and head of the Division of Nephrology. He attributes much of his success to Tyberg, noting the man “imparts far much more than knowledge to people.” “I got into medical school because of him. I could afford to go to school because of him,” Scott-Douglas says of his mentor. “Throughout medical school his support was still there. He was interested in my world.” A unique perspective to problems, approachability and genuine interest are common themes that emerge when speaking with Tyberg’s colleagues, friends and former trainees.

Tyberg also feels what he calls the “intrinsic benefits” to mentoring. “I feel a great sense of pride when I think of these people,” he says. “It has been a rewarding experience.”

36

LIBIN LIFE

Awards and Awards and Accolades Accolades

Dr. Hude Quan, PhD

received a prestigious Killam Annual Professor Award for excellence in teaching.

Dr. Todd Anderson, MD

stepped down from his role as director of the Libin Institute and was appointed vice dean of the Cumming School of Medicine.

Dr. Cvetan Trpkov, MD

is a sixth-year cardiology resident at the Cumming School of Medicine. He placed first in the CCTN/CHFS Research Competition at the 2019 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, the largest conference for heart specialists in the country.

Dr. Sarah Childs, PhD

was appointed department head of the Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Dr. Jordan Squair, PhD

was named a 2019 Killam Laureate for his spinal cord stimulation project focused on the cardiovascular health of spinal cord injured patients. Squair is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Aaron Phillips, PhD.

CV&Me

the Libin Institute's sex and gender research collaborative, won a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion award in the team category. The awards are presented by UCalgary's Office of Professionalism, Equity and Diversity.

LIBIN LIFE

Institute Researchers

collectively received $3.95M in CIHR project funding during the spring 2019 funding round. Libin boasted a 42 per cent success rate, far above the national average of 15.6 per cent.

Dr. Derek Chew, MD

is a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm issues, who received a $140,000 Banting Scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He will use the funding to continue training in health economics.

Dr. James White MD, PhD

received an ASTech award in the category of health innovations for his development and commercialization of software that enables precision healthcare delivery in cardiovascular diagnostics.

37

Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn, MD, PhD

was appointed dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta.

Dr. S.R. Wayne Chen, PhD

was co-lead for a research project that revealed how a tiny molecule, calmodulin, modulates the cardiac ryanodine receptor, the heart’s calcium gateway. The resulting article was published in the prestigious journal Nature.

Dr. Sofia Ahmed, MD

was appointed the vice chair of research for the Department of Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine.

Dr. Ed O’Brien, MD

was featured during the coveted Late Breaking Science sessions at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress—the largest cardiology conference in the world. He shared his work on HSP27, a protein that offers hope to post-menopausal women concerned about their cardiovascular health.