News From the Department
April 2011
Marijuana, the brain & emotional significance
Drugs like marijuana act on naturally occurring receptors in the brain called cannabinoid receptors. However, the mechanisms by which these drugs produce their sensory and mood altering effects within the brain are largely unknown. Research led by Dr. Steven Laviolette has now identified a critical brain pathway responsible for the effects of cannabinoid drugs on how the brain processes emotional information. The findings, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, also help to explain the possible link between marijuana use and schizophrenia.
For more information on Steve's research, please see the following links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b24n6UN4i7w&feature=player_embedded
http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/06/why-pot-smokers-are-paranoid/
Congrats to Steve on this work!
June 2010
Study led by Dr. Lique Coolen hints that brain damage is cause of sex addiction
Note featured article on the Schulich home page describing
an upcoming paper in the journal, Biological Psychiatry, by ACB researcher,
Dr. Lique Coolen, and her colleagues implicating the prefrontal cortex in
"sex addiction" and other impulse control disorders. Congrats to Lique on
this work!
June 2009
Dr. Trevor G. Shepherd Awarded Grants
Trevor G. Shepherd
Implications of activated BMP signalling and Id1/Id3 function in ovarian cancer pathogenesis
CIHR Ovarian Cancer - Bridge Funding ($100K); Jan. 2009
Trevor G. Shepherd
Implications of activated BMP signalling and Id1/Id3 function in ovarian cancer pathogenesis
CCS Research Grant ($127K) 2009-2012
Congratulations!
April 2009
Article on Schulich Home Page! Featuring the research of the Laviolette Lab!
A great article appears on the
Schulich home page, "Controlling Our Brain's Perception of Emotional Events", about research from
Dr. Steve Laviolette's lab, reported in a paper just published in the Journal
of Neuroscience. Nicole Lauzon, ACB grad student in Steve's lab, is the first author on the publication!
Congrats to Steve and Nicole on their fine work!
NSERC Discovery Grants Awarded to Drs. Hamilton and Rajakumar!
Good news for Dr. Doug Hamilton and
Dr. Raj Rajakumar have just been awarded NSERC discovery grants in the latest round of competition. Doug was awarded a new five-year
grant to study "Biology of Cell-Surface Interactions" and Raj was awarded a three-year grant to study "Prefrontal Cortical Modulation of
Stress Response".
Congrats to both Doug and Raj on their success! We look forward to hearing more about your research in the future.
March 2009
2009 UWO Hippocratic Council Teaching Award for Basic Sciences goes to...our very own Dr. Marjorie Johnson!
Many congratulations to Dr. Marjorie Johnson upon winning the 2009 UWO Hippocratic
Council Teaching Award for Basic Sciences.
This award is given by the students to the person they feel is the most outstanding basic sciences teacher in the first two years of the
curriculum. This award is a testament to the huge amount of excellent work and effort that Marjorie has put into the anatomy component of the
medical curriculum over the past few years! Congratulations!!
Postovit Lab in MRS Newsletter for March 2009!
Check out the two page article (pages 8 - 10) in the latest MRS Newsletter for March 2009 - featuring our
very own Dr. Lynne-Marie Postovit and her lab. It's a wonderful article that gives her
research and lab members great publicity!
February 2009
CIHR Grant Competition Results!
We're very pleased to share with you the good news that Drs. Dale Laird, Doug Hamilton and Marco Prado were each successful in the Fall 2008
CIHR Operating Grant Competition. Doug and Marco were awarded new 1 and 5 year operating grants, respectively, while Dale was awarded a 5
year renewal of his third operating grant (maintaining 3 CIHR operating grants as PI is a fantastic achievement in itself)!
Congrats to Dale, Doug and Marco! We are proud of you and wish you the very best for continued success in the your research!
OMHF Success!
Drs. Steve Laviolette and Susanne Schmid
have both received word that their operating grant proposals to the Ontario Mental Health Foundation (OMHF) will be funded. Steve's
grant, which is a two-year renewal, was ranked 3rd out of 64, while Susanne's application, which is a new two-year grant, was ranked 7th.
Please join us in congratulating both Steve and Susanne on their terrific achievement!
January 2009
Graduate Studies Open House!
When: Saturday, January 17th, 2009 from 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Where: The Great Hall, Somerville House
What: Meet with faculty and current graduate students from the Departments of:
Meet researchers and students from 11 Schulich graduate programs and London's research institutes. Pick up information on our competitive
financial support, including full-tuition scholarships for eligible students.
For a preview of what the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology has to offer, take a look at the
Research in the department! For more detailed information on the event in general, please visit
The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry website.
We look forward to having you and your friends visit - please be sure to register as program APPLICATION FEES will be REIMBURSED for all those
who pre-register! Parking is free, as well there will be a
complimentary luncheon for attendees.
October 2008
The 15th Annual Murray Barr Lecture
When: Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 9:00am - 10:00am
Where: Auditorium A, 3rd Floor of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), University Campus
Dr. Jeffrey Kordower, The Jean-Schweppe-Armour Professor of Neurological Sciences, Section Head for Neurosience and Director of the Research
Center for Brain Repair at Rush University Medical Center (Chicago, Illinois) will be presenting
a seminar entitled:
"A Tale of Two Stories: Why Nigral Neurons Degenerate in Parkinson's Disease and How to Save Them".
For more information on Dr. Kordower please read
the event brochure or even visit
his page at Rush University.
Everyone is welcome to attend this event! Coffee and continental breakfast will be available from 8:30am - 9:00am.
Grad Student's Research Gains Media Attention!
Graduate student Alysha Croker's research on breast cancer stem cells has gained her some media attention. The London Free Press printed
an article featuring Alysha's research in it's October 11th publication.
Alysha's research, guided by Dr. Alison Allan, is investigating the possibility that the most
dangerous breast cancer cells are also the hardest to kill with chemotherapy and radiation. Cells known as "cancer stem cells" turn out
to be the cancer cells with the ability to grow and migrate to other parts of the body.
Part of Croker's research, supported by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation will look at ways to change the dangerous cancer stem cells
so they're more easily killed with chemotherapy and radiation.
For more info, check out the video Breast Cancer Cells Investigated
September 2008
Health Researchers Receive Provincial Funding!
Ten University of Western Ontario researchers have been named among the recipients of more than $21 million in financial support from
the province for health research.
The Ontario government announced 14 institutions and 116 projects throughtout the province, including close to 1000 scientists and
researchers, will receive support through the Ontario Research Fund. Of the overall amount, Western researchers and scientists received
$2,038,138. The announcement is part of Ontario's Innovation Agenda to promote health research.
Out of the ten Western recipients, two are from the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology! Dr. Alison Allan - discovering how tumour
cells spread to other organs AND Dr. Lynne-Marie Postovit - identifying new pathways for cancer treatment. Congratulations!
For more information, visit
Western Newsfor more info!
August 2008
Smoking Research Gets Media Attention!
Congratulations to Dr. Steve Laviolette on his most recent paper as lead news article on Schulich home page, The Journal of
Neuroscience AND on Canada AM!
The current lead news article on the Schulich home page features our colleague Dr. Steve
Laviolette and his most recent paper on the neural mechanisms underlying nicotine addiction. The paper, entitled "Dopamine Signaling
through D1-like versus D2-like Receptors in the Nucleus Accumbens Core versus Shell Differentially Modulates Nicotine Reward Sensitivity",
has just appeared in the August 6th issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Dr. Laviolette also gained national exposure when he was
interviewed on Canada AM, discussing this latest publication.
For a brief write-up on this story featured on the Canada AM website
click here.
Click here to view Dr. Laviolette's interview.
Co-authors on this study include ACB graduate student Nicole Lauzon, Neuroscience Program graduate student Stephanie Bishop and
post-doctoral fellows Ninglei Sun and Huibing Tan.
Congrats to Steve and his co-authors! We look forward to hearing more about this research in the coming years.
July 2008
CIHR Grant Success!
Congratulations to Drs. Lynne Postovit, Vania Prado and Victor Han on their CIHR grant success!
Congratulations to Dr. Lynne-Marie Postovit, Dr. Vania Prado and Dr. Victor Han on their success in the most recent CIHR Operating grant competition!
Dr. Postovit received a 5 year award for her project entitled "Role of Oxygen as a Regulator of Tumour Cell Plasticity and Metastatic
Potential" and Dr. Prado (who just moved to London this last month) a 5 year award entitled "The Role of Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neurons
in Synaptic Plasticity and Cognition". These are new and first time CIHR awards for both Lynne and Vania, and a terrific reflection of the
high quality and cutting edge nature of their research.
Dr. Han received a 5 year renewal of his grant entitled "Regulation of Fetal Growth" and of course has long been a leader and ground-breaker
in research into development and reproduction.
We look forward to their continued future success!
New Modules for Undergrad Program!
New Modules were recently unveiled for the Department's Undgergraduate Program. These modules came to fruition from the leadership
of Dr. Martin Sandig - the Department's Undergraduate Chair. The new modules are:
Honours Specialization in Medical Cell Biology
Major in Medical Cell Biology
Minor in Medical Cell Biology
The new modules will start in September 2009.
June 2008
Rebuilding Health in Rwanda!
An insightful article on the Rebuilding Health in Rwanda
program led by Director (and professor of Anatomy & Cell Biology) Dr. David Cechetto
- featured in the latest Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Rapport
magazine (Issue Three - Summer 2008).
May 2008
Recipients of Excellence!
Congratulations to Dr. Peter Haase and Michael Wu for being recipients of the 2008 Awards of Excellence!
Dr. Peter Haase has been awarded the Schulich Distinguished Leader Award for
Excellence in Undergraduate Education. It is the highest recognition for teaching given by the University. Congratulations Dr. Haase
and thank you for your incredible efforts!
Michael Wu has been awarded the Dean's Awards of Excellence for Staff. It is a wonderful acknowledgement
for Michael's hard work and dedication to the Department and the University as a whole. Congratulations Michael!
An awards banquet "Celebration of Excellence" was held at the Great Hall on Thursday, May 29th. Dr. Haase was unable to attend the
event to accept his award. Michael Wu was in attendance (with his wife), with a strong show of support from fellow faculty and staff from
the Department. Attached are pictures from the event.
Michael and Dean Carol Herbert
Michael and fan club
April 2008
Research Grant Awarded!
Congratulations to Robarts Scientist & A&CB faculty member Dr. Arthur Brown!
Dr. Arthur Brown has been awarded a new research grant from the International Fund for
Paralysis Research for the next two years. The title of the project is "Regeneration and recovery after spinal cord injury in a SOX9 knockout
mouse", and will further support Arthur's research into the mechanisms of spinal cord injury and possible therapeutic interventions.
Congrats again to Arthur and best of luck in your future research!
NSERC Success!
Congratulations to Drs. Susanne Schmid, Derek Mitchell and Peter Merrifield on their success in being awarded NSERC discovery grants!
Dr. Susanne Schmid and Dr. Derek Mitchell
received new five-year awards to study "Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying behaviour and learning in mammals" and "The functional
neuroanatomy of emotional representation, integration and control" respectively. Dr. Peter
Merrifield received a three-year discovery grant entitled "Cellular and molecular basis of muscle fibre development".
Congrats to Susanne, Derek and Peter - we are proud of you and wish you much success in your future research!
March 2008
Grant Success for Faculty!
Congratulations to Drs. Mottola and Sandig on the news of their recent grant success!
Dr. Michelle Mottola,
the PI on a new 2-year grant from the Lawson Foundation for a project entitled "A Nutrition & Exercise
Lifestyle Intervention Program (NELIP) for Women with Gestational Diabetes".
Dr. Martin Sandig, is co-PI with 50% involvement on a new grant from the
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the PI of which is Dr. Kibret Mequaint from the Department of Chemical Engineering.
The grant is entitled "Vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype switching and elastin synthesis in 3D tissue engineered coronary
artery substitutes".
Congrats to both Martin and Michelle on this fine achievement, and best of luck in your future research!
January 2008
Successful Open House Event!
The Open House on Saturday, January 26, 2008 was a hit! The Medical Sciences Building was packed with perspective graduate students
eager to learn about the Department Anatomy & Cell Biology. Thanks to all the students and faculty that braved the snowy weather to lend
a hand. Everyone did a superb job! Many thanks also to the graduate assistants, particularly Debra Grant
(A&CB) and Wendy Hough (Medical Biophysics) for selflessly
volunteering their time and energy to organize such a fantastic event!
Grad Recruitment Open House!
When: Saturday, January 26, 2008 from 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Where: Room 193, Medical Sciences Building
What: Meet with faculty and current graduate students from the Departments of:
Visit displays from each graduate program. Tour departments and research facilities. The Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology will be
showcasing the contemporary research facilities and clinical anatomy teaching resources used to support first class research projects.
Come see what exciting research is done in the department.
For a preview take a look at the website of the Research in the department!
This event is part of a day-long introduction to Graduate Studies in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Western Ontario - for more
information please visit The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry website.
We look forward to having you and your friends visit - please be sure to register as program APPLICATION FEES will be WAIVED for all those who
pre-register! Pre-registered students will be eligible to win DOOR PRIZES!
Event Poster
December 2007
Dr. Johnson winner of Schulich Instructional Innovation & Development Fund!
Congratulations to our colleague and fellow faculty member
Dr. Marjorie Johnson, who has just been awarded two of the Schulich Instructional Innovation & Development Fund (IIDF)
studentships for 2007. One of these applications was submitted jointly with Dr. Candace Gibson in the
Department of Pathology and will support the development of a virtual slide box for teaching histology and pathology, and the other is to Marjorie
alone and will support development of learning modules for use in 3D virtual anatomy. Both represent the cutting edge teaching
technology that faculty in our Division of Clinical Anatomy are developing and that will help us as we plan for the future of
anatomy instruction here, in Windsor, Rwanda and beyond.
Congrats again to Marjorie and Candace on these awards!
New Lab Technician for A&CB!
Please welcome Kevin Walker to the Department! Kevin is our new Lab Technician for our Body Bequeathal Program and he will
be working with Haley Linklater in this new role. We wish Kevin all the best in his new position with us.
November 2007
Recruitment of new jointly appointed faculty!
We are pleased to share the news that Drs. Marco and Vania Prado have accepted our offers to join us as Jointly Appointed
faculty members in Anatomy & Cell Biology, and in Physiology and Pharmacology, and at the levels of Professor and Associate
Professor respectively. They will both be RObarts Scientists, and their lab space will be located in the Cell Biology Group
of the Robarts Research Institute. Both will add significant strength to the Neuroscience presence here at Western, and they
will participate in the further development of the Neuroscience interdisciplinary focus in both research and education.
Their recruitment was a terrific example of a truly collaborative effort between multiple departments in the Schulich School
(A&CB, Phys/Pharm, CNS), the Robarts Research Institute and Western's central administration. It's a great start to the new
era of our relationship with Robarts and we hope it will serve as a model for more recruitments in the coming years.
2007 A&CB Annual Report
Please take a moment and look over the 2007 Anatomy & Cell Biology Annual Report.
It's a great summary of what the Department has accomplished in the past year, and where we're hoping to go in the next. Enjoy!
October 2007
Event: The 14th Annual Murray Barr Lecture
When: Thursday, October 11th, 2007 at 9:00am - 10:00am
Where: Auditorium A, 3rd Floor of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), University Campus
Dr. Mary J. C. Hendrix, President and Scientific Director of the Children's
Memorial Research Center, Northwestern University (Chicago, Illinois) will be presenting
a seminar entitled:
"Reprogramming Metastatic Tumor Cells with Embryonic Microenvironments".
For more information on the guest speaker, Dr. Hendrix please read
the event brochure.
Everyone is welcome to attend this event! Coffee and continental breakfast will be available from 8:30am - 9:00am.
Dr. Laird winner of Quality of Life Research Award!
Congratulations to
Dr. Dale Laird who was just announced as the winner of one of the 2006-2007
Quality of Life Research Award from the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and
Arthritis (IMHA) of CIHR. The award recognizes Dr. Laird's outstanding leadership
in the area of skin-tissue injury, repair and replacement. This is a very fitting
tribute to the excellence of Dr. Laird's research and the important contributions
he and his students have made, and continue to make.
August 2007
Dr. Tim Wilson and Clinical Anatomy grad Jennifer Boeckner go 3-D!
Congratulations to our new colleague
Dr. Tim Wilson and Clinical Anatomy grad student Jennifer Boeckner for their
TV interview with Rogers Cable 13 News. Thanks to Tim and Jennifer for providing
more great publicity for A&CB.
July 2007
Ph.D grad Elizabeth McLachlan and Dr. Laird's research newsworthy!
Congratulations to recent Ph.D grad Elizabeth McLachlan and
Dr. Dale Laird on their appearance on
Rogers Cable 13 News . The report was taped
and aired on Monday, July 23, 2007 in Dale's laboratory. Liz and Dale gave an excellent
presentation of their research, very lucid and understandable for the public. More
great visibility for the cutting edge research of A&CB grad students and faculty!
Drs. Laird and Rajakumar awarded new grants!
Congratulations to Dr. Dale Laird,
who was awarded a new CIHR grant, entitled, "Comparative analysis of the life cycle and
function of connexins and pannexins". This is Dale's fourth major operating grant as PI
(three are from CIHR and the other is from NCIC-CBCRA) and is a fantastic accomplishment!
We are very proud to have him as a member of our Department and research community,
and wish him much continuing success in the coming years!
Congratulations also to Dr. Raj Rajakumar
who is a co-applicant on a successful, new 5-year CIHR grant with Dr. Peter Williamson
and others in the Department of Psychiatry, entitled "Candidate neuronal circuits in
schizophrenia". Kudos to Raj and our colleagues in Psychiatry on this success!
June 2007
Drs. Brown and O'Connell join A&CB!
We have two new faculty members in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology:
Drs. Arthur Brown and Peta O'Connell, both Robarts scientists have decided to joing
A&CB as their primary appointed home department.
We wish a very warm welcome to Arthur and Peta! We are all delighted to welcome you
as colleagues and look forward to many interactions over the coming years!
Dr. Schmid joins A&CB!
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Susanne Schmid has accepted our offer to join
the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology as a tenure-track Assistant Professor effective
September 1, 2007. Susanne, is an outstanding young investigator from Germany who presently
holds a prestigious Heisenberg Fellowship from the German Research Council, and is finishing
a one-year position as visiting researcher at the University of Toronto.
She works at a cellular and systems level on the neural basis of learning,
specifically as it pertains to emotional learning and animal models of schizophrenia.
Her research interests have considerable common ground with other neuroscientists in
A&CB as well as other departments. In addition, she is an excellent teacher and an
extremely collaborative individual who I am sure will contribute very positively to
growth of neuroscience at Western.
Join us in extending a warm welcome to Susanne as she joins our department and the
Schulich and Western family!
Dr. Sandig appointed as Associate Chair for Undergrad Studies!
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Martin Sandig
as Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, effective July 1, 2007
and terminating June 30, 2010. This is a new position we have created to ensure that
undergraduate education in our department receives the level of attention it deserves.
Martin will oversee all aspects of our department's undergraduate educational programs,
as well as serve as our representative on the BMSc Advisory Committee and other related
Faculty and University Committees. In addition, he will constitute and chair a new
Departmental Undergraduate Committee. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Martin will
lead our efforts to create new undergraduate course offerings, as well as explore the
potential for contributing to new undergraduate degree tracks.
Congratulations and good luck with this new responsibility!
May 2007
Wayne Davis remembered
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is mourning the sudden death of Wayne
Davis on Friday, May 11, 2007, at the age of 58. Wayne was the Body Bequeathal Program
Technician, and a valued teacher and mentor in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology.
Wayne worked at The University of Western Ontario for 35 years, and in 2005 won the
Dean's Award of Excellence for Staff.
Those wishing to make a donation in memory of Wayne are asked to consider the
Schizophrenia Society of London.
Dr. Hrycyshyn recipient of UWO Teaching Award!
Many congratulations to Dr. Al Hrycyshyn who was the recent recipient of the UWO
Hippocratic Council Basic Sciences Teaching Award. Only one award is given annually,
to the outstanding basic science teacher in the first two years of the medical curriculum.
This is a particularly meaningful award because it comes directly from the students
and it represents a very well-deserved honour!
Congratulations!
Dr. Bernier remembered
Peacefully surrounded by her family at London Health Sciences Centre - Victoria Hospital
on Thursday, May 3rd, 2007, Suzanne Marie Bernier in her 42nd year.
Through her research, Suzanne contributed to advancing knowledge in musculo-skeletal
health and arthritis and to training of future scientists.
Memorial donations may be made to the "Dr. Suzanne Bernier Memorial Fund"
c/o Donna Swanson, Foundation Western, Rm 11, Alumni Hall, UWO, London, Ontario, N6A 5B9
(cheques payable to Foundation Western).
April 2007
Dr. Wilson joins A&CB!
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Tim Wilson has accepted our offer to join the
Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology as a tenure-track Assistant Professor starting July 1, 2007.
Tim is an outstanding teacher and scholar, and was the recent recipient of a University
Students' Council Teaching Award, and has been the driving force behind the creation of the
virtual anatomy lab - the Anatatorium, in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Now by joining A&CB as a full member, he will be able to bring his exceptional
enthusiasm and creative energy to bear on the continued growth of the Department and Division
and the development of the Clinical Anatomy track of our graduate program.
Join us in extending a warm welcome to Tim as he joins the A&CB family.
Dr. Laviolette selected for CIHR award!
Congrats to Neuroscientist Dr. Steve Laviolette,
whom we have just found out has been selected for a CIHR New Investigator Award! This is particularly
impressive given the high level of competition for these awards with a success rate of only 18%
for this round. This award comes on top of fabulous grant success that Steve has had in the past few
months, also having been awarded operating grants from CIHR, OMHF and NARSAD.
Kudos Steve! This is a terrific achievement- we are very proud of you and look forward to hearing
about the exciting research you will be carrying out over the next few years.
March 2007
Drs. Rajakumar, Rushlow & Laviolette awarded new research grants!
Congratulations to Dr. Raj Rajakumar,
Dr. Walter Rushlow , and
Dr. Steve Laviolette on the news of their being awarded new, two-year research grants from the Otnario
Mental Health Foundation. Raj's grant, with Walter as a co-investigator, is entitled "The role of cyclin-dependant
kinase 5 in the manifestation of schiziphrenic symptoms". Steve's grant is entitled "Cannabinoid and
dopamine modulation of emotional learning and memory in the amygdala-prefrontal cortical circuit:
implications for schizophrenia".
Special congrats to Steve as well on being awarded his second NARSAD Young Investigator Award for
2008-2009.
These awards add to other recent successes we have had in obtaining extramural funding, and are
clear evidence of the progress we have made in enhancing the research profile of our department.
Kudos to all, and we look to your continued success!
Dr. Sandig awarded new research grant!
More grant success news! Dr. Martin Sandig
has just been awarded a new two-year research grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario,
entitled "Integrin signaling in monocyte transendothelial migration".
Congratulations Martin and kudos on your award!
Dr. Wilson receives University Award of Excellence:
Congrats to our favourite Anatatorium-master, Dr. Tim Wilson! Tim will be receiving a
University Award of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching tomorrow afternoon at 5:00pm in Conron Hall.
The award, which is sponsored by Western's Alumni Association, University Student Council and the Bank
of Nova Scotia, is to recognize and celebrate "the best of the best" in undergraduate teaching, including
those using innovative teaching methods and techniques. Tim is certainly very deserving of this, and
we add our congratulations to him on receiving this honour.
Grad Recruitment Event a success!
Thanks to all who participated in our first-ever Anatomy & Cell Biology Graduate
Recruitment Weekend this past weekend. We hosted 21 high quality applicants, many from out of town,
one from as far away as Vancouver. Events, which included a faculty-student datablitz, poster
session, lab demos as well as the student-hosted Saturday night party at the Palasad, were very well
received. The responses from applicants were highly enthusiastic and positive, with all being extremely
impressed with our graduate program and its opportunities for training in research and clinical
anatomy. They were particularly impressed by our view of ourselves as a bona fide "program" and not
simply a collection of individual faculty/investigators.
Special thanks, of course, to Walter Rushlow , who put tremendous effort into organizing
the weekend, and
to Debra Grant and the rest of the administrative core for their always superb support. Cheers!
Dr. Laird selected as a faculty scholar!
Congratulations to Dr. Dale Laird
who has been selected as a Faculty Scholar for The University of Western Ontario, on the recommendation of the Schulich
School of Medicine & Dentistry and following nomination by our department. This is a very fitting award for Dale, and reflects his
high level of research accomplishments and many contributions to our department and university.
Congratulations to Dale on this most deserved honour!
Event: Graduate Student Recruitment
When: Saturday, March 10, 2007
Where: The Great Hall, to be followed by a tour of the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Medical Sciences Building 4th Floor.
What: Professors/Researchers and graduate students in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology will be showcasing the contemporary
research facilities and clinical anatomy teaching resources used to support first class research projects. Come see what exciting research is done in the department.
For a preview take a look at the website of the Faculty in the department! This event
is part of a day-long introduction to Graduate Studies at the University of Western Ontario - for more information please visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website. We look forward to having you and your friends visit - please be sure to register!
February 2007
CIHR grant success!
Congratulations to Dr. Peeyush Lala
who has just been awarded a new research grant of $586,000 from the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research, entitled COX-2/Her2neu axis in
VEGF-C upregulation and breast cancer therapy.
Together with his already substantial research funding from the CIHR and Canadian Breast Canacer Foundation, Dr. Lala is setting a very
high standard for emeriti faculty in our institution (not to mention ex-chairs!).
We look forward to the exciting research that will be generated by your lab in the coming years.
January 2007
Drs. Coolen, Laviolette and Rajakumar awarded 5 year grants!
Drs. Lique Coolen,
Steven Laviolette,
Raj Rajakumar, are wished hearty congratulations on the success of their CIHR grant
applications. Drs. Laviolette, Coolen and Rajakumar (co-applicant with Dr. Stan Leung) were awarded new 5 year operating grants! Their
success is even more impressive given an overall success rate of only 14% for new grants this competition! We are looking forward to your
exciting research over the next few years.
Dr. Steve Laviolette's research receives media coverage:
Dr. Steve Laviolette, Assistant Professor in the Department, has recently
received media attention for his research on "Neuronal Mechanisms of Nicotine Addiction and Vulnerability". His research was featured
on the front-page of the London Free Press. The piece was also picked up by CBC radio, A-Channel and Rogers as well.
November 2006
IN PROFILE: NEW FACULTY
Dr. Laviolette has been featured in this week's issue of the Western News
in their "IN PROFILE: NEW FACULTY".
Dr. Laviolette discusses what drew him to neuroscience and his research on brain's addiction switch.
For more news stories go to the Western News' website.
October 2006
Event: Graduate Student Recruitment
When: November 4th, 2006 at 1 p.m.
Where: University Community Centre Gymnasium to be followed by a tour of the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Medical Sciences
Building 4th Floor.
What: Professors/Researchers and graduate students in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology will be showcasing the contemporary
research facilities and clinical anatomy teaching resources used to support first class research projects. Come see what exciting
research is done in the department.
For a preview take a look at the website of the Faculty in the department! This event is
part of a day-long introduction to Graduate Studies at the University of Western Ontario - for more information please
visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.
We look forward to having you and your friends visit - please be sure to register!
August 2006
Department moves into new space!
Congratulations to
The Department move into the newly-renovated Phase 4 portion of MSB is almost complete. The most
recent wing of the 4th floor will house the research laboratories of Drs. Mike Lehman,
Lique Coolen, Raj Rajakumar and Steve Laviolette, as well as providing space for two new faculty recruitments. Thanks to Lique Coolen for her excellent work in coordinating the move of equipment, laboratories and offices.
Dr. Steve Laviolette receives new grant award. Dr. Steve Laviolette, newly appointed Assistant Professor in the Department, has been awarded a new two-year grant totalling $200,000 from the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation on "Neuronal Mechanisms of Nicotine Addiction and Vulnerability". Congrats, Steve!
July 2006
CIHR grant success!
Congratulations to
Drs. Dale Laird
and Donglin Bai(Physiology & Pharmacology) for being awarded a new 5 year CIHR grant entitled, "Functional
role of connexins in epidermal differentiation and disease". Congratulations also to
Dr. Michelle Mottola
who was awarded a 3 year CIHR grant for "Capacity-building and participatory research development of a community-based Nutrition &
Exercise Lifestyle Intervention Program (NELIP) for pregnant & postpartum aboriginal women".
Congratulations to Dr. Brian Flumerfelt on his retirement and appointment as Professor-Emeritus! A retirement party was held at the Windermere Manor on June 28th, honoring Brian's service to the department as former Chair and as a faculty member for over 30 years. Many former students and faculty attended the festivities, and more than a few offered words of reminiscence and congratulations. Our very best wishes to Brian and Terry for health and happiness in the coming years!
Teaching Awards:
Dr. Suzanne Bernier received a Hippocratic Council Undergraduate Medical Committee - Subject Development Group Award as part of Year 1 Medical Respiration and Airways block. Congratulations Suzanne!
Success with small grant proposals and fellowships:
Drs. Michelle Mottolaand Suzanne Bernier received an Academic Development Fund award for a collaborative project entitled, "Bone metabolism in activity-restricted high risk hospitalized pregnant women". Drs. Peter Haase and Marjorie Johnson received a Faculty Development Mini Fellowship Award to support the development of new methods for teaching anatomy at the Windsor campus. Congrats to all!
April 2006
Dr. David Cechetto, faculty member in the Department, will help
lead an external review of the Faclty of Medicine
at the National University of Rwanda (NUR). The announcement was made today as Rwandan President Paul Kagame toured
The University of Western Ontario during his first trip to Canada. Rwanda's health care system was decimated during
the genocide of 1994. "In Rwanda today, there are 200 doctors for a population of eight million. That breaks down to
one doctor per 40,000 people," says Dr. Cechetto. "We hope that through this process we will be able to provide
valuable information to the medical faculty at NUR in their efforts to rebuild their medical education system."
Western is the primary Canadian university in Rwanda and is heavily involved in a project, led by Dr. Cechetto,
called Rebuilding Health in Rwanda, which last year received $1 million dollars from the Canadian International
Development Agency.
In addition to Dr. Cechetto, the team of experts assembled for the review will include Dr. Peter Haase, the
Associate Chair for Clinical Anatomy in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. It is expected to get
underway in June.
Department faculty members, Drs. Lique Coolen, Steven Laviolette and Mike Lehman, were recently awarded a major Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF) grant from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation to establish a behavioural gene discovery laboratory for integrative neuroscience in the Department. The award, together with partner contributions, will allow the purchase of molecular, histological, microscopic, electrophysiological, and behavioral equipment. Overall, the Department has received investments over the past few years in infrastructure that total over $3.4 million.
Results from the 2006 NSERC Discovery Grants competition revealed that four ACB faculty members, Drs. Dan Belliveau, Steve Laviolette, Walter Rushlow, and Martin Sandig, were successful, each being awarded a 5 year research grant. Congratulations to all, and best wishes for success in your research!
More good news regarding research grants:
Dr. Walter Rushlow has received notification of a 2 year award from the
Ontario Mental Health Foundation, and a Dr. Dale Laird was awarded a 5 year grant from the Canadian Breast Cancer
Research Alliance. Congratulations to Walter and Dale! Your success is much appreciated and well deserved.
dorinda.lewis@schulich.uwo.ca