Awards/Announcements

 

New Senior ARP Analyst for DCNS

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Essi Rust to the position of Senior ARP Analyst with the Department of Clinical Neurosciences as of November 28, 2011.

Essi comes to us from the Alberta Cancer Screening Program, where he worked as a Senior Statistical Analyst. Since joining the Alberta Cancer Board in 2008, Essi specialized in Performance Measurement and Quality Indicators of cancer screening; he also provided daily support for the Cancer Screening Program’s operations.

 Prior to joining AHS, Essi has more than 10 years of experience in the public and private sectors, in areas such as the Oil and Gas, Medical, and Consulting.  Essi holds a Bachelor of Statistics and a Master in Business Administration.  He was recently certified in Quality Management by the American Association of Quality. 

Please join us in welcoming Essi to the Department!

Interim Regional Manager for DCNS - Kitty Dang

Kitty Dang with her dog Eve

We are pleased to announce that Kitty Dang has been appointed Interim Regional Manager for the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services.

Kitty obtained a BSc in Applied Chemistry from the University of Calgary and MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University. At York, she specialized in Strategic and Health Industry Management. Over the past 10 years, Kitty has worked in the public and private sectors, gaining experience in a variety of fields including biotechnology, energy, education, healthcare, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications.  She served as Project and Business Development Manager for i2s Technologies and Distribution Supervisor and Business Process Coordinator for Johnson & Johnson Medical Products.

Since 2008, Kitty has been the Academic Alternate Relationship Plan (AARP) Manager for the Division of Neurology.

In her new role, she will guide our three departmental AARP units, administer relationships with the Faculty of Medicine and Alberta Health Services, and provide financial oversight.

Please join us in welcoming Kitty in her new role in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

The Department Welcomes Dr. Chester Ho -
New Division Head for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

We are pleased to announce Dr. Chester Ho as the new Division Head of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for the Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCNS), Faculty of Medicine and Alberta Health Services.

Dr. Ho joins us from the Louis Stokes Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Cleveland Ohio, where he was Chief of the Spinal Cord Injury Program. In Cleveland, he was instrumental in the development of a highly successful Tele-health system for rehabilitation. His program is now the model for VA centers across the United States. Dr. Ho was an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Case Western Reserve University. 

Dr. Ho received his undergraduate and medical education degrees at the University of Cambridge in England. After an internship in Internal Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, he moved to Boston to train in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Subsequently, he was a fellow in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey and Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Newark, New Jersey.

Dr. Ho’s main clinical and research interests span the field of spinal cord injury rehabilitation, with a special focus on the management of pressure ulcers – a significant problem after spinal cord injury.  Dr. Ho has received numerous awards over the years, and currently serves on the editorial board for the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is also the Chairperson for the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals Clinical Practice Committee.

Please join us in welcoming him to Calgary and to his new role.

 

Calgary Medical Students Clean Up for Cancer Research

2010 head shaving event for cancerMedical students at UCalgary’s Faculty of Medicine are once again shaving their heads for charity. On Friday, February 18th, from 1 – 3 pm in the in the Health Sciences Centre, 13 students and the Faculty’s very own Adele Myers, will be letting their hair down to raise funds for brain cancer clinical research through the Canadian Cancer Society.

Please visit their website to find a link to the Canadian Cancer Society team web-page, or to donate and support their brave    contribution to charity: http://www.calgaryheadshave.com/.

WHAT: Med Students Shave their Heads for Cancer Research
When: Friday, February 18, 2011, 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Where: Atrium, Health Sciences Centre (outside the Libin Theatre)

For more information regarding this event, please contact Urooj Chaudry, Canadian Federation of Medical Students Representative: utchaudr@ucalgary.ca, (403) 470 – 9750.

Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40

by Tracy Johnson

Nathalie Jetté Neurologist, Assistant Professor University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine
Age: 39
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Why she’s the top: Jetté is considered one of the top epilepsy researchers in Canada. She has developed the first holistic approach to studying all aspects of epilepsy and its impact on people’s lives.
The key to her success: “You have to work hard, and you have to have a passion for what you do. I absolutely love what I do.”
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Nathalie Jetté was one of those kids who knew exactly what she was going to do with her life, and nothing was going to stop her.

When her beloved grandmother fell ill with Alzheimer’s and stopped recognizing her, Jetté decided she would cure the disease. She didn’t come from a medical family, but that didn’t matter; she collected three degrees specializing in neurology and after a prestigious fellowship in New York, she landed here in Calgary. There’s just one twist in the tale: her specialty isn’t Alzheimer’s anymore — it’s epilepsy.

“My brother has epilepsy,” says Jetté. “But he’s been very well-controlled, so it didn’t have the same impact on me as my grandmother’s Alzheimer’s. I was very close to her and found it difficult when she stopped recognizing me.”

When Jetté was in medical school she completed a neurology residency that helped her realize how many treatment options were available to those with epilepsy. She was excited to see how possible it was to control seizures and improve people’s lives.

As a neurologist in the Department of of Clinical Neurosciences at UCalgary’s Faculty of Medicine, Jetté wears many hats and has the work ethic one needs to hold multiple roles. A big chunk of her time goes to working with patients, but she also teaches neurology, health services research and population health to undergraduate and graduate students, nurses, medical residents and post-doctoral fellows.

Then comes the research; in the past few years, Jetté has developed the world’s first comprehensive health services research program in epilepsy. This approach to research takes a holistic view of studying the disease, looking at everything from social factors and personal behaviour, to the cost of health care.
Jetté’s focus is eliminating seizures in her patients. “It’s one of the most-important issues in epilepsy. If you have even one seizure a year, you can’t even drive,” she says.

As a researcher and neurologist, Jetté says, it’s especially rewarding to notice improvements in patients who have been suffering. “Seeing them a few weeks later after starting treatment, and witnessing significant improvement in their symptoms and quality of life is just so satisfying,” she says.

One of the ways Jetté has tried to eliminate seizures for her patients is by trying to reduce the time it takes for an epileptic to be referred for surgery by a family doctor. Right now, it can take as long as 20 years. Yes, years. Jetté sees that time lag as a major problem, so she created a web-based rating system that helps physicians decide who is a good candidate for epilepsy surgery. The system launched this fall. “If I could reduce that 20 years to even 10, it would make a big difference,” she says.

John R. Graham Clinicians’ Forum Award

				Dr. Werner Becker, a neurologist in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, is the recipient of the 2011 John R. Graham Clinicians’ Forum Award from the American Headache Society. The John R. Graham Award recognizes international leadership in research and education in the field of headache. Dr. Becker is the Director for two multidisciplinary headache programs within Alberta Health Services - the Calgary Headache Assessment and Management Program (CHAMP), and the Headache Program for the Chronic Pain Centre. In addition to his work in the diagnosis and management of headache disorders, Dr. Becker is also dedicated to improving the quality of care for patients in the Calgary zone. Dr. Becker will receive the award in Washington, DC next spring.

Outstanding Clinician Award 2009

Dr. Elizabeth MacRae, Clinical Associate Professor and Neurosurgeon with the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, has been awarded the Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) Staff Association’s Outstanding Clinician Award for 2009.

With a broad and varied career, Dr. MacRae continues to set herself apart from the rest. After completing a rotating internship, she finished a year in internal medicine followed with another year of research in endocrinology. Dr. MacRae then left to do family practice for a couple of years before returning to do her residency in Neurology, and obtained her FRCPC in 1977. Neurosurgery then beckoned and she obtained her FRCSC in 1981, before moving to Calgary, Alberta to work at the Foothills Medical Centre in 1982. She has devoted herself to this community ever since.

Dr. MacRae specializes in skull base neurosurgery, trauma, sports injuries, and general neurosurgery. Nominated by her peers, the Outstanding Clinician Award recognizes her outstanding commitment to the patients, staff, and students of the Foothills Hospital and the Calgary community.  Dr. MacRae received her award at the FMC Staff Association’s annual spring dinner on April 16, 2010.

Coutts receives Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Award 

 

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has awarded the 2010 Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Award to Dr. Shelagh Coutts, Stroke Neurologist in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, for her research in TIA and stroke care.

The Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership prize is awarded to neurologists who have made very significant contributions to stroke research as a young investigator. Dr. Coutts follows in the footsteps of Drs. Andrew Demchuk and Michael Hill, also of Clinical Neurosciences, who are previous winners of the prestigious award. Coutts will receive the award during the AAN’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, held April 10-17, 2010.

 

Smith recipient of  Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award

Dr. Eric Smith, Stroke Neurologist in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, has received the Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.  

In recognition of Dr. Robert G. Siekert, founding chairman of the American Heart Association’s International Conference on Stroke and Cerebral Circulation, this award honours the most promising new investigator at the International Stroke Conference. Smith will present his work titled: "Prediction of In-Hospital Stroke Mortality Using Data from the Get with the Guidelines Stroke Registry," at the International Stroke Conference 2010.

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Date Updated: 2010-11-04