Get to know the women revolutionizing the health sciences

In celebration of International Women's Day, we are recognizing a few of our many female change makers

Shelby Soke - 8 March 2018

Press for progress is the theme of this year's International Women's Day. It's a call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and communities to think, act and be gender-inclusive.

The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is fortunate to have strong female leaders in every aspect of their lives, and role models for our learners and communities. The work these women do touches every aspect of our health-care system and we are thankful for their determination and dedication. Get to know a few of them below.

Samina Ali

Pediatric emergency medicine physician Samina Ali is finding answers to long unknown questions about the best way to treat children in pain. Deploying tools ranging from distraction by blowing bubbles to a new high-tech robot, Ali wants to prevent the long-term consequences that can occur when infants and children in pain aren't treated properly. A professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Ali works hard to educate her colleagues and parents on how to prevent unnecessary pain in youth.

 

 


Dina Kao

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections can be painful, resistant to treatment by antibiotics and in some cases fatal.

Research by Dina Kao, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, could revolutionize and broaden the use of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) to treat C. difficile. FMT creates a healthy balance of bacteria living in the intestine of a person with C. difficile by transferring a healthy donor's stool to their gut. Kao found that sterile capsules were as effective as receiving transplant by colonoscopy, being a much less invasive and expensive option.

 


Zam Kassiri

Zam Kassiri's lab is dedicated to developing a better understanding of heart disease that will potentially lead to the identification and development of new treatment therapies.

A cardiovascular physiologist and associate professor of physiology, Kassiri is working to piece together a more comprehensive understanding of the extracellular matrix, which is a network of connective tissues that holds cells together. She hopes to see her research through from bench to bedside, so it can directly impact patient care.

Kassiri's outstanding contributions to health research were recognized when she was elected to The Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in 2016.


Lisa Purdy

As the Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs, Lisa Purdy plays an important role in supporting the success and wellness of the next generation of health researchers. Purdy sees this role as as an opportunity to improve the expansion of resources and support to enhance graduate student wellness.

In addition to her role as Assistant Dean, Purdy is an associate professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology and is the Director of the Medical Laboratory Science program.

Through her years of experience she has developed a clear understanding of issues that are of concern to graduate students and has experience creating success plans for learners facing difficulties in their program.


Lynora Saxinger

Infectious-disease specialist Lynora Saxinger knows that words can be a powerful tool in the fight against misinformation and antibiotic resistance.

Outside of her clinical practice, which includes HIV, hepatitis C and tropical medicine, Saxinger is an advocate for antimicrobial stewardship. She has worked with local and international groups to promote best practices in antibiotic use.

The associate professor in the Department of Medicine also plays an important role in debunking potentially dangerous misinformation or pseudoscience that's becoming increasingly popular in our internet age. She's tackled topics ranging from the flu shot to lyme disease.


Jessica Yue

Up-and-coming researcher Jessica Yue looks into the role of the brain in the development of diabetes. Yue's research examines how the brain regulates fat metabolism and prevents cardiovascular disease, an important risk factor for obesity and diabetes. Yue, an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology, has opened a path to possibly prevent diabetes by identifying the potentially faulty process quickly and developing new therapies to intervene.

Keen to collaborate, Yue is a member of the Group on Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids and the Alberta Diabetes Institute.

 


Verna Yiu

Pediatric nephrologist, professor of pediatrics and FoMD alumna Verna Yiu serves as President and CEO of Alberta Health Services (AHS). Yiu provides exemplary leadership for Canada's largest provincial health system. Passionate about humanism in medicine and patient-centred care, Yiu is behind AHS' 'Patient First' strategy and digital storytelling initiative.

Yiu's passion for storytelling in medicine stems back to the 2000s when she was Assistant dean for Student Affairs (2000-2008) at the FoMD, and later as Interim Dean (2011-2012). She worked with Pamela Brett-MacLean to create the Arts & Humanities in Health & Medicine (AHHM) program in 2006. This innovative program aims to create a balance of science and the humanities within the faculty to foster the development of well-rounded health professionals who are skilled, caring, reflexive and compassionate practitioners.

Yiu continues her work on making AHS a high performing health-care organization focused on patients and people.

These are just a few of the great stories about the women in our faculty making a difference. Visit https://www.ualberta.ca/medicine/news for up-to-date stories on the breakthroughs and accomplishments of all of our staff, faculty and learners.