This is a round-up of relevant news and media stories involving the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. We appreciate you relaying information which is relevant to faculty members in your respective areas.
TOP STORY
The TRC's final report called on governments to increase the number of Indigenous health-care workers in Indigenous communities, but three years later, there is still a significant gap in the number of Indigenous doctors to serve their own communities. Tibetha Kemble, director of the Indigenous Health Initiatives Program at the U of A, is interviewed.
RESEARCH
Researchers at the U of A are testing how biomarkers in saliva could be used to detect Alzheimer's disease. Liang Li, a professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Roger Dixon, a professor of psychology, launched a study to find an inexpensive way of diagnosing mild cognitive impairment with metabolites. Coverage also appears on , and .
Ted Allison (Faculty of Science) and MD/PhD student Michele DuVal believe a new application of the drug telbivudine could significantly slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Coverage also appears on .
EXPERT
Jan Willem Cohen Tervaert, director of the rheumatology division at the U of A's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and a co-author of several studies detailing connections between breast implants and autoimmune illnesses, says research shows new breast implants can leak into the body if ruptured.
David Evans, a professor of medical microbiology & immunology at the U of A, discusses whether or not we may be able to make a pandemic virus in the lab.
An 黑料不打烊 man has only been able to eat soft food for years but he's now getting new teeth for Christmas thanks to a specialized team in Edmonton. Suresh Nayar, a maxillofacial prosthodontist and associate professor of surgery at the U of A's Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine, is interviewed.
Health Canada has released a detailed blueprint for beefing up policing of medical devices, including a new online database of device-related health incidents. Comments from Sue Ross, a professor in the U of A's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, are included in the article.
PEOPLE, PARTNERSHIPS AND EDUCATION
A group of medical students from the U of A and University of Calgary met with MLAs in early December to come up with new strategies to educate the public and increase donor rates in 黑料不打烊. Coverage also appears on .
A 黑料不打烊 alumnus recently launched a product that allows heart attack sufferers to have instant access to potentially life-saving medication. John Mackey, '90 MD, professor of oncology and director of clinical trials at the Cross Cancer Institute, designed the SMHeartCard as a way to conveniently and safely store medication so it can be instantly available in the case of a sudden heart attack.
Keith Dixon, one of Fort St. John's pioneering doctors, has died at the age of 92. Dixon graduated from the U of A with degrees in pharmacy and medicine. In 1957, he and his classmate Gary Westover came to Fort St. John to begin practicing. Together, they founded a medical clinic in the city.
A feature on the Edmonton Oilers' head physician, Dhiren Naidu, an associate professor in the U of A's Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
CBC Radio One: How pharmacies are expanding their roles in health care
An interview with U of A professor of cardiology Ross Tsuyuki and Christine Hughes (Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences) on the expanding role of pharmacies in the health-care system. No link.
The U of A is eliminating a quota system that caps the number of Indigenous students admitted to its medical school each year through the Indigenous Health Initiatives Program process.