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posted on May 10: McMaster’s medical school leads second revolution in medical training

McMaster's medical school is leading the revolution to build a better doctor. This is the thrust of the May 13 edition of Maclean's magazine, which devotes six pages to its cover story Building a Better Doctor and features a cover photo of second-year medical student Menaka Pai. Writer and columnist Rob Sheppard spent close to one month researching Canada's 16 medical schools to determine what makes a better doctor and how medical schools are going about building that doctor. Sheppard's article begins, "Thirty-three years ago, upstart McMaster University in Hamilton sparked a revolution in training of doctors that eventually spread to all the big medical schools in North America. Now it wants to start another. Its plan is bold, courageous and designed to combat some of the ills of today's health-care system. " Sheppard discusses the medical school's first revolutionary innovation--the problem-based learning (PBL) approach--then focuses on McMaster's new vision for the future of medical training. This revolutionary new plan, described by John Kelton, vice-president and dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, as a "marketplace model" is one that matches training more closely to the real needs of communities and ordinary doctoring. Sheppard writes, "Change comes when an institution with a flair for innovation, like McMaster, pops its head up above the crowd." (End of story)

posted on May 10: New partnership bolsters information technology

A mentor in the field of information technology hopes to foster a new generation of professors with his gift to establish an endowed research chair in information technology. Doug Barber, an engineer, professor and entrepreneur, and Gennum Corp. of Burlington, Ont. have donated $1.3 million to McMaster University to create the Barber-Gennum Chair in Information Technology. Barber, one of the founders of Gennum Corp., believes the only way to ensure there are enough highly-skilled people working in the information technology sector is to make sure there are enough professors available to teach them. "There is a great danger of losing our capability to educate people because the demand for knowledge workers has exceeded the supply," said Barber, former chair of McMaster's Board of Governors and Distinguished Professor-in-Residence. "We have lost many from the academic world to industry. The whole idea is to make sure there is an opportunity for young people who are knowledgeable and want to become university professors to be supported and make the academic world attractive to them." The endowed chair is for a five-year term, non-renewable, and eligible candidates cannot have held a tenured appointment at any university. The inaugural chairholder is Ian Bruce, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, who is researching biomedical engineering. Bruce is studying the neurobiology of hearing loss with colleagues in psychology, electrical & computer engineering and Gennum Corp. to design better hearing aids.

Posted on May 9: McMaster and City of Hamilton move ahead on biomedical incubator business plan

McMaster officials were back at City Hall yesterday presenting a plan that will help Hamilton build its biotechnology base. McMaster has been working with the City of Hamilton's economic development staff over the last several months to develop a partnership that ultimately will result in the creation of the Hamilton-McMaster Biomedical Incubator. The proposed incubator will assist new companies with the commercialization of biomedical research while capitalizing on McMaster's research and research capacity. The city has identified biotechnology as one of six economic development clusters. It was decided at the meeting that the University and the city will collaborate in the development of a business plan for this project. Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president, research & international affairs, sees this as an important first step. He believes this partnership is a tremendous opportunity for McMaster to support the city's economic development and job creation goals and to diversify its industrial base. "The timing is right for this," Shoukri told a number of city councillors who participated in the hearings sub-committee meeting. "There is a convergence of priorities the University and its affiliated hospitals, the city and the province all have identified biotechnology as an area of strategic importance, while the federal government's innovation agenda clearly outlines commercialization of university research as a priority." Mayor Bob Wade attended the meeting and told his colleagues that the biotechnology window of opportunity "may pass Hamilton by." He went on to say, "if we are intent do to something for the city's economy, then we must find a way to endorse this project." (End of story)

posted on May 8: Basmajian Award celebrates research excellence

Lori-Ann Linkins, MD, and Yu-jing Gao, PhD pharmacology, are this year's recipients of the Basmajian Award for Excellence in Post-Doctoral Research Work. The award is intended to recognize post-doctoral research fellows at McMaster who have made meritorious contributions in research during their post doctoral research training. The award, first established in 1991, was made possible by John Basmajian, professor emeritus of medicine and anatomy. Basmajian is recognized as a world leader in rehabilitation medicine and in 2001 was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Science, at the Faculty of Health Sciences convocation. This year the Basmajian award was offered in two catergories: one to a clinical post-doctoral fellow and the other to a non-clinical post doctoral fellow.

Third annual event raises awareness for occupational health and safety

How safe is your work place? Many people think of occupational health and safety as an issue dealing mainly with chemical waste, flammable products or respiratory hazards. There are, however, other components of a safe work environment that include field trips, law and security and ergonomics. This week was North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH), and Risk Management Services (RMS) presented a variety of events to inform and educate McMaster workers. This year's fair is the third organized by RMS. Christel Kaiser-Farrell, one of the organizers of the event, states that the goal of the week's events, was "to raise safety awareness on campus." She adds, "We can also raise awareness outside of work, for example, environmental awareness." She feels that there are a lot of potential hazards on campus, but RMS is working to minimize them. The office is involved in all sectors of the university, except for Health Sciences, which has its own department. "If people have a question about work place safety, they can contact our office, and someone will be able to help them," she advises. On Wednesday (May 8), the NAOSH festivities were visible in the form of a big white tent set up in front of John Hodgins Engineering Building. Under this tent, vendors displayed various equipment designed to make the workplace safer or more comfortable. Participants included the Occupational and Environmental Health Laboratory, Borgo, Lordly Jones Office Furniture, Working at McMaster, 3M Respirators, Lawlor Safety, and Fisher Safety. Many of these companies already work with the University, training personnel and providing equipment. The vendors demonstrated and showcased all forms of safety equipment for both labs and offices. Products ranged from gloves, goggles, and gas detectors to respirators and reflective vests. Other displays included ergonomic office equipment, such as keyboard platforms and office chairs designed to aid in the prevention of repetitive stress injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome. In conjunction with the displays and a barbeque lunch, Risk Management Services tested attendees' knowledge with a safety quiz. Questions included proper responses to fire alarms and hazardous conditions in individual work areas. People who complete the quiz correctly will be entered in a draw to win one of many prizes donated by the vendors. Prizes include a chair supplied by Borgo, a cordless drill supplied by Lawlor Safety, a putter provided by 3M, T-shirts, mugs, and a sweatshirt supplied by our own bookstore. The draw for the winners will be held today(May 10). Through the NAOSH Week events, RMS hopes to make the campus a safer place. Safety is the responsibility of everyone on campus and improved awareness will create improved work environments. (End of story)

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posted on May 10: McMaster’s medical school leads second revolution in medical training

posted on May 10: New partnership bolsters information technology

Posted on May 9: McMaster and City of Hamilton move ahead on biomedical incubator business plan

posted on May 8: Basmajian Award celebrates research excellence

Third annual event raises awareness for occupational health and safety

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