NOSM Researcher Participating in Nationwide Haemophilus influenzae type a (Hia) Vaccine Study

Tuesday August 29th, 2017 Alexandra Poling Leave a comment

Dr. Marina Ulanova, researcher and professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), recently received a grant awarded by the Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) for the project titled Studies in support of a new vaccine to prevent invasive Haemophilus influenzae type a (Hia) disease in Canadian Indigenous communities.

The funding is provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to the Canadian Immunization Research Network to support 15 research projects across Canada. Ulanova, one of 15 principal investigators in Canada supported by these funds, received $423,518 of the budget allocated for the NOSM project for a period of two years.

Ulanova, who has been studying Haemophilus influenzae type a (Hia) at NOSM for more than ten years, says she knew from her previous research in Russia and Sweden that there were specific population groups who are vulnerable to infections—one of those groups being North American Indigenous Peoples. “I was always puzzled as an immunologist,” says Ulanova. “What is behind this? Why would people be more prone to develop certain infections in certain population groups? This is why I initiated the research, and it evolved from there.”

Having established collaborations with researchers across Canada and in Alaska, Ulanova and her team have contributed to the development of a new vaccine which is at the final stages of development at the National Research Council in Ottawa. “The goal of our current project is to provide evidence in support of immunization to prevent Haemophilus influenzae type a in Indigenous communities,” says Ulanova.

The project is in collaboration with researchers across Canada, including the Vaccine Evaluation Center(University of British Columbia), the Canadian Center for Vaccinology (Dalhousie University), the National Microbiology Laboratory, the National Research Council, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Alberta, the Montreal Children’s Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and others. Lakehead University faculty members, Drs. Kristin Burnett and Chris Sanders, and NOSM medical student, Eli Nix, are co-investigators on this project, which also involves collaboration with physicians at the Meno Ya Win Health Centre in Sioux Lookout and several regional Indigenous health centres.

This grant is an extension of one-year CIRN funding of $165,000 (2016-2017) awarded to Ulanova for the project titled Determination of burden of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type a (Hia) disease in Indigenous communities and study of their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours about Hia disease, vaccine, and clinical trials via a community engagement.

Alumni Stories, Indigenous Stories

“I feel a gravitation to small towns because of what you can do…”

Gallery Wednesday July 26th, 2017 Alexandra Poling

Source: Northern Ontario Medical Journal | 2017/07/26 Written by: Norm Tollinsky

“I feel a gravitation to small towns because of what you can do with family medicine in a rural environment,” said Francois, who grew up in Terrace Bay and Marathon. “You can work in the Emergency Department, find a niche and gear your practice to that. Plus, when you are working with a team of physicians in a small town, you really work together as a team to support each other.”

Photo of NOSM Graduate, Dr. Francois Doiron Working as a registered nurse with physicians at the Marathon Family Health Team turned out to be a life-changing experience for Francois Doiron.

“It was really inspiring to see an amazing team of physicians providing such excellent care with limited resources,” he confided. “Marathon is a prime example of rural medicine at its best. You have very close relationships with your patients and can have such a positive impact on their lives. That was the main reason I decided to go into medicine.”

Francois was accepted by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in 2013 and was based at the school’s Thunder Bay campus. He graduated in June 2017 and matched to NOSM’s two-year family medicine residency program in Thunder Bay.

Following completion of his residency, he hopes to practise medicine in a small town somewhere in Northern Ontario.

“I feel a gravitation to small towns because of what you can do with family medicine in a rural environment,” said Francois, who grew up in Terrace Bay and Marathon. “You can work in the Emergency Department, find a niche and gear your practice to that. Plus, when you are working with a team of physicians in a small town, you really work together as a team to support each other.”

During his four years of med school, Francois and his partner operated a small hobby farm in Kaministiquia, 40 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, raising chickens and turkeys. A passion for poultry and the availability of farmland will, therefore, factor into an ultimate decision on where in Northern Ontario they will end up.

A member of the Métis Nation, Francois was particularly touched by a one-month Aboriginal placement with the Eagle Lake First Nation near Dryden.

“It was a really amazing experience,” he said. “I grew up in Terrace Bay and Marathon – not on a reserve, so I didn’t have a connection with my Indigenous roots. Members of the community were so welcoming even though they didn’t know me at all. I was treated like family. Having that experience made me feel closer to my culture.”

NOSM’s distributed model of medical education also took him to Hearst, where he was based for his eight-month clerkship in third year, as well as to Marathon, Dryden and Mindemoya during his first two years of med school.

Aside from hitting the books and plucking turkeys, Francois enjoys cross-country skiing and hiking in Northern Ontario’s great outdoors.

Media Releases

NOSM Hosts Pathways to Well-Being Workshop in Thunder Bay

Thursday June 29th, 2017 Alexandra Poling Leave a comment

Gathering Addresses Youth Suicide in Northern and Indigenous Communities

On Wednesday, June 28, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) hosted a one-day workshop titled Pathways to Well-Being to address the high rates of youth suicide in Northern and Indigenous communities. The event, held in Thunder Bay, brought together 90 participants, including Indigenous Elders, youth, leadership, community members, and community-based health-care providers, to develop an action plan to create a future in Indigenous communities without suicide.

The one-day workshop comes from a recommendation made during NOSM’s Indigenous Research Gathering in Sault Ste. Marie in June 2016—shortly after a state of emergency was declared in Attawapiskat. “It was noted during the Indigenous Research Gathering that there were not many youth in attendance at the Gathering in Sault Ste. Marie,” says NOSM Dean, Dr. Roger Strasser. “It was also observed that Indigenous youth suicide was too common in their communities. Those observations led to today’s Pathways to Well-Being workshop.”

After hearing about death prevention and life promotion from Dr. Ed Connors, an Indigenous psychologist and leader in his field, participants discussed in small groups topics such as Traditional Ways, meaningful conversations, the role of communities, and the role of health-care providers. One of the key outcomes of the Pathways to Well-Being workshop is a commitment to develop a multi-year plan, led by a Steering Committee with representation from across the Northern Ontario.

“As a medical school with an explicit mandate to be accountable to the peoples we serve, we continually seek the guidance of our Indigenous partners to ensure activities are directed towards the priority health concerns of Northern Ontarians,” says Strasser. “We hope the work started here today will support Indigenous communities in creating a future where youth thrive and envision exciting opportunities for themselves throughout their lives.”

The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minster of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour and MP, Thunder Bay-Superior North, spoke to Pathways to Well-Being participants. Philpott spoke to the federal government’s commitment to addressing the shortage of Indigenous health professionals in Canada and announced the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are investing $8 million to form a cross-country mentorship network for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples considering a career in health research.

Photo caption (left to right): Ms. Valerie Ooshag; Chief Arlene Slipperjack; Mr. Jason Smallboy, Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Deputy Grand Chief; Dr. Charles Branch, Co-Chair, NOSM Indigenous Reference Group; Hon. Jane Philpott, Minister of Health; Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean; Hon. Patty Hajdu, Minster of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour and MP, Thunder Bay-Superior North; and, Mr. Don Rusnak, MP, Thunder Bay-Rainy River.

NOSM University