The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is seeking three (3) volunteer members to join its Francophone Reference Group (FRG): one (1) Francophone clinical-preceptor from a rural area in Northern Ontario; one (1) Francophone community member from northeastern Ontario; and, one (1) Francophone community member from northwestern Ontario.

The Francophone Reference Group is an integral part of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. It is a multi-disciplinary committee that advises the Dean on all pertinent initiatives relating to Francophone health, research, education, and administration. The FRG provides an important mechanism through which members of Francophone communities in the North are able to have substantive input into the School’s operations and priorities.

As a volunteer with the FRG, the incumbent would serve for a three-year term and would:

• Provide insight, direction, and guidance to the Dean.
• Contribute to NOSM’s unique mandate to be socially accountable to the people and communities that the School serves.
• Ensure that the interests of Francophones continue to be accurately reflected in the direction of the School.
• Monitor and evaluate the implementation of the FRG strategic plan.
• Attend FRG meetings on a quarterly basis.

Interested applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and one (1) written references for consideration. All applicants must explain why they feel they would be best suited for this position.

Applications, enquiries, and expressions of interest should be forwarded to:

Danielle Barbeau-Rodrigue
Director, Francophone Affairs
Phone: 705-662-7291
Email: dbarbeaurodrigue@nosm.ca

The application deadline is Friday, March 20, 2015.

For information regarding the volunteer position with NOSM’s Francophone Reference Group, please contact:

Danielle Barbeau-Rodrigue
Director, Francophone Affairs
Phone: 705-662-7291
Email: dbarbeaurodrigue@nosm.ca

New research aims to prevent severe infections among those suffering from chronic kidney disease

A Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) faculty member is leading a team of researchers to find an optimal strategy to prevent severe pneumococcal infections in First Nations people suffering from chronic kidney disease-research that will be furthered by a $100,086 grant from Pfizer.

Dr. Marina Ulanova, NOSM Professor of Immunology and principal investigator, is heading a team of researchers along with co-investigator Dr. William McCready, NOSM Professor of Internal Medicine and Chief of Staff at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC).

Pneumococcal infection is particularly common in people suffering from severe kidney disease. This type of infection can cause pneumonia, blood poisoning (sepsis) or, less commonly, meningitis. “To prevent these serious conditions, everyone with severe kidney disease should be immunized against pneumococcal infection. However, even after vaccination, some people remain vulnerable,” says Dr. Marina Ulanova. “The current vaccine, Pneumovax®, is very efficient in building protective immunity in individuals with a normal immune system, but not in those with weakened immune systems, such as people with severe kidney disease.”

“This serious condition develops most commonly as a result of diabetes. In individuals with diabetes, kidney function declines gradually over time resulting in kidney disease,” explains Ulanova. “People suffering from severe kidney disease have to be on hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis therapy and eventually need to receive a kidney transplant. Kidney disease weakens the immune systems of these patients, causing them to be vulnerable to infections.”

A new, more effective vaccine called Prevnar13® has recently become available. This vaccine is already included among the routine vaccinations young children receive starting at two months of age. This vaccine is also used to immunize adults with HIV infection and people who have received a bone marrow transplant. The Public Health Agency of Canada has recently approved the use of Prevnar13® for the vaccination of adults suffering from chronic kidney disease, but specific recommendations have not yet been developed.

To help determine the optimal vaccination strategy, Ulanova’s team of researchers have recently initiated a clinical trial of this vaccine in patients with severe chronic kidney disease attending the Renal Services at TBRHSC.

Their objective is to develop the optimal protocol for prevention of pneumococcal infection in this vulnerable patient population. As almost 50% of the patient population at TBRHSC’s renal services are First Nations people, the research team is paying special attention to the effectiveness of this vaccine in people of Aboriginal background.

Research conducted in populations of Aboriginal Peoples outside of Northern Ontario, such as Navajo and Alaska Natives, found pneumococcal infection rates three to five times higher compared to the general population in the United States. Importantly, in Navajo people, chronic kidney disease was identified as an important risk factor for pneumococcal infection. While the specific reasons for increased rates of pneumococcal infection among North American Aboriginal Peoples are uncertain, the vaccination strategy must take into account the needs of Aboriginal Peoples.

During the clinical trial, while monitoring the immune response of individual participants to Prevnar13®, Ulanova’s research team will be looking at patients’ ethnic backgrounds. “It is possible the immunization protocol may have to be adjusted to ensure everyone receives adequate protection. We are confident that our research will result in an optimal strategy to prevent severe infections in First Nations people suffering from chronic kidney disease,” says Ulanova.

Last week, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and the Bring a Doctor Home Hockey Tournament both celebrated their tenth anniversaries during the week-long hockey tournament held in Sault Ste. Marie.

Each year, employees, retirees, and volunteers of Essar Steel Algoma face off on the ice to raise money for NOSM students who hail from Sault Ste. Marie. During an appreciation event on January 22, 2015, Tournament Director Hal Mogg and NOSM’s Advancement Manager Gail Brescia unveiled a hockey banner to recognize the more than $25,000 that the Bring a Doctor Home Hockey Tournament raised last year in support of student bursaries.

Since the Bring a Doctor Home Hockey Tournament’s inception, more than $270,000 has been raised for¬ student bursaries that support NOSM medical students raised in the Sault. In addition, the community of Sault Ste. Marie has recruited 18 NOSM-trained physicians since the tournament began.

Community First Credit Union continued their support of the Bring a Doctor Home Hockey Tournament this year by collecting over $1,000 in donations in their two local branches, and by donating an additional $1,500 to directly support NOSM students. Community First Credit Union has also created an additional bursary for NOSM medical students, currently valued at $104,000.

“The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is so pleased to be celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and we’re doing so with gratitude to the many people and communities across the North that make NOSM possible,” says Dr. David Marsh, NOSM Deputy Dean and Associate Dean of Community Engagement. “On behalf of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, I am very grateful to the volunteers and employees of Essar Steel Algoma, to Community First Credit Union, and to the community of Sault Ste. Marie for the generous financial and emotional support that they provide to our learners.”

“Organizations such as Essar Steel Algoma, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and Community First Credit Union share the same value of community,” says Brent Lamming, CEO of Community First Credit Union. “All three of our organizations know how important physicians are to Sault Ste. Marie. We’ve all come together to proudly support bringing doctors home locally.”

“This is the tenth year of the tournament, and we are very excited to see the fruits of our labour,” says Hal Mogg, Tournament Director and employee of Essar Steel Algoma Inc. “These students are our children and grandchildren, and are returning home to fill a shortage that is shared by all Northern communities. We can’t express how gratified we are that the students and graduates of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine choose to be with us in the Sault.”

“A bursary like the Bring a Doctor Home Bursary not only alleviates financial burdens that we have as students, but also points to how much support medical students receive from the people of Sault Ste. Marie,” says Wilson Stephenson, NOSM medical student who grew up in Sault Ste. Marie. “On behalf of NOSM students, I’d like to thank everyone here who has made us feel so welcome, appreciated, and as though the work we’re doing in medical school is going to bring something back to this community.” Stephenson was one of two NOSM medical students to play in the Bring a Doctor Hockey Tournament this year.

Photo caption: Bring a Doctor Home Executive Members with NOSM medical students at a volunteer appreciation event held on Thursday, January 22, 2014.