UBC Professor Kathleen Martin Ginis

Community-based prevention and management are key goals

The Faculty of Medicine Southern Medical Program is launching a new research program aimed at progressing the research front when it comes to the prevention and management of chronic diseases.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, three in five Canadians over the age of 20 live with a chronic illness and four in five are at risk. In Canada, 67 per cent of all deaths each year are caused by four major chronic conditions: cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic respiratory disease.

Based at UBC Okanagan, the newly-introduced Chronic Disease Prevention Program (CDPP) will harness the strengths of researchers from both Okanagan and Vancouver campuses and Interior Health (IH) to support new discoveries and knowledge translation in this ever-pressing domain. Kathleen Martin Ginis, a professor with UBC Faculty of Medicine and UBC Okanagan Faculty of Health and Social Development, is the founding CDPP director.

“Our end goal is to foster research excellence that’s responsive to the healthcare needs of our region’s communities both urban and rural, and advances the international research field,” says Martin Ginis.

The first step, she explains, is to recruit an interdisciplinary team of clinical and implementation scientists and community health researchers who will work under the CDPP umbrella. Martin Ginis also plans to establish new partnerships with health professionals and community-health organizations throughout the IH region.

“Our collective efforts will focus on new investigations in the areas of physical activity and nutrition/healthy eating, and diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurotrauma and neurodegenerative diseases, and implementing those research findings into the community,” she adds.

To bolster the program’s development, Martin Ginis will serve as the inaugural Reichwald Family UBC Southern Medical Program Chair in Preventive Medicine. Established by the Reichwald family, the endowed chair will accelerate the development of an academic research program that advances our understanding of chronic disease and establishes new community-based prevention programs.

“The growing prevalence of chronic diseases within our region’s health populations has brought prevention and management to the front lines of healthcare delivery,” says Dr. Allan Jones, regional associate dean, Interior, UBC Faculty of Medicine. “We are deeply committed to contributing to this research arena and directly benefiting the communities where our students, faculty, and researchers train and serve.”

BIOGRAPHY

Kathleen Martin Ginis is a professor with UBC Faculty of Medicine Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the UBC Okanagan Faculty of Health and Social Development, School of Health and Exercise Sciences. She is the founding director of the Southern Medical Program’s Chronic Disease Prevention Program and inaugural Reichwald Family UBC Southern Medical Program Chair in Preventive Medicine.

Martin Ginis is the founding director of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Action Canada, a national alliance of community-based organizations and university-based researchers working together to advance physical activity participation in people with spinal cord injury. She is also the principal investigator of the Canadian Disability Participation Project and an ICORD (International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries) principal investigator. Her research studies are some of the first to outline the psychosocial benefits and strategies for increasing physical activity in adults with spinal cord injury.

The Southern Medical Program (SMP) Class of 2020 invites the Okanagan medical community, family, and friends to join them for the 2017 SMP Charity Golf Classic on Sunday, October 15^th at the Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna, BC.

SMP students have once again partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association to help support the new CMHA facility, Foundry Kelowna. With each ticket sold, the students are hoping to help positively impact the lives of youth living with mental health issues in the community.

The 2017 Golf Classic will include 18 holes of golf at the beautiful Harvest Golf Club, buffet dinner, and silent auction. Dinner tickets can be purchased separately and reduced prices are available for children.

Register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/6th-annual-smp-charity-golf-classic-tickets-37021037921.

For more information, contact smptournamentgolf@gmail.com.

The UBC Faculty of Medicine MD Admissions Office is hosting an evening information session for prospective medical students at Royal Inland Hospital. Learn about the admission requirements, application process, and how UBC is training the next generation of physicians for our province.

The session will be held on Wednesday, November 1st from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the Ken Lepin lecture theatre in the Clinical Services Building at Royal Inland Hospital (311 Columbia Street, Kamloops, BC).

Registration is required and spots are limited. Note: High school students are limited to one guest (i.e. parent) per student.

Register at https://survey.ubc.ca/s/md-admissions-kamloops

For more information, contact Warren Brock, Communications Manager, Southern Medical Program at warren.brock@ubc.ca or 250.807.8601.

Each summer, students from across the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s MD Undergraduate Program have the opportunity to pursue their passion for medical research and work closely with faculty members from across the province through the Summer Student Research Program (SSRP).

From exploring the benefits of exercise for stroke recovery to understanding how to provide culturally safe care, students in the SSRP are encouraged to take a deeper look into a wide variety of research topics.

We checked in with Rouzbeh Ghadiry-Tavi, a fourth-year medical student in the Southern Medical Program (SMP), to learn more about his research on cardiac function and physical activity in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and how the experience has influenced his studies.

What sparked your interest in research?

My first research experience was at a cardiac physiology lab during my undergrad. A friend of mine told me about a young professor, Damon Poburko, a UBC Pharmacology and Therapeutics alumnus and Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology Professor at Simon Fraser University, who was at the beginning stages of establishing his lab. When I first met Dr. Poburko, we ended up talking for an hour, mostly about physiology and his research. I left the meeting excited about the prospect of learning from a cool guy who was very passionate about what he did.

Describe your research project?

We already know from previous research that children with congenital heart disease (CHD) have low physical activity levels and that only 10 per cent of them meet the recommended physical activity levels, as suggested by the guidelines. What we wanted to know is whether these low levels can be explained by impaired cardiac function or if other sociocultural factors can best account for them.

My supervisor, Kevin Harris, Assistant Professor and Pediatric Interventional Cardiologist at BC Children’s Hospital, provided me access to a database that contains data on physical activity levels (objectively measured with accelerometers) and cardiac function (as measured by echocardiography) in children with CHD. My role was to extract and analyze the data and contribute to the manuscript of a research article.

How will this research experience help you in your medical studies?

It gave me valuable exposure to pediatric cardiology. By engaging in this research, I’ve been able to participate in the cardiology teaching sessions, clinical and academic rounds, and see what cardiologists do in the catheterization lab and in the clinic.

How has it influenced your perspective on medicine and patient care?

We often hear ‘medicine is always changing,’ but I think a more accurate statement is that we keep changing medicine because we keep finding better ways of doing it. It is fine to rely on guidelines and resources and keep using an already existing body of knowledge to treat patients. But I personally find it very exciting to go beyond that by improving our patient care in novel ways. If I can look back at my life and be able to say clinicians are doing this one thing differently because of what I found and the questions that I answered, that would be a sweet life.

What advice do you have for other students interested in pursuing a SSRP?

Do it for you! The reason I wake up early and dedicate my days to this research project is because I absolutely love what I do and therefore it does not feel like work.

As the new academic year begins, we caught up with some of our Southern Medical Program (SMP) students heading back to the lecture theatres and hospital bedsides. Here’s a Q&A with Claire MacKinlay:

Claire MacKinlay, 3rd Year Southern Medical Program student
Hometown: Kamloops

What inspired you to pursue medicine?
I loved the combination of scientific detective work and being able to be present during the big, trying moments in peoples’ lives, hopefully making a difference for the better.

What are you looking forward to most this upcoming year?
Clerkship is full of exciting firsts! First delivery of a baby, first time assisting at a surgery, first trauma patient, first code (I’m cheating a bit because 3 months in I’ve already had all of these firsts!). Mostly I’m excited to see myself progress over this year. Clerkship is a really cool opportunity to push yourself into new roles while having the safety net of a preceptor there to guide you along the way. I want to make sure I take full advantage of that and see where it takes me. I also have a lot of firsts happening in my personal life this year – first house purchase, first puppy and a wedding!

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I took up painting this year. An hour or so at the easel became my reward for a productive study session.

Best piece of advice:
Don’t worry about how long it will take to pursue a potential goal – the time will pass by anyway. Write a detailed vision for your life 10 years from now, right down to the smell of your coffee in the morning, and design your life around what you need to do to get there.

What superpower do you wish you had?
Being a morning person.

Where in the world would you like to get lost?
The Italian countryside, preferably on a bicycle, with a picnic basket and my partner.

Each summer, a number of our students immerse themselves in research with funding support from the Southern Medical Program (SMP), The Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation, and the Faculty of Medicine’s Summer Student Research Program.

Alysson Hamilton, second-year Southern Medical Program student

We connected with Alysson Hamilton, second-year SMP student to discuss her research experience from this past summer. Hamilton worked alongside Dr. Mary Jung, Associate Professor with the UBC Okanagan Faculty of Health and Social Development on a project titled Small Steps for Big Changes in the Community.

Describe your research project:
Small Steps for Big Changes is an exercise and diet intervention for individuals at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. I was involved with various aspects of the project including telephone screening and baseline testing of participants, adapting motivational interviewing materials to be used in counseling sessions, and transcribing qualitative interviews about the experiences and perspectives of individuals with prediabetes.

Why were you interested in working on this project?
I am very interested in preventative medicine and the power of a healthy lifestyle, and I wanted to learn techniques to promote positive behaviour change.

What’s one thing that surprised you about the research?
I was surprised by how much I have enjoyed being involved in research. Coming into this project as part of the FLEX (Flexible and Enhance Learning) course, I had no idea what to expect as I had no research involvement prior to medical school. I have loved working with this team and learning about different aspects of the research process.

How will this research experience help you in your future medical studies?
The communication skills and behaviour change techniques that I have learned will be helpful in future patient encounters. This experience has also provided me with a deeper understanding of different types of research and the research process which should allow me to better analyze relevant medical literature as I continue through my studies.

How has it influenced your perspective on medicine and patient care?
From speaking to participants and listening to qualitative interviews, I have gained more insight into the difficulties of making behavioural changes and the unique challenges and strengths of each individual. This has motivated me to be more than a physician who says “go exercise” and instead to work with patients to determine what lifestyle changes they want to make and how those changes can be incorporated into their lives.

As the new academic year begins, we caught up with some of our Southern Medical Program (SMP) students heading back to the lecture theatres and hospital bedsides. Here’s one of our Q&As with Hannah Duyvewaardt:

Hannah Duyvewaardt, 4th Year SMP student 

What inspired you to pursue medicine?
I wanted to have the skills and the knowledge to help people live the healthiest life possible, by either treating illness or preventing disease.

What am I looking forward to most for the upcoming year?
Fourth year is an amazing opportunity to explore Canada while increasing your exposure to specific areas of medicine. I am really excited for my northern rotations to experience the difference of providing healthcare in rural communities.

Best piece of advice:
Don’t be afraid to change your mind. I was 100% on a specialty until I finally recognized family medicine was the perfect fit for me.

What superpower do you wish you had?
No need for sleep!

Where would I like to get lost?
Somewhere with sand, surf and sun. Bali would do!

The Southern Medical Program is looking for female volunteers to help teach second-year medical students how to perform gynecological and breast exams.

These volunteers, known as Female Clinical Teaching Associates (FCTAs), are trained to be both instructor and patient during these sensitive physical exams. Together with a physician tutor, FCTAs help a small group of students develop a comfortable communication style and the techniques required to conduct an effective examination. FCTAs will participate in two or three exams per teaching session, and must support students in a highly professional manner.

Females interested in training as FCTAs must be comfortable with their bodies, since these intimate examinations may involve mild physical discomfort. Suitable candidates will learn related anatomy, medical terminology, and exam techniques; have strong communication skills; and provide effective feedback.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What kind of training will I receive?

You will become a confident and certified FCTA through our intensive training session, which covers anatomy, medical terminology, physician-patient communication, and physical exam skills. You’ll participate in team-building exercises, group workshops, and hands-on curriculum practice.

Will I be examined by both male and female students?

Yes. It is important that an FCTA works with medical students, regardless of their sex or gender, to improve their technique and communications skills, and to ensure they deliver a proper examination.

What if I’m not feeling comfortable at any point?

Please let us know immediately. Your well-being is our priority, and so is your privacy—all SMP faculty and students are bound by the Canadian Medical Association Code of Ethics, meaning your information is kept confidential.

When and where will I be needed?

All sessions are held at Clinical Academic Campus at Kelowna General Hospital. Physical exams occur in the fall term (September – October). An FCTA must have a flexible schedule to accommodate morning sessions.

Will I be paid?

FCTAs are paid for the training sessions and for each exam session.

Who to contact?

If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact the Shaun Bos, Patient Programs Educator at shaun.bos@ubc.ca or 250-980-1341.

Dr. Alexandra Bond
Southern Medical Program Class of 2015
Internal Medicine Resident PG-Y3, UBC, Vancouver

Tell us about your training
Internal medicine encompasses the non-surgical management of a variety of different disease states involving any of the organ systems. As a resident in Internal Medicine, our program is structured into one month blocks, during which we rotate through the various subspecialties (Cardiology, Intensive Care, Oncology, Rheumatology, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Hematology, Respirology, Palliative Care, Addictions Medicine, and Gastroenterology) and core General Internal Medicine/Clinical Teaching Unit Electives. A typical day includes rounding on all patients admitted to the hospital under your respective service (around 20 patients, more or less) as well as seeing any new consults throughout the day. Residents are given full responsibility for structuring the care and management of all their patients, under the guidance and supervision of the attending physician.

What attracted you to a career in medicine?
Medicine is a fascinating combination of human interaction and problem solving; a career in which communication and strong interpersonal relationships are vital, along with the skill set to gather important data and synthesize evidence-based medical knowledge to decipher each unique clinical case. I was intrigued by the art of medicine and determining how the application of medical knowledge pertains to the wishes, and expectations of each individual patient. To have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of others, not just through medical interventions alone but by listening to their concerns and hearing their diverse stories, appealed to me. Medicine is also a rapidly developing field of science and research. Each day is a new learning experience where exciting discoveries are made, and the learning continues throughout your career whether you are a medical student, resident, or staff physician.

Today in healthcare it’s important to…
Remember that you are treating a person, not just a disease. So often in medicine we lose sight of the fact that we are working with people at their most vulnerable moments in life, in an environment that is entirely foreign and intimidating to them. Patients have a justified need to be heard and informed every step of the way throughout the diagnosis and treatment of their medical illness. As health care practitioners, our job goes beyond solving the medical mysteries and providing the best evidence-based treatments. Medicine is not just a science; it’s an art. Attentiveness to detail, taking into account every unique patient case and the individual determinants of health that contribute to each distinct illness script, combined with good patient care and respect for the innate desire for people to feel well-informed and empowered in their medical care, encompasses the art of medicine.

What is the best professional advice you received?
“Be kind to people” and “Sometimes all patients need is a warm blanket.”  A certain Emergency Medicine staff told me this on day 1 of medical school. I think it resonated with most people in our class. Being kind to your colleagues, other health care practitioners, and patients will make your work life exponentially more enjoyable by strengthening communication, collegiality, and cohesiveness in a positive work environment. Furthermore, the second quote is testament to the fact that oftentimes we cannot cure people of their disease, but we can offer them support, respect, and reassurance that we will continue to ensure their comfort and autonomy.

What is your favourite UBC Faculty of Medicine memory?
My favourite memory of the Southern Medical Program is working with all the great faculty members, physicians, and administrative staff. Everyone is incredibly supportive, which makes the steep learning curve all the more easy to climb. It is a rare experience to be able to work one-on-one with staff as a medical student and I am so grateful for all the unique learning opportunities I was able to experience because of UBC’s distributive program. I remember multiple instances where staff physicians from other services would find me around the hospital to teach me about or show me a unique case they had. As a junior learner, it made me realize how much the staff really care about trying to create the best hands-on learning environment and experiences possible, even if you aren’t even on their particular service!

What advice to you have for current medical students?
Be enthusiastic and keen to learn. It’s good to recognize the areas of medicine you are passionate about, but keep an open mind and your knowledge base broad. You have no idea how much it will help you once you are a doctor. Also, be kind to people.

Bucket list item?
In life? To fly a helicopter one day.