The Ontario government is strengthening the health care and prosperity of northerners by investing in a new Cancer and Cardiac Research Centre in Thunder Bay, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced today.

“All of us know family and friends receiving cancer or cardiac care, and we all know how important research is to bringing our loved ones back to full health,” said Premier McGuinty. “This research will not only benefit northerners, but Ontarians and Canadians whose health care could depend on the answers this type of research will provide.”

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation will provide $2,214,167 to make the former site of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Cancer Centre suitable for the new research facility.

The Cancer and Cardiac Research Centre is expected to house several different research initiatives that will be supported by local medical professionals, educational institutions and private sector partners.

“The new centre will enable researchers to compile a wealth of oncological and cardiac- related knowledge that will contribute immensely to ongoing research efforts,” said Thunder Bay- Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle. “We are pleased to bring such research excellence to the North.”

“Creating jobs in new emerging technology and health care sectors throughout the North is a priority for our government,” said Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro. “This project will create more than 25 jobs within the health care sector in the pursuit of life-saving modern medical treatment.”
“By bringing first class health care research to northern Ontario, we are strengthening the health and prosperity of hard working northerners and their families,” said Premier McGuinty.

Dr. Stephen Kish will be the guest speaker at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s monthly Symposium on April 21, 2005. Dr. Kish’s presentation, “The Recreational Drug Ecstasy (MDMA): Brain Neurotoxin or Therapeutic”, will review the “science” of ecstasy, and assess the strength of the evidence of neurotoxicity in humans and the possibility that the drug might be helpful in the treatment of patients with some anxiety disorders.

It is not uncommon for family physicians to encounter young patients with a wide range of psychiatric complaints, who suggest that their condition is a direct consequence of repeated exposure to ecstasy. Dr. Kish will discuss this illicit recreational drug that continues to be controversial. Expert opinions differ on ecstasy’s long-term harm effects, and whether ecstasy has some clinical use in psychiatry.

Dr. Kish is Head of the Human Neuro Chemical Pathology Laboratory at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, and Professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Toronto. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. He is presently leading a team of scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Studies on the behavior and brains of young users of ecstasy. To date, he remains the only researcher who has published postmortem brain Neuro chemical findings on people who chronically used these amphetamine derivatives.

The Symposium will be broadcast from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, East campus, Willet Green Miller Centre, 8th Floor, Laurentian University, Sudbury from 12 to 1:30 pm, Eastern time. It can be viewed via videoconference at the School’s West campus located at Advanced Technology & Academic Centre, 6th floor, Room 6022, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay. Limited seating is available at each site. Please contact Sherry Carlucci at (705) 662-7257 to reserve a spot.

Health professionals may participate in the Symposium at NORTH Network sites throughout the region. Individuals may view the live webcast from their computers by going to www.normed.ca for web cast setup and details.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine and NORTH Network will present a symposium via video conference and webcast on Thursday, February 26, 2004 from noon to 1:30 pm. Guest Speaker Michael Farkouh. MD, is returning to his hometown of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, to address the connection between heart disease and diabetes. Incidence rates of both heart disease and diabetes are higher in Northern Ontario than in the rest of the province.

Dr. Farkouh is internationally known for his work on the management of acute coronary syndromes in the emergency room. He has a special interest and expertise in the field of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients. He is currently lead researcher for numerous clinical trials on questions related to diabetes and heart disease. Dr. Farkouh is the Associate Director of the New York University Cardiovascular Clinical Research Centre, a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dr. Tim Zmijowskyj, Northern Ontario School of Medicine Division Head of Clinical Sciences will facilitate “The Heart Disease and Diabetes Link” symposium. Video conference viewers will be invited to interact with the speakers by providing comments or asking questions. Webcast viewers will be invited to submit questions via email for Dr. Farkouh to address during the symposium.

The symposium will broadcast from the East campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine at Laurentian University, Willet Green Miller Centre, 8th Floor, Sudbury, from 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm, Eastern Time. It can be viewed via videoconference at the School’s West campus in the Lakehead University Braun Building, Room 1072. Limited seating is available at each site. Please contact Sherry at (705) 662-7257 to reserve a spot.

Health professionals may participate in the Symposium at NORTH Network sites throughout the region. Individuals may view the live webcast from their computers by going early to www.normed.ca for webcast setup and details.
The monthly Medical School Symposia discuss topics of interest to health professionals, educators, potential students, and Northern Ontario communities.
A new medical school for the whole of Northern Ontario, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a joint venture of Lakehead and Laurentian Universities. With main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury, we will have multiple teaching and research sites distributed across Northern Ontario, in large and small communities. The School contributes to improving the health of people in Northern Ontario.