FoMD in the News
Compiled by Ross Neitz - 4 January 2021
This is a roundup of relevant news and media stories involving the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. We appreciate you relaying information that is relevant to faculty members in your respective areas.
TOP STORIES
Health Day: Women have poorer survival than men in years after first heart attack
Justin Ezekowitz, professor of medicine at the U of A, discusses the findings in a recent study that shows women are more likely to develop heart failure or die within five years of their first severe heart attack than men are. "I think still there is a gap that needs to be better understood. I think we do need to understand whether or not there are also different risks that women may have," Ezekowitz said. Coverage also appeared in UK Express, UPI, USA Today, CTV Morning Live, CBC News Edmonton, Fox News, NBC News, ABC News, CTV news broadcasts across Canada and several other media outlets.
Radio Canada International: New HIV/syphilis test provides quick results
Infectious-disease specialist Ameeta Singh is interviewed about research to try out a two-in-one test for HIV and syphilis on 1,500 people. If this study proves the test is effective it could be approved for use in Canada. The new test can provide results in five minutes and, if it confirms there is infection, the doctor can start the patient on treatment immediately before they leave the office. "That would be fantastic because we can prevent the patient from developing further complications and we can also prevent ongoing spread,” she said. A story is also run by the Canadian Press and appears in more than 20 news outlets including Global News, CBC News and the Toronto Star. Additional coverage appears on Global News Edmonton and Global News Radio.
Story notes that the Government of Alberta has announced $20 million in funding over four years to the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute (AVI) at the U of A. The funding will “accelerate leading-edge research and commercialization of pharmaceutical and vaccine treatments.” Recently, the AVI received more than $5 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to develop antiviral drugs, vaccines and diagnostics in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Related coverage also appears in Red Deer News Now.
RESEARCH
CBC News: University of Alberta study examines COVID-19 toll on health-care workers
Nicola Cherry, a professor of medicine at the U of A, is interviewed about a study she is involved with that is looking into the toll the COVID-19 pandemic is taking on health care workers across Canada, examining their mental health and exposure to the virus. According to Cherry, it's critical to understand the dangers COVID-19 presents to health-care workers. She says if they are affected by the virus, the entire health-care system is at risk. Related coverage also appears on Global News Radio and CBC Radio: The Current.
Global News Radio: Alberta COVID-19 vaccine moving to clinical trial stage
John Lewis, professor of oncology and CEO of Entos Pharmaceuticals, is interviewed about the progress of a COVID-19 vaccine being made in Edmonton at the U of A and says once it is approved, millions of doses could be manufactured to help meet Canada's demand. Coverage also appears on CTV News Edmonton.
British Asia: Women at Higher Risk of Heart Attack Death Than Men: Study
Padma Kaul, a professor of medicine at the U of A, is the co-author of a study which revealed that women face a 20 per cent increased risk of developing heart failure or dying after the first severe heart attack compared to men. “We need to be vigilant, pay attention to our own biases and to those most vulnerable to ensure that we have done everything possible in providing the best treatment,” Kaul said.
St. Albert Gazette: Festival of Trees goes virtual
Professor of medicine Jack Jhamandas’ research into finding a treatment for Alzheimer's will benefit from the annual Festival of Trees this year. Part of the fundraising efforts include a $500k 50/50 draw. The research is also noted in a CTV News Edmonton story.
Finlay McAlister, professor of medicine at the U of A, is interviewed about a study that says more than one-third of children who contract coronavirus are asymptomatic. "The concern from a public health perspective is that there is probably a lot of COVID-19 circulating in the community that people don't even realize," he said. Related coverage also appears in the Ottawa Citizen, The Business Standard, NewKerala, Ladders and Hindustan Times.
The Cochrane Eagle: COVID-19 caregivers are lonely, frustrated and unable to sleep
A survey of 604 family caregivers by the U of A's Department of Family Medicine in mid-summer illustrates the negative impact the pandemic is having.
Maclean’s: Canada's greatest assets in overcoming COVID-19
U of A virologist and Nobel Prize winner Michael Houghton is mentioned in this opinion piece that says Canada’s researchers are vital to pandemic response, recovery and building a stronger, more inclusive future.
Pediatric infectious-disease specialist Joan Robinson said the results of a new study from the U of A found that more than one-third of children who tested positive for COVID-19 were asymptomatic. It's possible the children could have developed symptoms after they were tested, but it's also well known that some people run the entire course of a COVID-19 infection without any symptoms at all, said Robinson, who was not a part of the study. Coverage also appears on Global News Radio.
Troy Media: ‘Natural killer’ cells key determinant of severe COVID-19 in patients
Mohamed Osman, an assistant professor of medicine at the U of A, comments on a joint University of Alberta research project with the University of Calgary that followed 12 patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms at hospitals in Edmonton. They found that the patients had a reduced number of natural killer immune cells. “This suggests there’s something in particular about how this virus triggers the immune system, but also how it changes how the immune system can self-regulate,” said Osman. Professor of medicine and study co-author Jan Willem Tervaert also discusses the study on CBC Radio One.
Global News Edmonton: Health Matters: Made-in-Edmonton salt masks win national recognition
Ilaria Rubino (Engineering) and virologist David Evans discuss Rubino's salt-coated masks and the use of masks to stop transmission of viruses.
Global News Radio: ‘Lungs-in-a-box’ to meet the organ shortage
A U of A-led trial has demonstrated the potential of the Ex-Vivo Organ Support System device to increase life-saving opportunities for patients waiting for a lung transplant. Jayan Nagendran, an associate professor of medicine at the U of A, is interviewed
CBS News: Research looks into changes caused by a baby's first breath
Researchers at the University of Virginia, the U of A and Harvard University found that a specific gene is activated immediately at birth in a cluster of neurons that regulate breathing selectively in mice.
CBC News Edmonton: Good news for Edmonton
U of A virologist Michael Houghton's recent Nobel win is highlighted in this good news story for Edmonton. The segment includes an interview with his colleague, Lorne Tyrrell, director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology.
CTV Morning Live: Diabetes research discussed
James Shapiro, professor of surgery at the U of A, is interviewed about new blood-based cell research that brings science a step closer to a potential cure for diabetes.
Alberta Primetime: U of A researcher to test whether COVID-19 antibodies provide long-term immunity
Steven Drews, associate professor of laboratory medicine and pathology, is interviewed about a research project he's involved with that examines whether the antibodies in the immune systems of recovered COVID-19 patients provides them with long-term immunity.
Global News Edmonton: Health Matters: How COVID-19 affects more women compared to men
In this Health Matters article, two U of A research projects are discussed. Gavin Oudit, professor of medicine, discusses research that shows when it comes to COVID-19, women have better outcomes than men. He says when exploring new treatments, it is important to take gender into consideration. Ian Winship, associate professor of psychiatry and deputy director of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, is interviewed about how COVID-19 affects the brain, and why a “care deficit” could become a second pandemic.
Jason Acker, professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, is interviewed about an international study he helped lead showing that machine learning can be used to analyze samples of red blood cells faster and more precisely than human experts—a finding that could change how donated blood is assessed, stored and selected for transfusion into patients. Coverage also appears on iNews 880.
Global News: Research finds stress, anxiety climbing for healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic
Infectious-disease specialist Stephanie Smith is a co-author on a study showing many healthcare workers want to quit their jobs as their stress levels climb during the pandemic.
Gavin Oudit, a professor of medicine at the U of A, is interviewed about new research showing that female Covid-19 patients face less severe disease complications and a lower risk of dying than male patients, thanks to hormones and chromosomes that contribute to a stronger immune response.
EXPERTS
Canadian Press (via Sportsnet) As Alberta’s COVID-19 cases rise, so do tensions over world juniors
Infectious-disease specialist Ilan Schwartz is interviewed in this story about how Alberta’s spike in COVID-19 infections and the virus’s infiltration of Canada’s team is concerning for the world junior hockey championship in Edmonton. He expresses concern about bringing more people into Alberta during the pandemic.
The Hill Times: Public health is not dependable without independence
In this op-ed, Hakique Virani, an associate clinical professor of medicine at the U of A, said provincial public health officials have legislated authority to act independently in emergencies, but organizationally, they remain beholden to their political masters and government employers. Coverage also appears on Real Talk: Ryan Jespersen.
Vincent Agyapong, clinical professor of psychiatry at the U of A, said fluctuations in the economy contribute to the mental suffering of people in oil and gas. Working conditions such as the hyper-masculine culture in the oil and gas industry, and the use of substances to help cope with mental health problems, compound the mental health suffering of industry workers.
U of A virologist and Nobel Prize winner Michael Houghton said Canadians should feel reassured that Health Canada will not recommend a COVID-19 vaccine unless it is safe, after polling shows a drop in support for a mandatory vaccine.
CBC Radio: Canada reaches a grim milestone
Infectious-disease specialist Lynora Saxinger is interviewed about rising COVID numbers in Alberta and wonders if the recently announced restrictions are actually enough to bring the numbers down.
Tehseen Ladha, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the U of A, said hospital bed capacity is being affected by the outbreaks in long term care facilities. “The situation is so dire in these long-term care facilities and it’s not getting a lot of attention,” Ladha said.
St. Albert Gazette: COVID-19 vaccines will work if Canadians play their part, say U of A experts
Lorne Tyrrell, director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, said “more than ever, people should be very careful that they don't get this disease, because we have a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is a good vaccine,” in this article that goes on to say that multiple vaccine candidates that have emerged that will work if Canadians can do their part by staying healthy until the spring.
Infectious-disease specialist Lynora Saxinger discusses how to sort your social cohorts during lockdown. Having at least less than one-third of your usual social contacts is a place to start, she advises.
National Post: Opinion: How to play the COVID-19 endgame
Lynora Saxinger co-authors this opinion piece laying out COVID-19 strategies to focus on during the months ahead while we wait for vaccinations. The article said, "we need to double down on our public health efforts, and increase the consistency of our federal, provincial, municipal and individual responses, in order to lower rates of transmission and keep them low."
Infectious-disease specialist Ilan Schwartz says Alberta has reached a “critical juncture” in this article about cracks that are beginning to show in Alberta’s hospitals as the health-care system buckles under the pressure of a soaring number of COVID-19 cases.
Grandin Media: Alberta and NWT Bishops OK vaccination for COVID
U of A virologist David Evans is a member of an advisory group to Catholic bishops from Alberta and the Northwest Territories who have advised their congregants that it is okay to take vaccines for COVID-19 regardless of their origin.
Pediatric infectious-disease specialist Joan Robinson is interviewed about the need for a cohesive, national vaccine registry some health experts are calling for. "Wouldn't it be great to actually have records, so that we have very efficient use of vaccines?", she said.
Lorne Tyrrell, director of the U of A’s Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, plans to be first in line when it's his turn to get a COVID-19 vaccine after it is approved by Health Canada and becomes available. But the virologist says data about the vaccine must be transparent to the public, so that enough people can also feel they can safely trust it. Tyrrell is also interviewed about vaccine distribution by CBC Radio Edmonton AM.
Infectious-disease specialist Lynora Saxinger is interviewed about strategies for determining where cases are spreading, in particular, asymptomatic cases. She said, "rapid testing has a lot of promise, if done well and in the right places."
U of A virologist and Nobel Prize winner Michael Houghton is encouraged by the global effort to find a COVID-19 vaccine and says stockpiling vaccines for future viruses rather than starting from scratch each time would be a lifesaving strategy going forward, based on the SARS experience.
The New York Times: Doctors are skeptical of pricey drug given emergency approval for COVID
Infectious-disease specialist Ilan Schwartz is skeptical of an arthritis drug being used as a possible treatment for COVID-19.
CBC Radio: Elation as first COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Canada
Infectious-disease specialist Lynora Saxinger expresses relief as the COVID-19 vaccine starts to arrive in Canada. She is also interviewed by CBC Radio Newfoundland about the dynamics of COVID-19 outbreaks associated with work camps in remote areas.
Global News: COVID-19: Will Albertans expect to see effects of health measures before Christmas?
Infectious-disease specialist Stephanie Smith is interviewed about whether Albertans will be able to gather with loved ones during the holidays. It’s not a matter of whether the curve bends back down — more a question of whether it continues to trend upward, she said.
Peter Silverstone, professor of psychiatry at the U of A, comments in this story about parents of a patient discharged from a psychiatric unit at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital last week, who say isolation and a lack of treatment options have left their daughter on death's door. While Silverstone has no knowledge of the situation at the Grey Nuns, given the spread of COVID-19 in Alberta, he said he understands why hospitals are being careful.
Noel Gibney, a professor emeritus of the U of A's Department of Critical Care Medicine, provides COVID-19 hospital projections to the City of Edmonton. The city's plans to create a new pandemic restrictions bylaw were put on hold after the province announced new COVID-19 restrictions measures.
CBC News Network: COVID-19 vaccine Q and A
Infectious-disease specialist Lynora Saxinger answers an assortment of questions viewers have about COVID-19 vaccines and their effects, as well as symptoms being experienced by COVID 'long-haulers'.
Lynora Saxinger is feeling relief and is cautiously hopeful about the new lockdown restrictions laid down by the province. Saxinger is also interviewed by CHQR Radio about what happens in terms of spread of infection and protocols if there are people who don't want to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Lynora Saxinger encourages people who fall ill with COVID-19 to tell their stories, adding that telling others about a COVID-19 experience can help in the battle against misinformation, even if it’s only among friends and family.
CBC News: Wastewater testing for COVID-19 virus reaches its 'full potential' in N.W.T.
Steve Hrudey, professor emeritus with the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, is interviewed in this story about wastewater testing for COVID-19. He chairs a national research advisory panel for the Canadian Water Network, which has been advising a number of groups across Canada who are testing wastewater. "Everybody is doing the best to learn as much as we can as we go along," Hrudey said. "But I don't think there's anybody that has absolute answers."
CBC News: Coping with COVID-19: Your mental health questions answered
Peter Silverstone, a professor of psychiatry at the U of A, serves on a panel to answer questions about how people can maintain their mental health during the pandemic and the restrictions it brings.
Global News: Calgary city council extends mask bylaw through 2021, increases fines
Peter Silverstone comments on methods governments use to encourage changes to behaviour. “Helping people do the right thing often requires both incentives and disincentives, or carrots and sticks, and that is true of masks and vaccinations," he said.
CBC News: Why leaving your nose hanging out of your mask could spread COVID and land you hefty fines
Tehseen Ladha, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the U of A, is interviewed about how proper mask use is important to saving lives. "Most people breathe through their nose and so that's what we're worried about … when you're breathing through your nose, that's where the viral particles are coming out of," said Ladha.
National Post: Liberals announce a vaccine-harms compensation program
Infectious-disease specialist Lynora Saxinger comments in this piece about how the federal government has announced financial support for anyone who suffers an 'adverse reaction' from a COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada. She said, "there’s a risk the messaging that the vaccine is super safe is undermined by the announcement."
CBC News: Prepping for COVID-19: What to do if someone in your home tests positive
Lynora Saxinger says there are ways to protect against COVID-19 transmission when one member of a household tests positive. "Most household transmission studies (show) it's not inevitable that everyone in the family is going to get this," she said.
Lynora Saxinger is quoted in this piece answering people's vaccine questions, saying we don't know yet if COVID vaccinations will be an annual occurrence because immune responses haven't been studied long enough to know.
CBC News Edmonton: Exploring the impacts and implications of COVID-19 on the brain
Ian Winship, deputy director of the U of A's Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute and associate professor of psychiatry, is interviewed about a virtual public lecture held by the U of A. It explored the implications of COVID-19 on the brain. He said, "we have a pandemic going on with the virus but it's got an associated epidemic of mental health concerns coming with it." Coverage also appears on CBC Radio Edmonton AM.
Infectious-disease specialist Ilan Schwartz offers comment in this story about infection numbers in Alberta. (Behind paywall)
Elemental: Psychiatric drugs could be the key to treating COVID-19
Ilan Schwartz discusses the need for a safe, cheap oral medication that could be prescribed to people with mild COVID-19 to ease their symptoms, help fight the infection early on, and prevent their decline into more severe disease. “We don’t have anything that can be rolled out on a large scale for outpatients to prevent people from getting into hospital,” said Schwartz.
CBC News: As vaccine rollout begins, Albertans among the most reluctant to get the injection
Ilan Schwartz describes the spread of false information and conspiracy theories around COVID-19 as a "raging epidemic of misinformation," in this article that says health-care providers and researchers say one of the biggest challenges of the pandemic has been battling what's referred to as the infodemic.
CBC News Network: Your Coronavirus questions answered
Infectious-disease specialist Lynora Saxinger answers viewers' questions about the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program. She says the additional doses coming soon will be more complicated in the rollout but will allay anxieties about who's going first and will let planners get any bugs out of the system. She has a lot of confidence in the people planning the program.
CityNews: COVID-19 vaccine a light at the end of the tunnel
Lynora Saxinger says the COVID-19 vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel, but while some are eager to get back to normal, a shot of reality shows it’s a long tunnel. She said, “individual risk will go down quickly after you get the vaccine, but the societal risk will remain until we reach a certain threshold.” Coverage also appears on CityNews Radio.
Maclean’s: There's a new strain of COVID-19. Will the vaccines work against it?
Lynora Saxinger says whenever a virus is spreading through populations, it does accumulate some mutations, and you see strains emerge that can be different, in this article about concerns that mutations identified in England affect the virus's crucial spike protein. So far scientists expect the vaccines will protect against the new variant.
Popular Science: The war on drugs didn’t work. Oregon’s plan might.
Hakique Virani, an associate clinical professor of medicine at the U of A, is interviewed in this article about decriminalizing drugs. He says drug laws were set out to exclude people with certain characteristics. Those who are marginalized because of their race, class, sexuality or other factors bear the overwhelming burden of criminal drug policy in spite of the fact that substance use rates are equivalent across demographics.
Global News: Alberta's COVID-19 infections are trending down -- what it means and what we need to do
Infectious-disease specialist Stephanie Smith is interviewed about Alberta's slight downward trend in COVID-19 cases, saying that it’s “a bit too soon” to know if the dips are a result of new, stricter health measures.
CTV News: What we know about the U.K.'s new novel coronavirus variant
Lynora Saxinger is interviewed about a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. "It doesn’t seem to make it necessarily worse in terms of infection but it may make it worse in terms of transmission,” she said. She also does an interview with CTV News Channel on various COVID-19 questions.
Scientific American: Few kidney patients can access palliative care or hospice. Why?
Sara Davison, a professor of medicine at the U of A, is interviewed for this story. “People hear ‘palliative’ and they think end of the road, nothing more we can do, end of life terminal care, but it's not,” she said.
Edmonton neurologist and associate clinical professor of medicine Jennifer McCombe says the University of Alberta Hospital has seen an uptick in stroke patients in recent weeks as the province's health-care system continues to cope with the surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Coverage also appears on CTV News Edmonton.
CBC News: More people than you think have comorbidities — and why it matters
Ross Tsuyuki, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology, is interviewed in this story about how a fairly common condition—high blood pressure—could also be considered a comorbidity factor in COVID-19.
Infectious-disease specialist Lynora Saxinger, assistant professor of pediatrics Tehseen Ladha, and Darren Markland, an assistant clinical professor of critical care medicine, are urging people to not gather for Christmas and to follow provincial restrictions. They say breaking the law will also break the healthcare system.
Joan Robinson, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the U of A, co-authors this opinion piece about how the parameters for lifting restrictions will have to be redefined as vulnerable populations are protected.
PEOPLE, PARTNERSHIPS AND EDUCATION
CTV News Edmonton: Seniors' self-portraits fight off lockdown loneliness
Medical students Danielle Portnoy and Asad Makhani created the Seniors Advocacy Movement, an art therapy project where seniors draw their faces. The art is now displayed at an entrance to Southgate Mall.
The Gateway: Gift to Health Sciences Library kickstarts library modernization project
The gift from Geoffrey and Robin Sperber will be used to move the Health Sciences Library to ECHA and to modernize the library space.
The Globe and Mail: Michael Houghton’s Nobel Prize win shows Canada’s strength in biotechnology
U of A president Bill Flanagan penned an opinion piece about how virologist Michael Houghton's award of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine could not have been better timed. "Now, exactly when we most need it, the world honours an achievement in research that sets the stage for Canada to play an even larger role in vaccine and therapeutic research, development and production," Flanagan writes. "Now is the time for Canada to send a clear message to private investors, funding agencies, and major industry and philanthropic partners from across the world. Canada is an international leader in biotechnology R&D," he notes. (Behind paywall)
CTV News Edmonton: 2 Nobel Prize winners in 2020 had ties to Edmonton
U of A virologist Michael Houghton and his work to earn a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is noted in this story that mentions Edmonton's connections to the Nobel. Houghton's accomplishment is also mentioned in a Nobel-related piece run by The Conversation and in stories by the Edmonton Journal and Global News. U of A president Bill Flanagan's opinion piece about the value of Houghton's achievement is run by Universities Canada.
Edmonton Journal: Opinion: Edmonton region can be a leader in the world's evolving economy
Malcolm Bruce penned this opinion piece that says disruption doesn't just create barriers for business—it breeds opportunity. In this case, the opportunity is to pivot, to adapt, and to continue the important work of growing Canada's and Alberta's economy. Among other strengths, Bruce mentions Michael Houghton as one of the brightest minds solving the world's biggest health challenges.
Nature: Will cell-based meat ever be a dinner staple?
Laboratory-grown meat has been stuck in the experimental stage. For it to become a commercially viable industry, tissue needs to be grown efficiently at scale. Matt Anderson-Baron, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Future Fields, a member company of the UAlberta Health Accelerator, gives expert comment.
Sherwood Park News: Bev Facey student pitches in on U of A Type 1 diabetes therapy research
Freyja Blackie, a Grade 12 student at Bev Facey Community High School, was one of the U of A Department of Surgery volunteers helping researchers that are developing Type 1 diabetes therapy. Blackie and the others helped build the lab’s website through the Heritage Youth Researcher Summer Program for Grade 11 students at the U of A.
Medical students Danielle Portnoy and Asad Makhani arranged for a parade of vehicles led by local superhero SpiderMable to visit a seniors' facility to spread some holiday cheer. They created their “Seniors Advocacy Movement'' to help bring joy to those feeling isolated during the pandemic.