Me2 Majumdar Research and QI Awards
The quality of this year's Me2 Majumdar Research and QI submissions was exceptionally strong, making the adjudication process a challenge again this year.
The Department of Medicine thanks the Senaratne Charitable Trust who generously donated funds, demonstrating their commitment to promoting excellence in scientific research and quality improvement health-care initiatives.
- Dr. Gopinath Sutendra, Co-Associate Chair of Research, Department of Medicine
Scientific research Presentation Awards
Best Research Oral Presentation Runner-up
Recipient: Jiyuan Piao, postdoctoral scholar
Supervisor: Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, Division of Cardiology
Title: From snails to mammals: a novel inducer of snail hibernation promotes quiescence in fibroblasts and cardioprotection in mouse hearts under ischemia reperfusion stress
Authors: Jiyuan Piao, Yongneng Zhang, Yuan-Yuan Zhao, Patrick Hanington, Jacob Hambrook, Yongsheng Liu, John Ussher, Seyed Amirhossein Tabatabaei-Dakhili, Gopinath Sutendra, Evangelos D. Michelakis
Photo: Dr. Jiyuan Piao and Dr. Gopinath Sutendra
Best Research Oral Presentation
Recipient: Shivani Mandal, graduate student
Supervisor: Dr. Paul Forsythe, Division of Pulmonary Medicine
Title: Chronic airway inflammation is associated with sex-specific changes in behaviour, neuroinflammation and gut microbiota
Authors: Shivani Mandal, Marie Armbruster, Ritu Mann-Nuttel, Paul Forsythe
Photo: Shivani Mandal and Dr. Gopinath Sutendra
Best Quality Improvement Oral Presentation
Recipient: Soraiya Lalani, medical student
Supervisor: Dr. Pamela Mathura and Dr. Jennifer Ringrose, Division of General Internal Medicine
Title: Piloting a general internal medicine on-call physician to improve zone-wide care coordination
Authors: Soraiya Lalani, Pamela Mathura, Jennifer Ringrose
Photo: Soraiya Lalani and Dr. Pamela Mathura
Best 3MT Research Presentation Runner-up
Recipient: Joseph Nanoa, graduate student
Supervisor: Dr. Gopinath Sutendra, Division of Cardiology
Title: Targeting triose phosphate isomerase function to preserve ex-situ heart performance, implications for cardiac transplantation
Authors: Joseph Nanoa, Sanaz Hatami, Maria Areli Lorenzana-Carrillo, Saymon Tejay, Yuan-Yuan Zhao, Liyan Zhang, Dawn E. Bowles, Evangelos D. Michelakis, John R. Ussher, Seyed Amirhossein Tabatabaei Dakhili, Darren H. Freed, Gopinath Sutendra
Photo: Joseph Nanoa and Dr. Gopinath Sutendra
Best 3MT Research Oral Presentation
Recipient: Prosper Asaana, graduate student
Supervisor: Dr. Adrian Wagg, Division of Geriatric Medicine
Title: Understanding the beliefs, management practices, and barriers associated with the management of non-fistulous urinary incontinence among older women in rural Ghana: results from a feasibility study
Authors: Prosper Asaana, Saima Rajabali, Gifty Aninanya, Hawa Malechi, Najawa Mutawakil, Patricia Akweongo, Adrian Wagg
Photo: Prosper Asaana and Dr. Gopinath Sutendra
Poster Presentation Awards
Best Research Poster Presentation Runner-up
Recipient: Maddison Charlton, graduate student, Division of Neurology
Supervisor: Dr. Valerie Sim, Division of Neurology
Title: Correlating biophysical properties of TDP-43 aggregates with clinical phenotypes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Maddison Charlton, Satish Nemani, Leonardo Cortez, Helen Huang, Valerie Sim
Photo: Maddison Charlton and Dr. Gopinath Sutendra
Best Research Poster Presentation
Recipient: Shagani Thisairajah, graduate student
Supervisors: Dr. Ellina Lytvyak and Dr. Aldo Montano-Loza, Division of Gastroenterology
Title: Prognostic value of dynamic liver stiffness measurement in autoimmune hepatitis
Authors: Shagani Thisairajah, Yu Jun Wong, Ellina Lytvyak, Aliya F Gulamhusein, Christina G Plagiannakos, Hin Hin Ko, Nabiha Faisal, Kristel Leung, Jean-Philippe Wallach, Devika Shreekumar, Narmeen Umar, Karim M Qumosani, Mina Niazi, Julian Hercun
Photo: Shagani Thisairajah and Dr. Gopinath Sutendra
Best Quality Improvement Poster Presentation
Recipient: Scott MacKay, senior subspecialty resident
Supervisor: Dr. Karen Kroeker, Division of Gastroenterology
Title: Over 25% of inflammatory bowel disease advanced therapy dose escalations are based on symptoms alone: a quality improvement opportunity
Authors: Scott MacKay, Clare McCabe-Woodrow, Karen O’Hara-Banack, Pam Eliuk, Karen I. Kroeker
Photo: Dr. Scott MacKay and Dr. Pamela Mathura
U of A Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded based on superior academic achievement and research potential, as demonstrated by a GPA of 3.5 or higher, awards, and publications.
Recipient: Yuxin Chen, graduate student
Supervisor: Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, Division of Cardiology
Photo: Dr. Yuxin Chen and Dr. Gopinath Sutendra
Paul Man Award
This award was named in honour of Dr. Paul Man, division director of Pulmonary Medicine from 1986 to 2001, in recognition for his exceptional contribution to translational research.
Translational research brings scientific discoveries to life by turning them into practical applications. It accelerates the development of therapies, diagnostics, and preventive measures, improving health-care outcomes and benefiting communities.
Translational research includes work that contains elements or components of bi-directional clinical or basic science research. It includes research that take basic science discoveries toward improved clinical care and research on the translation of improvements in clinical medicine to changes in health-care delivery.
Recipient: Jiyan Piao, postdoctoral scholar
Supervisor: Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, Division of Cardiology
Abstract: From Snails to Mammals: A Novel Inducer of Snail Hibernation Promotes Quiescence in Fibroblasts and Cardioprotection in Mouse Hearts Under Ischemia Reperfusion Stress (published in bioRxiv).
Authors: Jiyuan Piao, Yongneng Zhang, Yuan-Yuan Zhao, Patrick Hanington, Jacob Hambrook, Yongsheng Liu, John Ussher, Seyed Amirhossein Tabatabaei-Dakhili, Gopinath Sutendra, Evangelos D. Michelakis
Photo: Dr. Jiyuan Piao and Dr. Giovanni Ferrara
Ballermann Translational Research Fellowship Award
This is the Department of Medicine’s most prestigious award, given to a trainee who has published an influential high-impact paper in a translational research journal.
This award was initiated over 10 years ago by our previous chair, Dr. Barbara Ballermann, and continues with the support of Dr. Kassam, both of whom believe in the importance of encouraging and supporting translational research.
Many of the publications recognized are in high-impact factor journals within their field, and this is a remarkable achievement for our trainees.
Recipient: Yongneng Zhang, postdoctoral scholar
Supervisor: Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, Division of Cardiology
Title: A critical contribution of cardiac myofibroblasts in right ventricular failure and the role of UCP2 SNPs in the predisposition to RV decompensation in pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Zhang Y, Bonnet S, Provencher S, Piao J, Haromy A, Liu Y, Zhao YY, Breuils-Bonnet S, Lemay SE, Bowles DE, Mendiola Pla M.
Photo: Dr. Yongneng Zhang and Dr. Gopinath Sutendra