Cyanobacteria, known commonly as blue-green algae, pose a significant health risk for Northern Ontarians, especially for those who draw on lakes for summer recreation or drinking water. Exposure to cyanobacteria can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness, and numb limbs, among other symptoms. For these reasons, many waterways in Northern Ontario face closures due to the growth of blue-green algae blooms.

Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) researcher Dr. Joe Eibl, in collaboration with Gerry Dignard of Canadian Shield Consultants, are currently developing a new, faster method of screening lakes and waterways for blue-green algae blooms. Their research suggests that blue-green algae can be identified aerially, using photographic technology that can visualize pigments of the live bacteria.

Although the research is still in its validation stage, Eibl and Dignard have had great success in identifying blue-green algae blooms in Lake Nipissing in St. Charles, Ontario. This new screening method is faster than the current system of screening for blue-green algae, wherein samples are collected from approximately a dozen local lakes, analyzed in Toronto, then returned to Northern Ontario where the information is disseminated. In the current system, there is approximately a week between the time the water is tested, and the time the public is notified of a problem.

The project has been piloted with positive results. “We are able to detect the blue-green algae by repurposing technology which is used in the resource industry,” explains Dr. Joe Eibl, Northern Ontario School of Medicine Researcher and principal investigator in this project. “The chlorophyll in the blue-green algae is picked up by this photographic technology, allowing us to identify at-risk areas very quickly.”

In addition to providing community members with faster, more comprehensive information regarding blue-green algae bacteria in local lakes, Eibl and Dignard feel that this is the first step in ongoing research.

“The work still ahead of us is to come up with a technology or strategy to identify areas of concern at the early stage when the nutrients are starting to grow – before the algae really blooms,” explains Gerry Dignard, CEO of Canadian Shield Consultants. “Once we can identify potential areas of concern before they become a problem, then we can work towards solving the problem itself.”

Eibl and Dignard are currently in the process of narrowing the parameters to identify the ideal conditions for photographing lakes to provide reliable data. They plan to turn this into an off-the-shelf technology that can be used broadly across the North.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) held its Annual Members and Board of Directors meetings on Wednesday, September 18, 2013. These meetings were video-linked between the School’s West Campus at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and its East Campus at Laurentian University in Sudbury, with other Directors participating via teleconference.

The following members were thanked for their significant contribution to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, as their terms completed September 18, 2013:

• Dr. Roy Christopher Allison
• Ms. Tracy Buckler
• Mr. Derek Debassige
• Ms. Jacqueline Dojack
• Ms. Debbie Lipscombe
• Ms. Marianne Matichuk
• Ms. Rosie Mosquito
• Dr. Claire Perreault
• Dr. Lianne Villano

At the recommendation of the Board’s Governance Review Working Group, Directors of the Board voted to accept changes to NOSM By-Law No. 6 to reflect the responsibilities and functions of NOSM’s reconstituted Board. Comprised of 19 Directors, the new structure will give priority to the recruitment of different skills, expertise and experience of Board members, while still reflecting the geographic and demographic diversity of Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario, including Aboriginal, Francophone and rural and remote communities.

Changes to By-Law 6 include the adjustment of standing committees of the Board to include a Board Executive Committee; Finance, Audit, and Risk Management Committee; Governance Committee; and, a Nominations and Community Relations Sub-Committee to the Governance Committee.

In an overview of recent NOSM activities, Dr. Roger Strasser, Dean, conveyed to the Board that NOSM was thrilled to receive the prestigious ASPIRE award, which recognizes international excellence in medical education. Receipt of the ASPIRE award was based on NOSM’s success in fulfilling its social accountability mandate – the mission to direct its education, research, and service activities to address the priority health concerns of the communities of Northern Ontario.

The audited financial statements for the year ending April 30, 2013, and the Board approved that BDO Canada LLP be appointed as auditors for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2014.

The next Board of Directors meeting will be held in Thunder Bay on November 28 and 29, 2013.

For a complete list of Board members, please visit our website at  nosm.ca .

Contact:

news@nosm.ca

On Monday, September 9, 2013, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF), and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) introduced Dr. Sheldon Tobe as the new HSF/NOSM Chair in Aboriginal and Rural Health at the NOSM.

The creation of the HSF/NOSM Chair in Aboriginal and Rural Health is the result of a significant collaboration and a shared vision between the three organizations. A total of $3 million in funding from HSF and the MTCU, equally shared, has established an endowment that will support the research endeavours of the Chair well into the future. This has been further supplemented by NOSM with a $1 million multi-year commitment in start-up and operating funding.

“The Foundation is delighted with the appointment of Dr. Sheldon Tobe as the inaugural Heart and Stroke Foundation/Northern Ontario School of Medicine Chair in Aboriginal and Rural Health,” says Vincent Bowman, Director of Research, Ontario for the HSF. “He is a highly-regarded investigator who brings the right mix of experience, skills and tools to effectively engage with Aboriginal and rural community stakeholders in designing and implementing research that addresses priority cardiovascular health needs.”

Tobe’s research focuses on improving the lives of people who are at risk of, or who have been diagnosed with kidney disease by focusing on the diagnosis and control of hypertension. He has worked closely with many Canadian Aboriginal communities with his current research projects on blood-pressure management and introducing chronic-disease management programs for cardiovascular risk reduction.

The main focus of Tobe’s proposed research in the role of HSF/NOSM Chair in Rural and Aboriginal Health is to improve cardiovascular outcomes, reduce mortality, and increase quality of life for people with, or at risk of developing cardiovascular-renal disease. The primary goal of Dr. Tobe’s proposed research is preventing heart attack and stroke. Strategies to accomplish this goal include collaborations and partnerships with community members, community and academic health-care providers, and institutions.

“I am thrilled with the addition of Dr. Sheldon Tobe to our complement of researchers. Dr. Tobe has pre-established connections with Aboriginal communities and a very specialized expertise to share with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Dr. Tobe’s research focuses on improving cardiovascular outcomes, with the primary goal of preventing heart attack and stroke – initiatives that I am very excited about,” said Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM’s Dean. “Dr. Tobe’s passion for research and experience will assist us in working towards the School’s vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North . On behalf of NOSM, I congratulate Dr. Tobe and wish him every success.”

Additionally, through the generosity of TD Bank Group, the HSF has secured a $100,000 gift that will support second-year NOSM medical students in conducting research in Aboriginal communities. Over the next three summers, eight medical students will be funded to return to a community in which they have already lived to address a unique cardiovascular research concern that the community itself has identified. This funding expands HSF’s partnership with NOSM, and provides a critical bridge in helping the next generation of physicians and scientific investigators gain valuable research experience in a collaborative and culturally-sensitive way.

About the Northern Ontario School of Medicine
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is committed to the education of high quality physicians and health professionals, and to international recognition as a leader in distributed, learning-centered, community-engaged education and research.　

About the Heart and Stroke Foundation
The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. ‘Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen’. Heartandstroke.ca .