Q & As with some of the new students from the class of SMP 2018

Name: Angie Maccan
Year: 2018
Hometown: Chilliwack

What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in medicine?
I had Medicine on my mind since I was a child, so it’s hard to say what exactly it was that drew me to the profession. I think part of it had to do with a Fischer-Price doctors kit I used to carry around everywhere with me. Of course, as I got older, I knew I wanted to do something that involved helping people and I loved learning about biology and physiology, so medicine seemed like a natural fit.

What excites you the most about your site location?
I love that the Southern Medical Program is small. I come from a small university, so one of the things I really wanted to retain in med school was having a small class size and a tight-knit community of peers. I feel like the SMP offers that to me, while still being nearer to home than some of the other distributed sites.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I’ll probably still be in residency in five years and, to be honest, I’m not sure at this point which residency I hope to be in – maybe internal medicine or paediatrics. I do know that I would love to travel a lot, and if I can find a specialty that opens doors to travel, that’s where I’ll be!

Scrubs or suit? Both? Probably scrubs more though.

Stay in or go out? Stay in.

Mac or PC? Mac

Cook or take out? Take out.

Name: Carson Gill
Year:  2018
Hometown: Kelowna

What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in medicine?
­­­­­I was a late bloomer, and only after starting medical school am I now absolutely sure that there is nothing else I could see myself doing. I love a challenge and the idea of being a lifelong learner, and more importantly the ongoing opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives.

What excites you the most about your site location?
I grew up in the Okanagan, but moved away to attend university in the US and lower mainland after graduating high school. I am extremely happy to be returning to my hometown to pursue a career in medicine with my family (especially my little nephew!) and a fantastic group of colleagues at my side!

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully in my first year of residency (perhaps in family medicine) and loving every minute of it!

Scrubs or Suit? Scrubs

Stay in or Go Out? Go out

Mac or PC? PC

Cook or Take Out? Take out

Name: Quinn Harris
Year: 2018
Hometown: Kamloops, BC

What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in medicine?
­­­I never had an “Ah ha” moment where I knew I wanted to pursue medicine, but I believe my passion for health promotion, advocating for others, and working as part of a team has led me down this path. With every clinical visit I know I am where I should be and I couldn’t be more excited for my future career.

What excites you the most about your site location?
Just about everything! Particularly the small class size, supportive staff, beautiful area and short drive to my hometown.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully I’ve made it through medical school and am starting a residency program within BC – and finally have my own dog.

Scrubs or Suit? Scrubs

Stay in or Go Out? Go out

Mac or PC? Mac

Cook or Take Out? Cook

The Southern Medical Program invites you to join health professional students, faculty, and staff for the 2^nd annual UBC Okanagan Interdisciplinary Student Health Conference.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

6:45 to 9:00 pm

UBC Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Academic Campus
2312 Pandosy Street, Kelowna, BC V1Y 1T3

Featuring poster presentations from UBCO 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.

It was all hands on deck for the Southern Medical Program’s (SMP) inaugural Year 4 Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) held at the Clinical Academic Campus on November 29 and 30, 2014.

The Year 4 OSCEs encompassed 16 different simulated patient cases from an array of medical disciplines from family medicine to neurology to pediatrics. For each clinical exam, a standardized patient (or patient actor) is trained to act out a scenario and simulate real medical conditions. The student examines the patient and presents their findings to an OSCE Examiner, a clinical faculty member. The OSCE Examiner evaluates each student on their communication skills, line of questioning, and findings.

By the numbers, 30 SMP students each participated in 16 examinations divided over two days. 39 standardized patients were utilized with each receiving one to four hours training depending upon the complexities of the case. 22 SMP clinical faculty and 16 staff helped administer the exams with many contributing their time for the entire weekend.

Thank you to everyone for their assistance with this year’s exams. A special thanks to Dr. Katherine Smart, PMP & Year 4 Electives Course Lead and Kyla Shaw, Years 3 & 4 Assessment and Evaluation Coordinator for their efforts in ensuring the operation ran smoothly. The entire event was a great accomplishment and another major milestone for the SMP leading up to the graduation of the first cohort this coming spring.

(L-R) Gladys Fraser, Scotiabank Branch Manager, Drew Philips and Alistair Hart, SMP students, and Adrienne Skinner, Associate Director, UBC Development and Alumni Engagement

It was another great day on the links for the third annual Southern Medical Program (SMP) Student Golf Tournament. The event was held this past September at Sunset Ranch Golf and Country Club in Kelowna. Over 50 students, faculty, staff, and friends enjoyed a picturesque round of golf followed by a relaxed dinner and silent auction in the clubhouse.

This year’s tournament raised over $2000 which, will go towards a new SMP Student Bursary Fund. The total amount raised has been graciously matched by Scotiabank providing over $4,000 in new student bursaries.

Thanks to everyone who was able to attend. A special thanks to second-year students Drew Phillips and Alistair Hart for organizing the event. As well, sponsors Scotiabank and Meyers Norris Penny, and various local companies who donated items for the silent auction. Stay tuned for details on next year’s tournament.

UBC Associate Professor Charlotte Jones talks with a group of Walk n’ Talk participants at the Heritage Retirement Residence.

Dr. Charlotte Jones, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Student Research with the UBC Faculty of Medicine Southern Medical Program (SMP) has received Hypertension Canada’s 2014 Certificate of Excellence. The annual award recognizes outstanding efforts and contributions in Canada to increase public awareness, prevention, and control of hypertension.

Dr. Jones was acknowledged for her work in developing and implementing the CHAMP (Cardiovascular Health, Awareness and Management Program) community based programs aimed at identifying and managing uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors in the community. Additionally, her efforts in creating and implementing interprofessional programs with nursing, pharmacy, and medical students from the Universities of Alberta and Calgary to bring CHAMP programs to rural, urban, multicultural and worksite communities across Alberta.

Hypertension Canada is a volunteer, non-profit organization representing over 50 years of expertise in the field of hypertension. Dr. Jones has been an active member of Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP) for over 13 years and played a role in caregiver and public education guideline development, and as a leader in the CHEP “train the trainer” Knowledge Translation program. In the release issued by Hypertension Canada, it states “Dr. Jones is a true leader in the field of hypertension, and is most deserving of recognition for her efforts and contributions.”

Dr. Jones is currently leading an interdisciplinary health research study based at UBC Okanagan. The study focuses on increasing socialization and health lifestyles among seniors residing within the Central Okanagan. Dr. Jones also heads up the SMP Student Research portfolio and lectures as part of the Endocrine & Metabolism block in the MD Undergraduate Program’s Foundations of Medicine course.

UBC Southern Medical Program student Celine Akyurekli (centre) leads a walk around the block with Walk n’ Talk for Your Life participants in West Kelowna.

Companionship and exercise two main ingredients of Walk n’ Talk for your Life
By Patty Wellborn

It has long been established that a healthy lifestyle can help a person enjoy their retirement years. While it’s basic knowledge, it’s not always the easiest to adopt.

In fact, 80 year-old Marguerite Burke led a rather sedentary life until she heard about UBC Okanagan’s Walk n’ Talk for Your Life program. Admitting that she initially joined to get out and meet people, she soon realized twice weekly walks increased her activity level and her sense of well-being.

Walk n’ Talk is the brainchild of UBC’s Dr. Charlotte Jones. Her team, consisting mostly of UBC students from several faculties including the Southern Medical Program, nursing, human kinetics, social work, and psychology, hosts regular discussions about health concerns and also leads twice-weekly community walks.

Jones, Associate Professor of Medicine with UBC’s Southern Medical Program, is the principal investigator of the research study that accompanies Walk n’ Talk. Central Okanagan residents, 55 years and older are encouraged to participate in the program, which involves some physical activity based on New Zealand’s Otago Exercise program, designed specifically to prevent falls by introducing leg muscle strengthening, balance exercises, and a regular walking program.

“It’s a valid program for seniors and we find if they include the walk, for about 30 minutes at least three times a week at their own pace and ability, it’s a great step in leading them to a healthy lifestyle,” says Jones. “There are lot of seniors in this area who live isolated lives and getting them involved in a program like this goes a long way to improve their quality of life.”

Burke lives independently with her husband but wanted to meet more like-minded people. She was hesitant at first, concerned about adopting a new exercise routine at her age, but now says Walk n’ Talk has certainly changed the quality of her life for the better.

“I love my husband, but I don’t want to be with him every moment of every day,” she jokes. “This has helped me get back on my feet. At my age, I want to be able to continue to enjoy walks and being able to find new people to walk with has been a wonderful experience.”

Walk n’ Talk is an interdisciplinary research project based at UBC Okanagan. Students interact with participants, assist in exercise programs, teach education modules, and collect data. Second-year medical student Celine Akyurekli enjoys her Thursday morning walks with seniors at the Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna. Akyurekli also leads activities with the group and is assisting with the research.

“The social aspect of this is very important,” says Akyurekli. “We are able to get people connected to each other and they are making the commitment to come out each week so they can visit while they enjoy their walk. I have watched the friendships develop and it’s wonderful to see.”

The next Walk n’ Talk for Your Life takes place at Global Fitness starting January 7. Registration is free, and participants will begin with an interview and basic health testing (blood pressure, hearing, mobility function, grip strength test, walking pace) before and after the program. They will also be given a handbook to keep with them, and after 10 weeks in the program, Jones says generally some good healthy habits have been established.

This will be the fourth edition of Walk n’ Talk in the community, and while it’s early to analyse the data, Jones says preliminary numbers are encouraging. Previous Walk n’ Talk participants have reported their overall perceptions about personal health and well-being have improved, while measures of loneliness and isolation have shown a trend towards improvement along with measures of mobility function. Overall, participants report an increasing confidence level in performing various activities without fear of losing balance.

“We have had a few participants who were quite sedentary and withdrawn. They have come back to us and told us that their whole life has been turned around by the program,” says Jones. “The basic principle is empowerment and motivation for the seniors.”

For more information about the next session, or to register, contact project coordinator Chella Percy at 250-807-8042 or chella.percy@ubc.ca. Or visit www.smp.med.ubc.ca/research/walkntalk.

Sandy Wright discusses a concussion testing procedure with a research patient.

Sandy Wright’s concussion research results in prestigious recognition

Southern Medical Program student Alexander (Sandy) Wright has received the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS).

“The recognition is both humbling and motivating at the same time,” says Wright. “It challenges you to ensure the quality of your work is better than your best, and to truly strive towards becoming a global leader in your research field.”

The Vanier CGS program is designed to help establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning by supporting exceptional doctoral students. The scholarship provides $150,000 in funding over three years.

Wright is working with Professors Paul van Donkelaar and Philip Ainslie at UBC Okanagan’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Dr. Alexander Rauscher at the UBC MRI Research Centre in Vancouver, and Dr. Bradley Monteleone, a Kelowna-based sport medicine physician. The student physician takes a multi-disciplinary approach to improving the understanding of and ability to diagnose and treat athletes with concussions.

Wright joins a growing number of researchers attempting to zero in on the many unknowns surrounding concussions, including diagnosis, short- and long-term health impacts, and best approaches to clinical management. His primary research focuses on evaluating the links between head impact biomechanics in correlation to blood flow changes within the brain – a relatively new field in the world of concussion research.

“A concussion is a clinical diagnosis, and is very reliant on athlete-reported symptoms,” says Wright. “We currently don’t have an objective tool or measure to clearly identify when an athlete has experienced a concussion. In many cases, traditional imaging tools such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) scans will come back completely normal.”

Wright and his research collaborators have recruited athletes from a variety of local athletic teams to assist with the study. Athletes are brought in at the beginning of the season for a series of baseline tests. First, a cognitive test measures and evaluates their current brain function. They are then assessed on numerous characteristics of blood flow control to the brain with the help of specialized equipment such as a transcranial Doppler radar device.

Acknowledging the research is still in its early stages, Wright and his team are encouraged with their preliminary findings.

“Beyond gaining a better understanding into what is really happening in the brain with concussions, the end goal in this field of research is ultimately to develop an objective tool that will assist health professionals to identify, assess and treat athletes who have experienced a concussion,” says Wright. “We also hope to better inform rules and return-to-play policies for sports and provide more education to athletes, patients, and their families.”

Rural Family Practice Clerkship in Qualicum, BC
By Rob Trasolini, third year Southern Medical Program student

Imagining life as a small town family doctor has always been a fun pastime for me but, this summer I was lucky enough to spend a month in Qualicum Beach learning what the real thing is like.

I knew I would enjoy my time right off the bat as the weather was great, the ocean was beautiful and, thanks to small town hospitality, I was able to stay in a beachside apartment on the cheap. Within a week I even took a boat trip down the straight of Georgia and delivered my first 13-pound salmon from the water and onto a dinner table. After work, bike rides and strolls down the beach became part of my routine.

The doctors were incredibly welcoming and the patients were all very excited to have learners in their community. More than a few locals even eagerly asked when I would start taking new patients!

I spent most days in the office, which was a full service family practice. I saw patients ranging from pregnant women and children to complex care geriatrics and really had a chance to practice all of the procedures and clinical skills I’d spent the last two years honing. With such a broad range of patients I never got bored and learned something new every day. As time went on, my preceptor gave me more responsibilities and one of the highlights of the trip was getting to a point where I was making diagnoses and management plans with only minimal supervision. It was a really great way to start third year.

Another great part of the trip was that I got some insight into life as a family doctor and saw some of huge range of options for practice. My primary preceptor spent weekends in the urgent care centre and did a lot of in-office procedures, another doctor did addictions medicine and was doing some incredible work with under-serviced populations. All of the doctors played an active role in designing their local healthcare system and invited me to one of their meetings to see how decisions are made.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the interesting challenges and opportunities of family medicine in a small town and so grateful to the town of Qualicum Beach and all the doctors I worked with.

Dr. Carmen Larsen, Family Physician and Clinical Instructor with the UBC Department of Family Practice is the new Site Director for the Vernon Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC) program. For the past five years, Dr. Larsen has been in practice working in urgent care, corrections, and completing numerous locums in family practice clinics in and around Edmonton. She relocated to Vernon in 2013 to continue her practice which includes locums and on-call surgical assists at Vernon Jubilee Hospital (VJH).

Vernon ICC students will have a new space to call home later this year. The new space in the Polson Tower at VJH will include centralized education areas, a clinical skills room, two videoconferences rooms, as well as an on-call sleep area, lounge, and lockers for medical students.  It will also provide a venue for professional development programs for family physicians and specialists in Vernon and surrounding communities.

Dr. Bill Nelems, UBC Professor Emeritus has co-authored a new book titled Evolution of Thoracic Surgery in Canada. The book provides an in-depth look at Canada’s contribution to innovation, knowledge gains, and new standards for today’s field of thoracic surgery. Dr. Nelems is a world-renowned thoracic surgeon based in Kelowna and actively involved in teaching medical students and residents at Kelowna General Hospital. His co-authors include Dr. F. Griffith Pearson, a pioneer in thoracic surgery and Dr. Jean Deslauriers, a world leader in the surgery of lung cancer.

500 limited edition copies signed by the co-authors and 500 standard editions are available. All proceeds from the book sales go towards the Pearson/Nelems/Deslaurier Canadian Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education. To purchase a copy, visit http://www.canadianthoracicsurgeons.ca/evolution-of-thoracic-surgery-in-canada. A copy has been purchased for the Henderson Library at the Clinical Academic Campus.