Photo: contributed by Canadian Diabetes Association

Community-based walking programs in Central and North Okanagan support diabetes prevention and self-management

What: Walk ‘n’ Talk Diabetes provide free eight-week walking programs in Kelowna and Vernon

Who: Hosted by the Southern Medical Program and Canadian Diabetes Association

Where: Two separate programs in Kelowna (various locations) and Vernon (Poulson Park)

Time: Kelowna: Every Thursday, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. from April 7 to May 25, 2016
Vernon: Every Wednesday, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. from April 6 to May 25, 2016

More than 10 million Canadians are currently living with diabetes or prediabetes. With more than 20 Canadians newly diagnosed with the disease every hour of every day, chances are that diabetes affects you or someone you know. However, with a life-long commitment to self-management, people can expect to live active, independent and vital lives.

Walk ‘n’ Talk Diabetes is a community-based walking program focused on diabetes prevention and self-management. Each program offers eight walking sessions comprised of a 15 minute healthy lifestyle talk followed by up to 45 minutes of walking (duration depends on the ability of each participant). Each session will have three groups of walkers with a volunteer leader, who will keep time, answer questions and assist participants who may be unable to complete the distance. Groups will be organized by walking speed – slow, medium and fast. A dedicated volunteer will also be available to assist in any emergency situations.

Programs are free and open to the participants of all activity levels. Walk ‘n’ Talk Diabetes is hosted by the Southern Medical Program and Canadian Diabetes Association with generous support from The Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation.

To register, contact Glenna Armstrong Branch Coordinator, Canadian Diabetes Association at 1-888-628-9494 or glenna.armstrong@diabetes.ca.

A portable ultrasound machine in use during an anatomy lecture presented at UBC Okanagan and video conferenced to medical students in Vancouver, Prince George and Victoria.

UBC medical students and health-care providers will get more hands-on training thanks to a recent donation of two new portable ultrasound machines to the UBC Southern Medical Program (SMP).

A recent gift from The Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation allowed the program to purchase two machines that will be dedicated for training in basic ultrasound proficiency, benefiting multiple learner groups at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) and physicians in the southern interior.

Ultrasound is a crucial and versatile tool within the field of medicine and considered indispensable in areas such as emergency medicine, surgery, critical care, obstetrics and gynecology. Many physicians describe it as the new stethoscope, representative of a new standard for medical practice and point-of-care-delivery.

However, the technology hasn’t always been readily available for teaching given its heavy clinical use throughout the hospital.

The recent gift from the Pritchard Foundation will alleviate that problem. The two new portable ultrasound machines are designated as a training resource for MD students and residents at KGH.

“The ability to see inside a patient, virtually, from initial examination to the moment of discharge, improves and enhances the entire process of patient care,” says Dr. Allan Jones, Regional Associate Dean, Interior, UBC Faculty of Medicine. “We are fortunate to have dedicated access to these machines and are now exploring ways to best integrate the technology into the curriculum for our learners.”

The new equipment, a pair of Sonosite Edge portable ultrasound machines, is widely used by Interior Health. Equipped with a 12.1” (30.7cm) screen, each device comes with three probes, one for deep tissue analysis up to 30 cm, and two shallow probes up to 10 cm, primarily used for trauma, obstetrics, and central line placements.

The portability of the machines is a key benefit, says Jones. One of the machines was recently transported from KGH to UBC Okanagan for an anatomy lecture that was video conferenced to medical students in Vancouver, Prince George and Victoria.

“We want to help the Southern Medical Program train exceptional doctors here in the Okanagan,” says Colin Pritchard. “Like our previous gifts to medical education, my Foundation is very pleased to help the program acquire the tools that supports the best possible teaching at Kelowna General Hospital and UBC Okanagan.”

The new equipment is primarily housed at the Pritchard Simulation Centre and Clinical Teaching Unit at KGH where it will be used on real patients. In addition to SMP students, the machines will be used by medical residents with the Kelowna Rural Family Medicine and Royal College Emergency Medicine residency programs and for continuing professional development.

Name:  Harjit Sidhu
Hometown: Abbotsford, BC

What attracted you to the field of medicine?
In high school, learning about the human body really fascinated me, and I had been thinking about medicine ever since. As I went through my undergrad, I also realized that I enjoy learning, and I couldn’t imagine being in a field where I don’t have the ability to be a lifelong learner. Being a physician will be a rewarding and exciting career, as it will allow me to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

What are you most excited about beginning your studies with the Southern Medical Program?
Definitely the class size. I went to UFV for my undergrad, and it is nice having a small class size again, where everyone, even the faculty, knows your name. Plus, I hear that it doesn’t rain here much.

What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and have fun?
I enjoy working out and playing sports, such as soccer, tennis, squash, and football. I also like getting into TV shows and movies during my downtime.

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
It was a while back, but I was really into magic tricks. Though I may still have a trick or two up my sleeve.

Name:  Claire MacKinlay
Hometown: Kamloops, BC

What attracted you to the field of medicine?
I think for me it comes back to the childhood dream of having a positive impact on the world, to do something important. I’ve always loved science and doing whatever is in my power to help those around me and medicine will allow me to combine both. I look forward to being part of a profession that is always striving to do and be better.

What are you most excited about beginning your studies with the Southern Medical Program?
I love the idea being part of a small class, both for the social and professional opportunities it will afford. On the social side, I think our class is already forming a unique cohesiveness that you wouldn’t necessarily get at a bigger site. We also have more opportunity to interact with other years and to learn from their wisdom! On the professional side, the enthusiasm of the medical community here to teach us is incredibly welcoming and I feel very lucky to have so much support.

What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and have fun?
I like to do most things that get me outside. Topping the list are biking, snowboarding, and playing tennis or golf. When I have time off I like to go camping or travelling – this summer I’ll do both when I hike the Inca trail in Peru.

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
My undergraduate degree is in Nutritional Sciences and last year I got to put my skills to good use when I travelled to Rwnada to work on a UNICEF micronutrient project for infants.  I’m hoping to return to international health work as soon as I can!

Name:  Stephen Watson
Hometown: Kelowna BC

What attracted you to the field of medicine?
Growing up I saw first-hand the positive effect medicine can have on people and communities through my dad’s work as a family practitioner.  I always wanted to be like him when I grew up and I can’t think of any other profession in which you can interact with people so intimately and make such a profound impact on their lives with your work.

What are you most excited about beginning your studies with the Southern Medical Program?
Having the opportunity to work in the town I spent my youth in, alongside people in the medical community I have known since I was a volunteer at KGH is something that I have really been looking forward to.

What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and have fun?
I have always been involved in sports and find them a great way to relieve stress and stay in shape.  I’m a big rugby and football fan but I’ll play anything!

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I’m not a fan of spiders…

The Southern Medical Program invites you to join health professional students, faculty, and staff for the 2016 UBC Okanagan Interdisciplinary Student Health Conference.

Tuesday, March 15 | Doors open at 6:15pm
UBC Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Academic Campus, 2312 Pandosy Street, Kelowna

Featuring poster presentations from UBC Okanagan students sharing their research and public health experiences with the local health professional community. No cost to attend.

For more info, contact Carolyn Roque at carolyn.roque@ubc.ca or 250-807-9827.

UBC Okanagan’s widely popular Walk ‘n Talk for your Life program — that creates exercise and safe social settings for local seniors — is branching out.

Assoc. Prof. Charlotte Jones, who teaches with UBC’s Southern Medical Program, initiated Walk ‘n Talk in 2014, is now looking for seniors who are living with hearing loss. In partnership with YMCA of Okanagan (Rutland Family YMCA), Jones is looking for people, aged 65 and older, to participate in Walk, Talk and Listen.

“Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic health problems in North America,” says Jones, noting that audiometry results from the 2012 and 2013 Canadian Health Measures Survey indicate that 47 per cent of adults aged 60 to 79 had a measured hearing loss.

“Our goal with Walk, Talk and Listen is to reduce the major downstream of negative psychosocial and functional physical limitations associated with hearing loss in older adults.”

Jones says studies have proven a connection between hearing loss and health-related quality of life. She notes hearing loss can also lead to social isolation, depression, incident dementia, and cognitive deterioration, and even a decline in functional fitness, increased falls, and hospitalizations.

“Hearing loss can be very stressful and cause people to avoid social situations, to feel embarrassed and in some cases to be less physically fit,” says Jones. “Basically, hearing loss can have a huge impact on a person’s overall health and wellness.”

The Walk, Talk and Listen study will begin in March and UBC is currently looking for reasonably healthy residents, 65-years or older, who do not use a cane, walker or wheelchair and have not taken part in an organized or regular exercise program in the last year to participate in the 12-week study.

Participants will meet at the Rutland YMCA twice a week, for a two-hour study group.

Along with supervised and graduated exercise, including structured balance, resistance and weight training, and a 30-minute walk, time will also be devoted to informal interactive socialization, laughter, and health education, in addition to special sessions on Auditory Rehabilitation which are aimed at helping people cope better with hearing loss.

Students in Medicine, Nursing, Psychology, Human Kinetics and Social Work will be working directly with the participants.

There is no fee and The Walk, Talk and Listen study will take place in a hearing-loss friendly environment.

“I really encourage people to join others with hearing loss and learn how to be more comfortable socializing, have fun, become more physically active and learn more about health and wellness,” adds Jones

To find out more, people are encouraged to contact Carolyn Roque at 250-807-9827 or carolyn.roque@ubc.ca.

The UBC Faculty of Medicine Southern Medical Program is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Diana Fort to Site Co-Leader, Undergraduate Education, Kelowna General Hospital (KGH). Dr. Fort is an Emergency Medicine physician based in Penticton, Clinical Instructor with the UBC Department of Emergency Medicine, and strong advocate of medical education in the region.

Dr. Fort completed her medical degree at Queen’s University and Emergency Medicine residency training with the University of Southern California and the University of Toronto. Since 2007, Dr. Fort has worked for the Emergency Department at Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH) and held several educational leadership roles including Coordinator of Medical Student Education and Co-Chair of the Academic Liaison Committee. Dr. Fort is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Canada and has served as co-executive director for the Penticton Emergency Physicians Group and member of the IHA and Penticton Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees. She has also served as a consultant and committee member for the Martin Street Outreach Clinic which serves marginalized populations in Penticton.

Dr. Fort has taken an active role in supporting medical education from both learning and teaching perspectives at PRH and within the region. She has served as Clinical Instructor for medical students at PRH, OSCE examiner, and ultrasound skills instructor for the Year 3 Bootcamp. Dr. Fort is a graduate and class valedictorian for the SMP’s Master Teaching Certificate Program and has delivered faculty development presentations to promote best teaching practices and support SMP preceptors.

Dr. Fort will work in close collaboration with Dr. Cheryl Holmes, Site Co-Leader who has been instrumental in the development and success of SMP’s third year clerkship program at KGH. Together, they will oversee the recruitment and ongoing support of preceptors as well as the training and mentorship of third year medical students at the hospital.

Dr. Sarah Brears is to be honoured with the Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME) Certificate of Merit Award 2016. Since the launch of the Southern Medical Program in January 2012, Dr. Brears has served as both a teacher and in a primary leadership role as SMP Course Director, Family Practice. She has worked extensively to recruit family physicians from West Kelowna to Vernon to grow the program’s teaching capacity. She has effectively recruited and retained over 100 family physicians to teach first- and second-year SMP students. Dr. Brears also organizes and presents faculty development sessions for new and experienced faculty including her sessions titled Tips and Tools for Family Physicians. Based on her extensive efforts, the Family Practice course continues to receive excellent ratings from SMP students each year.

Dr. Brears is highly regarded as an exceptional educator providing over 300 hours of teaching for the UBC Faculty of Medicine during the past three years. Dr. Brears teaches first- and second-year students with the FMPR, clinical skills,  and Doctor, Patient and Society (DPAS) courses; third-year clerkship students as part of the Obstetrics-Gynecology rotation at Kelowna General Hospital; and family medicine residents from the Kelowna Rural Family Medicine Residency Program. Other roles include Dr. Brears’ work with the Faculty of Medicine’s Renewed Curriculum, serving as clinical experiences integration co-lead; member of the Curriculum Renewal Program Development Committee, Co-Chair of the SMP Curriculum Transition Team (CTT) Committee, and helping develop   new  curriculum and assessment tools for Years 1 and 2 in Family Practice. Dr. Brears also serves as a member of the Northern Rural Admissions Sub-Committee, the Co-Lead for the Clinical Experiences Integration Team Meetings, and Chair of the Family Practice Course Director Committee.

Congratulations to Dr. Brears for this prestigious national award in acknowledgement of her outstanding contributions and leadership for the SMP in the BC Interior.

Katie Baba, SMP Class of 2019
Hometown: Oromocto, New Brunswick

What attracted you to the field of medicine?
I’ve always been attracted to medicine because it combines sciences and humanities like no other field. The flexibility of where you can take your career, and the daily opportunity to connect with people one on one makes it an exciting and rewarding field. 

What are you most excited about beginning your studies with the Southern Medical Program?
I’m most excited about getting to know my colleagues better and the amazing teaching environment that SMP has to offer.

What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and have fun?
In my spare time you can find me cooking, painting, or spending time with my BC family (my cat Yoshi and Granny Choi).

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I got my black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do at the age of 9 along with my two older sisters!

Dexter James, SMP Class of 2019
Hometown: Vernon, B.C.

What attracted you to the field of medicine?
The idea of life-long learning is one aspect of medicine that is really appealing to me. I am comforted by knowing that medicine is a very dynamic field where new procedures, treatments and findings are being made regularly, which will prevent the career from becoming dull.

What are you most excited about beginning your studies with the Southern Medical Program?
I am most excited about being part of a tightly knit medical community with smaller class sizes and increased one-on one time with patients/preceptors.

What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and have fun?
I enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, snowboarding, watching movies and eating wings!

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I am a fully certified financial advisor and life-insurance representative…. And I did all for fun!  Two clients and counting.

Michael Slater, SMP Class of 2019
Hometown: Victoria, BC

What attracted you to the field of medicine?
I knew I wanted to end up in a career that involved lots of face to face interaction with people and some dynamic problem solving. I also wanted a profession in which I’d have a large capacity to make a positive impact on the people I would be serving. What drew me to medicine over everything else was the breadth of different experiences available for physicians in terms of the wide range of different specialties as well as opportunities to get involved in public health initiatives, education, research, and collaborations with many other diverse professions!

What are you most excited about beginning your studies with the Southern Medical Program?
I’m very excited to be working with a really close group of 32 students and a supportive faculty that is going out of their way to know each of us by name.

What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and have fun?
My favourite ways to relax are to go out for a run or sit down and watch a hockey game. I enjoy playing and watching a wide range of sports and I’m really looking forward to getting outside and exploring Kelowna!

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I have a fraternal twin brother. I’m 5 minutes older and he’s 5 inches taller. Considering we both played basketball growing up, I think I got the worst of that trade.

The Southern Medical Program has teamed up once again with Shoe Bank Canada for the holiday season. How many pairs of shoes do you have in the back of your closet that you never wear or no longer fit? Women’s, men’s, and children’s shoes are welcomed. All sizes and styles – runners, dress shoes, pumps, flats, boots, deck shoes, sandals, and flip flops.

Individuals in need in the Okanagan, nearby provinces, or developing nations around the globe will appreciatively fill your old shoes. Place your donated footwear in the designated Shoe Bank bins in the Reichwald Health Sciences Centre or UBC Clinical Academic Campus and volunteers will do the rest. Final pick-up day is scheduled for Friday, December 18. For questions and more information, contact Jim at jimwriter12@gmail.com.