Announcements

Announcements

June 2013

On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Stanley Zlotkin, Sr. Scientist CHES and, Global Child Health Chief for his innovative work with Sprinkles. The article appeared in a Global National story about malnutrition in the developing world.

May 2013

Dr. Sharon Dell, Sr. Assoc. Scientist, received the Eugenie Stuart Teaching Award for exceptional MSc/PhD Thesis Supervision at IHPME Research Day yesterday.
Dr. Elinor Simons, Phd Trainee, won “Best oral Presentation” for her scientific abstract Is neighbourhood walkability associated with childhood asthma? at IHPME research day on May 1.
Dr. Nadia Luca, CHES trainee and Rheumatology Fellow, also won the “Claire Bombardier Award” , which is awarded annually to one MSc student who is deemed to be the most promising future scientist in the Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research program.
Dr. Janet Yamada, Nursing Research Associate won the very prestigious nursing research award - STTI Lambda-Pi-At-Large Award of Merit for an Outstanding PhD Thesis. The title of her thesis is Process Evaluation of the Evidence-Based Practice Identification and Change Intervention to Improve Neonatal Pain Practices.
Dr. Shaun Morris has been named a recipient of a Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) Stars in Global Health grant for an innovative portable toolkit aimed at saving newborn lives.

April 2013

Denis Daneman, Paediatrician-in-Chief, SickKids, and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto and Sr. Scientist – CHES has been awarded a prestigious senior doctorate -- a DSc (Medicine) -- from his alma mater, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa.
The DSc is the highest research degree conferred in the University of the Witwatersrand and is the culmination of a lifetime’s research work, recording a research journey over many years for the candidate.

The research for which he will receive this honour is entitled: Contributions to Type 1 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents: Understanding the factors contributing to metabolic control and the short- and long-term complications of the disorder. The majority of the research recorded in his dissertation was performed since he joined the Department of Paediatrics in 1981.
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Laura Beaune, Dr. Lee Ford-Jones, Dr. Randi Zlotnik Shaul, Stanley Ing and their co-authors, on their newly published paper in Paediatrics & Child Health: Paediatric palliative care and the social determinants of health: Mitigating the impact of urban poverty on children with life-limiting illnesses

March 2013

Dr. Katherine Boydell and her team have been awarded 2 CIHR Grant:
- (Co) Producing Narratives on Access to Mental Health Services in Rural Communities: A Participatory Project with Young People Experiencing Psychosis
- Mental Health Telemetry for Self-Management in Major Depression.
Dr. Bonnie Stevens PhD, Senior Scientist – CHES and her research group, have received funding for the following Operating Grant in the last competition. Sucrose Practices for Pain in Neonates (SPiN): A Program of Research.
Dr. Yaron Finkelstein, MD, was named the recipient of the 2013 American College of Medical Toxicology Service Award for Outstanding Contribution in Medical Toxicology Research; the College Award mainly recognizes contribution in establishing and facilitating pediatric toxicology research in a 47-site North-American research consortium (Toxicology Investigators Consortium), and subsequent publications on poisonings in infants and toddlers. SickKids Emergency Department is presently the sole Canadian site in this robust research consortium, where Dr. Finkelstein serves as PI.
Dr. Anna Taddio, PhD, recipient of a 4 year CIHR Operating Grant entitled Immunizing infants against pain: A hospital-based parent education program about reducing infant immunization pain.
Dr. Debra Katzman, MD, has been awarded the 2013 Academy for Eating Disorders Leadership Award for Clinical, Administrative or Educational Service. This award honors contributions made by the awardee to the clinical care of those individuals suffering with an eating disorder.

January 2013

On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Dhenuka Radhakrishnan, who very successfully defended her Clinical Epidemiology MSc thesis on January 11, 2013 on Examining Trends in the Incidence of Asthma in Children in Ontario.

December 2012

On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Gail McVey, Scientist – CHES, on her collaborative research “to help identify ways to improve the mental health and emotional well-being of children and youth.” Complete story
Dr. Daniel Roth, Staff Physician, Scientist-Track Investigator - CHES and Assistant Professor of Paediatrics and Nutritional Sciences, received a grant from the Achieving Healthy Growth program within the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Gail McVey, Scientist – CHES on her newly published book “Preventing Eating-Related and Weight-Related Disorders: Collaborative Research, Advocacy, and Policy Change.”

November 2012

On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Bradley Johnston PhD, Scientist – CHES, whose recent study has revealed that Probiotics significantly reduce effects of C. difficile infection.

August 2012

Dr. Yaron Finkelstein, Associate Scientist, CHES, received additional external funding (as a SickKids co-Principal Investigator).
This is a grant from St. Baldrick's Foundation, for a multi-center study on pharmacogenomic determinants in pediatric neurotoxicity induced by corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive agents. Other study leaders include Peter Cole (Albert Einstein, NY), and Deb Waber (Boston Children's). Matching funding will be also provided.
This grant will further enhance and support Dr. Finkelstein’s international collaborations and research program in pediatric drug safety and toxicity, using cutting-edge molecular and pharmacogenomic research tools.

July 2012

Dr. Sharon Dell, Staff and Clinical Investigator, Respiratory Medicine, Senior Associate Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences (CHES) and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, was recently appointed as director of the Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research Program at the Institute of Health, Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto. Full anouncement

June 2012

On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Bradley Johnston, Associate Scientist – CHES, for his publication in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, New methods can extend the use of minimal important difference units in meta-analyses of continuous outcome measures.
Heather Burnett, Research Project Coordinator at TASK, was a finalist (top 10% from over 1200 abstract submissions) for both of her poster presentations at the 17th annual meeting of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and, Outcomes Research Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
Dr. Katherine M. Boydell, Senior Scientist, has received SSHRC funding for Digital Media and Young Lives Over Time: International and Cultural Comparisons.
On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Martin Offringa for the launch of the of the first international standards for clinical trials in children.

A StaR Child Health supplement, to be published online June 1 in Pediatrics, includes the first international standards for paediatric clinical trials. These clinical trial standards could fast-track research results, improve patient treatment and focus international research efforts with the goal of impacting child health in Canada and around the world.

Full announcement

May 2012

Dr. Denis Daneman, Senior Associate Scientist, appointed to Healthy Kids Panel as province targets childhood obesity.
Ontario is bringing together a group of experts to help tackle the challenge of reducing childhood obesity by 20 per cent over five years.

The Healthy Kids Panel will be co-chaired by Alex Munter, Chief Executive Officer of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and Kelly Murumets, President and Chief Executive Officer of ParticipACTION. The panel members are drawn from very wide and diverse background. Included is Dr. Denis Daneman, Paediatrician-in-Chief at SickKids and Chair of the University of Toronto’s Department of Paediatrics.
Dr. Stephen Freedman, Associate Scientist in Child Health Evaluative Sciences and, a physician in the Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, has received funding through the Grand Challenges Explorations initiative.
The funds will support a clinical trial involving children in the emergency departments at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and the Aga Khan Maternal and Child Care Centre, Hyderabad, both located in Pakistan.
Audrey Abad, Clinical Research Project Manager, was the Winner of the SickKids Clinical Research Excellence Award.
Dr. Lillian Sung, Scientist, was the winner of the Frank A. Oski Lectureship.
Dr. Teresa To, Sr. Scientist, was the winner of the Eugenie Stuart Award for Excellence in MSc/PhD Thesis Supervision.
Christopher Battiston, Data Analyst, was awarded the second place prize at the SAS Global Forum’s Poster Competition last week in Orlando.
The poster was entitled Wake up your data with Graph’n’Go. The paper that went with it can be downloaded here

April 2012

Dr. Debra Katzman, Sr. Associate Scientist, has been honoured with being selected as an inductee into the McMaster University Alumni Gallery
Dr. Gideon Koren, Director of the Motherisk Program and Senior Scientist in Child Health Evaluative Sciences at The Hospital for Sick Children, has been awarded the 2012 Sumner Yaffe Lifetime Achievement Award in Pediatric Pharmacology in recognition of his significant and sustained contributions toward the improvement of children's health through the expansion of the field of paediatric pharmacology and therapeutics.
Dr. Paul Nathal Sr. Associate Scientist, has received CIHR funding for the following study:
Novel approaches to the prediction, diagnosis and treatment of cardiac late effects of childhood cancer.

For more information on this investment visit the CIHR website for the official news release and a detailed fact sheet.
On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Lisa Strug and her team for this outstanding achievement:

SickKids-led study identifies multiple genes linked to differences in cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a devastating disease caused by mutations in the CFTR gene. In Canada, one in every 3,600 children born has the disease.
Researchers have long been puzzled as to how individuals who carry the same CFTR mutations can experience such different courses of disease.
Patients with CF are affected in multiple organs such as the lungs, pancreas and liver, to varying degrees.

An international team led by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the University for Toronto (U of T) has found a potential answer to this puzzle. The team has discovered multiple genes associated with meconium ileus, a severe intestinal obstruction present at birth in 15 per cent of patients with CF. The study is published online in Nature Genetics. Full announcement

March 2012

Dr. Anna Taddio, Sr. Associate Scientist, who together with Dr. Moshe Ipp, has been awarded the 2012 CPS Noni MacDonald Award for an article they co-authored entitled Pain management during vaccination: Recommendations from a Canadian clinical practice guideline.
Dr. Katherine Boydell, Sr. Scientist, has received CIHR funding for the following studies:

1. Exploring knowledge translation and exchange through arts-based health research: Theoretical, methodological and practical innovations Boydell, K.M. (PI) with Gladstone, B.M., Stasiulis, E., Volpe, T. (SickKids), Cox, S., Belliveau, G., Tilleczek, K., Edwards, G., Cheu, H., Kontos, P., Parsons, J., Conrad, D., Leeming, W. CIHR 2012-2014.
2. Picturing foster care: A photo elicitation of three different fostering models and their implications for perinatal care provision Boydell (Co-PI) with Parsons, J. (PI), O’Campo, P., Huang, S., Scott, A. and Sridham, S. CIHR 2012-2015.

February 2012

Dr. Stephen Freedman, Associate Scientist, received a Knowledge Synthesis Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for his project entitled: Management of Acute Gastroenteritis: Synthesizing Evidence to Inform North American Practice
Dr. Catherine Birken and her assembled team of co-investigators have received CIHR funding for 4 years (ranked 3rd of 59).
Grant promote: Preschoolers at Risk - Obesity trajectories & cardio Metabolic factors: Towards Early identification

January 2012

Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Scientist, CHES, has been awarded with the Early Career Award – 2012 of the Canadian Pain Society.
This significant honor of the Society acknowledges Dr. Stinson’s major contributions and demonstrates the high regard that her contemporaries hold for her.

December 2011

Dr. Gideon Koren, Director, Motherisk and Senior Scientist in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program, won the CIHR-CMAJ Top Achievements in Health Research competition.
This competition acknowledges Canadian health research achievements that have had a significant impact on health, health care, and health research by improving our understanding of health and human diseases, tackling health challenges, and improving our health system

November 2011

Dr. Elinor Simons, CHES Trainee, was one of the recipients of the Exceptional Trainee Award presented at this year’s RI Retreat.

October 2011

Dr. Alice Charach, Associate Scientist, has been awarded with the Dalhousie Award.
Her presentation at the joint American and Canadian Academies of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Comparing Interventions for Preschoolers with ADHD or Disruptive Behavior comprising a review commissioned by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was recognized as the best presentation by a Canadian member. The award was presented on Saturday, October 22nd, at the Lawrence Stowe Plenary.
Dr. Catherine Birken, Project Investigator, has been awarded the Dr. William Feldman Award for Excellence in Pediatric Medicine Research.
This award was established this year named in honour of Dr. William Feldman who established the Pediatric Outcomes Research Team (PORT) in 1991.

September 2011

Dr. Upton Allen, Sr. Assoc Scientist, CHES, was elected as Director of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
Dr. Marinka Twilt, Fellow in Rheumatology and CHES, has been awarded with the Young Investigator Award of the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society for her work in CNS Vasculitis.
Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Scientist, CHES and Dr. Connelly (Co-PIs) are the recipients of another grand from NIH (NIAMS) for their project: WebSMART: Efficacy of Web-based Pain Self-Management for Adolescents with JIA. 2011-2014.
Dr. Sanja Stanojevic, Research Associate, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, was awarded the European Respiratory Society Paediatric Research Award (2nd place award). The award is given to young investigators in recognition of advances and research in the field of paediatric respiratory medicine or closely associated discipline.
On behalf of CHES program, we are pleased to announce that Heather Burnett successfully defended her MSc on Wednesday entitled: Parents’ Preferences for Drug Treatments in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Discrete Choice Experiment.
Dr. Brian McCrindle, Senior Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Staff Cardiologist, Cardiology and Clinical Research Lead for the Labatt Family Heart Centre, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health grant for the Labatt Family Heart Centre to participate as a core clinical center in the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Pediatric Heart Network.
Dr. Teresa To, Senior Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, was awarded a Ontario Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care grant for her project Ontario Asthma Surveillance Information System (OASIS) first established in 2003 to provide a population-based longitudinal surveillance system.
Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences was chosen by a prestigious Advisory Committee as one of the six Mayday Pain & Society Fellows for 2011-12.

August 2011

Dr. Teresa To, Senior Scientist, CHES, was awarded a Ministry of the Environment Best in Science Program grant for her project Correlation of Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) and Chronic Disease Morbidities.
Co-Investigators at SickKids: Dr. Sharon Dell, Dr. Sanja Stanojevic, Richard Foty, doctoral student.
Other co-investigators: Dr. Christopher Licskai, University of Western Ontario.

The Garron Family Cancer Centre received 25 outstanding applications for the 2011 Small Grant Competition and is pleased to announce the seven awarded recipients, including two to be funded through the Pitblado New Ideas Cancer Research Fund.
- Dr. Martin Charron - Imaging Cell Proliferation with FLT PET: A Pilot Study in Paediatric Lymphoma Patients with Equivocal FDG PET Findings
- Dr. Brent Derry - Synthetic Lethal Interactions in the P53 Signaling Network
- Dr. Barbara Muskat - Experiences of Parents of Paediatric Patients with ALL, Two Months After Completion of Treatment
- Dr. Gino Somers - The Role of the Novel CIC-DUX4 Rearrangement in Paediatric Sarcomagenesis
- Dr. Lillian Sung, Scientist, CHES - Development and usability of Electronic Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (e-ChIMES) for Children with Cancer
- Dr. Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng - Pitblado ‘New Ideas’ Cancer Research Funds - Non-contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Tumour Angiogenesis
- Dr. Clifford Lingwood - Pitblado ‘New Ideas’ Cancer Research Funds - Exposure of cholesterol-masked Glycosphingolipid Tumour Antigens as Basis for Cancer Treatment
Dr. Yaron Finkelstein, Associate Scientist, CHES, is the recipient of the 2011 Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Research Award for his Prospective study Dose-response Efficacy and Safety Analysis of Recombinant Human IGF-1 in Girls with Rett Syndrome.
Dr. Teresa To, Senior Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, was awarded an AllerGen NCE Inc. Strategic Initiative Capacity Building grant to continue her training program The Respiratory Global Research And Training (GREAT) Network offered to international respiratory trainees since 2008.
Dr. Patricia Parkin, Senior Associate Scientist, CHES, and Director, PORT, received funding for OptEC: Optimizing Early Child Development in the primary care physician practice setting: pragmatic RCT of iron treatment for young children with non-anemic iron deficiency. Co-investigators from CHES include Catherine Birken, Colin Macarthur, Jonathon Maguire, and Stanley Zlotkin.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Open Operating Grant 2011-2016.
Dr. Jonathon Maguire , Adjunct Scientist, CHES, and Scientist, Applied Health, Research Centre Li Ka Shing Knowledge, Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, received funding for DO IT: Vitamin D Outcomes and Interventions in Toddlers. Co-investigators from CHES include Catherine Birken and Patricia Parkin.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Open Operating Grant 2011-2014.
Dr. Trey Coffey and Dr. Sanjay Mahant, Project Investigators, received funding for Improving resident handoff in teaching hospitals: Understanding implementation and effectiveness of a handoff bundle. Co-investigators from CHES include Anne Matlow and Susan Tallett.
Physicians' Services Incorporated 2011-2013.
Dr. Sanjay Mahant , Project Investigator, CHES, is a Co-investigator for Pediatric research in inpatient setting network.
Child Health Corporation of America 2009-2012.
Dr. Adam Rapoport , Project Investigator, CHES, and Medical Director, Palliative and Bereavement Care, is a Co-investigator for PedPalASCNet: A network for accessible, sustainable, and collaborative research in pediatric palliative care.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Network, Catalyst Grant 2011-2014.
Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences; Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Practitioner, Anaesthesia, received an Arthritis Society/CAN Network Scholar award for three years.
Dr. Deborah M. Levy, Team Investigator, Child Health Evaluative Sciences Physician, Pediatric Rheumatology, was awarded a two-year PSI grant for her project: Childhood-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Defining Long-term Outcomes. The other investigators on this grant are Dr. Earl Silverman (Sickkids) and Dr. Astrid Guttmann (Sickkids/ICES).

July 2011

The Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing is delighted to announce that Dr. Janet Yamada has successfully completed her final PhD thesis defence on June 27th. Janet’s thesis is entitled: Process Evaluation of the Evidence-Based Practice Identification and Change Intervention to Improve Neonatal Pain Practices. The thesis committee members include Dr. Bonnie Stevens (Supervisor), Souraya Sidani and Judy Watt-Watson.

Grants and Awards

Dr. Robyn Stremler, Adjunct Scientist - CHES, was the recipient of an Ontario Early Researcher Award for her project: Sleep problems for women: effects on maternal and infant health during pregnancy and after birth.
Dr. Yaron Finkelstein, Associate Scientist, CHES, is the recipient of the 2011 Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Research Award for his Prospective study: Dose-response Efficacy and Safety Analysis of Recombinant Human IGF-1 in Girls with Rett Syndrome.
Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Scientist – CHES and her research group,received funding for the following RCT from CIHR in the last competition. Teens Taking Charge: An Internet-based Self-management Program for Adolescents with Arthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Co-Investigators at SickKids: Dr Feldman, Dr. Tse, Dr. Spiegel, Dr. Hetherington.

Other co-investigators: Dr. Campillo, Dr. Ellsworth, Dr. McGrath, Charles Victor, Dr. Dancey, Dr, Huber, Dr. Oen, Dr. Duffy, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Rosenberg, Dr. Tucker and Samantha Fuss (doctoral student).
Dr. Elinor Simons, Trainee – CHES, has been awarded a Canadian Allergy and Immune Diseases Advanced Training Initiative Award from AllerGen. [Co-Supervisors: Drs. Sharon Dell and Teresa To].
Drs. Lillian Sung and Samantha Anthony were awarded a two-year C17 Research Network for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Grant - for their submission entitled: What factors do children with cancer and childhood cancer survivors say are important to understanding their quality of life? A qualitative study.
Dr. Rulan Parekh was awarded a PSI foundation grant for her project "Genetic screening of children with nephritic syndrome."
Dr. Lee Dupuis received a Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario 2010/11 Seed Funding Grant for: "Translation and Face Validity Testing of the PeNAT (Pediatric Nausea Assessment Tool) for Use by Francophone Children and Adolescents receiving Chemotherapy."
Co-investigators are: E. O’Shaughnessy, D. Moczygemba, AM Langevin and L MacKeigan.
Dr. Maru Barrera, was awarded a two-year C17 Research Network for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders grant for her submission entitled: Assessing the Efficacy of a Psychosocial Intervention Program for siblings of Children with Cancer.
Dr. Stephen Freedman was approved for a four-year RCT grant by the CIHR open operating grant competition, for his study: Impact of Emergency Department Probiotic Treatment of Pediatric Gastroenteritis: Randomized Controlled Trial.

The Investigator list is long but includes Stephen Freedman (PI), Phil Sherman (Senior Scientist, Cell Biology), Suzanne Schuh, (Senior Associate Scientist – CHES), Andrew Willan (Senior Scientist – CHES) along with seven others and on behalf of two research networks – Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) and Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC).

Daneman re-appointed Chair of Paediatrics, U of T, and Paediatrician-in-Chief at SickKids

We are pleased to announce the re-appointment of Dr. Denis Daneman for a second five-year term as Chair of the Department of Paediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine and Paediatrician-in-Chief at SickKids. This is a joint appointment, effective July 1, 2011. Daneman also holds the RS McLaughlin Foundation Chair in Paediatrics.

First appointed Chair/Chief in 2006, Daneman is highly regarded by his colleagues locally, nationally and internationally. He has been a member of the Department of Paediatrics since 1981 and served as Head of the Division of Endocrinology from 1992 to 2006 and as Associate Chief of Research (Clinical) from 2000 to 2005. Daneman has won numerous awards and honours, including the 2010 Prize for Achievement from the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes and multiple named lectureships at prestigious institutions.

Daneman’s clinical care activities are comprehensive tertiary care of children and teens with diabetes, and care of children with endocrine disorders. His research focuses on factors affecting metabolic control and the early onset of complications in children and teens with Type-1 diabetes. He has become increasingly interested in the impact of social determinants of health on outcomes in children and youth with complex disorders.

“Please join me in warmly congratulating Denis on his accomplishments and wishing him every success in his second term as Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine and Paediatrician-in-Chief at SickKids,” says Mary Jo Haddad, President and CEO, SickKids.

June 2011

Grants and awards

Dr. Lillian Sung, Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences and Oncologist, Haematology/Oncology was awarded POGO Research Unit Seed Funding for her submission entitled Attitudes and Preferences toward Infection Prophylaxis in Paediatric Cancer.
Congratulations to Dr. Gideon Koren, Director of Motherisk and Senior Scientist in the CHES Program, who was awarded the Poulsson Medal. This award, given by the Norwegian Society for Pharmacology and Toxicology, was presented to Dr. Koren on June 13th, in recognition of his outstanding scientific contributions in the area of drug safety during pregnancy. This is the first time the award is given to a Canadian scientist.
Dr. Brian Feldman was this year’s recipient of the Eugene Stuart Award from the Department of HPME for Excellence in Teaching. This is a student nominated award!

Stanley Zlotkin featured in Huffington Post

Stanley Zlotkin, Vice President, Medical & Academic Affairs, Senior Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, and Professor, Nutritional Sciences and Paediatrics, was featured in Huffington Post on June 6 highlighting how his team developed micronutrient powders called Sprinkles. The powders supplement the diet of low-income populations in developing nations. Dr. Zlotkin began his decade-long journey to develop a childhood nutrition supplement when UNICEF asked if he was up for the challenge. He was and today 22 manufactures are producing micronutrient powders that are distributed to 36 high-burden countries which reach over 6 million children.

Micronutrient deficiencies result in many unnecessary health complications in developing nations, including vitamin and mineral deficiencies. While past attempts have been made to supplement the missing nutrients, Sprinkles is the only supplement that can be mixed into any food which ensures children can still eat local staples and participate in local traditions.

No patent protection exists on Sprinkles, making it easy for others to manufacture and distribute the product. To date, 500 million sachets have been produced. Read about Dr. Zlotkin and his team’s fantastic work in the article at the Huffington Post website.

May 2011

Dr. Gail McVey, Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Health Systems Research Scientist, Community Health Systems Research Group and Director, Ontario Community Outreach Program for Eating Disorders, was awarded an Institutes of Health Service and Policy Research grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for her project Linking research, practice and policy to devise a national prevention research strategy.

Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Clinician Scientist, Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Research Centre for Nursing, was awarded a Pfizer Operating Grant in Disease Prevention and Management from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for her project Teens taking Charge: Development and Usability of an Online Self-management and Transitional Care Program for youth with Cancer.

Dr. Brenda Gladstone is the inaugural recipient of the Centre for Critical Qualitative Health Research's “Methodological Excellence in a Qualitative Doctoral Dissertation Award." Dr. Gladstone’s thesis is titled All In The Same Boat: An Analysis of a Support Group for Children of Parents with Mental Illnesses. Thesis Committee: Dr. Katherine Boydell, Dr. Pat McKeever, Dr. Mary Seeman.

On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Maru Barrera, who was awarded this years’ Canadian Association of Psycho-Oncology Award for clinical excellence, based on the impact of her clinical research to describe the psychosocial outcomes and quality of life in children and adolescents who are treated for cancer and their families, and to develop evidence-based interventions to improve these outcomes. An example of this research in Maru’s recently awarded CCSRI three-year grant entitled: A randomized control trial to evaluate the efficacy of a social skills intervention group for childhood survivors of brain tumours.

“This award recognizes an individual who, in the opinion of the Awards Committee and the Board of Directors of the association, has made outstanding clinical contributions to the field of psychosocial oncology in Canada”

Dr. Elinor Simons won the Gillian Hawker First Place Award, for the Best PhD Poster in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research, for her poster entitled How does the timing of home environmental tobacco smoke exposure during childhood affect the age of asthma development? ([Co-Supervisors: Drs. Teresa To and Sharon Dell)

Dr. Eric Benchimol received the Thomas & Edna Naylor Memorial Award for the Best Paper based on Thesis in health services and health care research. (Co-Supervisors: Drs. Astrid Guttmann and Teresa To)

Heather Burnett, won first place among the student podium presentations on health economics at the annual department of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation Research day for her presentation, Parents’ preferences for drug treatments in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a discrete choice experiment. [Supervisor: Dr. Wendy Ungar]

The above awards were awarded on May 4th at the HPME Research Day.

April 2011

On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Anna Taddio, whose publication Reducing the pain of childhood vaccination: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline has been selected to win this year’s Publication Award from the Canadian Society for Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

On behalf of the CHES program, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Myla Moretti (Dr. Wendy Ungar’s PhD student), who was awarded an Alice E. Wilson award from the Canadian Federation of University Women to support her doctoral thesis “A cost-effectiveness analysis of maternal genotyping to guide treatment for postpartum pain and avert infant adverse events.”

Linda Rothman, who was awarded a Doctoral Research Award from CIHR for three years for her project entitled: "Child pedestrian injury in the City of Toronto: The role of the built environment and active school transportation." Linda’s supervisors are Drs. Andrew Howard and Teresa To. Dr. Colin Macarthur is also a member of her committee.

March 2011

Upton Allen, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Senior Associate Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, has been named winner of the Harry Jerome Award for Health Sciences for 2011. Presented by the Black Business and Professional Association, the Harry Jerome Awards celebrate outstanding achievements within the African-Canadian Community.

This is the second year in a row that a SickKids staff member has received this prestigious award. Lisa Robinson, Head of Nephrology and Scientist, Cell Biology, received the health sciences prize in 2010.

Allen will be honoured at the 2011 Harry Jerome Awards gala on Saturday, April 30 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Established in memory of Harry Jerome, an outstanding African-Canadian Olympic athlete, scholar and social advocate, the Harry Jerome Awards event is an annual celebration of African-Canadian achievement that pays tribute to outstanding and inspirational African-Canadians who are role models of excellence.