New Associate Deans of Research and Undergraduate Medical Education

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Penny Moody-Corbett as Associate Dean of Research and Senior Associate Dean of NOSM’s Lakehead Campus, and Dr. David Musson as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education. Both Drs. Moody-Corbett and Musson will be based in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

“It is with excitement that we welcome Dr. Moody-Corbett and Dr. Musson to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “Both Dr. Moody-Corbett and Dr. Musson bring values, research interests, and breadth of experience that complement NOSM’s vision of Innovative education and research for a healthier North. I look forward to working with them to improving the health of the people and communities of Northern Ontario, and wish them much success in their new appointments.”

Both appointments take effect on July 1, 2014.

On June 6 – 7, 2014, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) held its ninth annual Northern Health Research Conference (NHRC) at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre (SLMHC) in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. Hosted in the Josias Fiddler Conference Room, conference participants were welcomed by SLMHC, the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority and Lac Seul First Nation.

“This is the first time the Northern Ontario School of Medicine has hosted the Northern Health Research Conference in Sioux Lookout – one of many communities that provide essential support to the School by welcoming medical students, residents, and dietetic interns into their local hospital, health centres, and family practices,” says NOSM Dean, Dr. Roger Strasser. “We are pleased to be engaging local health-care professionals, researchers, and students in topics relating to the people and communities in Northern Ontario as we work towards the School’s vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North.”

Conference Highlights

• The first keynote address was delivered by Dr. Michael Schull, the President and CEO of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto and Saba Khan, an epidemiologist with ICES. The title of their presentation was New Opportunities for working with Aboriginal Health Data at ICES. The second keynote address was delivered by Dr. Donald Redelmeier, Senior Scientist and Director at ICES. The title of his presentation was Pregnancy and the Risk of a Traffic Crash.
• A special session was organized for high school students from Sioux Lookout. Hosted by NOSM’s Aboriginal Affairs, Admissions and Francophone Affairs units, the session provided youth with an opportunity to learn about health research from a NOSM researcher; health careers from an Aboriginal NOSM alumni and practising physician; about the School’s MD program from a NOSM medical student; and, how to prepare for and apply to medical school at NOSM. Students also had an opportunity to hear conference presentations and view poster presentations. Feedback received from the students was that, by participating in the session, they are now more interested in health-care careers and research. In particular, the youth enjoyed speaking with an Aboriginal NOSM graduate who is now practising in Northern Ontario.
• Conference participants had the opportunity to hear presentations from a wide variety of organizations, including: researchers based at NOSM; universities across the North, including Laurentian University, Lakehead University, and Algoma University; the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research; partner organizations; and, hospitals in Thunder Bay and Sudbury. It was particularly exciting to see a number of presentations from current or former NOSM learners.
• This year, conference delegates participated in a community dinner in Lac Seul First Nation. After a dinner of wild rice, fish, and moose, Chief Clifford Bull welcomed delegates to the community, and presented NOSM’s Dean, Dr. Roger Strasser, with a painting to commemorate the visit. The painting will hang at NOSM’s campus at Lakehead University in the medical school building.

Dr. Marina Ulanova, Researcher and Associate Professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and her colleagues have made important steps towards development of a vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae type A (HIA), an invasive bacterial pathogen capable of causing serious infections that can lead to permanent disability, brain damage, and deafness. This work is carried out in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

“Northwestern Ontario has the second largest number of cases of Haemophilus influenzae type A, after the Canadian Arctic,” says NOSM Associate Professor Dr. Marina Ulanova. “In addition, we have discovered that Haemophilus influenzae type A occurs at a much higher rate among First Nations peoples compared to the rest of the population in Northwestern Ontario.”

“Historically, there have been many examples of unethical scientific research conducted on First Nations people,” says Dr. Eli Nix, NOSM Postdoctoral Fellow. “As a result many are hesitant to become involved in research today. We have been working with communities, council members in health portfolios, tribal health authorities, and regional health centers to ensure that our research is inclusive and collaborative, with the goal of building long-term relationships. We’re very invested in making sure that our research is done in a culturally competent and appropriate way.”

“We have found that First Nations people have more potent antibodies than non-First Nations,” says Nix. “Our working hypothesis now is that there is a higher circulation of the bacteria among First Nations. This has the effect of boosting your immune system if you’re healthy, but may also result in higher rates of infection among people with weakened immune system.”

In addition to developing partnerships with many First Nations communities across Northern Ontario, Ulanova and Nix have been working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States. Their interest in the project stems from the high rates of the HIA in Alaska.

Although Ulanova and Nix’s study of HIA has been primarily focused on Northwestern Ontario, they plan to expand their research to other parts of the province to understand why these infections are largely confined to the Northwest.

“Our next big research question is: What is the epidemiology of this infection in other regions of Northern Ontario?” says Ulanova. “We know that in Canada, the infection is much more prevalent in northern areas than in southern areas. We plan to extend our research to gain more specific data about how and why the bacteria are in higher circulation in the North.”

“Development of the Haemophilus influenzae type A vaccine has the potential to significantly improve health outcomes by safeguarding patients against a harmful pathogen,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “I commend Drs. Ulanova and Nix and the members of their research team for undertaking important research that impacts the health of their fellow Northern Ontarians.”

Dr. Marina Ulanova will present at NOSM’s ninth annual Northern Health Research Conference (NHRC) regarding this research and the development of the vaccine. The NHRC will take place in Sioux Lookout in collaboration with the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre on June 6-7, 2014.