Dr. Tamara Shenkier, 2019 Honorary Medical Alumni Award Recipient

Dr. Tamara Shenkier, 2019 Honorary Medical Alumni Award Recipient

Dr. Tamara Shenkier

Dr. Tamara Shenkier received her undergraduate medical degree from McGill University and her Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology Training at the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer Agency (Vancouver Centre) where she has practiced since completing her training. Her clinical focus since 2014 is exclusively breast oncology.

Dr. Shenkier’s teaching interests focus on communication, specifically the skills physicians need when discussing serious news with patients. She served as UBC Medical Oncology Program Director from 2004-2012, is a past member of the Royal College Medical Oncology Exam Committee and is the current Chair of the Royal College Medical Oncology Specialty Committee.

Her interest in improving patient care is reflected in two ongoing projects. One is the establishment in April 2018 of the After Breast Cancer Service, in collaboration with BC Women’s Hospital and partially funded by a BC Cancer Foundation Clinical Innovation Grant. With over 275 referrals so far, she anticipates this model of care for cancer survivors may become a new standard in BC. She is also co-investigator on a Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) grant entitled implementing and evaluating the early integration of a comprehensive ‘palliative approach’ to care for patients with incurable cancer. This three year project includes education for health care providers and the use of Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) to improve outcomes for patients living with metastatic disease.

Dr. Shenkier’s administrative responsibilities have included president of the Association of BCCA Medical Oncologists and member of the BCCA Medical Advisory Committee. She is cofounder and inaugural president of the BC Cancer Medical Staff Engagement Society, representing over 400 medical staff from six regional cancer centres. In recognition of this achievement she was awarded the Doctors of BC and Ministry of Health Joint Collaborative Committees’ “Champions of Change” Award in 2018.

Dr. Blake Gilks, 2019 Honorary Medical Alumni Award Recipient

Dr. Blake Gilks

Dr. Blake Gilks is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He attended University of New Brunswick from 1975-78, receiving his BSc, then graduated from Dalhousie University medical school in 1982 (cum laude) and did a residency in anatomical pathology at the University of British Columbia, followed by fellowships in gynecological pathology and molecular pathology at Massachusett’s General Hospital and Fox Chase Cancer Center, in Boston and Philadelphia, respectively.

Dr. Gilks leads a research program focused on gynecological cancers and is co-founder of OvCaRe, a multidisciplinary team studying ovarian cancer. He is also co-founder and co-director of the Canadian Immunohistochemistry Quality Control program, which provides proficiency testing for Canadian diagnostic immunohistochemistry laboratories. Dr. Gilks is past-president of the International Society of Gynecological Pathology. He has received awards for both his teaching and research, and has been an author on more than 400 peer-reviewed research publications. He is recognized internationally for his work on improving diagnosis of gynecological cancers, and has been a contributor to the major pathology reference textbooks, including the last three editions of the WHO Classification of Tumours of the Female Reproductive Tract. He has in the past been medical director of laboratories and department head for the Deptartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Vancouver Coastal Health.

Dr. Perry Kendall (MSc’83) appointed to the Order of Canada

Dr. Poul Sorensen (MD’84, MedRes’87, PhD’90) receives Bloom Burton Award for innovative cancer research

Communication at the Core

Another Successful UBC Physical Therapy Golf Open!

 

On Saturday, August 24, 2019, the UBC Physical Therapy Student Society hosted the UBC Physical Therapy Golf Open 2019 at the Mylora Executive Golf Course. Fortunately, the weather turned out to be a great day for golf, as 60 players participated in the tournament with the majority of participants being students and practicing therapists. One of the highlights of the event was the Marshmallow Drive on Hole 9, which required participants to swing and hit a marshmallow with the aim of achieving the longest drive. Congratulations to the Footbridge Physiotherapy team for winning the tournament this year! The tournament was a great event to develop meaningful connections between practicing physiotherapists and students, and we hope the golf tournament becomes an annual event in the future!

Thank you to all the sponsors, specifically CBI Health Group and the Physiotherapy Association of British Columbia, volunteers, and participants that made this event possible.

Click here for all the photos from the event!

Jump into Fall at the UBC Faculty of Medicine Kelowna Social

Jump into Fall at the UBC Faculty of Medicine Victoria Social

Dr. Deborah Money (BSc’81, MD’85) receives lifetime achievement award for her contribution to improving women’s health

The award recognizes Dr. Money for her outstanding contributions to scientific exchange, education and leadership in infectious diseases in women.

Marshall Chasin MSc’81

Marshall Chasin, MSc’81, has been a clinical and research audiologist for almost 40 years. He is the director of research and the chief audiologist for the Musicians’ Clinics of Canada.

After completing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and linguistics, Marshall was interested in a career in theoretical mathematics dealing with formal communication systems and algebras. He felt that he had three choices: teach high school mathematics, or enroll in graduate school in mathematics or linguistics. Marshall decided to enter graduate school in linguistics to study human communication. After several months studying at the University of Toronto, he wanted to move away from a purely theoretical approach to communication and communication breakdown. His graduate advisor suggested that he look into a career in Audiology.

At the time, UBC was one of three Canadian programs that offered a Master of Science degree in Audiology, now under the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences. In making his decision to move from Toronto to Vancouver, UBC’s location made an impact. “Being from Toronto I had never seen the mountains or the ocean before,” Marshall remarked. “While local BC inhabitants may take this for granted, it was quite novel for me.” When asked to look back on his time as a student at UBC, he recalls the excellent clinical facilities, an audiology program that was a good combination of theory and clinical work supported by a strong foundation of research, and meeting some of his closest friends during his time at UBC.

After working in a clinical and rehabilitative facility for several years, Marshall noticed a void in the field of audiology in how best to assess and provide solutions for those in the performing arts. In 1985, he helped found the Musician’s Clinics of Canada; the first clinic of its kind in North America to serve performing artists. One of Marshall’s primary areas of clinical interest and research is the preservation of hearing with musicians and those who like to listen to music. Marshall has published the first two textbooks on this topic and has been invited to speak at conferences around the world.

Currently, Marshall’s work involves clinical and research duties. In addition to seeing a full caseload of adults and children with hearing difficulties, his clinical research includes a focus on new hearing aid technologies that he helped develop in conjunction with the hearing aid industry.

Marshall credits his education at UBC with providing him with the bridge between the theory and the practical/clinical application. “Everything that I do clinically is based on the theoretical and clinical models, tools, and skills that I learned at UBC,” Marshall praised. “[UBC] taught me which buttons to push.” After ten years in the audiology profession, Marshall returned to school and obtained his Doctorate of Audiology in 2003.

Almost 40 years into the profession of audiology, Marshall notes that he continues to enjoy going to work every day. “One of the major reasons is that there is always something new to learn and new questions to ask,” Marshall says. “When I first graduated, the issues were “merely” technical, and like any technical/clinical field, I kept abreast of the progress. Today, the questions are much more complex, and some actually are aimed towards the long held assumptions that [audiologists] hold dear to our clinical hearts whenever we see new clients.”

When asked about the key to his success, Marshall remarked that tenacity is the most important quality. “If you have an idea, grab hold of it like a dog with a bone, and don’t let go,” he advised. “Like all fields, there are times when you will metaphorically be ‘knocked down.’ If you are knocked down ten times, then get up ten times.”