January 2015
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NEWS @ MEDICINE
 
Message from Dean Trevor Young

Happy New Year to all of our alumni. This month, I take on the role of U of T’s newest Dean of Medicine, a position I begin with great enthusiasm and with much gratitude to my predecessor, Cathy Whiteside.

In the coming months, one of my first goals will be to meet as many alumni, faculty members and staff as possible, to learn how our Faculty can support your professional needs and goals, and to hear your ideas on how we can make our Faculty the best it can be.
Like you, I’m an alumnus of Canada’s most prestigious school of medicine. Alumni play an important role in advancing our Faculty’s international reputation for excellence in health research, education and care. You have helped drive the success of our unprecedented Boundless campaign by helping to raise a staggering $400 million – and counting – of our ambitious half-billion dollar goal. Thank you for helping to keep our Faculty strong.

You’re an incredible resource for our faculty members, students and one another. You are a powerful network, tens of thousands strong, engaged in treating and curing disease and unraveling the mysteries of human health, every day.

I believe we live in an exciting time for medicine. Discoveries in basic science are turning fatal diseases into chronic conditions. But longer lives and the rise of chronic disease mean more people are living with complex conditions. It’s essential that we evolve to meet these changes head-on. The health care world depends on leading medical schools like ours to provide guidance and support. We can do it, but not without the expertise of the entire Faculty of Medicine community, including those on the front lines of discovery and care – our alumni around the world.

The first step is to get involved – or more deeply involved. This year, I hope you’ll make a resolution to attend an alumni event, whether a networking opportunity, lecture or course. I hope to see you on campus soon!

Trevor Young
Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Vice-Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions

In Memorium

On December 22, 2014, the Faculty of Medicine community lost a leader and a true gentleman, Dr Don Cowan. Don was an expert clinician, a generous mentor, award-winning teacher and leader. He was also the inaugural recipient of the Dean’s Alumni Volunteer Award in 2013.
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Alumni Library Access

A question occasionally asked of the University of Toronto Libraries is, “why don’t alumni have access to online resources?” The short answer is that the current business model practised by most publishers makes the cost of providing access to alumni prohibitively expensive.
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FACULTY IN THE HEADLINES
 
David Jenkins Bloomberg Prize
2014 Bloomberg Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health
Professor David Jenkins (Department of Nutritional Sciences) has won McGill’s 2014 Bloomberg Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health. Prof. Jenkins’s research helps people make healthy eating choices that can lower cholesterol and blood glucose, prevent chronic disease and provide long-term health benefits. He is the first Canadian to win the prize.
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Alex Mihailidis “Age-Well” Grant
Dr. Alex Mihailidis, BASc’96, MASc’98, Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, received a $36.6 million federal grant for AGE-WELL. An initiative which will lead the design and implementation of affordable, accessible technology to benefit the lives of older Canadians, enabling them to lead more independent lives.
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HIGHLIGHTS
 
EarthTones
Last fall, EarthTones, a benefit concert organized by Faculty of Medicine students, raised $10,000 for charity. Each year EarthTones chooses two charities to benefit from their fundraising efforts. This year’s organizations were Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief and U of T UNICEF. The annual concert was held on St. George Campus in the Isabel Bader Theatre and attracted an audience of over 300 people. The dynamic evening featured the musical talents of students and faculty members from the health profession Faculties. Musical acts included a brother and sister team, a spoken word poet, a rock cover band and many accomplished classically trained musicians. Medical student Jonah Himelfarb (‘1T8) played host for the event.

U of T Medicine Professor and Alumnus Promotes the Tools of Justice Around the World
Over the next three years, Dr. Michael Pollanen will organize a conference of the International Association of Forensic Sciences, which will take place in Toronto in 2017.
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OC Appointment
U of T Medicine Professors Brenda Gallie, Shafique Keshavjee, Laurence Klotz, Wendy Levinson, Norman Emilio Marcon and Catherine Zahn have been named to the Order of Canada – the nation’s highest civilian honour.
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FROM OUR COMMUNITY
Dean Trevor Young
@UofTMedDean

Enjoying my first day on the job. I’m excited to work with all the great students,
faculty and staff at #UofTMed.
     
 
SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
 
Brian Goldman
Dr. Brian Goldman (MD ’80) is a longtime emergency room specialist at Mount Sinai hospital, a medical journalist, writer and broadcaster. His most recent book, The Secret Language of Doctors, interprets some of the invented “slang” doctors use amongst their peers in hospitals across North America.
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Share your news with us for a chance to be our next alumni in the spotlight.Email alumni.medicine@utoronto.ca
 
U OF T MEDICINE MAGAZINE
 
Whisper to Shout: Raising the Volume on Patient Advocacy and Engagement
When Gary Bloch was a young doctor, he assumed that if an illness could be treated, his patients would get better. But years of working with low-income Torontonians have taught him that poverty is a serious barrier to good health.
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EVENTS
 
February 4, 2015   DNS Career Night - Toronto
   
February 7, 2015   Otolaryngology Update and Dinner - Toronto
   
February 19-20, 2015   Institute on Advancing Pain Assessment and Management - Toronto
   
February 21, 2015   Daffydil Alumni Night - Toronto
   
February 24, 2015   The Promise and Perils of Complementary Medicine with Prof. Lynda Balneaves
   
March 23, 2015   Lab Medicine and Pathobiology Alumni Event - Boston
For more information contact Joanne D’Angelo at joanne.dangelo@utoronto.ca or (416) 978-2557
   
March 27, 2015   Orthopaedic Surgery Alumni Event - Las Vegas, NV
RSVP to Dr. Dan Stojimirovic at Orthopaedics.admin@utoronto.ca or (416) 946 7957
   
April 23, 2015   Dept. of Surgery Alumni Reception - San Diego, CA
For more information contact Morgan Tilley at morgan.tilley@utoronto.ca or (416) 978 3588
   
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