91社区

I was born in Montreal and grew up in NDG. I went to high school at the Villa Maria in NDG. After completing my undergraduate degree at 91社区 in Biology I went to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina to complete a Ph.D. degree in Microbiology and Immunology. I next did two postdoctoral fellowships at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and at the University of Toronto, specializing in Immunology. I returned to Montreal in 1987 to accept a position as an Assistant Professor of Medicine. I opened a research laboratory affiliated with the Department of Medicine and the Research Institute of the 91社区 Health Centre. My research career has investigated two major themes. The first was to study the immune mechanisms that underlie the exquisite level of HIV viral control that a rare subset of HIV infected persons known as Elite Controllers, achieve without treatment. With a colleague and a good friend at the CHUM I established a Canadian-wide cohort of these rare individuals. My research has also investigated the immune mechanisms that underlie protection from HIV infection in certain persons who remain HIV seronegative despite multiple exposures to HIV. The goal of my research program over the years has been to inform the development of therapeutic and preventative HIV vaccines. I have very much enjoyed training students in the field of immunology research at the undergraduate, M.Sc., Ph.D. and postdoctoral levels. I have been active in classroom and small group teaching in the field of Immunology. I have contributed as an author to the publication of over 130 manuscripts, sat on many grant review panels and reviewed manuscripts for journals. I will be retiring at the end of June 2023. As an HKAP fellow, I could see myself contributing to the Department of Medicine by giving immunology lectures and participating in internal grant review activities.

My waltz with medicine began with my mentor, Dr. Melzack 鈥� a co-author of the Gate-Control Theory of pain who hired me as Research Assistant at the MGH Pain Clinic while I was an undergraduate student at 91社区 in the late 1970鈥檚. This dance between clinical and empirical work was practiced during my master鈥檚 and doctoral studies in clinical psychology in the United States where I was interested in psychophysiology, psychosocial oncology, and pain management. I returned to 91社区 as a post-doctoral student funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (1989-1991). My solid training in research methodology enabled me to collaborate with medical colleagues in Division of Clinical Epidemiology as a faculty member for 2 decades. I received a Senior career award from the Conseil qu茅b茅cois de la recherche sociale (1996-1999), Junior II and Senior Career Awards from Fonds de la recherche en sant茅 du Qu茅bec (1999-2004). I served as the Chair of Heath Psychology section of the Canadian Psychological Association for 2 years and took part in provincial committees aimed at improving psychosocial research. Concurrently, I was a member of IRBs at the MGH and then the Faculty of Medicine at 91社区 for 25 years. I taught undergraduate psychology and 4th year medical students. I took 2 sabbatical leaves, one with the Agence d鈥櫭塿aluation des Technologies et Modes d鈥橧nterventions en Sant茅 (2004) aimed at informing health policy for pain management in Quebec and the other at the Universit茅 Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France (2014). In the early 2000s I shifted my attention towards a promising intervention for patients with chronic pain and other illnesses (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction). This side-step led me to join 91社区 Programs in Whole Person Care, founded by Dr. Mount and led by Dr. Hutchinson. For the final 16 years of my career I offered and evaluated this intervention for patients and modified it to address the needs of physicians and other health care professionals. I have facilitated workshops on wellness and lectured at Grand Rounds to promote staff resilience. I have published over 150 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and two books on Mindful Medical Practice. Furthermore, I was the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Whole Person Care for 8 years. I continue to be an active member of the MUHC Wellness Task force as the Clinical Lead for the MUHC Schwartz Rounds.

Dr. Flegel is a Professor of Medicine and Consultant Internist at the Royal Victoria Hospital. He graduated in Medicine at 91社区 and in Epidemiology at London University (UK). He has had leadership roles in the Department of Medicine including Chief Medical Resident (1978), Director of Outpatient Clinics (1980 -- 1985), Director of the Division of General Internal Medicine (1984 -- 1993) and Chief of a General Internal Medicine CTU (1996 鈥� 2005). He now works as a consultant internist at Royal Victoria Hospital. He also ran a Cottage Hospital in Southeast Nigeria for two years (1974-76). He is an editor at the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), being in charge of the Research Section from 2007 to 2019. His research interests have included adverse drug reactions, atrial fibrillation and stroke, and theory of diagnosis.

Phil Gold is the Douglas G. Cameron Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Physiology and Oncology, at 91社区. He has served as the Inaugural Director of the 91社区 (now Goodman) Cancer Centre, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at 91社区 and Physician-in-Chief at the Montreal General Hospital. He is presently the Executive Director of the Clinical Research Centre of the 91社区 Health Centre at The Montreal General Hospital Dr. Gold鈥檚 early research led to the discovery and definition of the Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA), and the subsequent CEA blood test. This was the first blood test cancer sanctioned by the FDA, and then internationally, and is still the most frequently used test in the diagnosis and management of patients with cancer. Indeed, this initiated the field of Oncodevelopmental Biology. For this work, other studies, and his outstanding contributions as a medical educator, he has gained national and international recognition. He has been elected to numerous prestigious organizations and has been the recipient of such outstanding awards as The E.W.R Steacie Memorial Award, The Gairdner Foundation Annual International Award (1978), the Isaak Walton Killam Award in Medicine of the Canada Council (1985), the National Cancer Institute of Canada R.M. Taylor Medal (1992), the Heath Medal of the MD Anderson Hospital (1980), the Inaugural Ernest C. Manning Foundation Award (1982), the Johann-Georg-Zimmerman Prize for Cancer Research (1978), Medizinische Hochschule, Germany (1978), the Award of the Academy of International Dental Studies (1984), the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal (2002) and DSc degrees (Honorus Causa) from McMaster University, Queens University and the University of British Columbia. He has been elected to Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Heath Sciences, The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), the Association of American Physicians (AAP), and Mastership in the American College of Physicians. His outstanding contributions to teaching have been recognized by an award as a Teacher of Distinction from the Faculty of Medicine. He has been honored by his country, his province his city, and his university by appointment as a Companion of the Order of Canada, an Officer of l鈥橭rdre National du Qu茅bec, a member of the Academy of Great Montrealers (now a Member of the Order of Montreal); and a recipient of the Gold Medal of the 91社区 Graduate Society, respectively. He has been the Sir Arthur Sims Traveling Professor to the British Commonwealth. In 2006, the Phil Gold Chair in Medicine was inaugurated at 91社区, and the first incumbent was selected in 2009. He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2010. He received the Life Time Achievement Award from 91社区 October 2011 and the inaugural 91社区 Faculty of Medicine Global Achievement Award. In 2012, Dr. Gold was inducted as an Honorary Member on the International Golden Key Society; he received the Gerald Bronfman Center Lifetime Achievement Award, Department of Oncology, 91社区 and received the Queen鈥檚 Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2013 he was the recipient of the Wilder-Penfield, Prix du Qu茅bec. In 2017, The Phil Gold Distinguished Lectureship was inaugurated at the Goodman Cancer Institute, and he became an Einstein Legacy Awardee in the same year.

Dr. Rose Goldstein is a Professor of Medicine at 91社区, and was the Vice-Principal of Research and Innovation at 91社区 from 2010 to 2017. Previous positions Dr. Goldstein has held include Vice-President of Research at the University of Calgary, and Vice-Dean of Academic Affairs in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Goldstein's clinical activities included general rheumatology with an interest in osteoporosis and women鈥檚 health. As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Goldstein鈥檚 research was in immunogenetics of rheumatic disease and cellular basis of rheumatoid arthritis, as well as the exploration of gender and health topics in medical training, and the study of conflict resolution in health care and medical education. With a life-long interest in mentoring and coaching, Dr. Goldstein has been a mentor for medical students, residents and faculty members throughout her career. She has won awards for mentoring women in medicine, including the first Canadian Medical Association May Cohen award for Women Mentors (2002). In 2001, she founded and directed the Ottawa Health Sciences Academic Leadership Program, for faculty members across the health sciences at the University of Ottawa. Currently, Dr. Goldstein is on the faculty of the 91社区 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Leadership Development Program (LDP) where she is founder and director of the Post-LDP Coaching Program. This program offers all graduates of this leadership program with leadership coaching to assist with their careers. Dr. Goldstein is also the founder and director of the Faculty鈥檚 Coaching Program for Chairs and Directors, which offers coaching to all Department Chairs and Directors of Schools and Institutes. Dr. Goldstein earned her Bachelor of Science and Medical degrees from 91社区, and completed her clinical training at the Universities of Toronto, Ottawa and Texas.

I retired after 28 years of practice as a medical oncologist at the MUHC. I was born and raised in Montreal and suburbs. Went to high school at VIlla Maria in NDG and NDG has been my home in Montreal since that time. After a BSc in biology from 91社区 I went to the University of Texas Southwestern Graduate school where I completed a PhD in Maternal-Fetal Immunology under the supervision of Rupert Billingham, one of the founders of the field of transplantation Immunology. I then returned to Montreal for medical school at 91社区 and graduated in 1986. I did my Internal Medicine Residency at the Montreal General Hospital and my subspecialty training in Hematology-Oncology at the University of Minnesota Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis. The practice of medical oncology was very different when I came on staff at the MGH in the summer of 1993. There were 2 chemotherapy regimens for breast cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer was in its infancy. There were only 3 medical oncologists at the MGH at that time- Dr Thirlwell, Dr Marc Trudeau and myself- so there was no site specialization as we know it today. I have been fortunate to practice in an era where we now see a new therapy emerge very few months ( or so it seems ). I always enjoyed teaching and acting as an Osler fellow from 2016-2020 was a nice way to round off my teaching career. The last year of practice in the context of the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic was also a challenge as well as a learning opportunity. Retirement is still relatively new to me, but I hope to undertake some new projects in the not too distant future. I have long supported charities dedicated to the well being of homeless people and animals and hope to get involved in a more hands on way. I know that some academic medical centers in the US such as John Hopkins Internal Medicine Program has a curriculum focused on reducing health disparities and that the University of Pittsburgh has a fellowship program for caring for the homeless, and would like to learn about what is being done here in Montreal.

As a child growing up in Manitoba in the 1940s and 1950s, Barry Posner first developed an interest in endocrinology when he learned about Frederick Banting, the Canadian researcher who discovered insulin. 鈥淚t was inspiring how Banting pursued his novel idea to completion and significantly influenced the survival of patients with diabetes,鈥� reflected Posner. 鈥淗e made a monumental contribution to medicine.鈥� As a double major in mathematics and English literature at the University of Manitoba, Posner was something of a Renaissance man in university. He was pondering a future in theoretical physics when his life took an unexpected turn. 鈥淢y mother suffered from and died of cancer when I was 20 years old,鈥� he shared. 鈥淗er illness and passing impacted me deeply and inspired me to pursue a medical path.鈥� After Posner graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba and completed a year of residency in Internal Medicine, he moved to Boston. There he entered a special program jointly sponsored by the New England Medical Center and MIT. At MIT he dove deeply into the 鈥榳eeds鈥� of molecular biology and followed this with research in metabolism at the New England Medical Center. It was there he met Henry Friesen, a fellow Winnipeg native, who was subsequently recruited to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. 鈥淗enry was the one who encouraged me to apply for a position at 91社区,鈥� Posner explained. 鈥淭hus began a new adventure.鈥� Posner joined the 91社区 Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences in 1970. 鈥淚 was really feeling my way along in my career,鈥� he shared. 鈥淚 wanted to move into insulin research, but I didn鈥檛 know how.鈥� At this time methods were just being developed to study hormone receptors. 鈥淚t occurred to me that identifying receptors in a tissue was a powerful new way to identify target tissues for insulin and other hormones,鈥� he said. It was this issue he began to address. Ultimately, Posner, by demonstrating insulin receptors in a wide range of tissues, identified areas of the body that no one had ever thought to be targets of insulin viz. the brain, placenta, and kidney. He extended this approach to other peptide hormones (viz. growth hormone). This research carried enormous implications for the management of diabetes, the prevention of obesity, and the continued exploration of hormones that impact overall health. Discovering new receptors and target tissues for peptide hormones, especially in the brain, was the first pivotal stage of Posner鈥檚 nearly 50 years of research at 91社区鈥攂ut it certainly wasn鈥檛 the last. Starting in the mid to late 1970s he and colleagues demonstrated the existence of intracellular receptors for insulin and other peptide hormones, and showed that these receptors arose from the cell surface where, following the binding of hormone, they rapidly 鈥榠nternalized鈥� and in an 鈥榓ctivated鈥� state promoted the actions of the hormone. By the early 1980s they showed that internalized insulin-receptor complexes were concentrated in a unique intracellular compartment later known as Endosomes. These observations challenged the orthodoxy of that time wherein all cellular action was at the cell surface and was extended intracellularly by a 鈥榮econd messenger鈥�. In the late 1980s, Posner discovered peroxovanadium compounds, which mimic the action of insulin. 鈥淲e could activate insulin receptors without insulin,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭his led us to discover the target of these compounds for which the search for suitable insulin-mimetic drugs is ongoing.鈥� More recently, Posner turned his attention to identifying genetic markers that correlate to Type 2 diabetes, which will enable more effective prediction and treatment of the disease. In addition to teaching and conducting research at 91社区, Posner has served as Director of the 91社区 Endocrine Training Program, Physician-in-Chief at the Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, and Chief of the Endocrine Division of the Royal Victoria Hospital. Under his leadership the 91社区 Endocrine Program was recognized as a world leader in endocrine discovery work. Throughout his career he continued seeing patients which allowed him to maintain a link between his science and the clinic. Posner published more than 290 scientific manuscripts in the course of his career, but he looks back and feels equally proud of the time invested in supervising close to 40 fellows and graduate students over the years. 鈥淚t was rewarding to see them develop as young scientists and learn to think about the issues, especially at a place like 91社区 that fosters a scientifically stimulating environment,鈥� Posner reflected. He has given over 160 lectures as a Visiting Professor and published more than 290 scientific manuscripts. He received the 1990 Distinguished Scientist Award of the CSCI and is a fellow of the Royal Society and Royal College of Physicians of Canada, and the American College of Physicians. Dr. Posner was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (1999) and the Order of Quebec (2014). He is a Charter Member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and received the Queen`s Golden (2002) and Diamond (2012) Jubilee Medals, the Distinguished Service Award of the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (2008), the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canadian Diabetes Association (2015) and the 91社区 Medal (2020) for academic excellence. The scientists who come after Posner stand on the shoulders of a giant in the field of endocrinology. Those who build on the fundamental knowledge he discovered know that the contributions he has made to the field of endocrinology are monumental.

I am an epidemiologist and health services researcher with 20 years鈥� experience leading research teams, directing post-graduate courses, and serving the university and scientific communities in roles such as research ethics board member, thesis evaluator, grant panel member, journal reviewer, and scientific conference organizer and presenter. I have published over 110 papers in the peer-review literature, contributed to more than 180 scientific meeting presentations, and supervised approximately 100 students, residents, post-doctoral fellows and research assistants. As an HKAP fellow, I welcome contributing to activities in the Department of Medicine that include but are not restricted to the following: giving lectures on epidemiology topics, reviewing applications/applicants for internal and external funding opportunities, reviewing residents' research proposals, evaluating applicants for personal honors and awards, and reviewing research proposals for ethics approval.

I immigrated to Canada from Hungary, as a child, just after the October 1956 revolution in that country. I completed my undergraduate degree from 91社区 university in 1969 and then 91社区 Medicine in 1974. Post doctorate training was at the Jewish General Hospital and then at Tufts University, Boston for gastroenterology. Upon returning I worked at two hospitals (St Michel and Reddy Memorial in downtown Montreal). I joined the Jewish General Hospital in 1984 and became a full time geographic assistant professor in 2001. My research interests began with the noted genetic population divide of adult lactose maldigestion and intolerance. This soon led me to the possibility that in people who can`t digest lactose in adulthood but continue to consume lactose and dairy products their intestinal flora adapts in a way which may be beneficial to the host. In late 1990鈥檚 and beyond the concept of the microbiome`s relevance to many diseases emerged. From these new developments (genetics of lactase and the relevance of the microbiome) two concepts emerged. First how does the lactase dichotomy affect dairy food consumption, and how dairy foods impact on different diseases. Among diseases of interest were colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases. There is suggestive evidence that dairy foods have a modest protective effect against colorectal cancer and a modest protective effect against (prediagnosis) Crohn鈥檚 disease and possibly ulcerative colitis. These topics also expanded to a more general interest in diets in IBD. The second general area of interest is the impact of genetic lactase distributions on patterns of diseases, particularly IBD. The notion of the beneficial role of vitamin D is largely based on observations that many diseases including IBD are less common at low latitude (higher exposure to sunshine which leads to skin synthesis of vitamin D) areas around the equator. It turns out that these diseases including IBD also correlate with population frequencies of lactase distributions. My current interests include developing hypotheses to explain such observations. Most recently I have become also interested to consider how the world pandemic of obesity could impact on the course and epidemiology of IBD (and related western diseases).

I am a recently retired Hematologist-Oncologist, having worked for 46 years in 91社区-affiliated community hospitals. I have been married for 54 years and have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. I welcome the opportunity to stay connected to the university and hopefully be of help in some capacity. I embarked on my medical career at the age of 17 when I was accepted into a combined Medicine-Science program, getting both degrees in 7 years. At the age of 20, while in medical school, I married Arnold Zidulka. Combining a medical career and family life has been both extremely challenging and very rewarding. I decided to have my children early in my career as I felt that they would be the centre of my life and everything else had to adapt to that reality. It is a decision I never regretted. I graduated medical school and had my first child in the same year. We moved back to Montreal where I completed my residency in Hematology at the Royal Victoria Hospital in 1974. At that time Oncology did not exist as a specialty. I then went on staff at the now defunct Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a wonderful, small community hospital. I discovered a passion for teaching. As Assistant-Physician- in Chief, I was in charge of the medical teaching program at all levels. In my career I have mentored one if not two generations of medical trainees. My second passion was being a doctor to my patients and their families. I was able to practice "whole person care" before it had developed into its own discipline. As I mentioned, Oncology did not exist when I first started out. Hematologists became the first Oncologists as chemotherapy was first used in Hematological malignancies. I grew into and with this exciting new specialty and slowly built up a Department of Oncology and eventually started a Palliative Care Service. Unfortunately, the QEH was closed in 1995. Fortunately, our team moved to St. Mary's Hospital, where I was able to continue in a manner which I found rewarding. The size of the hospital and its university affiliation made it possible for me to keep learning and be intellectually stimulated. Working with students, residents and fellows ensured that I was up to date. I continued to work at SMH for the next 25 years and was privileged to help to build a wonderful Oncology Department. The decision to step down was a difficult one to make. However, I knew it was the right decision. Being a physician and achieving balance in one's life is difficult and challenging, but well worth the struggle. I am looking forward to giving back to the profession that gave so much to me.