Health e-News

In Memoriam: Melissa Knock (1966-2019)

Melissa Knock, accomplished McGill alumna (Dip.Mgt.’98, B.Mus.’95), dedicated volunteer with the McGill Society of Montreal and former staff member who spent 24 years working in increasingly responsible administrative roles at the Faculty of Medicine (10 years), University Advancement (3 years), and the Faculty of Law (11 years), died on July 17, 2019, at age 52, after a short battle with ocular melanoma.
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May 21 Faculty Council meeting wrap-up

At the last Faculty Council meeting of the academic year, held May 21, several innovative initiatives were shared, from a new McGill Clinical Genomics Program to an MDCM admissions pathway for candidates from rural populations. Also discussed were recent developments in the Faculty’s Project Renaissance strategic planning exercise. Faculty Council presentations and minutes are available here for your review.
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Angela Karkatsoulis appointed Associate Director, Operations, Academic Affairs Office

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Angela Karkatsoulis to the role of Associate Director, Operations, Academic Affairs Office, McGill Faculty of Medicine. In this newly created position, Ms. Karkatsoulis will oversee the administrative and operational activities of the Academic Affairs Office, including the planning, development and implementation of administrative policies, procedures and processes. Please join me in congratulating Ms. Karkatsoulis on this appointment and wishing her every success in her new role.
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Principal’s Awards for Administrative and Support Staff – Deadline: August 16

Now is the time to start thinking about submitting nominations to the Principal’s Awards for Administrative and Support Staff for 2018-2019. The Principal’s Awards for Administrative and Support Staff is a university-wide award program that recognizes the outstanding contributions of administrative and support staff to the McGill community.
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Department of Family Medicine Newsletter – July 2019

We are pleased to announce that the July 2019 issue of the Department of Family Medicine Newsletter is now available online!
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The amazing baby brain says ‘pas de problème’ with bilingualism

A recent article co-authored by Linda Polka from the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and published in The Conversation challenges the longheld notion that exposing babies to solely one language is the preferred model, and highlights the fact that more and more babies are growing up in families that speak multiple languages
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Montréal sans HépC: a fight to eliminate HCV in Montreal

To highlight World Hepatitis Day, the McGill University Health Centre is proud to share some exciting news: the launch of Montréal sans HépC, an initiative to make Montreal the first city in North America to eliminate hepatitis C, a virus that affects an estimated 34,000 Montrealers. Three renowned doctors spearheaded the project including one of our very own: Dr. Marina Klein, research director of the Chronic Viral Illness Service at the MUHC and senior scientist at the Research Institute of the MUHC.
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McGill-Edinburgh partnership moves forward

Earlier this year McGill University and The University of Edinburgh announced a neuroscience research partnership between the two institutions. The targeted areas for collaborative research focus on autism/neurodevelopmental disorders, intellectual disabilities (with particular focus on studies using human induced pluripotent stem cells), and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Study finds Nunavik Inuit are genetically unique

A new study has found that an Inuit population in Canada’s Arctic are genetically distinct from any known group, and certain genetic variants are correlated with brain aneurysm. Canada’s Inuit have higher prevalence of cardiovascular disorders, as well as increased incidence of brain aneurysms, than the general population. To learn about the possible genetic origin of these disorders, researchers at the Neuro analyzed the genetic characteristics of 170 Inuit volunteers from Nunavik, a region of northern Quebec.
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Can gut infection trigger Parkinson’s disease?

A new study published in Nature demonstrates that a gut infection can lead to a pathology resembling Parkinson’s disease in a mouse model lacking a gene linked to the human disease. This discovery extends recent work by the same group suggesting that PD has a major immune component, providing new avenues for therapeutic strategies. The collaborative study was the work of a joint team of scientists led by Michel Desjardins and Louis-Eric Trudeau from University of Montreal, Heidi McBride at the Montreal Neurological Institute, and Samantha Gruenheid at McGill University.
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Air pollution speeds up ageing of the lungs and increases COPD risk

Lung function normally declines as we age, but a new study carried out by researchers from Canada, Switzerland, and the UK, suggests that air pollution may contribute to this process and adds to the evidence that breathing in polluted air harms the lungs and increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. “While we know ambient air pollution increases the risk of respiratory mortality, evidence for impacts on lung function and COPD is less well established,” says Dany Doiron, a research associate working with Isabel Fortier, PhD, at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and lead author on the study.
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Dr. Gustavo Turecki to receive UBC’s Margolese Prize

Dr. Gustavo Turecki, Chair of McGill University’s Department of Psychiatry, is among the three leading Canadian scientists in heart, brain and cancer research who have been recognized by the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine for their scientific accomplishments, and for their potential to make further contributions in their fields. He will be awarded the Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize for advancing the understanding of how early life adversity changes the brain to influence suicide and depression.
Congratulations Dr. Turecki!
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Dr. Chantal Autexier receives the David Thomson Award

Dr. Chantal Autexier, Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology is the 2019 recipient of The David Thomson Award for Graduate Supervision and Teaching. The award, which was presented to Dr. Autexier during McGill University’s Spring Health Sciences Convocation ceremony recognizes an outstanding faculty member who has been supervising graduate students for longer than 10 years. Congratulations Dr. Autexier!
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