As I look back on the past year in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, I see so much to be proud of and thankful for. Our faculty community is strong and resilient, and together we are pursuing creative and collaborative solutions to the most pressing issues facing health care today — from advocating for a more equitable health system where every person receives the absolute best in care, to research contributions that impact health and health outcomes in a broad range of areas, to training programs that continue to advance our education of the next generation of health leaders. Every person in this community — faculty, staff and learners — has been invaluable in helping the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry rank as No. 5 among medical faculties across Canada in the 2023 Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings.
Brenda Hemmelgarn, Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
Highlights
Celebrating FOMD Impact
Based on the input of hundreds of community members, our Faculty Strategic Plan (Vision 2025) reflects the shared vision, mission and values that unite us as we move forward together.
The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is a part of the College of Health Sciences, where exciting new opportunities abound for interdisciplinary teaching, research and service to our community.
Congratulations to Radiation Therapy and the MD Program on a successful accreditation.
Research Impact
U of A lab joins ‘best of the best’ in worldwide effort to prepare for future pandemics
Virologist Matthias Götte and colleagues in his lab are working with three new centres funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health to identify drugs to fight viruses that have the potential to cause global pandemics. “They’re the best of the best who are working together to develop new antivirals,” he says.
The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is recognized as an international leader in innovative research in precision health, AI in health, population health (including Indigenous and rural health) and health-services research for the benefit of all.
$193.2M
total value of research funding from April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023
Sangita Sharma, Canada Research Chair in Population Health
Indigenous communities in the Canadian Arctic have limited access to health care and face additional health and wellness challenges, including access to affordable foods.
This is just one of the reasons Sangita Sharma — professor in Indigenous and global health research in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry — has spent close to 20 years partnering with Arctic communities to develop culturally appropriate, community-based health intervention programs.
Jessica Kolopenuk, Alberta Health Services Chair in Indigenous Health
Cree researcher Jessica Kolopenuk understands the importance of bringing Indigenous knowledge and governance to health and research policy.
“It’s not only about including our knowledges and perspectives in research and policy,” she says. “It’s about having control over the knowledge production that impacts us — knowledge that is about us, our territories, and our communities and relatives.”
FOMD Research News
Cutting-edge discoveries that made headlines this year
Rapid test for HIV and syphilis approved thanks to U of A research
“These extremely rapid point-of-care tests for the diagnosis of syphilis and HIV are much needed and a game changer for Canada,” says infectious disease specialist and principal investigator Ameeta Singh, who is a clinical professor of medicine and a member of WCHRI.
Machine learning programs predict risk of death based on results from routine hospital tests
The study is a proof-of-concept for using routinely collected data to improve individual care and allow the health-care system to “learn” as it goes, according to principal investigator Padma Kaul, professor of medicine and co-director of the Canadian VIGOUR Centre.
Researchers pinpoint genetic defects that cause heart failure, pointing the way to more targeted treatments
“For the first time, we were able to map out in great detail the genotype basis for cardiomyopathy and heart failure,” says lead Canadian investigator Gavin Oudit, cardiologist in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and Canada Research Chair in Heart Failure.
Machine learning predicts risk of opioid use disorder for individual patients
“Most of those people have interacted with the health system before their diagnosis, and that provides us with data that could allow us to predict and potentially prevent some of the cases,” says principal investigator Bo Cao, Canada Research Chair in Computational Psychiatry and member of AI4Society, NMHI, WCHRI and SMART Networks.
Researcher takes another step toward discovering how a brain molecule could halt MS
“If we can replace those lost or damaged oligodendrocytes, then they could make new myelin and it is believed that would halt the disease progression, or maybe even reverse some of the symptoms,” says Anastassia Voronova, associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry; Canada Research Chair in Neural Stem Cell Biology; Sloan Research Fellow in Neuroscience; and a member of WCHRI, NMHI and the MS Centre.
- 4,264 peer-reviewed publications
- 7 research institutes
- 13 research centres
- 10 research groups
- 32 Canada Research Chairs (CRC)
- state-of-the-art labs and research facilities
Teaching and Learning Impact
The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is dedicated to providing learner-centred educational programs that meet the health-care needs of our communities. Our goal is to graduate qualified, compassionate and inquisitive practitioners and researchers accomplished in health-care delivery and scholarship.
We are committed to serving patients and populations by providing a rich interdisciplinary environment of learning, practice, research and public service for all our students and faculty.
5
undergraduate degree programs
1
diploma
63
medical residency programs
27
PhD programs
13
master's programs
1,065
undergraduate students
788
graduate students
831
medical residents
74
postdoctoral fellows
3,000+
preceptors
750+
faculty
2,700+
clinical academic faculty
20
departments
Training more new doctors in Alberta
New provincial funding will allow U of A to train more medical students and residents who will practise in rural communities, ensuring all Albertans receive top-quality health care.
Meet Our Graduates
Emma Kasinyabo
BSc graduate in immunology and infection Emma Kasinyabo’s interest in infectious disease was sparked by the terrible toll of diseases on her family members in Africa. It grew thanks to opportunities to guide younger students and collaborate with lab mates.
Rachel Livergant
MD graduate Rachel Livergant is looking at patient navigation in pediatric surgery for Indigenous populations and other ways to support families and improve postoperative outcomes.
Billy Wang
MSc graduate Billy Wang is proud of his involvement with the COVID-19 biobanking initiative, where they collected biospecimens from more than 700 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 to help advance their understanding of SARS-CoV-2.
Meet Our Faculty
Anthea Senior, associate professor, Mike Petryk School of Dentistry
Anthea Senior is a dentist but unlike most dentists who work in dental offices, she spends her time teaching students how to take and interpret dental X-rays. She also leads the clinical curriculum of the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program at the U of A and ensures that students have the skills and experiences to be ready to graduate.
Vijay Daniels, professor, Department of Medicine
In most hospital settings “infectious” isn’t considered a good thing. But when it comes to Vijay Daniels’ contagious enthusiasm for teaching, it’s just what the doctor ordered for medical students at the University of Alberta Hospital. Daniels has been recognized as one of the Top 10 post-secondary teachers in Canada, winning a 2022 3M National Teaching Fellowship Award for his work as a professor, assistant dean and clinical educator in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
2022 Celebration of Service and Excellence Award Recipients
Our staff are the backbone of our Faculty and the work they do behind the scenes is critical to our faculty and student successes.
Excellence in Leadership: Denise Campbell-Scherer
Denise Campbell-Scherer is a professor in the Department of Family Medicine, and the associate dean of the Office of Lifelong Learning and Physician Learning Program.
Denise is an admirable leader, she has one of the most important qualities a leader should have — the ability to empower others. She focuses on relationship building, motivation and always shows respect.
Annual APO Recognition Award: Gisele Gaudet-Amigo
Gisele Gaudet-Amigo is currently appointed as director of student and academic services in the Department of Dentistry & Dental Hygiene in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
Gisele is a wonderful and impactful leader, a quality that is very rare. She pushes those around her to be the best they can be while respecting differing needs and challenges. Her empathic nature and work ethic shine during any interaction with her and she will go to any length to ensure someone is supported.
Community Impact
We work with our partners in education, research and health care for the greater good of local, regional and global communities.
Social Accountability
The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry recognizes a growing demand for social responsiveness and accountability from academic institutions with a special focus on medical schools and faculties of medicine. Learn about how we are working to continually develop and improve in these important areas.
Wâpanachakos (Indigenous Health Program)
The Indigenous Health Program was founded in 1988 by the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry to encourage a greater number of First Nations, Inuit and Métis students to gain access to and graduate from all Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry programs. The aim is to collaborate with Indigenous communities, faculty and staff to advance Indigenous health through the support of innovative opportunities for Indigenous students, researchers and communities within Alberta and throughout the world.
Rural and Regional Health
Access to quality and essential medical services is significant to all Albertans, especially those living in rural or regional areas. The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry recognizes the importance of experienced professionals implementing health-care services within rural communities.
Global Health Program
The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry established the Global Health Program to expand and strengthen medical education and research in global health and to develop bilateral relationships and programs with partner institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that bring value to both partners.
Kathryn Dong, Social Accountability Lead
The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry has created a new role at the University of Alberta dedicated to its social accountability mandate, welcoming Kathryn Dong, associate professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, as the social accountability lead. In this role, Dong will develop, implement and evaluate a social accountability framework and support socially accountable activities and programs within the faculty.
Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Alberta is making a big difference in the lives of underserved children and their families
Through collaboration and partnerships, Ida Kornerup leads a team of passionate professionals who all want the same thing: to help kids.
FOMD In Action
2022 Celebration of Service and Excellence Award Recipients
U of A dental students host Shared Smiles event for people with disabilities
University of Alberta dental students held a special event aimed at helping people with disabilities get the dental care they need. The free event included oral health-care tips and techniques, as well as free checkups for anyone with a disability or special needs.
Community support key to building individual resiliency: U of A Community Leader Award winner
Monty Ghosh, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and a member of NMHI, helped establish Calgary’s Rapid Access Addiction Medicine program, Alberta’s largest and first comprehensive outpatient addiction treatment program, soon to be expanded across the province.
Celebrating a passionate advocate for people living on the margins of society
Jessica Kirkwood, family physician and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine, received the Canadian Women in Medicine award for her commitment to the health of Edmonton’s inner-city population.
U of A Indigenous researchers lead process to create new guidelines for including Indigenous people in Canadian clinical trials
Inuk health researcher Wayne Clark, executive director of the U of A’s Wâpanachakos Indigenous Health Program, was named Indigenous Peoples Champion and is a member of the operating committee of the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Canada Consortium, a $39-million plan announced in January by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to expand clinical trial research in Canada.
Leading with Purpose Through Partnerships
U of A to lead new Prairie research hub for pandemic preparedness
The PRAIRIE Hub for pandemic preparedness brings together experts, research facilities and training programs from the U of A as the lead institution with major partners in a co-ordinated effort to accelerate the development, biomanufacturing, and commercialization of vaccines, antivirals and diagnostics.
An Rx against racist behaviour in Alberta emergency departments
U of A researchers are collaborating with eight First Nations organizations to create an anti-racism intervention that will ensure patients in Alberta emergency departments are treated equitably and with dignity.
Canadian Critical Drug Initiative will commercialize new preventive medicines and prevent future shortages by producing homegrown supply
Canadian Critical Drug Initiative (CCDI) — a partnership between the not-for-profit Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation (API) and the University of Alberta’s Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute (LKSAVI) — is creating an integrated research, development and manufacturing cluster in Edmonton.
The Power of Partnerships
The power of our partnerships fuels capacity and shared determination to make a positive impact on women’s and children’s lives and futures
The innovative, cutting-edge research supported by the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI) would not be possible without the generous funding from the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation (SCHF) and the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation (AWHF). Since 2006, the SCHF has given over $83.5 million in support of children’s health research and the AWHF has given $27 million in support of women’s health research.
Did You Know?
WCHRI membership consists of more than 400 leading researchers, 300 of whom are from FoMD?
Celebrating our alumni and donors
THANK YOU!
Your generosity makes all the difference! When you invest in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry you invest in better health. You support health-sciences learning and propel discoveries beyond the labs so people can live fuller, healthier lives.
$45.6 million
This year donors generously gave $45.6 million to the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. Our donors advance and accelerate discoveries, from student financial aid and medical research to classrooms with state-of-the-art technology.
17,000+
alumni
7,723
alumni live in Edmonton
2,398
live in Calgary
7,121
alumni live all over Canada and around the world!
$1.6 million
awarded to students through scholarships and bursaries
48
endowed research chairs
Making an impact begins at home for Gerry and Barb Sinn
Longtime supporters of the University of Alberta donated $300,000 to the Indigenous Health Program, creating the program’s first endowment.
Meet Our Award Recipients
Distinguished Alumni Award: R. Brian Haynes, ’69 BSc, ’71 MD
A pioneer of health information science and a founding advocate of evidence-based medicine, Haynes created tools over a five-decade career that use digital technology to put vital information from medical literature at a doctor’s fingertips.
Dr. Peter B. R. Allen Lifetime Achievement Award in health: Keith Aronyk , ‘77 MD
Keith Aronyk, the first specialty-trained pediatric neurosurgeon in northern Alberta, advanced neurological care for Albertans of all ages, especially at the University of Alberta Hospital.
Top 40 Under 40 in 2022
This report highlights achievements from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry over the course of July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023.