Faculty of Medicine Experts in the News: Week of January 9

Friday, January 13, 2012

Dr. Mark Clemons from the Department of Medicine provided commentary in an Ottawa Citizen feature on genetic profiling in cancer care. Genetic testing has helped doctors prescribe the most accurate and effective treatments for patients while avoiding harmful and unnecessary side effects for recipients, as well as saving money in nationwide drug spending.
The Vancouver Sun analyzed a report by Statistics Canada, co-written by Dr. Kevin Pottie, which found that metro Vancouver living is difficult on immigrants’ health. Inflated housing prices, a challenging employment market and centralized health care are contributing factors, according to the study.

A Statistics Canada chart in the report revealed that male newcomers to Vancouver are twice as likely experience poor health in comparison with male immigrants to Toronto. Female immigrants are one and a half times more likely to experience health struggles.

Dr. Pottie is an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine.
The Eastern Ontario region will be receiving $3.8 million in provincial funding to boost the numbers of health care workers in a program to provide better care for patients with dementia and other neurological disorders who experience behavioural problems. The program aims to cut down the numbers of patients in hospital stays and keep patients in their homes, while improving dementia care at long-term facilities. “It is not only more efficient to treat persons with (challenging) behaviours where they live, it is more humane,” said Dr. Frank Molnar, Division of Geriatric Medicine.
The Globe and Mail produced a small feature on the value of an annual physical examination, which has been debated within the medical community, and featured commentary from Dr. Cleo Mavriplis, assistant professor of family medicine at the Faculty.
A feature by Maclean’s on the fall of vaccination rates quoted Dr. Kumanan Wilson from the Department of Medicine. Public health experts maintain that approximately 95 per cent of the population must be vaccinated in order to provide “herd immunity”, the critical mass that stops a contagious disease. Declining vaccination rates mean that preventable diseases may begin re-appearing. “Measles is the one we’d expect to see first, because it’s so infectious,” said Dr. Wilson. “Hopefully we will see this resolve before polio or worse emerge.”
In an article on obesity in Canada, the Ottawa Sun cited research by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) which revealed that 70 per cent of Ontario adults are overweight or obese.
Dr. Atul Kapur from the Department of Emergency was featured on CFRA online, saying immigrants in Ontario who tested positive for tuberculosis should receive coverage under OHIP immediately. The delay in coverage for immigrants who develop active tuberculosis increases the risk of serious infectious diseases in the community, according to Dr. Katur.
Dr. Duncan Stewart and Dr. John Bell were cited in a CBC article on the Ontario government’s recent decision to cut $66 million in health research, which will affect cancer and heart disease treatment. Dr. Stewart called the cuts in funding a “concern”, adding “It was a very important decision and we are very concerned about its impact.”

Dr. Bell, whose cancer research has made prominent headlines in recent months, said his team needed to conduct more clinical trials. “Without that extra funding we can’t really commercialize (the therapies) and really develop them here in Ontario where we want to,” said Dr. Bell. “The most important thing as far as I’m concerned is getting the product to people.”

Dr. Stewart and Dr. Bell are both professors in the Department of Medicine.
Faculty of Medicine students were featured in an Ottawa community newspaper for a good cause. The Orléans Star highlighted the volunteer efforts of first-year student Steven Gravelle, who works with Smiling Over Sickness, and second-year student Pamela Lai, a coordinator for Shave for the Cure.

Smiling Over Sickness is a student-run organization at the Faculty and will be hosting its ninth annual Shave for the Cure event at the Ottawa 67’s hockey game on February 24. All proceeds go to the Canadian Cancer Society.