Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO) and Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) Present $90,000 for Summer Medical Student Research Awards

Earlier today, five Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) medical students received research awards valued at $6,000 each from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO). An additional ten NOSM medical students received NOSM Founding Dean’s Summer Medical Student Research Awards also valued at $6,000 each.

This is the fourth year the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario has generously sponsored Summer Medical Student Awards for NOSM medical students. The program is a five-year commitment valued at nearly $250,000. These student research projects provide medical students with the opportunity to gain cardiovascular research training while working with an established NOSM researcher. The projects are carried out all across Northern Ontario. Similarly, the Founding Dean’s awards provide NOSM medical students with an opportunity to conduct hands-on research in a variety of disciplines and allow them to undertake research projects on a broad range of biological and social research topics.

“What makes these student scholarships so vital is the transfer of knowledge to medical students as they begin their careers,” says Dr. Marco Di Buono, Director of Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. “The research they are about to undertake will begin an information-sharing pathway that starts with the students – as they learn and are mentored by strong researchers – and will later be shared with their communities for the benefit of Northern Ontario.”

This year’s student projects, supported by the HSFO, cover a full range of research studies including:
· How Aboriginal patients present to Northwest Ontario Regional Stroke Program;
· Looking at stroke mortality at the Sudbury Regional Hospital;
· Metabolic stress and oxygen deprivation in cardiac cells;
· Effect of cancer drugs on cardiac cells; and,
· Looking at adverse effects of iron overload leading to heart failure.

The five 2009 recipients of the HSFO Summer Medical Student Awards for NOSM are:
· Kevin Agostino
· Pamela Felhaber
· Yves Landry
· Britney Parlett
· Anna Maria Soviero

Immediately following the HSFO presentation, ten NOSM medical students were awarded NOSM Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards valued at $6,000 each.

Dr. Greg Ross, NOSM’s Associate Dean of Research, expressed enthusiasm regarding the value of the opportunities provided by the Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Award. “Research at NOSM is reflective of the School’s mandate to be socially accountable to the diverse cultures of Northern Ontario,” said Dr. Greg Ross. “The Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards allow our students to remain in the North for the summer and study topics relevant to the people and communities of Northern Ontario while gaining valuable research experience.”

The 2009 recipients of the Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards are:
· Kathleen Anderson
· Melissa Crawford
· Carla Dubois
· Stacey Erven
· Meghan Garnett
· Sean Gravelle
· David Harris
· Richard Nadeau
· Josee Poulin
· Zachary Veitch

This year’s student projects, supported by the Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards, include the following topics:
· Developing an evidence-based diabetes management improvement intervention for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients with diabetes on Manitoulin Island;
· How shared care and interprofessional collaboration can improve the delivery of mental health care in rural, remote, and Aboriginal communities in Northwestern Ontario;
· Evaluation of the utility of an infrared camera to asses joint heat in patients in comparison to a blinded joint assessment performed by a qualified therapist;
· Accuracy of screening for developmental disabilities in primary care settings;
· Survey of graduates from the family medicine anaesthesia third year resident training program in Northwestern Ontario from the past 15 years;
· Evaluation of the risk of invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease in patients with chronic renal failure;
· Intergenerational differences and knowledge gaps in Interprofessional Collaboration and Education;
· Intensive care sedation and knowledge translation;
· Effect of SU1498 on the proliferation and survival of breast cancer cells; and,
· The examination of doxorubicin metabolites in rat xenografts of wild type and drug resistant MCF-7 breast tumor cells using the microdialysis technique.

NOSM Dean Dr. Roger Strasser noted that the School is fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. “These awards provide medical students, our future physicians, with valuable experience in the field of research. I am very excited that fifteen awards, totaling $90,000, have been presented to the School’s medical students today,” said Dr. Strasser. “In this year of Milestone Celebrations at NOSM, ten Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards were presented – the most yet for one summer. I would like to congratulate the students on their awards and wish them success with their research,” said Dr. Strasser.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.

For further information about the Heart&Stroke Summer Medical Student Research Awards, please contact:

Colleen Kleven
HSFO Northern Ontario Publicist
(705) 561-5714
colleenkleven@vianet.ca