OHMES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Communications Advisor, Event Planner and Hockey Mom
"I feel like I'm planning my wedding multiple times a year, except it isn't as stressful," said Aisling Gamble when talking about her role on the Cumming School of Medicine's (CSM) Communications, Media Relations and Marketing team.
Job Titles:
- Director, Strategic Platforms
By the time most people arrive at work for the day, Anne Heiligsetzer has already helped patients get to their appointment, greeted students on their way to class, and welcomed colleagues as they rush off to start on their to do lists.
Job Titles:
- Director, Academic Medicine & Health Services Program ( AMHSP )
Job Titles:
- Advisor to Calgary 's Future Physicians
Job Titles:
- Alberta Children 's Hospital Research Institute
During her time as a student in the Cumming School of Medicine's (CSM) Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) program, Asha Hollis has taken advantage of every opportunity.
Spending time around horses while growing up gave Barb Cowley some insights into how to work well with people.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant, Vice Dean
"Everything is finally connecting," says Berchman Wong when talking about the path that led him to the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine (CSM). "The stars have aligned, and I'm ready for the next step."
Growing up on a farm in St. Paul, Alberta, Robert (Bob) Phillips dreamed of being an RCMP officer, but the force had a strict height policy which kept him from being accepted as a recruit.
Job Titles:
- Research Grants Development Officer
"I always wanted to be a doctor," says Captain Stephanie Smith, now in her second year of the MD program at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM).
On her way to get coffee in the morning, Human Resources (HR) advisor Charlene Wrona often sees the many familiar faces whom once walked into her office as a new employee of the University of Calgary.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Transcription Services
The Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form is accessible through the CSM's faculty and staff intranet. To access the form, you'll need to sign in using your UCalgary credentials. If you require assistance accessing the form, review the completion instructions or contact IT at itsupport@ucalgary.
The CSM's Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form is distinct from other conflict of interest disclosures. It must be completed annually by all full-time faculty members, with or without conflicts to report. The reporting cycle is October 1 through September 30.
Job Titles:
- Research Administrative Specialist
Darrell Belke, PhD, has some amazing stories to tell about his research career.
Keeping students, faculty and staff safe and secure, and making patients, visitors and dignitaries feel welcome Continue reading...
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Distributed Learning and Rural Initiatives
Job Titles:
- Member of the OHMES Executive Committee
For Dr. Alberto Nettel-Aguirre, MSc'99, PhD'05, two great things came out of calculus class.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
- Director, Public Policy
- Specialist
Dr. Bharwani is a specialist in internal medicine with graduate training from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in public policy and public administration. Since joining the Cumming School of Medicine, he has developed a successful mentorship program, directed the Medical Teaching Unit (in affiliation with W21C), co-developed an onboarding program for new faculty recruits, and co-developed a leadership development training program for associate deans, department heads and emerging leaders. He is the only Canadian winner of both the prestigious American College of Physicians' Joseph E Johnson leadership award, and the Society of General Internal Medicine's leadership award.
Aliya Kassam, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences. She currently is the research lead in the Office of Postgraduate Medical Education where she has projects looking at fatigue management in residents, as well as multisource feedback. Dr. Kassam teaches workshops on Biostatistics, Patient Safety and Health Research Methods to residents. She is an active supervisor in the MSc Medical Education Specialization Program where she teaches the course on Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analysis in Medical Education. Her academic background includes an undergraduate honours degree in Psychology and a Masters in Epidemiology from the University of Calgary. Dr. Kassam also has a PhD in Health Services Research from King's College, London, England.
Her research interests pertaining to medical education and health services research include social responsibility, health advocacy, patient-centred care, quality improvement, psychometrics, and survey development.
Allison Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine and Department of Community Health Sciences. She completed a PhD in Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, specializing in Medical Education, and a MSc in Health Research Methods at McMaster University. Dr. Brown is a generalist, mixed methods researcher whose interests in medical education are broad and dynamic, including: quality improvement and patient safety; performance improvement; social justice and accountability; and competency-based medical education. She has expertise in research methods (quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods), psychometrics, assessment, program evaluation, and quality improvement.
Dr. Kaba completed her PhD in Medical Education at the University of Calgary, at the W21C Innovation and Research Centre. Her research examined how interprofessional team decision-making impacted patient safety and medical errors amongst novice undergraduate learners. Alyshah received national recognition for her doctoral work from the Prime Minister of Canada, when she was awarded the prestigious CIHR Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Currently Dr. Alyshah Kaba is the Provincial Lead Research Scientist for Simulation and Education in the Department of Quality Healthcare Improvement (QHI) within Alberta Health Services (AHS). Dr. Kaba has had a breadth of local, national and international experience as a medical educator in curricular design, instructional methods, measurement, assessment, psychometrics, and simulation-based education. As a mix method researcher, she has co-authored on a number of abstracts and peer review publications. Alyshah is actively involved in teaching in the Bachelor of Health Sciences Undergraduate program, and holds a number of committee and leadership roles in the Cumming School of Medicine. Alyshah's research interests are focused in Simulation Based Medical Education, Interprofessional Education and Collaboration (IPE/C), Teamwork Training, Social and Behavioural Factors impacting Clinical Decision Making, Competency Based Medical Education, Patient Safety and Health System Thinking.
Job Titles:
- Director, Education, Community Engaged Learning
If you ask Dr. Aravind Ganesh about his personal motto, he would paraphrase the quote attributed to Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Dr. Adams has served numerous senior leadership positions with the CSM, including senior associate dean, Education, since 2018. During her tenure, the CSM opened its Student Advocacy and Wellness Hub to all learners in the faculty for counselling on academics, career planning and mental health. The transdisciplinary Precision Health Program also launched, advancing professional development of current and future health care practitioners across Canada and internationally. The CSM entered an innovative partnership to help shape medical education in the United Arab Emirates and celebrated four Rhodes Scholars from within the faculty.
Prior to that, she served as associate dean, Office of Professionalism, Equity and Diversity for more than a year, introducing Equity Guidelines at the CSM and the Network of Women in Medicine. She also led the collaboration of academic and clinical female faculty supports for women in all stages of their career, including the CSM's first-ever summit on advancing professional success for women in medicine.
She is a professor and was the Head of the Department of Psychiatry from 2013 until 2018, after holding the position on an acting basis for more than a year.
Dr. Adams continues to practice psychiatry and co-leads research on the use of magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) to treat resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
She completed residency training in psychiatry at the University of Alberta with a special interest in OCD and brain imaging. She has served as section chief in the Department of Psychiatry for In-patients, Consultation Liaison and Emergency in the Calgary Zone; director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program from 2002 to 2010; and has been involved in clinical trials for schizophrenia since starting at the Foothills Medical Centre in 1993.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor With the CSM 's Department of Critical Care Medicine
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education
Job Titles:
- Geriatric Specialist With a Funny Bone
Dr. David Hogan is looking forward to his well-deserved retirement - from his position as The Brenda Strafford Foundation Chair in Geriatric Medicine, anyway.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Faculty Development and Performance
Job Titles:
- Member of the OHMES Executive Committee
- Clinical Co - Director
- Medical Director, Office of Health and Medical Education Scholarship
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Innovation and Commercialization
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean
- Associate Dean & Assistant Deans
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Undergraduate Health & Science Education
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Alumni Engagement
Dr. Elizabeth (Betty) MacRae was just a three-year-old when she began to dream of a career in medicine.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OHMES Executive Committee
Dr. Garland Jonker's (MD '09) personal motto is "Et si c'était à refaire, je referais ce chemin," by Louis Aragon, meaning, "if I were to do it again, I would do it this way."
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Dean, Research
Dr. Zamponi is the former head of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. His research focuses on the mechanisms that control electrical activities of brain and heart cells, and how they are compromised in disorders such as epilepsy, pain and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. He has contributed to building capacity in the scientific community through trainee education and mentorship. He is a widely-published and internationally renowned neuroscientist, and his research programs have resulted in numerous impactful contributions to both basic and applied science.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
- Director, International Partners
Dr. van Marle is a molecular virologist whose work focuses on the pathogenesis of viral infections, in particular HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B virus infection. He is also the director of Biomedical Sciences for the Bachelor of Health Sciences program. Over the years, he has been very involved in research and educational capacity building activities in Ethiopia and Nicaragua for the global health program within the Cumming School of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Associate Professor, Departments of Surgery and Community Health Sciences
Dr. Hollaar graduated from medical school at the University of Alberta and completed her residency in General Surgery at the University of Calgary. She completed an MPH in International Health at Johns Hopkins University. She works as a general surgeon through the Peter Lougheed Hospital in Calgary. She has also been heavily involved in medical and surgical education both in Calgary and abroad.
Job Titles:
- Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, UME
Irene Ma, MD, is a general internist at the Foothills Medical Centre and an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Calgary. Dr Ma received her Medical Degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she also completed her training in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. Dr Ma previously worked as the Associate Program Director for Internal Medicine at UBC before joining the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Calgary in 2009. In addition to her clinical expertise, Dr. Ma has a MSc in Epidemiology from Stanford University, and a PhD in Medical Education. She is author or co-author on various abstracts and peer-reviewed publications in medical education and holds a number of leadership roles focused on residency training of procedural skills within Alberta Health Services and the University of Calgary. Dr Ma has also been invited to lecture at local, national, and international meetings, workshops, and conferences on how to teach medical procedures using simulation. Her research focuses on initiatives related to human-based innovation and to new approaches to promoting safety through education and better teaching.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Head, Professional Affairs
Job Titles:
- Leader in Rehabilitation Services
Dr. Janet Tapper, MD'11, is a physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) specialist who is developing rehabilitation services for the Indigenous population in Calgary and Southern Alberta.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean, Global Health
Jocelyn Lockyer, PhD, is former Senior Associate Dean Education and Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. She previously worked in the Office of Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development where she was Associate Dean for 6 years. During that time, Dr. Lockyer oversaw the development and implementation of CME programs, conducted needs assessments and evaluation studies of educational interventions.
She is an active supervisor in the MSc/PhD Medical Educational Specialization Program where she teaches the curriculum design and evaluation and qualitative methods courses. She is currently supervising several PhD and Masters students. Her research work focuses on the development, psychometric assessment and use of multi-source feedback (360 - degree evaluation) for practicing physicians; the impact of the short course or educational intervention on physician/health care professional behaviors and practice; provision of optimal strategies for provision of feedback data to practicing physicians and residents and competency based medical education.
Growing up in a small pulp mill community in northwestern Ontario, Jocelyn Lockyer never dreamed she would one day become an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Job Titles:
- Dean, Cumming School of Medicine
Job Titles:
- Member of the OHMES Executive Committee
Liam Martin has seen a lot of changes since he came here from Ireland in 1986 to work in Marv Fritzler's lab.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Family Physician
- Assistant Dean, Indigenous
Dr. Lynden (Lindsay) Crowshoe is a family physician and associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary. His research is focused on chronic disease, inequity, health-care models and medical education with regards to Aboriginal populations. He provides care to the urban Aboriginal population of Calgary from the Elbow River Healing Lodge, an Alberta Health Services primary health service. He is also the director of the Undergraduate Medical Education Aboriginal Health Program.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice - President
- Associate Vice - President ( Health Research )
- Senior Associate Dean, Health Research
Dr. Tonelli is the Associate Vice-President (Research) in the Office of the Vice-President (Research), and Senior Associate Dean (Health Research) within the Cumming School of Medicine. He identifies potential advances that our institution can make in clinical research, drawing on expertise from across our faculties and plays a major role in advancing our research priority areas in health sciences. Within the Cumming School of Medicine, Dr. Tonelli is developing and leading faculty strategies to enhance clinical and population health research. He will also engage in designing and supporting the necessary infrastructure for this type of research.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine
- Consulting Physician With the Palliative Consult Service
Dr. LaBrie is a palliative consulting physician with the Palliative Consult Service, Alberta Health Services - Calgary Zone. He is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate education at the Cumming School of Medicine and at the Faculty of Nursing, and is active in continuing medical education and professional development for health professions. His current interests include the provision of palliative care services for homeless and marginalized individuals, and the development of palliative care capacity in communities. Dr. LaBrie has been involved in these activities in southern Alberta, British Columbia and Burkina Faso in western Africa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OHMES Executive Committee
- Scottish - Born Physician Has a History of Seeking the Future
Dr. Maureen Topps | Scottish-born physician has a history of seeking the future
There's a fitting kind of symmetry to Maureen Topps' career.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OHMES Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Professionalism, Equity and Diversity
Job Titles:
- Director, Indigenous Health Education
Congratulations to Dr. Pam Roach, PhD, for being awarded the inaugural 2021 Glenda MacQueen Distinguished Leadership Award. Named in honour of Dr. Glenda MacQueen, MD, PhD, the award recognizes a female faculty member who demonstrates leadership, mentorship and a dedication to uplifting others.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Research Infrastructure
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the OHMES Executive Committee
- Director
- Director, Office of Health and Medical Education Scholarship
- University of Calgary As a Professor
Dr. Ellaway joined the University of Calgary as a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, and Co-Director of OHMES in 2015. She was previously the Assistant Dean Curriculum and Planning and an Associate professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
Her academic work concentrates on education systems and ecologies, the use of new technologies for teaching and assessment in and around health professional education, and critical perspectives on developments in health professional education. Dr. Ellaway is the instigator and ongoing Maitresse des Ceremonies for the AMEE Fringe, the author of the eMedical Teacher column in the journal Medical Teacher, and an editor of Advances in Health Sciences Education.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Research Grants
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
Dr. Leigh joined the Faculty of Medicine at UCalgary (now CSM) in 2004.
Dr. Leigh's areas of research interest include understanding the basic mechanisms underlying airway remodeling in asthma, the assessment of airway inflammation and early phase clinical trials in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. His research studying the role of rhinovirus infections in the pathogenesis of airway remodeling in asthma is funded through a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He is also a principal investigator in the AllerGen Clinical Investigator Collaborative, a national group of leading researchers conducting clinical trials to evaluate new treatments for allergic asthma.
Dr. Leigh's clinical practice focuses on severe asthma and other airway diseases. He is a professor in the departments of Medicine and Physiology and Pharmacology. He is also a member of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases. He served as the division chief, Respiratory Medicine, prior to being appointed to head the Department of Medicine in 2016.
Although she once briefly dreamed of opening a trapeze school, when it came time for Rita Watterson to decide what to do with her life, you might say she couldn't fight fate.
Job Titles:
- Family Physician, Family Man
Growing up, Rithesh Ram, like many children, was fascinated with space and dreamed of one day being an astronaut.
Dr. Rupinder Toor, MD '96, says her most profound lessons come from her patients. One in particular brought about a significant change.
When Dr. Ryan Schroeder, PhD '20, returned to school as an engineering student, he knew he wanted to work at the forefront of innovative technology.
"No, definitely not," says Dr. Shoghi Nikoo when asked if he always knew that he wanted to attend medical school.
Job Titles:
- Nephrology Specialist at the Cumming School of Medicine
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Clinical Trials
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Graduate Science Education
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Continuing Medical Education
Dr. Anderson is a cardiologist and was a professor in the Department of Medicine, department head of Cardiac Sciences and director of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta from 2010 to 2019. An internationally-recognized clinician-scientist in the study of blood vessel function, Todd is the Merck Chair in Cardiovascular Research and has a tremendous amount of published research, including three publications that have been cited more than 1000 times.
He has held leadership positions for scientific peer review at the Heart and Stroke Foundation was chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress and was co-chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society dyslipidemia guidelines panel, responsible for updating the national guide for treating a blood condition that leads to heart disease.
Emily Boucher's mind started racing. She was on the plane about to depart from Winnipeg back to home to Calgary. Just prior to take off, her phone rang.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
Fatemeh Shahhosseini, PhD, knew from a young age that she wanted to work in science.
"My parents come from a town called San Giovanni in Fiori, Italy. There was no work for them in Italy to raise a family," says Giovanna (Jo) Trotta. "My father came to Canada alone to see what it was like and then called my mother and older sister to join him. That was 60 years ago."
Gretchen joined OHMES in 2014, and is responsible for the daily operations and planning for the unit. This includes organizing resources to support educational scholarship and research, committee support, and communications activities regarding OHMES functions. She was also the Accreditation Officer for the 2016 UME accreditation review and process, and now continues in an education quality improvement role for the Faculty assisting with special projects.
Her past work experience includes research administration in Alberta Health Services, and program management with the Diagnostic Accreditation Program in BC. Gretchen has a BSc in business from Duquesne University and a MBA from UBC.
Job Titles:
- Director, Global Health Projects
Job Titles:
- Coordinator, Indigenous Health Program
Job Titles:
- Director, Executive Education
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant, Senior Associate Dean, Education
- Administrative Assistant, Senior Associate Dean, Research
Jennifer Hatfield, PhD, has been appointed Associate Dean, Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement. The appointment was effective December 1, 2014.
"I would like people to know that I have the very best job at CSM", says Jennifer Logan, an almost 11-year veteran of the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM).
Jesse Kon keeps himself on top of things by reminding himself to do better. "My personal motto is simple," he says, "you can't get complacent. No matter how good you are at something, you can always learn more and do better!"
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant, Senior Associate Dean, Health Research
John Nystrom may not be a doctor or researcher, but his work is critical to the smooth operation of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta (LCIA).
Job Titles:
- HR Partner
- Partner, HR Services
Job Titles:
- Director, Communications
- Director, Communications and Media Relations
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Senior Director
- Reception
"I failed retirement," says Joyce Forster with a giggle. "But I didn't come back because I failed. I came back because this is where I'm meant to be."
Job Titles:
- Communications Specialist - 403.220.5012
- Senior Communications Specialist - Media
I am from the media and want to speak with an expert
Kevin Johnston considers himself an administration and logistics guy in his role as program coordinator for the Cumming School of Medicine's (CSM) Office of Faculty Development (OFD).
Job Titles:
- Academic Appointments Manager
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Specialist
- Senior Communications Specialist - Internal
When Leigh Hurst started working at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) in 1998, she was only four days removed from finishing her last exam at the University of Calgary.
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Mathieu Chin is a busy man. "From the first day on campus, there have been a million opportunities," he says.
Job Titles:
- Occupational Health and Safety Consultant
"Entomologist, archaeologist, artist, chef, double O agent, time traveler," says Mike Paget, when asked what career paths he wanted to pursue as a child.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OHMES Executive Committee
Divulging a fun fact that a second career would be that of writing mystery novels, Leaders in Medicine student Nabeela Nathoo believes one must follow the path that will make them happy, so Steve Jobs' comment resonates strongly with her.
Inspired by children's smiles, Jeffrey Veale applied for medical school to become the next Patch Adams, a physician, social activist and clown whose life's work is memorialized in a Hollywood movie.
Job Titles:
- Director, Research Operations
About 10 years ago, Patty Beug-Jang joined the human resources (HR) team at the University of Calgary as an HR co-ordinator.
Job Titles:
- Research Grants Development Officer
Job Titles:
- Director, Educational Operations
Rita Henderson, PhD, is an anthropologist and post-doctoral fellow with the O'Brien Institute of Public Health and the Aboriginal Health Program. Her teaching and research interests focus on structural violence, leadership and health promotion among marginalized youth, and addressing conditions of social inequality.
Both Dr. Crowshoe and Dr. Henderson are members of GRAPH.
Job Titles:
- Team Lead, Distribution Services
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Senior Director
Rose has nearly two decades experience in financial management including strategic leadership roles. She was most recently a director and senior finance officer within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta (U of A), overseeing the development of multi-year budgets, leading projects to achieve academic strategic plans and overseeing facilities and space planning. She also led the development of an Environmental Health and Safety program and created a central finance unit within the faculty.
Rose has past experience in several roles with Alberta Health Services from 2001 to 2012 including as director of Business Advisory Services from 2009 to 2012. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and has a Bachelor of Commerce from the U of A.
Job Titles:
- Program Support Coordinator
Sarah McFarlane, PhD, a professor with the CSM's Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, has a similar story. "I received two rounds of funding thanks to the program; one in 2014 and the other in 2015," said McFarlane. "The support allowed me to keep my lab operational, to publish papers, to train grad students. I was able to generate preliminary data, which enabled me to secure funding from The Foundation Fighting Blindness in 2015. That funding was crucial as I went through several rounds in the new CIHR project system."
"I was able to secure CIHR funding during this last competition in May," McFarlane continued. "That was made possible because of the Bridge Funding Program. The program is essential because it ensures success."
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Dean
Job Titles:
- Manager, Billing & Accounts
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant, Senior Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
As Trevor Emmel sits at a table in the Health Research Innovation Centre atrium, there are few people who walk by and don't recognize him.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator, Pathways to Medicine Scholarship Program