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The Department was well represented at the 3rd Annual Diabetes Research Day at St. Joseph's Health Care in London.
Oral Competition 1st place: Peter Vo (supervisor Dr. Dan Hardy): "Maternal Protein Restriction Results in Altered Transcriptional Regulation of Hepatic Liver X Receptor (LXRa) Target Genes Leading to Impaired Glucose Homeostasis in the Offspring" 2nd place (tie): Hoda Moazzen (supervisor Dr. Qingping Feng): "N-Acetylcysteine Prevents Development of Congenital Heart Defects in Mice with Pregestational Diabetes" Christine Beamish (supervisor Dr. David Hill): "Lineage Tracing of b-cells during Dedifferentiation to Duct Epithelium: Involvement of Insulin+ Progenitor Cells"
Poster Competition 2nd place: Ayesh Seneviratne (supervisor Dr. David Hess): "The Phenotype and Islet Regenerative Functions of ex vivo Expanded Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells from Human Umbilical Cord Blood"
Graduate Award Winners
Congratulations to this years award winners. The presentations were made at the Stevenson banquet.
Drs. Jessica Esseltine and Shirine Usmani, co-winners - The Esme Walker Award given annually to an exceptional Physiology PhD graduate [Supervisors - Stephen Ferguson and Frank Beier, respectively] Jeff Law - The Bill Bottom Award given annually to an exceptional Physiology MSc graduate [Supervisor - Moshmi Bhattacharya] Ernie Ho - The Gordon J. Mogenson Scholarship recognizes outstanding research achievements of a continuing PhD student in the Physiology Graduate Program [Supervisor Lina Dagnino] Jason Moreau - The George W. Stavraky Teaching Scholarship recognizes a continuing graduate student in Physiology and Pharmacology Graduate Programs for outstanding ability in undergraduate teaching [Supervisor - John Ciriello] Dr. Ciric To - The Margaret Moffat Award given annually to an exceptional Pharmacology PhD graduate [Supervisor - John Di Guglielmo] Evan Russell - The Murray Fraser Award is given annually to an exceptional Pharmacology MSc graduate [Supervisor Gidi Koren] Leah Cuddy - The Hari and Gudrun Sharma Award recognizes excellence in research and academic performance of a continuing student in the Pharmacology & Toxicology Graduate Program [Supervisor - Jane Rylett] Michael Knauer - PhysPharm Graduate Student Council Award for Leadership [supervisor, Rommel Tirona]
2012 Research Day Success
Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year's Physiology and Pharmacology Research Day. Sixty five posters were presented. Thank you to all the students and postdocs. Thanks also to the judges and organizers. Listed are this years award winners by category:
Cancer Biology First Place – Adrian Gunaratne – Supervisor: John Di Guglielmo, Second Place – Benjamin Wheal - Supervisor: Stephen Sims, Cardiovascular Sciences First Place – Fuli Xiang – Supervisor: Qingping Feng, Second Place – Rami Halabi - Supervisor: Tom Drysdale, Clinical and Basic Pharmacology First Place – Michael Pest – Supervisor: Frank Beier, Second Place – Sumeeta Warraich – Supervisor: Cheryle Seguin, Cell and Developmental Biology First Place – Samar Sayedyahossein – Supervisor: Lina Dagnino, Second Place – Carmen Leung – Supervisor: Qingping Feng, Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology First Place – Andrew Revesz - Supervisor: Dan Hardy, Second Place – Ayesh Seneviratne - Supervisor: David Hess, Neurosciences First Place – Ankar Bodalia - Supervisor: John MacDonald, Second Place – Stefanie Kulhawy - Supervisor: Steve Ferguson, Postdoctoral First Place – John Kelly Supervisor: Dale Laird
Mark your calendars. The Annual Physiology and Pharmacology Research Day will be held on Tuesday, November 6th in conjunction with the 2012 J.A.F. Stevenson Memorial Lecture. This years Stevenson Lecturer will be Dr. Jean Schaffer, Virginia Minnich Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Washington University, presenting "Unexpected regulators of metabolic stress". The Department Research Day is an excellent occasion to showcase research programs and interact with colleagues. It also provides students an opportunity to present their research findings in a poster session attended by faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, staff and trainees. (read more)
Dr. Angela Nissen is the course manager for Pharmacology 3580Y as well as teaching in other Pharmacology and Physiology courses. Angela spent eight years combining teaching and research as a faculty member at a small undergraduate university in the Maritimes. Her research program studied the factors that predispose the lung to acute lung injury, specifically focusing on drug addiction. She has returned to Western to pursue teaching full time in the same Department where this passion was initially sparked.
Award winning students
Oct 9
Congratulations to PhysPharm MSc students Noelle Ma and Peter Vo, winners of poster awards at the 2012 Development Origins of Metabolic Disease Symposium held at the University of Michigan last week. Noelle placed 2nd for her poster "The Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Maternal Nicotine Exposure-Induced Elevated Triglycerides in Adult Rat Offspring". Peter won 1st for his poster "Maternal Protein Restriction Results in Altered Transcriptional and Epigenetic Regulation of Hepatic Liver X Receptor alpha Target Genes Leading to Impaired Glucose Homeostasis in Adult Rat Offspring". Both students are supervised by Dr. Dan Hardy.
Graduate student award winners
Noelle Ma [MSc student, supervisor Dr. Dan Hardy]has been awarded a 2012 Ashley Studentship for Research in Tobacco Control on behalf of the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit for her research. Leah Cuddy [PhD student in Pharmacology, supervisor Dr. Jane Rylett] has been awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Zhi Feng [PhD student in Pharmacology, supervisor Dr. Rennian Wang] has been awarded a Doctoral Research Scholarship from the Canadian Diabetes Association.
PhysPharm kicked off the 2012 academic year with the annual Corn Roast and BBQ held on the scenic shores of Fanshawe Lake. This event is held every year to welcome our new honours students to the department. Over two hundred students, staff and faculty enjoyed the food, games and commraderie. Thanks to all who helped in the organization and to everyone who came out to enjoy a great evening.
Undergraduate Laboratory Open House
Pictures taken at our recent undergraduate teaching laboratory openhouse are now featured on on Flickr!
Dr. Sarah McLean defended her PhD thesis in Physiology entitled "TGFbeta Receptor Partitioning: Molecular Mechanisms and Functional Consequences". Her supervisor is Dr. John Di Guglielmo. Dr. Jamie Park defended her PhD thesis in Pharmacology entitled "Cysteine Mutagenesis on Human Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter 1". Her supervisor is Dr. James Hammond. Dr. Ute Schwarz defended her PhD thesis in Pharmacology entitled "Intestinal and Hepatic Drug Transporters and Their Role in the Disposition of Lipid-lowering Drugs". Her supervisors are Drs. David Bailey and Richard Kim. Christopher Blom defended his MSc thesis in Physiology entitled "Human Cerebrovascular Endothelial Cell Responses in Severe Sepsis". His supervisor is Drs. Doug Fraser. Lida Radan defended her MSc thesis in . Post-transcriptional regulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in human embryonic stem cells cultured under varying oxygen microenvironments. Her supervisor is Dr. Dean Betts. Mi Seong Kim defended her MSc thesis in Physiology entitled "The Distribution and Functional Properties of PMLD-linked Cx47 Mutations on Cx47/Cx47 and Cx47/Cx43 Heterotypic Gap Junctions". Her supervisor is Dr Donglin Bai. Stephanie Hallows defended her MSc thesis in Physiology entitled "The Effects of Telomerase Inhibition on Cellular Senescence in Fetal Guinea Pig Cells". Her supervisor is Dr. Dean Betts.
Congratulations to our students
Aug 20
Several of our graduate students have successfully defended their theses. Dr. Shirine Usmani defended her PhD thesis in Physiology entitled "TGFalpha signaling in skeletal development and osteoarthritis". Her supervisor is Dr. Frank Beier. Dr. Marianne Degorter defended her PhD thesis in Pharmacology entitled "Statin transport by hepatic organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs)". Her supervisor is Dr. Richard Kim. Megan Migchels and Donna Cvetkovic recently completed their MSc degrees. Their supervisors are Drs. John Ciriello and Moshmi Bhattacharya, respectively.
Department milestone - 10 year anniversary
Aug 7
July 2012 marked the 10-year anniversary since the creation of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. A lot has changed over these years as we have grown and developed new academic and research programs. Many new faculty members and staff have joined us during this period along with some retirements and departures, providing for considerable growth and renewal. During this time, we weathered challenges that include the complete renovation of the Medical Sciences Building that transformed our physical space, and the record undergraduate student enrollments during the years of "the double cohort". We are now beginning to experience a second wave of increased enrollment associated with the higher undergraduate student acceptance rates. This is also enhanced by the popularity of our educational programs.
This 10th anniversary year will see a number of notable events in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology including registration of the first graduate students for our new MSc and PhD degrees in Physiology & Pharmacology in September 2012, and the official opening of our newly-renovated state-of-the-art undergraduate teaching laboratories on September 25th, 2012. We are also in an active recruitment phase and hope to add individuals with expertise that complements our current faculty members in the coming months. I invite everyone to participate in our various Department activities in the upcoming academic year to celebrate our successes and to further develop our Department culture.
Award winning trainees
Aug 2
Congratulations to Paxton Moon (supervisor, Frank Beier) for a Doctoral Fellowship from The Arthritis Society, Canadian Arthritis Network and to Jason Bush (co-supervisors, Frank Beier and Nathalie Berube) on his CIHR Postdoctoral Award. Thomas Velenosi (supervisor, Brad Urquhart) won a NSERC Doctoral Award and Jennifer Thompson (supervisor, Tim Regnault) named as the Children's Health Foundation "Trainee of the Year". She will present her award winning research at the Children's Health Research Institute Seminar Series in September.
Breakthrough Gets Funding Boost
A cell line being developed by Western musculoskeletal researcher Dr. Cheryle Séguin may hold the key researchers need to unlock the secrets of chordoma. And now, thanks in part to seed funding provided by the Chordoma Foundation, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor’s continued research could shed light on the cause of and potential therapies for the mysterious cancer. (Read more)
Congratulations Dr. Hammond
Dr. Hammond has accepted an appointment as Chair of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Alberta. Photos of Dr. Hammond's farewell reception can be found on Flickr.
Hess Lab Featured on 'Stem Cells and Development' Cover
The laboratory work of David Hess has been featured on the cover of this month's issue of Stem Cells and Development. Follow this link to view the journal.
Scientists from Western University and the Children’s Health Research Institute, an Institute within the Lawson Health Research Institute, have identified the critical role of a receptor called c-Kit in the development and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an exciting therapeutic target for the management of diabetes. The research, led by Rennian Wang, demonstrated that overexpression of c-Kit not only leads to increased insulin production but also counteracts the early diabetic effects of a high-fat diet. (Read more)
Professor emeritus and member of the Department of Pharmacology, 1965-2002
Colleagues, staff and students who worked with Howard Colhoun in the Department of Pharmacology (now the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology) wish to express their condolences to Jean and all of the Colhoun family on Howard’s passing. Howard (or “Doc” as he was known) was a much loved member of the faculty who contributed substantially to both research and teaching. He will be remembered by all who interacted with him. He made significant contributions to our understanding of cholinergic mechanisms in the brain and his work helped to define our present understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. He trained many post-doctoral and graduate students several of whom went on to distinguished careers themselves, including the present Chair of the Department, Dr. R.J. Rylett.
Howard was a staunch defender of scientific and academic standards and he established leadership roles in both his own research and in the lectures he contributed to many courses, several of which he initiated. Always a larger-than-life presence in the Department he could be the bane of those with whom he differed but always with humour and in a self-effacing manner. The memories he leaves in the lives of all he touched include the wrenching stories from his wartime experiences, his love of fast cars, his elegant style of dress, and his extraordinary skill at poker. He always seemed to win the games against his faculty colleagues but rarely against his students. He will be missed.
Ernie Ho is close to finishing his PhD in Physiology. His doctoral research has focused on characterizing the role that integrin-linked kinase plays in motility in epidermal cells in the lab of Dr. Lina Dagnino.
Publication title: Epidermal growth factor induction of front-rear polarity and migration in keratinocytes is mediated by integrin-linked kinase and ELMO2. (Publication link)
Congratulations to our students
June 11
The following graduate students have been awarded 2012-13 Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)
Kristin Ambacher [PhD Physiology, supervisor Sean Cregan] Christopher Blom [MSc Physiology, supervisor Doug Fraser] Joshua Qua Hiansen [MSc Physiology, supervisor Ruud Veldhuizen] Nicolle Ma [MSc Pharmacology, supervisor Dan Hardy] Scott Messenger [MSc Physiology, supervisor John Ciriello] Jason Moreau [PhD Physiology, supervisor John Ciriello] David Putman [PhD Physiology, supervisor David Hess] Randeep Singh [PhD Pharmacology, supervisor Lina Dagnino]
The following graduate students have been awarded 2012-13 Queen Elizabeth II Scholarships (formerly OGSST)
Lauren Kelly [PhD Pharmacology, supervisor Gideon Koren] Gurjeev Sohi [PhD Physiology, supervisor Dan Hardy] Patrick Swan [PhD, supervisor Sean Cregan] Joshua Tam [PhD Physiology, supervisor Stephen Pasternak]
Congratulations to our graduating 4th year student award winners
Jonathan Taesung Park - The J. A. F. Stevenson Gold Medal [Honours Specialization in Physiology] Lynn Jean Gierszewski - Susan Vitali-Lovell Gold Medal and Award [Honours Specialization in Pharmacology] Andrea Tyrer - Gold Medal Honours Specialization in Physiology and Psychology Paxton Moon - Gold Medal Honours Specialization in Physiology and Pharmacology Shawn Chandareth Theng - Gold Medal Honours Double Major in Physiology Kayla Patricia Pauwels - Gold Medal Honours Double Major in Pharmacology and Toxicology Phyllis Sea Pui Sin - Gordon J. Spylo Award in Physiology
Finally, congratulations to all of our "4980 students" who graduate on June 14th. We hope that your 4th year program experience in our Department was both academically and personally rewarding, and we wish you every success in the future where ever your path may lead.
Graduate Student research excellence rewarded
June 6
Ten outstanding graduate students will represent the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Western University at the upcoming Canadian Student Health Research Forum at the University of Manitoba. Three PhysPharm students will be making the trip: Henry Dunn (Ferguson lab), Christine Bell (Watson lab) and Gurjeev Sohi (Hardy lab). The Research Forum provides a venue for health research trainees across Canada to present their work, to network with their peers from across the country, and be recognized for the excellence of their contributions. (read more)
Congratulations to our grad student and post doc award winners at the 10th Annual Paul Harding Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research Awards Day.
Poster Presentation: Christine Bell (Supervisor: Andrew Watson), 1st place Andrew Revesz (Supervisor: Dan Hardy), 2nd place
Oral Competition (Graduate Student): Noelle Ma (Supervisor: Dan Hardy), 1st place
Oral Competition (Fellow): Paul Dyce (Supervisor: Jerry Kidder), 1st place
Our Grad Students beat the clock and the competition
May 16
With only three minutes to sum up their complex research projects, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s Graduate Students took home top honours at a brand new University-wide event. Second-place winner Fuli Xiang presented her thesis, "Mending the broken heart by attracting stem cells,” and third-place winner Yin Liu spoke about his work in a talk titled, “NOing the heart.” Both students work in the lab of Qingping Feng. This year’s competition – the first for Western - drew more than 74 students from across all program areas. The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry was proudly represented by more than a dozen talented students. After this year’s success, the organizers plan to make the 3MT at Western an annual event. (read more)
Telomeres & Genome Integrity Symposium a great success
May 14
Western held the 1st Canadian Symposium on Telomeres & Genome Integrity last week with great success!. For this three day conference, we had over 100 registrants from various institutions across Canada who came to Western to see 24 session talks, 50 poster presentations and three keynote addresses from Drs. Susan Smith (Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine (NYU)), John Petrini (Memorial Sloan-Ketteriing Cancer Center) and Brian Luke (ZMBH, Universität Heidelberg). Our very own, Lida Radan (MSc. student, BETTS Lab, Physiology and Pharmacology) won Best Trainee Poster presentation. Congratulations!
The Arthritis Society - Pizza Lunch Fundraiser
May 15
On Sunday, June 10th, Team Bernier: Researchers in Motion will be participating in The Arthritis Society’s Walk to Fight Arthritis in honour of our colleague and friend Dr. Suzanne Bernier, a passionate Arthritis researcher who passed away in 2007. Dr. Bernier was a faculty member in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and a founding member of the Canadian Arthritis Network and Western’s CIHR Group in Skeletal Development and Remodeling. We are walking and raising funds to support over four million Canadians who live with the pain and disability caused by arthritis and to support Canadian researchers who, like Suzanne, have dedicated their careers to finding a cure for this disease. In the past 60 years, The Arthritis Society has contributed over $170 million to arthritis research and professional training and has supported millions of people living with the disease. Funds raised allow The Arthritis Society to continue the important work that they do. To raise money for this cause, we will be hosting a pizza lunch fundraiser on Thursday, May 17th from 11:30-1:00 PM in the MSB lobby. A minimum $5 donation will get you a slice of pizza, pop and a cookie. Please come out and join us! Together, we can make a difference in the fight against arthritis!
Faculty Excellence recognized
May 1
Congratulations to Drs. Stephen Lomber and Richard Kim, recipients of 2012 Dean's Awards of Excellence for Faculty (Research). These awards recognize faculty members for exceptional performance.
The Awards will be presented on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at The Great Hall, Somerville House. Faculty, staff, students and trainees are invited to join us for the reception at 6 p.m., with dinner scheduled to begin at 6:30. Tickets are $40. The deadline to RSVP is May 9th, 2012. To RSVP, please click here.
Dr. Lynda Bonewald will be the guest speaker for the 5th Annual SUZANNE BERNIER Lecture, May 10 at 2 pm in UH Auditorium A.
Dr. Bonewald (an internationally renowned leader in the field of osteocyte biology) is the Director of the Bone Biology Research Program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry Oral Biology and Director of the Center in the Study of Mineralized Tissues.
The lecture series and award honours Dr. Suzanne Bernier, a wonderful colleague, collaborator and mentor, who passed away in 2007. Dr. Bernier's research focused on the effects of extracellular matrix and inflammation on cartilage and as such, this lecture series highlights outstanding contributions to the field of musculoskeletal research. (read more)
April 2012
Volunteers needed for Discovery Days
April 24
As in the past, over 400 area high school students will have the opportunity to explore careers in medicine and other related sciences. Participants will hear a keynote lecture, attend interactive workshops and join in discussion with a panel of experts from various science related fields.
Help is needed with setup/registration, lunch coordination and guiding students to and from their workshops. The hub of the day is the North Campus Building with sessions taking place across campus (including Elborn College), at Lawson – St. Joe’s, Fanshawe College, Parkwood Hospital and the London Regional Cancer Program. (read more)
NSERC Discovery Grant success
April 10
Congratulations to the following faculty members who were successful in obtaining research grants in the 2011 NSERC Discovery Grants Program Competition. PhysPharm had outstanding success with 10 out of 13 grants submitted being funded.
Dean Betts - "Pluripotency and self-renewal of canine embryonic stem cells" Lina Dagnino - "Regulation of TGF-beta signalling by focal adhesion proteins" John Di Guglielmo - "Post-translational modification of cytolines" Stefan Everling - "Functional microarchitecture underlying target selection and saccade generation in the primate frontal eye fields" Mel Goodale - "The visual control of grasping" Paul Gribble - "Control of human arm movement" Jerry Kidder - "Structural determinants of connexin specificity" Adrian Owen - "Decoding mental states with fMRI and EEG" Vania Prado - "Acetylcholine in social behaviours" Tim Regnault - "Fetal endotoxin exposure and regulation of amino acid supply"
On Tuesday March 20th, The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Lawson Health Research Institute presented, “London Health Research Day 2012” – the largest research day of its kind in Ontario. Congratulations to all of the participants, and in particular the PhysPharm competition winners:
Poster Competition: Maternal, Developmental, Fetal, Child & Family Health: Noelle Ma, 1st Year Master’s (Supervisor-Daniel Hardy)
Platform Competition: 1st Place: Thomas Velenosi, 2nd Year Master’s (Supervisor-Brad Urquhart) 1st Place: Christine Bell, 6th Year PhD (Supervisor-Andrew Watson) 2nd Place: Matthew McCann, 1st year PhD (Supervisor-Cheryle Seguin) (read more)
Forget allergic reactions and taking countless medications that don’t do what they’re supposed to do. Imagine going to the doctor or pharmacist and getting treatment tailored to your needs, the first time, every time. The work of Dr. Richard Kim, inaugural Medical Research Chair in Pharmacogenomics at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, is heading in that direction. Soon, the concept of personalized medicine by way of pharmacogenomics – treatment customized for a patient based on his/her genetic makeup – could be a reality. And Western University is leading the way. (read more)
Enjoy some delicious sweets and support the Arthritis Society 2012 Walk to fight Arthritis. Bake sale on Monday March 26, 11 am - 1 pm in the MSB lobby. (read more)
Our graduates share their success stories
March 15
Everyone is invited to a special seminar Graduate Degrees: Opening Doors to Exciting Careers hosted by our Graduate Student Council. On Monday March 19 at 4 pm in DSB 2016, four PhysPharm grads will share their stories and answer questions. For more information please follow this link.
Western professor explores possible "safe and effective" anti-cancer therapy
Feb 6
New findings discovered by an international research team, which includes Dr. Dean Betts, a professor in Schulich's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, may lead to a safe and effective anti-cancer therapy.
A report published online today in the journal Cell Reports, co-authored by Betts and Dr. Lea Harrington of Montreal University's Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et en Cancérologie, provides important evidence that human cancer tumours rely on the maintenance of telomeres – or the protective ends of chromosomes – for growth only when the telomeres shrink in length. (read more)
Congratulations to our grad students
Feb 13
Gurjeev Sohi [PhD student in Physiology] and Peter Vo [MSc student in Physiology] are each recipients of a Pfizer Award ($1000) given by the Society of Gynecological Investigation for their abstracts for papers to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Gynecological Investigation in San Diego in March. These award recognize the 25 most meritorious abstracts submitted by individuals still in training. Dr. Dan Hardy is Gurjeev and Peter's supervisor.
MSc and PhD degrees in "Physiology and Pharmacology" begin September 2012
Feb 8
The Department of Physiology and Pharmacology graduate student training programs recently underwent accreditation review, and we are happy to report that they received the top rating and have been renewed for the next 8-year period. An important part of this review process involved evaluation of our proposal to consolidate our degrees to offer the first MSc and PhD degrees in “Physiology and Pharmacology” in Canada. We have now received approval from the university Senate so that students entering our graduate programs beginning September 2012 will receive their degrees in Physiology & Pharmacology, rather than in Physiology or in Pharmacology. In the coming months, we will be making changes to some of the academic requirements of our program so students can achieve competency in the fundamentals of both of these disciplines and enhanced interdisciplinary training.
Everyone is invited to a seminar by Dr. Daniel De Carvalho, University of Southern California, "DNA methylation screening identifies driver epigenetic events of cancer cell survival". Friday, February 17 from 10:00 - 11:00 am in DSB 3008(more details)
Members of our department who were successful in the latest CIHR operating grant competition:
Dr. Lina Dagnino - "Focal adhesion proteins and epidermal integrity" [5-years] Dr. Qingping Feng - "Cardiac Repair by the Epicardium" [3-years - pending] Dr. Stephen Ferguson - "Regulation of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Scaffolded Signaling Complexes" [5-years] Dr. Stephen Ferguson - "CRFR-mediated sensitization of 5HT2A receptor signalling in anxiety and depression" [5-years] Dr. Stan Leung - "Hippocampal theta oscillations - generation and synaptic plasticity" [5-years] Dr. Cheryle Seguin - "Elucidating the Role of Connective Tissue Growth Factor in Intervertebral Disc Development, Health and Disease" [5-years] Dr. Rennian Wang - "Analysis of c-Kit and insulin receptor signaling interactions in regulating pancreatic beta-cell function and islet vasculature" [5-years] Dr. Lynne-Marie Postovit [Co-investigators Drs. Moshmi Bhattacharya and Muriel Brackstone] - "Role Of The Embryonic Morphogen Nodal In The Regulation Of Breast Cancer Invasion" [5-years]
January 2012
London Health Research Day - Call for Abstracts
Jan 20
Please save Tuesday, March 20th for the London Health Research Day. This inaugural event will combine the Margaret Moffat poster competition and the Lawson platform competition to showcase citywide research from students, trainees and postdoctoral scholars.
The deadline for abstract submissions is Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Keynote speaker, Dr. Jon Stoessl is a Professor and Head of the Division of Neurology at the University of British Columber and holds a Canada Research Chair in Parkinson's Disease. For more information and to submit an abstract please follow this link (more information)
Council of Canadian Academics reports on chemical safety
Jan 17
To better understand the challenges and opportunities related to chemical testing and regulation, the Council of Canadian Academies brought together a group of 15 eminent experts, of which Professor Bend, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, was a member, to discuss the scientific status of the use of integrated testing strategies in the human regulatory risk assessment of pesticides. (read more)
Are you thinking about earning an MSc or PhD degree in a medical sciences program? Visit the Schulich Grad Studies Open House. Thursday, January 12, 2012, 1-4 pm, UCC Atrium (more information)
The 2012 Winter Seminar Series
Dec 14
Please check out the full schedule for the PhysPharm Seminar series (full schedule)
Season's Greetings from the Canadian Physiological Society
Jan 3
Read the latest news from the Canadian Physiological Society. (Physiology Canada)
PhysPharm celebrates the season and supports our community
Dec 15
Congratulations to our "4980 students" who raised over $300 through a bake sale to donate to the Salvation Army Christmas campaign.
Our department Holiday Party was held last Friday and $560 was raised for the London Food Bank. Special thanks to Gurjeev Sohi who donated his winnings back to the Food Bank.
To view photos of the event please visit our Flickr gallery!
Researchers have discovered they can detect conscious awareness in some patients thought to be in a permanent vegetative state using an inexpensive EEG device that measures electrical activity in the brain.
"The vegetative state is often referred to as a condition of wakefulness without awareness, and that's because these patients open their eyes, they often appear to look fleetingly around the room, but certainly there's never any signs they're actually aware," said principal researcher Dr. Adrian Owen of the Centre for Brain and Mind at the University of Western Ontario. (read more)
Please come out to support our 4th year students bake sale on Monday, December 5th. They will be selling baked goods in the Med Sci Atrium from 11 AM -1 PM. All proceeds will be going to the Salvation Army. (read more)
Marco Prado, Vania Prado and a team of researchers at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Robarts Research Institute used unique genetically-modified mice developed at Western and high-level behaviour and imaging techniques to study the function of neurons and neurotransmitters in the striatum, which is the region of the brain affected in Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and other motor diseases. The research team was particularly interested in the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and what effect it has on brain function (read more)
Mark your calendars. The Annual Physiology and Pharmacology Research Day will be held on Tuesday, November 8th in conjunction with the 2011 Charles W. Gowdey Distinguished Lecture. This years Gowdey Lecturer will be Dr. Brenda Gallie, Senior Scientist, Division of Applied Molecular Oncology, Ontario Cancer Institute.
The Department Research Day is an excellent occasion to showcase research programs and interact with colleagues. It also provides students an opportunity to present their research findings in a poster session attended by faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, staff and trainees. (read more)
The Student Success Centre invites graduate students and postdoctoral scholars at The University of Western Ontario to After the Defense, Put It Into Practice, a professional development summit to assist in the transition from academia to industry. The event is scheduled for 3:45-7 p.m. Thursday in the Great Hall, Somerville House. (read more)
PhysPharm kicked off this year's United Way campaign with our first annual Pancake Breakfast. Well over one hundred hungry students, staff, and faculty were served . A total of $570 was raised. with 100% of the proceeds going to the United Way.
Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time and energy to make this event a great success. See you next year!
PhD Student Melanie Kok earns Pan Am silver medal
Oct 20
Melanie Kok, a PhD Student in the Graduate Neuroscience Program at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry rowed to a silver medal at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico earlier today. The medal was earned in the Womens Quad Scull competition.
Melanie is an Olympian and earned a Bronze Medal at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing China in 2008 in the Womens Double Scull. She is working on her doctorate in Dr. Stephen Lomber's lab in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. (details)
Schulich's vision and strategic plan
Oct 12
This year Schulich undertook a strategic planning process which will lead the School in becoming a global leader in optimizing life-long health through innovations in research, education and active engagement with the community. … (Read More)
Congratulations to our newly inducted Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Dr. Jack Bend and Dr. David Hill.
Fellows are elected based on their demonstrated leadership, creativity, distinctive competencies and a commitment to advance academic health science. Election to Fellowship in the Academy is considered one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community and carries with it a covenant to serve the Academy and the future well being of the health sciences. The induction ceremony was held September 16th. A complete list of Fellows can be found on the CAHS website.
Congratulations to our trainees
Sept 12
Michael Pest [MSc student, supervisor Frank Beier] has been awarded the prestigious Pfizer Training Award from the Canadian Arthritis Network for the next 3-year period.
Recruitment seminars
Sept 13
Please plan to attend the upcoming Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Recruitment Seminars:
Dr. Ryan Mailloux, Thurs. Sept. 15 at 4:00 p.m. in MSB Rm.282. "Glutathionylation and the redox control of mitochondrial metabolism" (read more)
Dr. Connie Woo, Mon. Sept.19 at 4:00 p.m. in Robarts Conference Rm. 2nd Floor. "The Cross talk between Toll like receptor signaling and Unfolded Protein Response - Control of Protein Translation" (read more)
Dr Nica Borradaile, Wed. Sept. 21 at 4:00 p.m. in DSB Rm. 3008. "Understanding liver and vascular disease as consequences of lipotoxicity during obesity and type 2 diabetes" (read more)
Dr. Chris Sinal, Wed. Sept. 28 at 4:00 p.m. in DSB Rm.3008. "Modulation of Bone and Energy Homeostasis by the Adipokine Chemerin" (read more)
Everyone is welcome - refreshments provided
2011 Annual Corn Roast
Pictures from our annual Corn Roast and BBQ can now be found in our Flickr gallery!
Renovations have started on the second floor of the Dental Science Building. The renovated space is designed to provide new, state-of-the-art teaching and research labs for the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. Randy Wilson Architect Inc. has been working with representatives of the department to upgrade approximately 10,000 square feet of lab space that dates back to the mid 1960’s.
The project has a budget of almost $3M and funding is the result of a successful capital budget proposal through SSMD. Dr. Rylett’s vision of a revitalized teaching lab was first discussed with the former Dean three years ago and it has been a top priority of the department since that time.
The teaching lab portion of the renovation will include wet and dry labs, offices, prep rooms, tissue culture facilities, and tutorial rooms. A bright, open space and flexibility are key features along with modern experimental and presentation capabilities. Undergraduate enrolment is increasing and providing our students with a great learning environment is a top priority.
The research lab portion will accommodate two investigators. The open concept design will include offices and tissue culture facilities.
Demolition and asbestos abatement started mid July. The construction phase is scheduled to begin early in the autumn with a projected completion date in the late spring of 2012. The third year undergraduates in September 2012 will be the first to take advantage of these amazing new facilities.
A large copy of the proposed plan is posted outside the PhysPharm Admin office (M216). Please drop by to have a look.
The University of Western Ontario is one of nine universities which will share 2.9 million dollars in research grants announced by PrioNet Canada to study Prion diseases and neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's…[Read More]
More success for our faculty
July 4
Congratulations to the following faculty members who have been awarded research operating grants.
CIHR Operating Grants: Nica Borradaile "Roles of Elongation Factor 1A-1 in Apolipoprotein B Metabolism and the Pathogenesis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease" (4-years) James Hammond with co-investigators Jeff Dixon, Cheryle Seguin (5-years) Morris Karmazyn "Role of Cytochrome P450-dependent Arachidonic Acid Metabolites in Hypertrophy and Heart Failure" (5-years) Jane Rylett "Effects of Oxidative / Nitrosative Stress and Aging on Cholinergic Neuron Function" (5-years) Cheryle Seguin "Elucidating the Role of Connective Tissue Growth Factor in Intervertebral Disc Development, Homeostasis and Degeneration" (1-year) Ruud Veldhuizen "The effects of mechanical ventilation on the biophysical properties of pulmonary surfactant" (5-years)
Huntington Society of Canada Navigator Research Grant: Stephen Ferguson “Role of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in Huntington Disease”
A team of researchers from Canada and the United Kingdom, led by Adrian Owen at the Centre for Brain and Mind, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to scan the brains of 12 healthy volunteers and compare their reactions to jokes with their reactions to standard, non-joking dialogue.
Owen says, “Although our study looked at the brain’s response to jokes, our reasons for doing that were very serious. One of the main questions that families of severely brain injured patients ask us is can they still experience emotions? With the brain imaging technique we've developed here, we can answer that question in a simple and painless way.” (read more)
The following graduate students have been awarded 2011-12 Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)
Kristin Ambacher [PhD Physiology, supervisor Sean Cregan] Waseem Iqbal [MSc Physiology, supervisor John Ciriello] Matthew Johnston [MSc Physiology, supervisor John MacDonald] Mi Seong Kim [MSc Physiology, supervisor Donglin Bai] Jason Moreau [PhD Physiology, supervisor John Ciriello] John Pearce [4th year student] David Putman [PhD Physiology, supervisor David Hess] Evan Russell [MSc Pharmacology, supervisor Gideon Koren] Randeep Singh [PhD Pharmacology, supervisor Lina Dagnino] Michael Stewart [PhD Physiology, supervisor Dale Laird] Patrick Swan [PhD, supervisor Sean Cregan] Joshua Tam [PhD Physiology, supervisor Stephen Pasternak] Ciric To [PhD Pharmacology, supervisor John Di Guglielmo]
Congratulation to our graduating 4th year student award winners:
Corey Adam Bacher - The J. A. F. Stevenson Gold Medal (Honours Specialization in Physiology) Melanie Anne Bechard - Gold Medal Honours Specialization in Physiology and Psychology John Robert Gencarelli - Gold Medal Honours Specialization in Physiology and Pharmacology Ainslie Jill Robertshaw - Gold Medal Honours Specialization in Pharmacology Zachary Longarini - Gold Medal Honours Double Major in Physiology Norah Cockburn - Gold Medal Honours Double Major in Pharmacology and Toxicology Melanie Anne Bechard - Gordon J. Spylo Award in Physiology
Congratulations to our Faculty
June 6
Dr. Nica Borradaile has been awarded a 3-year grant from the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) in their 2011 Operating Grant Competition. Her project is entitled "Protective effects of NAD+ on endothelial cell survival and angiogenesis during type 2 diabetes".
Students, Staff and Faculty of Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, How would you like to get together for some beach volleyball while raising money for the Alzheimers Society of Canada? Assemble your team today and sign up for this one day tournament that is sure to be a great time for everyone. Prove your worth and your department's victory can be immortalized on a very..."UNIQUE" trophy! When? Saturday August 6th. Where? Spikes Indoor Beach Volleyball, 120 Weston Street What? Four-on-four, mixed gender (minimum two males and two females per team). How Much? Minimum entrance donation is $50/team, recommended donation is $100/team. What Else? Prizes will be awarded for best team uniform, funniest team name, spirit award and overall standing. Team Captains can sign up at: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHJKa21PT0NaOTRSckkyeVJGYkhscEE6MQ No team? Sign up as a free agent using the link above! Ask your department's Schulich Graduate Student's Council Representative for details. (poster)
Dr. Bruce Squires, a member of the Department of Physiology until 1986 was a passionate advocate of teaching. At a Canadian Medical Association leadership conference, Squires was introduced as a world-renowned leader in medical journals. He laughed at the idea: "overblown" he declared in a recent interview, but allowed that he…(Read More)
Award
May 11
Congratulations to Ryan Gillespie, a PhD student in Dr. Frank Beier's lab, who will receive the Bernier Memorial Graduate student award at this week's lecture. The award acknowledges excellence in academic and research accomplishments for a graduate student undertaking research in Skeletal Biology.
Ryan's talk is entitled "Osteoblast GSK-3beta regulates bone development and whole body metabolism" Everyone is welcome to attend Friday May 13th 2pm - UH Auditorium A (3rd floor) (more details)
Department Staff and Faculty Awarded for Excellence
April 21
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2011 Dean's Awards of Excellence. Undergraduate Administrator Michele Grigg will receive the Award of Excellence for Staff. Stan Leung will be honoured for his excellence in research and Tom Drysdale will receive a Schulich Educator Award.
These Awards will be presented on Thursday, May 12, 2011 at The Great Hall, Somerville House. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to join us for a social time at 6 pm, with dinner scheduled to begin at 6:30. Tickets: $35. For more information on attending please contact Bruce Arppe.
The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry welcomes Dr. Bjorn R. Olsen of Harvard Medical School for the fourth annual Suzanne Bernier Lecture in Skeletal Biology.
His lecture, entitled From Ectopic Bone Formation to Hemangioma Tumor Regression: Remarkable Consequences of Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, May 13 in Auditorium A, third floor, University Hospital. (read more)
Cook's "Lab Report" focuses on one facet of 37 year career
Special Recruitment Seminar
Dr. Sean Gill, University of Washington, will be visiting the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology on Thursday, May 5th as part of a recruitment visit for a position in the Department of Medicine, Division of Respirology, with a potential for cross appointment in our Department.
Dr. Gill will be presenting a recruitment talk to our Department at 11:00 am on May 5th in DSB 2016. The title of his talk is: 'TIMP3 Mediates the Resolution of Inflammation following Acute Lung Injury'. (read more)
Congratulations to Recent Research Grant Recipients
April 19
Dr. Moshmi Bhattacharya is the recipient of a CIHR New Investigator Award for her project entitled "Regulation of cell migration and invasion by novel beta-arrestin interacting proteins"
April 11
Drs. Marco Prado, Jane Rylett, Stephen Ferguson, Vania Prado. John MacDonald, James Choy [Biochemistry], Rob Bartha [Med. Biophysics] and Ravi Menon [Med. Biophysics] have been awarded a two-year grant in the amount of $600,000 from PrioNet Canada for their project entitled “Upstream and downstream partners of the prion protein as therapeutic targets in prion diseases and Alzheimer's disease”.
Congratulations to our Students
April 19
The following PhD students are recipients of a CIHR Doctoral Research Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship:
Inna Gong [supervisor Richard Kim] "The role of drug transporters in rivaroxaban disposition: molecular determinants of kinetics and clinical drug response" - Priority Announcement (Clinical Research)
Adrian Gunaratne [supervisor John Di Guglielmo] "Effects of Atypical Protein Kinase C Isoforms on Transforming Growth Factor Beta Signalling Pathways in Lung Cancer"
Lauren Hanly [supervisors Michael Rieder and Gideon Koren] "N-acetylcysteine as a novel prophylactic treatment against nephrotoxicity caused by ifosfamide" - Priority Announcement : Childhood Cancer (SHOPP)
Linda Vi [supervisor Lina Dagnino] "The role of integrin-linked kinase in TGFbeta-induced dermal wound repair"
Jari Tuomi [PhD student; supervisor Doug Jones] was the only Canadian student to receive a poster presentation award at the recent European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society meeting. His presentation was "Atrial Tachycardia/Fibrillation in the Connexin 43 G60S Mutant (Oculodentodigital Dysplasia) Mouse" and was co-authored by Doug Jones and Karl Tyml.
April 11
Jari Tuomi [PhD student; supervisor Doug Jones] is the recipient of a CIHR Doctoral Award.
March 28
Karen Ann Bridge [MSc Physiology, Dental Clinican Scientist Program, Supervisor Dr. Jeff Dixon] has been awarded a travel award from the CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis - Institute Community Support Program.
Cook's "Lab Report" focuses on one facet of 37 year career
At a recent seminar session Dr. Michael Cook presented his “Lab Report” to the Department. As he will be retiring this summer the occasion was special and he presented a vignette from his research contributions over a career which spans thirty seven years.
Michael Cook joined the former Department of Pharmacology in 1974 after obtaining his Ph.D. in physiology at the University of British Columbia and post-doctoral studies at the University of Alberta in pharmacology. His interests were in the control of gastrointestinal motor function and he studied the neuropharmacology of the enteric nervous system (ENS) for much of his career. His “lab report” presentation focused on one paper (Am. J. Physiol. 276:G875-G885, 1999) which showed that the release of adenosine from nerves in the ENS is inversely proportional to the oxygen tension (pO2) so that increasing hypoxia yields increased adenosine release. He pointed out that the nucleoside is neuroprotective and that this demonstration means that adenosine is present at the right place, and in appropriate amounts, to serve as a neuroprotective metabolite in the ENS under hypoxic/ischemic conditions.
Michael has taught medical, dental, nursing, undergraduate and graduate students over the years and the range of his contributions allow him to be characterized as that currently rare professor, the “all-rounder.” His contributions have been well received by students and he has received awards for his medical teaching from the student (BCOE) organization.
Michael has made many administrative contributions over the years and he served twice as acting Pharmacology Department chair and twice as vice-chair. During his second acting chair term he helped guide the Departments of Pharmacology/Toxicology and Physiology to their merger in 2002.
Congratulations to NSERC 2011 Discovery Grants Recipients
March 28
Andy Babwah - "GPR54 regulates gene expression in aGq/11 and beta-arrestin dependent manner" [5 years, $30,000]
Peter Chidiac - "Novel modes of heterotrimeric G protein regulation" [5 years, $37,000]
Brian Corneil - "Indexing covert activity within the oculomotor system via recordings of neck muscle activity" [5 years, $40,000]
Tom Drysdale - "The molecular basis of thyroid and lung development" [5 years, $40,000]
Stephen Lomber - "Functional organization of non-primary auditory cortex" [5 years, $70,000]
Chris Pin - "Regulation of acinar cell function" [5 years, $36,000]
Rennian Wang - "Role of fibrin-interactions in supporting 2D and 3D pancreatic islet growth and function" [5 years, $48,000]
Andy Watson - "The maternal environment influence on early mammalian development" [5 years, $47,000]
Special Recruitment Seminar
Tuesday April 12, from 4:30-5:30 pm in Dental Science Building rm 2016
Physiology and Pharmacology and Psychology invite you to attend a seminar given by Dr. Thilo Womelsdorf, The University of Western Ontario. Candidate: Tier 2 CRC in Primate Neuroscience. (more details)
On Sunday, May 15, Team Bernier: Researchers in Motion will be participating in The Arthritis Society’s Walk to Fight Arthritis in honor of our colleague and friend Dr Suzanne Bernier, a passionate Arthritis researcher who passed away in 2007. Over the past 60 years, The Arthritis Society has contributed over $170 million to arthritis research. We are kicking off our fundraising with a pizza lunch on Thursday, April 7th from 11:30-12:30 PM in the MSB lobby. The cost for a slice of pizza, pop and a cookie will be $5. Please come out and join us in raising funds for this event. Together, we can make a difference in the fight against arthritis. (more details)
Physiology and Pharmacology and Psychology invite you to attend a seminar given by Dr. Christoph Kayser, The Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics. Candidate: Tier 2 CRC in Primate Neuroscience. (more details)
Thursday April 7, from 4:30-5:30 pm in Medical Science Building rm 384
The 2011 Moffat Research and Career Day will be held on Tues Mar 29th from 9 am to 4 pm in the Great Hall in Somerville House. This annual event is a great opportunity to discuss with our graduate students their on-going research projects - 175 Schulich students are presenting research posters this year. All faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows and graduate and undergraduate students are welcome and encouraged to attend (Read more).
Tom Stavraky honored with an Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching
February 17
The department congratulates Tom Stavraky for receiving a 2010-11 Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching. This is the highest honour for educational excellence given at Western, and will be conferred on Tom at the Spring Convocation.
Tom, longstanding lecturer and lab manager, has oneof the highest teaching loads in the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology. A previous winner of the Marilyn Robinson Award,he consistently receives high ratings for his teaching. Stavraky is renowned for his in-class demonstrations and props demonstrating physiological principles. An enthusiastic participant in outreach programs for Western science education, he developed a CD-ROM based system for distance instruction. These unique materials were used in the first-year physiology classes in schools of nursing at Western and Fanshawe College and were later purchased and published even more widely by a commercial academic publisher.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario funding announcement
March 15
Congratulations to the following recipients of Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario , Grant-in-Aid (GIA) and Career Investigator awards
Sean Cregan - 2 years (New Annual), $90,734, Mechanisms of p53 and ATF4 induced neuronal apoptosis
James Hammond - 3 years (Renewal), $83,685, Role of Nucleoside/Nucleobase Transporters in the Regulation of the Vascular Effects of Adenosine and its Metabolites
David Hess - 2 years (New Annual), $69,952, Progenitor cell regulation of the vascular regenerative niche
Morris Karmazyn - 2 years (New Annual), $83,875, Sodium-regulatory transporter in myocardial remodelling and heart failure
Kaiping Yang - 2 years (Renewal), $70,165,Early-life Origins of Visceral Adiposity
USC Teaching Honor Roll 2009 - 2010
February 14
Congratulations to faculty members appointed in our Department that were named to the University Students' Council 2009-10 Teaching Honor Roll.
The Department of Physiology and Pharmacology is excited to introduce a new 3rd year course in Pharmacology – Pharm 3620: Human Pharmacology and Therapeutic Principles. This will be a full year systems-based pharmacology course that will examine drugs used to treat diseases that affect various organs of the body (e.g. cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, etc.) (Details)
Combating Molecular Mechanisms of Heart Failure Dr. Qingping Feng - University of Western Ontario
Heart failure has become a major threat to the quality and length of life for older Canadians. But Dr. Qingping Feng’s research project will look for solutions to this life-limiting disease by identifying molecules that regulate and determine heart cell function. Abnormal nitric oxide production has been linked to many heart disorders. The main goal of his research is to examine the role of nitric oxide, produced by nitric oxide synthase proteins found in heart cells that controls many aspects of heart cell function including calcium entry, cell survival and heart rhythm. This will help explain the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved and determine whether intervening with drugs or gene therapy can eliminate or reduce the occurrence of heart failure. “This could create new targets for treatment and prevention of heart failure, improving the health and quality of life of people living with heart disease and those who care for them.” says Dr. Feng. (read report)
Congratulations to recipients of CIHR operating grants
January 31
Once again, our Department members have done very well in the CIHR open operating grant program competition. Eleven of the 36 operating grant applications submitted by Department members were funded. This success rate of 30.6% is well above the national average of 21.4%. This is particularly noteworthy in this highly-competitive funding climate.
Dr. Frank Beier - "TGFalpha/EGFR signaling in osteoarthritis" [5-years]
Dr. Nica Borradaile - "Roles of elongation factor 1A-1 in apolipoprotein B metabolism and the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease" [1-year]
Dr. Peter Chidiac - "Role of RGS2 in the response of cells to stress" [5-years]
Dr. Lina Dagnino - "Integrin-linked kinase in epidermal stem cells" [5-years]
Dr. Stefan Everling - "Role of frontal cortical projections to the superior colliculus in saccade suppression and task switching in primates" [5-years]
Dr. Stephen Ferguson - "Regulation of vascular G protein-coupled receptor signal transduction" [5-years]
Dr. Daniel Hardy - "Molecular mechanisms underlying the in utero origins of hypercholesterolemia" [3-years]
Dr. John MacDonald - "NMDA receptors, metaplasticity and schizophrenia" [5-years]
Dr. Rommel Tirona - "Role of skeletal muscle drug transporters in statin-induced myopathy" [4-years]
Dr. Ruud Veldhuizen - "The effects of mechanical ventilation on the biophysical properties of pulmonary surfactant" [1-year]
Dr. Kaiping Yang - "Early-life origins of visceral adiposity" [4-years]
Alzheimer's Western Club presents a Coffee Break featuring Dr. Jane Rylett
February 10 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m UCC rm. 54A
Dr. Rylett will discuss: -Neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease -Her current research and new advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease -Research and volunteer opportunities for undergraduate students (read more)
Everling and Hess receive CFI infrastructure grants
January 24
Congratulations to Drs. Stefan Everling and David Hess for their recent success in obtaining large grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to support development of infrastructure in their research laboratories. Stefan received $318,272 in CFI funding to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for his Laboratory for Neural Circuits and Cognitive Control. David was awarded $272,955 for purchase of equipment to establish the Somatic Stem Cell Selection Laboratory for the Regeneration of Beta Cell and Vascular Function. Both Stefan and David are Scientists at Robarts Research Institute. (Read more)
Meet researchers and current graduate students doing the most up to date medical research. Pick up information on our competitive financial support. (more information)
Meet researchers and current graduate students doing the most up to date medical research. Pick up information on our competitive financial support. (more information)
Scientists are hoping ancient woolly mammoth tusks and bones from Yukon will help their modern-day research, from finding a cure for osteoporosis to cracking down on mislabelled food products.
Some mammoth ivory is under the microscope of Stephen Sims, a University of Western Ontario physiology professor who hopes the ancient ivory can help make a breakthrough in modern human bone diseases. (Read more)
Ginseng has been prescribed by Eastern doctors for thousands of years. Westerners have been skeptical, but that’s starting to change.
Ed Lui heads a $20.8 million research project into Ontario ginseng, which includes a $6.9 million grant from the provincial government. One of the goals of the five-year project, known as the Ontario Ginseng Innovation Research Consortium, is to boost the province’s ginseng industry. (Read more)
Holiday Party raises $600 for the London Food Bank
January 17
Thank you to Dr. Dan Hardy and members of the PhysPharm Social Committee for organizing Friday's Phys/Pharm Holiday Social at the Wave. This was attended by over 90 Department members and their guests. Special thanks to Michael Knauer, Dan Hardy, Anita Woods and Brad Urquhart for using their creativity to devise the "Table vs Table Clicker Challenge" entertainment - congrats to the winning table captained by Jon Hore, Michael Cook, John Di Guglielmo and Adrain Gunaratne. Finally, thank you to Dr. Brad Urquhart for generously donating his winnings from the 50:50 draw to the London Food Bank. In all, $600 was raised at this event as a donation from our Department to the Food Bank. Pictures of this event can be found in our Flickr Gallery
Dr. David Hill has been reappointed as the Sheldon H. Weinstein Chair in Diabetes Research for a five-year term (July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2015). Dr. Hill is the Scientific Director of the Lawson Health Research Institute and professor in the Departments of Medicine, Paediatrics, and Physiology & Pharmacology at The University of Western Ontario. (Read more)
Laird Tier One CRC in Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication and Disease is renewed
November 24
On a day several hundred Canada Research Chairs (CRC) gathered in Toronto to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the prestigious program, the Government of Canada announced three new and six renewed Chairs at The University of Western Ontario. Dale Laird, Tier One CRC in Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication and Disease, was one of the six renewals. (Read more)
Vitamin C a potential life-saving treatment for sepsis
November 18
Physicians caring for patients with sepsis may soon have a new safe and cost-effective treatment for this life-threatening illness. Research led by Dr. Karel Tyml and his colleagues at The University of Western Ontario and Lawson Health Research Ins… [Read More]
2010 Graduate Student Research and Teaching Awards in Physiology and Pharmacology
Congratulations to the outstanding graduate student award winners. The presentations were made at the Stevenson Banquet held on November 9 at Windemere Manor. Special guests included this year's Stevenson Lecturer, Dr. Jeffery Wrana, Mrs. Joan Stevenson and many members of the Stevenson family and Dr. Mike Strong and his wife. Thank you to everyone who attended this very special evening.
Stefanie Black - The Esme Walker Award given annually to an exceptional Physiology Ph. D. graduate [Supervisor - Jane Rylett]
Jessica Osumek - The Bill Bottom Award given annually to an exceptional Physiology M.Sc. graduate [Supervisor - Dan Hardy]
Shirine Usmani - The Gordon J. Mogenson Scholarship recognizes outstanding research achievements of a continuing Ph.D. student in the Physiology Graduate Program [Supervisor Dr. Frank Beier]
Fuli Xiang - The Gordon J. Mogenson Scholarship recognizes outstanding research achievements of a continuing Ph.D. student in the Physiology Graduate Program [Supervisor - Qingping Feng]
Michael Knauer - The George W. Stavraky Teaching Scholarship recognizes a continuing graduate student in Physiology and Pharmacology Graduate Programs for outstanding ability in undergraduate teaching [Supervisor - Rommel Tirona]
Matt Zajac - The Murray Fraser Award is given annually to an exceptional Pharmacology M.Sc. graduate [Supervisor Dr. Moshmi Bhattacharya]
Derek Bone - The Hari and Gudrun Sharma Award recognizes excellence in research and academic performance of a continuing student in the Pharmacology & Toxicology Graduate Program [Supervisor - James Hammond]
Congratulations to all of the seventy two graduate students in the department who presented posters on Tuesday November 9. First place winners in the six categories were: Linda Vi, Aaron Cox, Fuli Xiang, Jessica Esseltine, Inna Gong and Patrick Swan. Thank you to all of the poster judges and everyone who attended to make this such a successful showcase for research in the department. (Complete list of winners)
Deaf or blind people often report enhanced abilities in their remaining senses, but up until now, no one has explained how and why that could be.
Researchers at The University of Western Ontario, led by Stephen Lomber of The Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and The Centre for Brain and Mind, have discovered there is a causal link between enhanced visual abilities and reorganization of the part of the brain that usually handles auditory input in congenitally deaf cats.
The findings, published online in Nature Neuroscience, provide insight into the plasticity that may occur in the brains of deaf people. (Read more)
Lend a Hand - Friday, October 29 -Thank you for supporting the United Way
Support this year’s United Way campaign by purchasing a Physiology and Pharmacology Wristband. By popular demand, and for the third straight year, these fashionable accessories are available from the PhysPharm office for only $10. All proceeds go to the United Way. Over $1700 has been raised in the past two years and this year’s goal is to sell one hundred wrist bands. (More details)
"If you want to do stem cell research at Western, there's an app for that" Dr. Dean Betts, Dr. David Hess and Chris Hughes
Are you planning to apply to graduate studies at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, but not sure which program suits you best? Please attend any or all of our seminars targeted at specific programs and research themes. Here you can meet people doing the most up-to-date research in Schulich’s signature areas. Presenters will include faculty members, graduate students, clinicians, and ICU doctors. Please note that each session has limited space, so we will ask you to register early to avoid disappointment. (Full schedule)
Phys Pharm United Way Campaign - Last Day to Enter
This year’s United Way Campaign is being kicked off in the Department with our 2nd annual NHL Hockey Pool. It’s a great way to have some fun and support a worthy cause. Please keep an eye on this space for more Physiology and Pharmacology United Way fund raising initiatives. (entry form)
Dr. Ray Bassett, the Irish Ambassador to Canada visited London last weekend to support a fund raising event for the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Our very own Dan Hardy gave the ambassador a tour of some of the city's main attractions including the historic Old Courthouse and the Vitali-Lovell Fetal Programming lab.
Ambassador Basset has a PhD in Biochemistry and was very impressed with the lab which supports researchers in the departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Physiology and Pharmacology.
Thanks to Dan, a member of the Irish Benevolent Society of London and Middlesex County for giving Schulich international exposure.
What a party!
Thanks to everyone who attended this year's Annual Physiology and Pharmacology Corn Roast on September 16th. The evening was a great success with close to 200 attendees. Although the day started with rain, the skies cleared and a good time was had by all. The corn roast is held annually to kick-off the new academic year and to welcome our new fourth year honors students. Special thanks to our social committee and volunteers. An extra special thanks to Todd Grigg and Porky's BBQ & Leisure for supplying the bbq and ensuring no one went home hungry.
Beier named CHRI Scientist of the Year
Congratulations to Frank Beier who recieved the CHRI Scientist of the Year Award at a ceremony on Wednesday September 8. Dr. Beier is a Professor in Physiology and Pharmacology as well as CHRI Scientist of the Genetics & Development Division and Director of the Collaborative Program in Developmental Biology.
Researchers in Physiology and Pharmacology tested three-centimetre long hair samples from 56 men admitted to an Israel hospital for heart attack against hair collected from 56 men of equal ages who were hospitalized for other reasons. The hair samples were checked for cortisol, a hormone that is secreted in greater amounts during times of stress. Those who had a heart attack had significantly higher levels of cortisol in the three months before the attack. The study by Gideon Koren and associates is published in "Stress" (Read more)
Welcome from CPS President Doug Jones. This is the second "electronic" version of Physiology Canada. We are pleased to have received some positive feedback on the first issue and it's varied content. Included in this issue are a number of items of interest to the membership. (Read more)
August 4, 2010 - Dr. Sean Cregan, Scientist at the Robarts Research Institute and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, has been named Researcher of the Month for August 2010 by Canadians for Health Research. A profile of Dr. Cregan appears on the Canadians for Health Research website.
Alzheimer's Association Grant
Drs. Marco Prado, Jane Rylett, John MacDonald and Vilma Martins [Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brazil] have been awarded a 3-year grant from Alzheimer's Association (USA) in their 2010 Novel Pharmacological Strategies to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease (NPSPAD) program. The grant is entitled "The Prion Protein as a therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease".
The Stem Cell Network (SCN) is a national organization founded by the Canadian government in 2001 that today is more than 100 investigators strong and has received over $60 million in government funding. . The SCN's training and networking tools were priceless when looking for a job, says Cheryle Séguin, a new PI in Physiology and Pharmacology at Western.
In 2008, Séguin worked with Janet Rossant and Andras Nagy, among others, to differentiate ESCs into endoderm, a developmental germ layer that differentiates into lung, liver, pancreas, and many other cell types in the body. Today, Séguin has her own lab, where she is attempting to differentiate ESCs all the way into pancreatic precursors. "I was really happy that Canada has such a strong stem cell research environment that I could stay and not feel like I was compromising," she adds. (Read more)
One in seven Canadians will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
Melanoma, the more serious type of skin cancer, remains one of the most rapidly increasing cancers in Canada and is the second most common cancer in young adults.
"The incidence of skin cancers is increasing due to factors such as greater exposure to the sun," says Dr. Lina Dagnino, a Canadian Cancer Society-funded researcher at the University of Western Ontario, "Skin cancers severely affect the quality of life of afflicted individuals and impose an enormous burden on our health care system."
With the help of a three year grant from the Canadian Cancer Society, Dr. Dagnino's research team is studying a key protein, called integrin-linked kinase (ILK), involved in skin cell development and movement. Her work will shed light on the cellular interactions that lead to skin cancer development and could ultimately result in better therapies for fighting skin cancer. (Read more)
Congratulations to the researchers receiving Operating Grants in recent CIHR competition:
Frank Beier - "Glucocorticoid receptor and RORalpha in cartilage development and osteoarthritis" - 5 years.
Tom Drysdale - "Molecular control of early cardiac morphogenesis and differentiation" - 1 year.
Stephen Pasternak - "Characterizing the role of the endosomal/ lysosomal system in Alzheimer's Disease" - 5 years.
Michael Poulter - "GABA-A receptor plasticity in response to experimental and human epilepsy" - 5 years.
Kidder and Yang named as CHRI Chairs
Children's Health Research Institute (CHRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of the Chairs of the three new Divisions, which are reorganized from the five previous Programs.
This year's Undergraduate Awards were presented at a ceremony on June 17 in Conron Hall. Dr. Barry Tepperman handed out the awards to our top honors graduating students:
Lance Frieburger - Western Gold Medal for Honors Specialization in Pharmacology and Toxicology
Michael Andrew Pest - Western Gold Medal for Honors Specialization in Pharmacology
Stephanie Karena Gottheil - Western Gold Medal for Honors Specialization in Physiology and Pharmacology
Matthew McNevin - Western Gold Medal for Honors Specialization in Physiology and Psychology
Kimberly Stevens - Western Gold Medal in Physiology
Danielle Hammond - J.A.F. Stevenson Medal (Physiology)
Aniket Natekar - Gordon J. Spylo Award in Physiology
Graduate Student Award at Endocrine Society Meeting
Congratulations to Gurjeev Sohi who won the prestigious Presidential Poster Competition at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, held June 19 to 22, in San Diego, California. His abstract is entitled "Maternal Protein Restriction (MPR) Leads to Augmented Cholesterol Due to Chromatin Silencing of the Hepatic Cholesterol 7a-Hydroxylase (CYP7A1) Promoter during Early Development of the Rat Offspring." Gurjeev is supervised by Dr. Dan Hardy
Convocation 2010 - Congratulations to our Honors BMSc Graduates
Thursday, June 17
The Department hosted a luncheon for our fourth year graduating students and their families. Degrees were awarded at an afternoon ceremony in Alumni Hall where Dr. Jim Silcox was conferred an honorary degree. (Read more)
Memorial service to be held for former department member Dr. Peter Dellow
Prof Peter Glynn Dellow died May 30, 2010 at Mt. Hope, London. Dr. Dellow was a professor in the Physiology Department from 1966 to 1991. (Read more)
Hess receives the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada's top award for New Investigators
Dr. David Hess, scientist in the vascular biology research group at Robarts Research Institute and assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Western Ontario, is the recipient of this year's HSFC McDonald Scholarship, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada's top award for New Investigators.
His goal - to better understand the fundamental cellular functions governing the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis). That's critical for the development of cellular therapies to treat widespread restricted blood supply and resulting tissue damage due to peripheral vascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke. (Read more)
Dr. Kim, Chair of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine at Schulich, along with five other Ontario Researchers have received funding of $500,000 or $1 million to further cancer research over the next five years, Cancer Care Ontario's Research Program announced today.
"This program supports Ontario's ability to translate cancer research into better cancer services and control," said Terrence Sullivan, President and CEO, Cancer Care Ontario. "Cancer patients in Ontario live longer and enjoy a better quality of life than ever before because of advancements in research." (Read more)
Sixth Annual Canadian Nitric Oxide Society Conference
The 6th Canadian Nitric Oxide Society (CNOS) Conference will be held in Conron Hall, University College, University of Western Ontario on June 10-11th, 2010. This will be an exciting meeting on the cutting-edge research on the biochemical properties and physiological roles of nitric oxide. Dr. Dennis Stuehr from the Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio will be giving the keynote lecture. Free registration for graduate students and faculty members! For more information and to download and submit the registration form please visit http://www.canosoc.org/, or e-mail Jen.Heidenheim@schulich.uwo.ca
Outstanding Poster Award at the International Society for Heart Research World Congress
Congratulations to Yin Liu, a PhD student in the laboratory of Qingping Feng, won an Outstanding Poster Award at the 20th International Society for Heart Research (ISHR) World Congress, which was held in Kyoto, Japan on May 13-16, 2010. The title of the poster is "Deficiency in endothelial nitric oxide synthase impairs fetal coronary artery development in mice". Yin Liu was one of three trainees who won this award out of over 600 posters presented at the conference.
This workshop was designed as an opportunity for Schulich graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and associates to begin to identify the benefits and challenges of repackaging your advanced education in non-academic settings. Your career aspirations, training, values and transferable skills will be emphasized as we explore the value of graduate degrees from the employers' perspective. (Read more...)
One of the world's foremost neuroscientists, Adrian Owen, has been recruited to The University of Western Ontario as a Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) and will bring his remarkable research program from the University of Cambridge.
Owen, who has been awarded $10 million from the federal government's CERC program to conduct his research in Canada, will bring his entire research team (Read more...)
Video: Dr Adrian Owen: Canada Excellence Research Chair
Congratulations to Jamie Park: CSBMCB Travel Award Recipient
Jamie Park, a PhD student in Dr. James Hammond's lab, won a travel award for her poster presentation at the CSBMCB (Canadian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology) meeting in Banff, Alberta last month. The presentation was entitled "Cysteine 222 is the target of methylmethanethiosulfonate (MMTS) modification of NBMPR binding to human equilibrative nucleoside transporter subtype 1"
Judy M. Muller-Delp, PhD, Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, University of Florida"Effects of Age and Exercise on Endothelial Function in Skeletal Muscle: Role of Reactive Oxygen Species"
Congratulations to Jeni Thompson, a PhD student co-supervised by Tim Regnault and Bryan Richardson. Jeni recently received one of the Best New Investigator Oral Presentation Awards at the Society for Gynecologic Investigation Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida, this past March 24-27. Jeni's presentations was entitled "Hypoxic-Related Changes in Collagen II, III and MMP-2 mRNA Levels of the Heart and Aorta in the Late Gestation Fetus"
More than one million dollars has been allocated to four research teams making breakthroughs related to stroke and Alzheimer's, cancer and infertility, stem cells and industrial robotics at The University of Western Ontario.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) provided the grants, totalling $1,066,058, through its Leaders Opportunity Fund. (Read more)
On Friday, May 14, all interested trainees, staff and faculty in Physiology and Pharmacology are invited to attend the "Suzanne Bernier Lecture in Skeletal Biology"
This lecture series honors Dr. Suzanne Bernier (1964 - 2007), who was a member of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the CIHR Group in Skeletal Development and Remodeling at the University of Western Ontario.
This year's lecturer is Dr. Karen Burg from Clemson University in South Carolina. In 2003, Karen was named as one of the world's 100 Top Young Innovators by MIT's Technology Review. Karen is recognized for her contributions to the field of tissue engineering (bone, spine and breast). Karen also serves as executive editor of "Biomaterials Forum" a publication of the "Society For Biomaterials". Karen's work in tissue engineering will appeal to faculty, staff and trainees from both the basic science and clinical realms of research.
The lecture will be followed by a reception. Both the Bernier lecture and reception are open to all interested members of the university community, so please feel free to invite your friends and colleagues.
Congratulations to our students postdocs and faculty
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Doctoral Research Award
Fuli Xiang (PhD Physiology; Supervisor Qingping Feng) "Regulation of cardiac function by stem cell factor post myocardial infarction"
Alzheimer Society of Canada Doctoral Research Award
Rachel Mixer (PhD Physiology; Supervisor Jane Rylett) "Effect of aging, Alzheimer disease and related neurological disorders on subcellular localization and function of choline acetyltransferase"
CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Doctoral Award
Catherine Ciszkowski (PhD Pharmacology; Supervisors Gideon Koren and Michael Rieder) "CYP2D6 screening for adverse drug reactions to codeine in breast milk"
CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship
Dan (Amanda) Tong (Children's Hospital in Boston; Supervisor David Clapham) "Roles of PKD2 channels in sperm development and function"
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Research Grant
Moshmi Bhattacharya"Beta-arrestin signalling in breast cancer metastasis" - 3 year grant
Opening of the Susan Vitali-Lovell Laboratory for Studies in Fetal Programming of Human Health Risk
The official opening took place on Wednesday April 7, 2010. Mrs. Frances Vitali and Dr. John Lovell along with many members of their family were welcomed by Dr. Carol Herbert and Dr. Jane Rylett. A tour of the new laboratory was followed by a presidential luncheon hosted by Dr. Chakma.
Scientists at The University of Western Ontario have discovered the biological link between stress, anxiety and depression. By identifying the connecting mechanism in the brain, this research led by Stephen Ferguson of Robarts Research Institute shows exactly how stress and anxiety could lead to depression. The study also reveals a small molecule inhibitor developed by Ferguson, which may provide a new and better way to treat anxiety, depression and related disorders. The findings are published online in the journal Nature Neuroscience.... (Read more)
Cell Physiology Elena Fazio [PhD Physiology; supervisor Chris Pin] Endocrinology Gillian Bell [MSc Physiology; supervisor David Hess] Pharmacology Inna Gong [PhD Pharmacology; supervisor Richard Kim] Physiology Shirine Usmani [MD-PhD Physiology; supervisor Frank Beier] Signal Transduction Sarah McLean [PhD Physiology; supervisor John Di Guglielmo] (Read More...)
Dr. Jerry Kidder will present "Explorations in Developmental Biology: From Aquarium to Cage to Clinic" 4 pm in Medical Sciences, Room M146
Lab Opening
Hello everyone
It is a great pleasure for me to officially announce the generous gift from the Vitali and Lovell families that has allowed completion of "The Susan Vitali-Lovell Laboratories for Studies in Fetal Programming of Human Health Risks" on the second floor of the Dental Sciences Building. This newly-renovated space provides outstanding facilities for the research programs of Drs. Dean Betts, Dan Hardy and Tim Regnault and their trainees and staff. Two separate CFI grants obtained by Drs. Hardy and Regnault and by Dr. Betts, along with a financial contribution from the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, also made this renovation possible.
The Vitali-Lovell family gift has been made in honour of the late J.J. (Jack) Vitali and his wife Mrs. Frances Vitali [B.A. Kings College, 1991] to the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in memory of their daughter Susan Lovell. Susan is the late wife of Dr. John Lovell [DDS, 1982], and received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto. Her father Jack Vitali was the owner of Highbury Ford, and a proud Western Parent and believer in life-long learning. In relation to this latter point, a primary focus of the renovated laboratory space is on undergraduate and graduate student training in physiology and pharmacology, subjects that were highly influential in Susan Vitali's career choice of Pharmacy.
In honour of this philanthropic gift and of the Vitali-Lovell families, we would like to invite all members of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology to attend the official opening of the Susan Vitali-Lovell Laboratories on Wednesday April 7th at 11 am. A short ceremony will take place in our Department Boardroom [Medical Sciences 212] followed by a tour of the new laboratories. Drs. Amit Chakma and Carol Herbert will attend to thank the families on behalf of Western and Schulich. Refreshments will be served.
Please plan to attend.
Regards
Jane Rylett
Successful applicants to NSERC Research Tools and Instruments [Fall 2009 competition]
Stefan Everling - "A recording system for ERPs in nonhuman primates"
Stephen Lomber - "Equipment for electrophysiological recording laboratory and thermodynamic imaging"
Margaret Moffat Research and Career Day - March 31
The Margaret Moffat Research Day, held Wednesday, March 31, is an annual event intended to highlight the research of graduate students from departments within the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the biomedical engineering, neuroscience and developmental biology programs. Research Day, held Wednesday, March 31, is an annual event intended to highlight the research of graduate students from departments within the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the biomedical engineering, neuroscience and developmental biology programs
2010-2011 NSERC Discovery Grants Award Recipients
Congratulations to:
Brad Urquhart - Regulation of drug transport proteins and drug metabolizing enzymes by nuclear receptors - 5 year grant.
Chris Pin - Regulation of acinar function - 1 year grant.
Peter Chidiac - Integration of signals by proteins that have multiple G protein-interacting domains - 1 year grant.
Physiology and Pharmacology Awards and Grants
Successful Career Investigator Award:
Dr. Qingping Feng - "Mechanisms of heart failure"
Successful research operating grants:
David G. Bailey - new 2 year grant "Coffee - cardiovascular drug interactions" Peter Chidiac - renewal 2 year grant "Mechanism of the protective effect of RGS2 in cardiac hypertrophy" - Morris Karmazyn - new 2 year grant "Nitric oxide as an endogenous antihypertrophic factor" Morris Karmazyn - renewal 2 year grant "Role of adenosine in myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure"
Margaret Moffat Research Day - March 31, 2010
The Margaret Moffat Research Day is an annual event intended to highlight the research of graduate students from departments within the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the biomedical engineering, neuroscience and developmental biology programs.... (Read more)
Annual Physiology and Pharmacology Fourth Year Student POSTER DAY
Monday March 29 in Dental Science Building room 2007. Morning session 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Afternoon session 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend and learn about our Honors Student's research projects. Refreshments provided.
Protecting the brain from a deadly genetic disease
Huntington's disease (HD) is a cruel, hereditary condition that leads to severe physical and mental deterioration, psychiatric problems and eventually, death. Currently, there are no treatments to slow down or stop it. HD sufferers are born with the disease although they do not show symptoms until late in life. In a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, Stephen Ferguson and Fabiola Ribeiro of Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario identified a protective pathway in the brain that may explain why HD symptoms take so long to appear.... (Read more)
Nica Borradaile gets a thrillfrom discovering something new. It is why the lab is so fascinating to her. "Almost any question you have about biology can be answered in the lab and that is incredibly exciting," says Borradaile, a recent addition to the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology. "There is certainly no shortage of questions." In her lab, Borradaile researches lipid metabolism. Lipids are essential molecules for health, however the accumulation of fat in our cells is an important component of Borradaile's work... (Read more)
Graduate and professional school survey
The 2010 Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey (CGPSS) was launched on Feb. 22, giving graduate students at universities across the country an opportunity to help improve educational experiences for students of today and tomorrow.... (Read more)
Western Appoints next Dean of Schulich Medicine and Dentistry
The University of Western Ontario has announced the appointment of Dr. Michael J. Strong as Dean of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Dr. Strong will begin his term as Dean on July 1, 2010 and will serve until June 30, 2015. He will replace Dr. Carol Herbert, who announced her intention to step down more than a year ago after completing two terms and eleven years as Dean.... (Read more)
Studying Heart Failure of Mice and Men
Scientists at Robarts Research Institute, working in collaboration with researchers in Brazil, have used a unique genetically-modified mouse line to reveal a previously unidentified mechanism contributing to heart failure. The study, led by Marco Prado, Robert Gros and Vania Prado of Western and Silvia Guatimosim of Brazil, shows how the decreased release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a chemical messenger which slows cardiac activity, contributes to heart failure... (Read more)
2009 Fall CIHR Competition results now available online
Our department did well in CIHR operating grant competition relative to the national average. Out of fifteen applications involving members of PhysPharm, five grants were funded, 33% compared to the national average of approximately 18%.
Funded are: Frank Beier, co-investigator with Natalie Berube (Psediatrics); Jeff Dixon; Paul Gribble (joint appointment PhysPharm and Psychology); Tim Regnault (cross appointee with primary appointment in Obstetrics and Gynecology); Thilo Womelsdorf, with Stefan Everling as co-investigator.... (Read more)
Yan Wu, a graduate student in the lab of Dr. Qingping Feng, won an Outstanding Poster Award at the International Conference on Recent Development in Chinese Herbal Medicine. The conference was held in Singapore, January 25-26, 2010. The title of the poster was "Ginseng protects the heart from ischemia and reperfusion injury via endothelial nitric oxide synthase". Congratulations Yan.
Andy Watson appointed Associate Dean, Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies:
Andy Watson, of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, has been appointed Associate Dean, Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies for the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012). As Associate Dean, Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, Watson will be working with the Graduate Programs and Program Chairs to enhance the quality of programs, achieve enrolment goals, and improve the overall graduate student experience. He will organize the dissemination of research activities with the purpose of recognizing the integral role of postdoctoral fellows, and to increase their numbers within Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and affiliated institutions. As the Associate Dean he will also represent the Graduate Programs of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies at The University of Western Ontario. As the chair of the Physiology and Pharmacology & Toxicology Graduate Programs since 2008, Watson has supervised and co-supervised the research of 13 graduate students and currently supervises four graduate students. Watson joined the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology in 1992 and the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology in 1993 as a young research investigator. As a Scholar of the Medical Research Council of Canada (1994-1999) and a Premier's Research Excellence Award Recipient (2000-2005), he has been able to establish a very successful research program which investigates the mechanisms controlling the development of fertilized occyte through the first week of pre-implantation and initiation of pregnancy. Please join us in welcoming Andy to his new role. His enthusiasm and extensive experience make him a welcome addition to the Decanal team.
Deb Matthew Visits Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
The Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-term Care in Ontario paid a visit to the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology and Obstetrics and Gynecology on Monday January 25. Minister Matthews toured the newly renovated laboratory space of Drs. Tim Regnault, Dan Hardy, and Dean Betts located on the second floor of the Dental Science Building. Funding for this laboratory renovation was paid in part by the Ontario Research Fund (ORF). After speaking to students and staff in the lab, she met with Dr. Bryan Richardson, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology to discuss how to reduce low birth weight rates in Ontario, and better manage these infants for greater health outcomes long term.
*Acting Chair Appointed: Dr. Jonathan Hore has been appointed as Acting Chair of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology from January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010. Jon is a Full Professor in the Department with a long history of accomplishment in teaching and research. He is an award-winning educator, having won the Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching from UWO and the Schulich Distinguished Leader in Undergraduate Education Award. He has also been the recipient of the Basic Science Teaching Award from the Medical Students Hippocratic Council several times. Jon is recognized as a leader in motor control physiology and has made substantial contributions to our understanding of hand and limb movement and in healthy subjects and individuals with cerebellar lesions. He has extensive experience in the academic community, including being elected to Senate and being a member of senior committees of Senate, the University and our Faculty and Department. He served previously as Acting Chair of the Department of Physiology. We welcome Jon to this position during the next six months.
*Drs. Tim Regnault and Dan Hardy are among several other Western researchers recently awarded $19-million from Ontario Research Fund. Tim and Dan received $288,000 in ORF funds as match for their CFI grant entitled: "A Laboratory for Investigating the Role of Fetal Programming In Metabolic Syndrome - developing drug targets for prenatal prevention of adult diseases"
*Chris Drummond-Main and Arash Kia each successfully defended their M.Sc. theses during the past week. Dr. Michael Poulter is their supervisor.
Our Annual Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Research Day and the 21st Charles W. Gowdey Lecture were an outstanding success and very well attended. Research posters were presented by 80 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Many people were involved in the organization of the events, and I would like to extend a special thank you to Michele Grigg, Julia Cook and Bruce Arppe for their outstanding contributions. Thank you to Lina Dagnino, John Di Guglielmo, Michael Poulter, Michael Jackson and Stephen Sims for organizing the research day and symposium, and hosting the speaker. Thank you also to all faculty members who served as Judges for the graduate student and postdoctoral fellow poster session.
Again this year, we had an outstanding turnout of faculty and staff member and graduate student volunteers to represent our Department and research themes at the Schulich Graduate Student Recruitment Day yesterday. Thank you to everyone who participated, and to our Communications & Outreach Committee and Bruce Arppe, Sue Ann Becker, Susan McMillan and Anita Woods for enlisting volunteers and organizing our program promotional materials.
Congratulations to:
Graduate Student Research and Teaching Awards in Physiology and Pharmacology Ciric To - The Hari and Gudrun Sharma Award recognizes excellence in research and academic performance of a continuing student in the Pharmacology & Toxicology Graduate Program [Supervisor Dr. John Di Guglielmo] Ryan Gillespie - The Gordon J. Mogenson Scholarship recognizes outstanding research achievements of a continuing Ph.D. student in the Physiology Graduate Program [Supervisor Dr. Frank Beier] Veronica Ulici - The Esme Walker Award is given annually to an exceptional Physiology Ph. D. graduate [Supervisor Dr. Frank Beier] Parvaz Madadi - The Margaret Moffat Award is given annually to an exceptional Pharmacology Ph. D. graduate [Supervisor Dr. Gideon Koren] Adel Aziziyeh - The Murray Fraser Award is given annually to an exceptional Pharmacology M.Sc. graduate [Supervisor Dr. Moshmi Bhattacharya] Melissa Walker - The Bill Bottom Award is given annually to an exceptional Physiology M.Sc. graduate [Supervisor Dr. Jim Lewis] Ryan Gillespie - The George W. Stavraky Teaching Scholarship recognizes a continuing graduate student in Physiology and Pharmacology Graduate Programs for outstanding ability in undergraduate teaching [Supervisor Dr. Frank Beier]
Poster Award winners at our Annual Department Research Day Inna Gong - clinical pharmacology category [supervisor Dr. Richard Kim] Adrian Gunaratne - cancer category [supervisor Dr. John Di Guglielmo] Yin Liu - cardio-pulmonary category [supervisor Dr. Qingping Feng] Sarah McLean - signal transduction category [supervisor Dr. John Di Guglielmo] Gurjeev Sohi - development-reproduction category [supervisor Dr. Dan Hardy] Jari Tuomi - cardio-pulmonary category [supervisor Dr. Doug Jones] Li Xin - molecular physiology-pharmacology category [supervisor Dr. Donglin Bai]
Poster Award winners at the Robarts Research Day Inna Gong [Ph.D. Pharmacology, supervisor Dr. Richard Kim] David Putnam [M.Sc. Physiology, supervisor Dr. David Hess]
Dr. Nica Borradaile has been awarded a Young Investigator Research Grant from the Canadian Lipoprotein Conference and Pfizer.
FUND-RAISING SUCCESS and THANK YOU:
The Department of Physiology and Pharmacology raised $955 for the United Way through our "Physiology & Pharmacology Supports the United Way" wristband campaign and Hockey Pool. Thank you to the Social Committee for developing and implementing these ideas, and to all who participated in this worthy cause by purchasing a wristband.
Mark your calendars. The Annual Physiology and Pharmacology Research Day will be held on Tuesday, November 6th in conjunction with the 2012 J.A.F. Stevenson Memorial Lecture. This years Stevenson Lecturer will be Dr. Jean Schaffer, Virginia Minnich Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Washington University, presenting "Unexpected regulators of metabolic stress".
Dr. Angela Nissen is the course manager for Pharmacology 3580Y as well as teaching in other Pharmacology and Physiology courses. Angela spent eight years combining teaching and research as a faculty member at a small undergraduate university in the Maritimes. Her research program studied the factors that predispose the lung to acute lung injury, specifically focusing on drug addiction. She has returned to Western to pursue teaching full time in the same Department where this passion was initially sparked.
PhysPharm kicked off the 2012 academic year with the annual Corn Roast and BBQ held on the scenic shores of Fanshawe Lake. This event is held every year to welcome our new honours students to the department. Over two hundred students, staff and faculty enjoyed the food, games and commraderie. Thanks to all who helped in the organization and to everyone who came out to enjoy a great evening.
A cell line being developed by Western musculoskeletal researcher Dr. Cheryle Séguin may hold the key researchers need to unlock the secrets of chordoma. And now, thanks in part to seed funding provided by the Chordoma Foundation, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor’s continued research could shed light on the cause of and potential therapies for the mysterious cancer. (Read more)
Dr. Hammond has accepted an appointment as Chair of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Alberta. Photos of Dr. Hammond's farewell reception can be found on Flickr.
On Sunday, June 10th, Team Bernier: Researchers in Motion will be participating in The Arthritis Society’s Walk to Fight Arthritis in honour of our colleague and friend Dr. Suzanne Bernier, a passionate Arthritis researcher who passed away in 2007. Dr. Bernier was a faculty member in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and a founding member of the Canadian Arthritis Network and Western’s CIHR Group in Skeletal Development and Remodeling. 
Congratulations to Drs. Stephen Lomber and Richard Kim, recipients of 2012 Dean's Awards of Excellence for Faculty (Research). These awards recognize faculty members for exceptional performance.
are invited to join us for the reception at 6 p.m., with dinner scheduled to begin at 6:30. Tickets are $40. The deadline to RSVP is May 9th, 2012. To RSVP, please click here.
Forget allergic reactions and taking countless medications that don’t do what they’re supposed to do. Imagine going to the doctor or pharmacist and getting treatment tailored to your needs, the first time, every time.
New findings discovered by an international research team, which includes Dr. Dean Betts, a professor in Schulich's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, may lead to a safe and effective anti-cancer therapy.
To better understand the challenges and opportunities related to chemical testing and regulation, the Council of Canadian Academies brought together a group of 15 eminent experts, of which Professor Bend, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, was a member, to discuss the scientific status of the use of integrated testing strategies in the human regulatory risk assessment of pesticides. (read more)
Researchers have discovered they can detect conscious awareness in some patients thought to be in a permanent vegetative state using an inexpensive EEG device that measures electrical activity in the brain.
Marco Prado, Vania Prado and a team of researchers at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Robarts Research Institute used unique genetically-modified mice developed at Western and high-level behaviour and imaging techniques to study the function of neurons and neurotransmitters in the striatum, which is the region of the brain affected in Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and other motor diseases. The research team was particularly interested in the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and what effect it has on brain function (read more)
Mark your calendars. The Annual Physiology and Pharmacology Research Day will be held on Tuesday, November 8th in conjunction with the 2011 Charles W. Gowdey Distinguished Lecture. This years Gowdey Lecturer will be Dr. Brenda Gallie, Senior Scientist, Division of Applied Molecular Oncology, Ontario Cancer Institute. 
The University of Western Ontario is one of nine universities which will share 2.9 million dollars in research grants announced by PrioNet Canada to study Prion diseases and neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's…[Read More]
A team of researchers from Canada and the United Kingdom, led by Adrian Owen at the Centre for Brain and Mind, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to scan the brains of 12 healthy volunteers and compare their reactions to jokes with their reactions to standard, non-joking dialogue. 
Dr. Nica Borradaile has been awarded a 3-year grant from the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) in their 2011 Operating Grant Competition. Her project is entitled "Protective effects of NAD+ on endothelial cell survival and angiogenesis during type 2 diabetes".
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2011 Dean's Awards of Excellence. Undergraduate Administrator Michele Grigg will receive the Award of Excellence for Staff. Stan Leung will be honoured for his excellence in research and Tom Drysdale will receive a Schulich Educator Award. 
The department congratulates Tom Stavraky for receiving a 2010-11 Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching. This is the highest honour for educational excellence given at Western, and will be conferred on Tom at the Spring Convocation. 
Heart failure has become a major threat to the quality and length of life for older Canadians. But Dr. Qingping Feng’s research project will look for solutions to this life-limiting disease by identifying molecules that regulate and determine heart cell function. Abnormal nitric oxide production has been linked to many heart disorders. The main goal of his research is to examine the role of nitric oxide, produced by nitric oxide synthase proteins found in heart cells that controls many aspects of heart cell function including calcium entry, cell survival and heart rhythm. This will help explain the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved and determine whether intervening with drugs or gene therapy can eliminate or reduce the occurrence of heart failure. “This could create new targets for treatment and prevention of heart failure, improving the health and quality of life of people living with heart disease and those who care for them.” says Dr. Feng. (read report) 
Once again, our Department members have done very well in the CIHR open operating grant program competition. Eleven of the 36 operating grant applications submitted by Department members were funded. This success rate of 30.6% is well above the national average of 21.4%. This is particularly noteworthy in this highly-competitive funding climate. 
Dr. Rylett will discuss:
Meet researchers and current graduate students doing the most up to date medical research. Pick up information on our competitive financial support. (more information) 
Scientists are hoping ancient woolly mammoth tusks and bones from Yukon will help their modern-day research, from finding a cure for osteoporosis to cracking down on mislabelled food products.
Ginseng has been prescribed by Eastern doctors for thousands of years. Westerners have been skeptical, but that’s starting to change.
Dan Hardy, Anita Woods and Brad Urquhart for using their creativity to devise the "Table vs Table Clicker Challenge" entertainment - congrats to the winning table captained by Jon Hore, Michael Cook, John Di Guglielmo and Adrain Gunaratne. Finally, thank you to Dr. Brad Urquhart for generously donating his winnings from the 50:50 draw to the London Food Bank. In all, $600 was raised at this event as a donation from our Department to the Food Bank. Pictures of this event can be found in our Flickr Gallery
Dr. David Hill has been reappointed as the Sheldon H. Weinstein Chair in Diabetes Research for a five-year term (July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2015). Dr. Hill is the Scientific Director of the Lawson Health Research Institute and professor in the Departments of Medicine, Paediatrics, and Physiology & Pharmacology at The University of Western Ontario. (Read more) 
Support this year’s United Way campaign by purchasing a Physiology and Pharmacology Wristband. By popular demand, and for the third straight year, these fashionable accessories are available from the PhysPharm office for only $10. All proceeds go to the United Way. Over $1700 has been raised in the past two years and this year’s goal is to sell one hundred wrist bands. (More details)
Roast on September 16th. The evening was a great success with close to 200 attendees. Although the day started with rain, the skies cleared and a good time was had by all. The corn roast is held annually to kick-off the new academic year and to welcome our new fourth year honors students. Special thanks to our social committee and volunteers. An extra special thanks to Todd Grigg and Porky's BBQ & Leisure for supplying the bbq and ensuring no one went home hungry.
Congratulations to Frank Beier who recieved the CHRI Scientist of the Year Award at a ceremony on Wednesday September 8. Dr. Beier is a Professor in Physiology and Pharmacology as well as CHRI Scientist of the Genetics & Development Division and Director of the Collaborative Program in Developmental Biology.
Researchers in Physiology and Pharmacology tested three-centimetre long hair samples from 56 men admitted to an Israel hospital for heart attack against hair collected from 56 men of equal ages who were hospitalized for other reasons. The hair samples were checked for cortisol, a hormone that is secreted in greater amounts during times of stress. Those who had a heart attack had significantly higher levels of cortisol in the three months before the attack. The study by Gideon Koren and associates is published in "Stress" (Read more)
August 4, 2010 - Dr. Sean Cregan, Scientist at the Robarts Research Institute and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, has been named Researcher of the Month for August 2010 by Canadians for Health Research. A profile of Dr. Cregan appears on the Canadians for Health Research website. 
The Stem Cell Network (SCN) is a national organization founded by the Canadian government in 2001 that today is more than 100 investigators strong and has received over $60 million in government funding. . The SCN's training and networking tools were priceless when looking for a job, says Cheryle Séguin, a new PI in Physiology and Pharmacology at Western.
One in seven Canadians will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
Children's Health Research Institute (CHRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of the Chairs of the three new Divisions, which are reorganized from the five previous Programs.
Prof Peter Glynn Dellow died May 30, 2010 at Mt. Hope, London. Dr. Dellow was a professor in the Physiology Department from 1966 to 1991. (Read more)
Dr. Kim, Chair of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine at Schulich, along with five other Ontario Researchers have received funding of $500,000 or $1 million to further cancer research over the next five years, Cancer Care Ontario's Research Program announced today. 
One of the world's foremost neuroscientists, Adrian Owen, has been recruited to The University of Western Ontario as a Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) and will bring his remarkable research program from the University of Cambridge.
Video: Dr Adrian Owen: Canada Excellence Research Chair
Jamie Park, a PhD student in Dr. James Hammond's lab, won a travel award for her poster presentation at the CSBMCB (Canadian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology) meeting in Banff, Alberta last month. The presentation was entitled "Cysteine 222 is the target of methylmethanethiosulfonate (MMTS) modification of NBMPR binding to human equilibrative nucleoside transporter subtype 1"
Congratulations to Jeni Thompson, a PhD student co-supervised by Tim Regnault and Bryan Richardson. Jeni recently received one of the Best New Investigator Oral Presentation Awards at the Society for Gynecologic Investigation Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida, this past March 24-27. Jeni's presentations was entitled "Hypoxic-Related Changes in Collagen II, III and MMP-2 mRNA Levels of the Heart and Aorta in the Late Gestation Fetus" 
More than one million dollars has been allocated to four research teams making breakthroughs related to stroke and Alzheimer's, cancer and infertility, stem cells and industrial robotics at The University of Western Ontario.
On Friday, May 14, all interested trainees, staff and faculty in Physiology and Pharmacology are invited to attend the "Suzanne Bernier Lecture in Skeletal Biology"
The official opening took place on Wednesday April 7, 2010. Mrs. Frances Vitali and Dr. John Lovell along with many members of their family were welcomed by Dr. Carol Herbert and Dr. Jane Rylett. A tour of the new laboratory was followed by a presidential luncheon hosted by Dr. Chakma. 
Scientists at The University of Western Ontario have discovered the biological link between stress, anxiety and depression. 
Congratulations to:
The Margaret Moffat Research Day is an annual event intended to highlight the research of graduate students from departments within the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the biomedical engineering, neuroscience and developmental biology programs.... (Read more)
Huntington's disease (HD) is a cruel, hereditary condition that leads to severe physical and mental deterioration, psychiatric problems and eventually, death. Currently, there are no treatments to slow down or stop it. HD sufferers are born with the disease although they do not show symptoms until late in life. In a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, Stephen Ferguson and Fabiola Ribeiro of Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario identified a protective pathway in the brain that may explain why HD symptoms take so long to appear.... (Read more) 
The University of Western Ontario has announced the appointment of Dr. Michael J. Strong as Dean of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Dr. Strong will begin his term as Dean on July 1, 2010 and will serve until June 30, 2015. He will replace Dr. Carol Herbert, who announced her intention to step down more than a year ago after completing two terms and eleven years as Dean.... (Read more) 
Scientists at Robarts Research Institute, working in collaboration with researchers in Brazil, have used a unique genetically-modified mouse line to reveal a previously unidentified mechanism contributing to heart failure. The study, led by Marco Prado, Robert Gros and Vania Prado of Western and Silvia Guatimosim of Brazil, shows how the decreased release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a chemical messenger which slows cardiac activity, contributes to heart failure... (Read more) 
School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies at The University of Western Ontario. As the chair of the Physiology and Pharmacology & Toxicology Graduate Programs since 2008, Watson has supervised and co-supervised the research of 13 graduate students and currently supervises four graduate students. Watson joined the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology in 1992 and the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology in 1993 as a young research investigator. As a Scholar of the Medical Research Council of Canada (1994-1999) and a Premier's Research Excellence Award Recipient (2000-2005), he has been able to establish a very successful research program which investigates the mechanisms controlling the development of fertilized occyte through the first week of pre-implantation and initiation of pregnancy. Please join us in welcoming Andy to his new role. His enthusiasm and extensive experience make him a welcome addition to the Decanal team. 
Minister Matthews toured the newly renovated laboratory space of Drs. Tim Regnault, Dan Hardy, and Dean Betts located on the second floor of the Dental Science Building. Funding for this laboratory renovation was paid in part by the Ontario Research Fund (ORF). After speaking to students and staff in the lab, she met with Dr. Bryan Richardson, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology to discuss how to reduce low birth weight rates in Ontario, and better manage these infants for greater health outcomes long term.
