June 27, 2005
World-leading Environmental Toxicologist to Join U of S
Posted June 27, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Monday, June 27, 2005 2005-06-08-OTHER
World-leading Environmental Toxicologist to Join U of S
John Giesy, a world-renowned expert in industrial pollutants and their
effect on people and the environment, has been appointed Canada Research
Chair in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Saskatchewan, the
federal government announced today.
The U of S was awarded $1.4 million over the next seven years for the Chair,
as well as $906,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the
University, and other partners to buy related laboratory equipment.
"Environmental sustainability is becoming ever more critical as populations
grow and industrial society puts pressure on the natural systems that
sustain us," said U of S Vice-President Research Steven Franklin. "Professor
Giesy's appointment is part of the University of Saskatchewan's vigorous
response to these urgent issues, both in discovery research and in training
the next generation of environmental scientists."
Giesy, currently Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Michigan State
University, will assume his position with the U of S department of
veterinary biomedical sciences in May, 2006. His work will be based at
lab facilities in the U of S Toxicology Centre, newly rebuilt and
refurbished to accommodate a robust research program to study
industry-produced persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
"It is the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to work in a program the
calibre of that at the U of S," Giesy said. "It is a great university in a
great country and I cannot wait to get started. All of the people I have met
and all of the interactions at U of S have been first class all the way."
Giesy will work to develop rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective tools to
test for POPs in the environment, particularly in regions such as Canada's
Arctic where fragile ecosystems and a heavy reliance on native foods make
populations especially vulnerable. Ultimately, these tools and the knowledge
generated will guide policy makers and regulators in prescribing more
environmentally sustainable practices.
Giesy was the first to identify the presence in the environment of
perfluorinated compounds, a class of POPs used in common products such as
paints, cosmetics, and electronics. Though it had been thought that these
chemicals didn't migrate through the environment, Giesy and his colleagues
detected the compounds in animal tissues from all over the world -- from
Ganges River dolphins to North American bald eagles. It is still unclear
what effect these chemicals may have on wildlife and people.
Another of his "firsts" is the discovery that some POPs become more toxic
when exposed to light. He has also worked on the long-term effects of Agent
Orange on Vietnam War veterans, as well as the hormone-disrupting effects of
other POPs on reproductive systems in wildlife.
Giesy is also adept at "green chemistry" - the design of more
environmentally friendly alternatives.
Giesy will lead a world-class training program in eco-toxicology. His group
is expected to include 16 graduate students and five post doctoral fellows,
as well as employ five research technicians and attract three to five
visiting scientists at any given time.
Over the last three decades, his research programs have garnered more than
$57 million in funding and resulted in more than 550 publications, making
him the fourth most-cited author in ecology and environmental science. He is
past president of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, the
world-wide leading academic organization in his field. He has also received
many of the world's top awards in environmental science, including the
prestigious Vollenweider Lectureship from Environment Canada.
With the addition of Giesy's Chair, the U of S has now been awarded nearly
$28 million to support 29 Chairs, as well as nearly $10.4 million in related
CFI and partner infrastructure funding.
A team of academic peers chooses the most outstanding candidates from
nominations submitted to the Canada Research Chairs program by universities.
Giesy's chair is one of 79, together worth $62.9 million, announced today in
Charlottetown.
"Our universities are vital centres of cutting-edge research and
innovation," said Industry Minister David Emerson. "The ideas generated at
these institutions extend the frontiers of knowledge and create a deeper
understanding of the complex world in which we live."
The $900-million Canada Research Chairs Program was created to enhance
universities as centers of world-class research excellence by attracting and
retaining excellent researchers in Canadian universities. When fully
implemented, Canadian universities will have 2,000 new Canada Research
Chairs. For profiles of U of S Canada Research Chair holders, visit
http://www.usask.ca/crc or the national website at http://www.chairs.gc.ca.
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For more information, contact:
John Giesy
Professor
Zoology Department, Michigan State University
(517) 353-2000
JGiesy@aol.com
www.msu.edu/user/giesy
Michael Robin
U of S Research Communications
(306) 966-2427
michael.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research
U of S Awarded $6.9 M for Newborn Vaccine Research by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Grants
Posted June 27, 2005
U of S Awarded $6.9 M for Newborn Vaccine Research by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Grants
June 27, 2005 -- Today the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and
Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) was awarded $6.9 million (Can.) to develop and improve
vaccines for newborns through the Grand Challenges in Global Health
competition, an initiative supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation and other partners.
Competing with approximately 1,500 teams from 75 countries, VIDO - one of
three Canadian grant recipients - has secured funding for five years to
develop technologies to make existing and new vaccines suitable for delivery
to newborns. VIDO's internationally recognized team includes researchers
from U of S, the University of British Columbia, Dalhousie University, and
the International Vaccine Institute (Korea).
More information is available at:
Grand Challenges in Global Health
http://www.gcgh.org/
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalHealth/Announcements/Announce-050627.htm
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/
June 24, 2005
Saskatchewan Health Funds International Medical Graduate Training Seats at U of S College of Medicine
Posted June 24, 2005
The following release was issued by the Government of Saskatchewan.International Medical Graduate Training Seats Announced
Saskatchewan is moving forward with an initiative that will allow more
internationally trained doctors to work in the province. Saskatchewan Health
will fund four new residency seats at the University of Saskatchewan's
College of Medicine for internationally educated doctors who need more
training before they qualify to practice medicine in the province.
For more information, see the official news release:
http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2005/06/24-599.html
June 23, 2005
U of S and Saskatoon Health Region Unveil Design of Saskatoon's New West Side Primary Health Centre
Posted June 23, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 23, 2005 2005-06-07-ME
Design of Saskatoon's New West Side Primary Health Centre Unveiled
SASKATOON, June 23, 2005 -- A new and innovative way to deliver health
services to Saskatoon west-side residents is one step closer to reality
today with the unveiling of the architectural design for the "University of
Saskatchewan and Saskatoon Health Region West Winds Primary Health Centre."
West Winds Primary Health Centre is a joint initiative between Saskatoon
Health Region (SHR) and the College of Medicine's Department of Academic
Family Medicine. Both organizations will jointly occupy and operate the
Centre. This is the first time in Saskatchewan and Canada that a health
region and a college of medicine have partnered together to bring a
community team approach to primary health. The partnership will result in a
fully integrated service, teaching and research team.
The partners envision a fully integrated Primary Health Centre with a full
range of services including individual health screening, intervention,
treatment and population health promotion in one convenient location.
"We are very pleased to be working jointly with the Department of Academic
Family Medicine to be able to respond to the health needs of Saskatoon's
residents, especially the west-side citizens, by improving access to these
primary health services," says Sheila Achilles, General Manager, Primary
Health, Saskatoon Health Region.
As identified by recent SHR and U of S studies, the west-side of Saskatoon
is one of the least well-serviced areas from a health needs perspective. "
We hope that the West Winds Primary Health Centre will help reinforce the
University's commitment to its communities, to socially accountable health
care education, and to the improved health of residents living in west-side
neighborhoods surrounding the new Centre. We are pleased to be partnering
with Saskatoon Health Region service providers in this exciting new
interdisciplinary venture," says Dr. Keith Ogle, Chair, Department of
Academic Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan.
Primary Health involves teams of health care providers working with
individuals, families and communities in order to best address and meet
their specific health needs.
West Winds is slated to open sometime in late 2005 - early 2006. West Winds
is located in the former Union Centre on Fairlight Drive in Saskatoon.
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Leanne Nyirfa
Corporate and Public Affairs
Saskatoon Health Region
(306) 655-3386
Tina Merrifield
University Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2213
______________________________________________
BACKGROUNDER
Programs and services at West Winds include:
- Academic Family Medicine (College of Medicine)
- Client Patient Access Services (CPAS)
- Clinical Psychologist
- Diabetes Education
- Food for Thought
- Healthy and Home
- Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby
- Home Care
- Inmotion
- KidsFirst
- Mental Health/Addictions
- Nutrition Services
- Nurse Practitioner
- Pharmacist
- Public Health Dental Clinic
- Public Health
- Occupational Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Speech Language Pathologist
- Social Work
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June 21, 2005
U of S PhD Student Links Aboriginal Tradition and Western Science in Health Research
Posted June 21, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Tuesday, June 21, 2005 2005-06-06-ME
U of S PhD Student Links Aboriginal Tradition and Western Science in Health
Research
University of Saskatchewan PhD student Sue Wilson Cheechoo is working to
build a partnership between her own First Nation community near Moose
Factory on the shore of Hudson's Bay and Western scientists to help solve
environmental challenges.
"The people of the Moose Cree First Nations (MCFN) are interested in
exploring how their knowledge can be complemented by Western science to
identify environmental factors that may be contributing to a decline in the
health of their people," said Wilson Cheechoo, a student in community health
and epidemiology.
She has received a $10,000 Northern Resident Scholarship from the
Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS). She and a
U of S team of toxicology scientists will try to identify environmental
factors that may adversely affect community health by combining traditional
and Western knowledge systems. They will gather stories from MCFN members
and examine them from the perspective of indigenous culture and toxicology
(Western science).
Industrial society's environmental fallout - from global warming to PCBs -
shows up in northern communities far from population centres.
"Many northern indigenous peoples have a close relationship to the land that
makes them highly susceptible to environmental impacts."
Backed by a fellowship with the Indigenous Peoples Health Research Centre,
Wilson Cheechoo is both a member of the MCFN community and the academic
team. She views herself as a middle person who helps bridge the two worlds.
"I believe this is an integral role with historical and traditional roots
that may become further recognized, appreciated, and utilized in future
research with indigenous peoples," she says.
There are few research projects in Canada where an indigenous community has
guided toxicology studies this way.
"The design of the project reflects what I call reciprocity in research,"
she says. "The project recognizes and incorporates two knowledge systems to
provide guidance for a research area that is traditionally dominated by
science."
Geography professor Alec Aitken, chair of the Canadian Northern Studies
Trust which provided the scholarship, says Wilson Cheechoo's award is
"further proof of the vigour of northern research currently being conducted
on the U of S campus and provides with us an opportunity to celebrate the
success of an Aboriginal woman in the health sciences."
For Wilson Cheechoo, research and family go hand in hand.
"My education is a family affair," says the married mother of six. "The
impacts of this research will be felt amongst my family, friends, and
neighbours. It is a project that will require much trust and respect from
all partners."
Wilson Cheechoo credits her success to her family, who have played a major
support role thus far.
"We have all ridden through the ups and downs of my studies over the years,"
she says. "While they understand the value of education, they also
understand how these pursuits need to be in line with the values of our
family."
Her husband, Dale, from the Mushkegowuk Territory in Northern Ontario has
been accepted into pre-medical studies at the U of S.
Today is National Aboriginal Day which was proclaimed in 1996 to acknowledge
and celebrate the unique heritage, cultures and contributions of First
Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
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Note to editors: A photo of Wilson Cheechoo is available upon request.
For more information, call
David Hutton
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6490
June 15, 2005
Bill Thomlinson of U of S Canadian Light Source Synchrotron named to CIHR Governing Council
Posted June 15, 2005
Bill Thomlinson of U of S Canadian Light Source Synchrotron named to CIHR Governing Council
The following release was issued by the Government of Canada.Minister Dosanjh Appoints Three New Members of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Governing Council
OTTAWA, June 14, 2005 - The Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, Minister of Health, today announced the appointment of three new members of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Governing Council. They are:
- Dr. Bill Thomlinson - Executive Director of the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan;
- Dr. Patrick John McGrath - Professor of Psychology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Dalhousie University;
- Mr. H. Arnold Steinberg, a principal of Cleman Ludmer Steinberg, Inc., an investment holding company.
For more information, see the official news release:
http://www.news.gc.ca/cfmx/CCP/view/en/index.cfm?articleid=154219
June 09, 2005
Building of Our Future - U of S College of Law Building Expansion
Posted June 09, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 9, 2005
2005-06-05-LA
Building of Our Future - U of S College of Law Building Expansion
The College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan today announced an
ambitious capital fundraising campaign that will enable the College to
modernize and expand its physical premises. The total project is expected
to cost between $7.5 million and $8.0 million and is scheduled for opening
in time for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Capital required for the project has been partially secured by a unique
funding arrangement between three partners in legal education. Law College
Dean, Brent Cotter, Q.C., announced a leadership gift from the Law
Foundation of Saskatchewan that will match other contributions, up to $2.5
million. The University has also committed $2.5 million to the project,
provided that the College raises at least $2.5 million for the project.
"We are looking to our alumni, the legal profession and friends of the
College to pledge their support for this project and collectively contribute
at least $2.5 million", said Dean Cotter. "Every dollar pledged to Building
of Our Future will secure two more dollars for this project because of the
matching agreement with the Law Foundation and the U of S. We are confident
we can achieve our goal and with close to $1.3 million already committed, we
are over 50% of the way to our own $2.5 million goal.
Cotter acknowledged and thanked the leadership already shown by College of
Law supporters including: one of Saskatchewan's most prominent legal firms,
MacPherson, Leslie and Tyerman LLP which pledged $300,000. Other major gifts
include $75,000 from The Canadian Bar Association - Saskatchewan Branch and
a $600,000 gift from another donor. Cotter announced that faculty and staff
in the College of Law have given their full support to the College's
Building initiative and have collectively pledged over $150,000 to date.
When the College of Law moved into its present premises in 1967, the student
complement was less than 150. In the past 30 years, the College, originally
built to house a total law school community of 200, has been only modestly
renovated to try to cope with growing needs. The College of Law now boasts a
community of over 350 people and is delivering legal education in a
significantly overcrowded building; one that is no longer able to meet the
changing needs of legal education.
Renderings and floor plans were unveiled at the fundraising kick-off. The
expansion will allow for state-of-the-art classrooms with multi-media
capabilities, enhanced student support services, sufficient faculty and
administrative offices, improved student areas, including student lounge
space and offices for student organizations.
Dean Cotter continued by saying "all of these improvements will contribute
to an enhanced atmosphere for student learning and growth. The expanded
facility will enable us to alleviate overcrowding in faculty offices and
accommodate a growing faculty complement. We will also rebuild and relocate
the College's administrative offices to improve our services to the law
school community and improve our accessibility to the outside community."
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For more information contact:
W. Brent Cotter, Q.C.
Dean, College of Law
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-5910
June 03, 2005
$650,000 Awarded to U of S Teams for Humanities and Social Science Research
Posted June 03, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 3, 2005 2005-06-01-OTHER
$650,000 Awarded to U of S Teams for Humanities and Social Science Research
Today eight University of Saskatchewan researchers were awarded grants
totalling more than $650,000 by the federal Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
The research teams will probe a wide range of issues including physical
activity among women with arthritis, arrangements between First Nations and
the Crown for on-reserve education, and global implications of Russia's
influence on the Group of Eight (G8) nations.
"SSHRC support for these outstanding researchers will help benefit the
health, education, cultural development and public policies of Canadians,
while providing valuable training opportunities for our students," said
Steven Franklin, U of S Vice-President Research. "Our SSHRC success also
leverages provincial operating funding which greatly benefits students and
the university as a whole."
The national announcement of $81.6 million for nearly 1,000 research
projects at 77 Canadian universities was made today at the 2005 Congress of
the Humanities and Social Sciences in London, Ont.
"The research funded today truly demonstrates the wealth of creativity,
innovation and expertise that exists in this country," said Marc Renaud,
President of SSHRC. "Canadians from all walks of life will draw on this
knowledge to better understand our most pressing economic, political, social
and cultural issues."
U of S projects approved for funding (over three years):
- Sheila Carr-Stewart (educational administration) -- $89,327 to examine the
legal and organizational arrangements through which First Nations deliver
educational services at on-reserve schools and to determine how these
arrangements support or hinder them.
- Donna Goodwin (kinesiology) -- $116,800 to learn when instructional
assistance in physical education classes is helpful to high school students
with disabilities and when it may actually hinder them from becoming
independent. The study will develop practical recommendations for teachers
and instructional assistants to promote physically active lifestyles for
these students.
- Nancy Gyurcsik (kinesiology) -- $83,693 to study what influences women
with arthritis in deciding whether to engage in regular physical activity
and to help them overcome these factors so they can regularly perform
physical activity. (Co-applicants: Karen Chad, Kevin Spink, and Lawrence
Bradley, all from U of S.)
- Anthony Harding (English) -- $47,654 to build an on-line electronic
index to Coleridge's Notebooks, creating an indispensable search tool for scholars
probing Coleridge's often controversial remarks on the politics and culture
of his time.
- Pamela Jordan (history) -- $50,391 to investigate the extent to which
Russia has influenced the G8's policy agenda and has complied with its
obligations, particularly in the areas of nuclear non-proliferation,
anti-terrorism measures, and economic reform.
- Edwin Ralph (education - curriculum studies) -- $83,059 to develop ways to
improve the effectiveness of the clinical or practicum component of a
variety of undergraduate professional programs offered by Canadian
universities in areas such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy and
education.(Co-applicants: Keith Walker and Randy Wimmer of the U of S)
- James Waldram (psychology) -- $96,277 to uncover the meaning of "healing"
among a group of Maya healers in Belize, focusing on the family and social
context in which the healing occurs and how healers share knowledge through
consensus-building. Audio-visual materials on Maya healing will be developed
for use by the local population in their efforts to revitalize their
culture.
- Terry Wotherspoon (sociology) - $88,694 to explore how changes in
education to meet the needs of an information-based society affect children
from diverse social backgrounds. The study focuses on relationships among
students' family backgrounds, child and parental actions, and school
factors.
Another 10 projects were recommended for SSHRC support through the national
peer review process, but those projects were ultimately not supported due to
lack of funds.
"Clearly, this shows that the work being done by our researchers is being
recognized as both important and worthy of support," says Peter Stoicheff, U
of S SSHRC Research Coordinator. "As well, in the last several months, the
university has begun implementing new ways to support researchers with their
grant applications and I expect we'll see continued improvement in our SSHRC
funding results as these new initiatives take effect."
SSHRC is Canada's federal funding agency for university-based research and
graduate training in the social sciences and humanities.
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For more information, contact:
Jennifer Webber
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5516
jennifer.webber@usask.ca
Peter Stoicheff
SSHRC Research Coordinator
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1474
peter.stoicheff@usask.ca
