Folio News Story
January 7, 2005

Piper prize honours promising research efforts

Drs. Dennis Hall and Ron Plotnikoff singled out for groundbreaking work

by Geoff McMaster
Folio Staff
Drs. Dennis Hall and Ron Plotnikoff have earned the Martha Cook Piper Research Prize.
Drs. Dennis Hall and Ron Plotnikoff have
earned the Martha Cook Piper Research Prize.

A synthetic organic chemist and a researcher in health behaviour change are the recipients of the Martha Cook Piper Research Prize.

Dr. Ron Plotnikoff, who has a joint appointment with the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation and the Centre for Health Promotion Studies, and Dr. Dennis Hall of the Department of Chemistry, were recognized for showing exceptional research promise early in their careers. The prize is awarded by the Office of the Vice-President (Research) each year in two distinct areas: the sciences or engineering; and the general area of the humanities, social sciences, law, education and fine arts.

"I was delighted," Plotnikoff said on receiving his award. "It gets the word out that this (research) is meaningful and very relevant to the health of our population. We do have a problem with obesity and inactivity and the link of those things to heart disease and type 2 diabetes." Plotnikoff has been with the U of A since 1998, when he joined the Alberta Centre for Active Living, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation and Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry as a joint research associate.

Plotnikoff, an AHFMR Health Scholar, directs the Physical Activity and Population Health Research lab, testing theories and interventions related to physical activity in the community, workplaces, schools and clinics. He has done work identifying benefits of, and finding ways to promote, physical activity among various populations, including seniors, diabetics, cardiac patients and children.

"Really it's a focus on the prevention and treatment of diabetes and heart disease and on general health," said Plotnikoff. His lab emphasizes interdisciplinary research and involves partnerships with Capital Health, Alberta Health and Wellness and the Canadian Diabetes Association.

"It is a great credit to Dr. Plotnikoff that he has been able to develop such a comprehensive research record, while at the same time working to enhance the health of our Canadian population through the application of his work," said Dean of Physical Education and Recreation Dr. Mike Mahon.

Dr. Dennis Hall, who joined the U of A's chemistry department in 1997, works on the chemical synthesis of organic molecules used to develop new drugs, focusing particularly on the role of boronic acids in creating crucial chemical reactions.

"I was very happy and quite surprised," Hall said of the Piper Prize. "It's a special award in the sense that they're comparing apples and oranges. I'm not compared with other chemists - for this award they compare people from different departments and faculties, and I think this is the first award like that I've obtained."

One of Hall's biggest challenges, he says, is controlling the "stereochemistry" of the molecules he creates. Many molecules are formed in pairs, called enantiomers, which are mirror images of each other.

"Usually only one form is biologically active and gives the desired reaction," said Hall. "It's very important for chemists to develop reactions that are enantio-selective, so you can control which one you get."

Hall points to the thalidomide disaster of the 1960s as an example of enantiomers gone awry. Thalidomide caused severe birth defects in children whose mothers took the drug as a treatment for morning sickness. One molecule produced the desired result while its companion caused unexpected damage.

As a result, pharmaceutical companies are now expected to produce drugs in pure "anantiomeric" forms, said Hall, who hopes boronic acids will help him achieve that goal.

"Dennis Hall is a rarity," the chemistry department's nomination of Hall states. "Seldom does one see a relatively recently hired colleague follow such a steep arc to international distinction… He is a committed and effective educator, a generous departmental citizen, and an enthusiastic devotee of science and participant in the scientific community."

The Martha Cook Piper Research Prize was established to commemorate the significant contribution Dr. Martha Piper made to the research community while she was Vice-President (Research) and Vice-President (Research and External Affairs) at the University of Alberta between 1993 and 1996. Piper is current president of the University of British Columbia.