Marshall Chasin MSc’81

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.”

Ian MacDonald MD’79, PhD’89

Dr. Ian MacDonald, MD’79, PhD’89, who is currently the Faculty Lead, Curriculum Management Unit in the UBC Faculty of Medicine, is also a volunteer member of the Coquitlam Search and Rescue for the past 23 years.

Describe what you do in a few sentences.
I work as the Faculty Lead of the Curriculum Management Unit in the UBC Faculty of Medicine (FOM). We are a small (3 people) unit within the Faculty of Medicine which keeps track of every educational session which takes place over years 1-4 of the undergraduate medical education program. We provide curricular data to several other units, and we ensure that every educational session is linked to, and is alignment with, course outcomes and FOM exit competencies.

What do you consider your greatest achievement to date?
Learning how to fly helicopters. Flying helicopters is very demanding and requires a lot of psychomotor skills which degrade with age, such as eye-hand coordination, multitasking, and visual processing. The Royal Air Force has a 100% failure rate for beginning helicopter pilots age 32 and above. I worked hard and was fortunate to earn my helicopter pilot’s license even though I was 35.

Please list a few of your current accolades/awards received, volunteer positions, and/or past job positions.
I have leveraged my MD degree in a variety of different ways, including general practice, emergency physician, critical care clinical assistant, occupational health physician, biomedical consultant, and biotech analyst for an investment firm.

The most important and satisfying volunteer work I’ve done has been as a member of Coquitlam Search and Rescue (SAR), an all-volunteer search & rescue team serving the northeast sector of the Lower Mainland. I’ve been a member for 23 years and participated in some amazing searches and rescues. Coquitlam SAR is a collection of highly skilled outdoors people who have a passion for helping those lost or injured in the wilderness, and I’m honoured to be able to contribute to such a professional organization.

Name the last book you couldn’t put down.
“A Beautiful Place to Die” by Malla Nunn. It is a crime mystery set in apartheid-era South Africa, a country which I’ve visited frequently, and Ms. Nunn is wonderfully evocative in describing the beautiful, sad reality of rural Natal as seen through the eyes of a mixed-race detective.

What is the best professional advice you’ve received?
Two UBC Georges taught me two of the most important things I learned in medical school: “Common sense isn’t so common.” (Dr. George Price), and “It takes 6 months to learn 80% of a subject and a lifetime to learn the other 20.” (Dr. George Gray).

What is your favourite UBC memory?
Wonderful, gooey UBC cinnamon buns; they were a special treat in those days as I didn’t have much money. I still love them.

Biggest risk you’ve taken to date?
Giving up practicing medicine for several years so I could pursue a career flying helicopters. I saw many wild things and met some wonderful people as a pilot, and in the process flew, literally, the length and breadth of Canada. I’ve fought forest fires, flown medevacs, landed on mountaintops; you name it!

What is your next challenge/goal?
I’m at a transitional point in my life and haven’t defined my next large challenge or goal quite yet.

What led you to choose your area of study for your MD?
I kind of drifted into general practice after completing my internship in Ottawa. I was not interested enough in any specialty to undertake residency training.

Did you almost study something else – or pursue a different path?
Yes, 4 years after graduation from med school I returned to UBC and began working on a PhD, in the Department of Microbiology.  I enjoyed the lab-based research, and received my PhD, but opted to return to clinical medicine rather than pursue a research career.

What advice would you give to current Faculty of Medicine students?
I still tutor Year 1 & 2 Case Based Learning (CBL) groups and tell all my fretful students the same thing: just the fact that you’re sitting here in CBL means you’ve crossed the biggest hurdle to becoming a doctor, namely, getting into medical school. Put one foot in front of the other, stay on the path, do the work and you’ll do fine as a medical student; everyone wants to see you succeed, so if you’re having difficulties please reach out.

Please name a few of your favourite hobbies and activities.
I love reading, travelling, hiking, skiing. I don’t get enough time for them all!

Name something that is on your bucket list. Have you completed it?
I’m a James Bond fan and plan to attend the opening of James Bond 25 in London next spring.  What could be more fitting than watching James Bond in London?

What are the best aspects of your career?
Knowing that I’m helping to maintain and improve one of the best undergraduate medical education programs in the world.  Also, I love to write and this job gives me lots of opportunity to do so.

UBC Medical Alumni & Golf Tournament – Thank You for Your Support!

Alumni & Friends Summer BBQ Socials

UBC Division of OHNS – Alumni Social

Attending the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery in Edmonton?

We invite you to join us at the Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar for a social where you can meet up with fellow UBC alumni, colleagues, and friends. Come and hear from Dr. Desmond Nunez, Head, Division of Otolaryngology and Dr. Fred Kozak, President, Canadian Society of Otolaryngology while enjoying some food and beverages.

EVENT DETAILS

Sunday, June 2, 2019
8:00pm

The Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar
10334 108 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 1L9

Note: There is no cost to attend this event. Your RSVP is requested by May 19, 2019.

Videsh Kapoor BSc’88, BEd (Sec)’92, MD’93

Dr. Videsh Kapoor is the 2019 recipient of the UBC Medical Alumni Association Silver Anniversary Award.

Dr. Kapoor is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the UBC Department of Family Practice and family physician practicing in Vancouver, Canada and completed all of her medical training at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver.  She is involved in numerous UBC Faculty of Medicine curriculum development and teaching activities, including Communication and Clinical Skills and family practice preceptorships, and most notably in establishing Global Health education programs for both undergraduate and postgraduate medical students.

Dr. Kapoor is the Director of the Division of Global Health in the Department of Family Practice and the Global Health Theme Leader in the Medical Undergraduate Program at UBC. She chaired the development of national consensus core global health competencies for medical undergraduate curricula in association with the AFMC (Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada) and CFMS (Canadian Federation of Medical Students). In collaboration with the CFPC (College of Family Medicine of Canada) Global Health Committee, Dr. Kapoor is currently working on the development of core competencies in global health for Family Medicine Curricula. She is the Faculty Advisor for the UBC Medicine Global Health Initiative, which was co-founded by medical students and faculty and this novel program includes a series of workshops, several international projects, and curriculum development. Dr. Kapoor supervises and participates in four of these projects located in India, Kenya, Nepal, and Uganda. In 2016, she worked with students and community partners to launch the Refugee Health Initiative which pairs medical students with refugee families in the first year of their resettlement.  She has also developed a sustainable partnership with a remote health centre in the Peruvian Amazon. She is also a member of the advisory board of the School of Journalism’s International Reporting Program.

In 2007, she was awarded Family Practice Teacher of the Year by the BC College of Family Physicians.  She has been the recipient of a teaching excellence award from the Global Health Education Consortium (Velji Award) in 2010.  In 2011, she was awarded by medical students the UBC Medical Undergraduate Society Dr. William Webber Award in recognition of her contribution to undergraduate medical education and commitment to the future physicians of British Columbia. In 2014, Dr. Kapoor was the recipient of the UBC Alumni Global Citizenship Award.

Michael Nimmo MD’95

Dr. Michael Nimmo is a 2019 recipient of the UBC Medical Alumni Association Wallace Wilson Leadership Award.

Dr. Nimmo is the Clinical Associate Head in the University of British Columbia (UBC) Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He has been a member of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and a Pathologist at the Vancouver General Hospital and Health Sciences Centre since 2000. Dr. Nimmo obtained his MD in 1995 and then went on to complete his General Pathology Residency, both at UBC. Prior to obtaining his medical training, Dr. Nimmo trained and practiced corporate law for several years.

Since his initial UBC Clinical Faculty appointment, Dr. Nimmo has demonstrated excellence through his dedication to academic activities, particularly teaching. His teaching activities are very extensive, spanning from the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLSc) Program within the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine to the MD Undergraduate Program and to Clinical Integrated training for Residents.  He has won several teaching awards, including the UBC Killam Teaching Award, the Dr. Melvyn Bernstein Resident Teaching Award, and the BMLSc Graduates’ Choice for teaching excellence.

Dr. Nimmo has been actively involved in education in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, primarily in his roles as the General Pathology Residency Program Director for the last 16 years and the Executive Director of the Residency Program. Since 2015, he has also been serving as the Medical Undergraduate Program Director for the Department. His various other responsibilities have included: course director for Pathology 375; leader of multiple medical undergraduate small group sessions; supervisor of the UBC Department of Pathology Summer Student program; supervisor of fourth year electives for medical undergraduates; and lecturer within the undergraduate medical program. Dr. Nimmo also served as the Director of Clinical Faculty Affairs for the UBC Faculty of Medicine, from 2009-2015. More recently, he has served as the Chairman of the Faculty of Medicine Student Promotion and Review Board. Dr. Nimmo is also currently the President of the Vancouver Coastal Health Professional Association of Pathologists and the Division Head of Anatomical Pathology at Vancouver Coastal Health.

In his role as Clinical Associate Head, Dr. Nimmo helps foster all clinically focused and integrated educational programs within the Department. In addition, he works to ensure that departmental recruitments and academic activities are of the highest quality and are aligned with the strategic priorities of the provincial academic department, the UBC Faculty of Medicine, and UBC. In conjunction with site Heads, Dr. Nimmo will also ensure that the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine plays a leadership role in the development of clinical services and models of service delivery in the province and that clinically integrated research, including clinical applied and translational research is supported and fostered.

 

Ron Walls BSc’75, MD’79

Dr. Ron Walls is a 2019 recipient of the UBC Medical Alumni Association Wallace Wilson Leadership Award.

Dr. Walls is the Chief Operating Officer of Mass General Brigham, an $18B integrated academic health system that includes Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is also the Neskey Family Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School. From 2015-2020, Dr. Walls was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Brigham Health. A native Canadian, Dr. Walls attended medical school at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine at Denver General Hospital. He served on the faculty at George Washington University Medical Center and then as Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Vancouver General Hospital.

From 1993 through 2014, Dr. Walls served as Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and in 2006, he became the first emergency physician to achieve the rank of Professor at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Walls’s principal academic contributions were in advancing emergency airway management. His research and teaching were major drivers of the widespread adoption of neuromuscular blocking agents for emergency intubations. In all, he has more than 180 scientific publications. Dr. Walls is editor-in-chief of Rosen’s Emergency Medicine, editor-in-chief for emergency medicine for UpToDate, and editor emeritus of the Walls Manual of Emergency Airway Management, now in its fifth edition. He has received major awards from all three emergency medicine specialty organizations and has served as visiting professor at more than 40 institutions.

Rachel Cliff, MSc’16

Photo: © sportograf

Rachel Cliff, MSc’16, is an elite long-distance runner, specializing in the 10,000 metres, half marathon, and marathon. She is currently focusing on qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

Rachel enrolled in a toxicology elective in her second year of undergraduate study at the University of Guelph and was fascinated by the field, particularly the regulatory and human/public health aspect of it. The following semester, she switched her major from a B.Sc. in General Biology to one in Biomedical Toxicology.

She learned about the Masters in Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (OEH) program in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC during the final year of her undergraduate degree when she watched a seminar presentation by Dr. Paul Demers, one of the school’s founders. Rachel saw the OEH program as a way for her to expand the knowledge she gained in her undergraduate degree, with the general goal of improving public and occupational health by minimizing environmental exposures and striving to make workplaces safer.

After completing her Masters OEH program in 2016, Rachel worked for a year and a half as a research assistant at the Partnership for Work Health and Safety at UBC, before fully committing herself to long-distance running. Making that decision felt like a risk for Rachel. However, she knows there is a finite window in which to be at her athletic peak and she intends to make the most of it. In 2016, she narrowly missed qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and described it as “heartbreaking.” After that experience, Rachel knew that she wanted to take her athletics to a professional level for a full Olympic cycle so she could put herself in the best possible position for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

During an average week Rachel runs between 70 and 90 miles – 2 to 3 of the runs are event-specific interval based workouts, and her additional training includes cross training and weight lifting at least twice a week, along with daily exercises that are assigned by her physiotherapist. While most of her runs are done in solitude along the Vancouver trails, she says distance running is anything but a solo sport. “Working closely with an expert, professional coach who acts as both a boss and a mentor, and training with a great group of teammates, who are both friends and competitors,” she says highlights the teamwork that goes into the sport. “I seek advice from physio and massage therapists, sports psychologists, human physiologists and sports medicine doctors. Vancouver is also a very active community with lots of available running routes, and I think because of that, there’s a very supportive running community here, which is fun to be a part of. The people I meet through the sport are one of my favourite parts of what I do.”

While acknowledging the challenging and constant state of fatigue training can bring, she describes that the best aspect of her athletic career has always been and continues to be the process. “Pushing your body to its limits is both an art and a science,” Rachel says. “In athletics, there are always new boundaries to push and ways to improve yourself. As a scientist, I like to think of it as ‘the ultimate science experiment’, albeit one where me, the athlete, is the research subject in a study with a sample size of one.” Approaching her training and racing with this in mind, she understands that every injury is an opportunity for her to learn about human anatomy, every poor workout or race is a chance to learn about human physiology or psychology and address a weakness, and every long run is an opportunity to understand about nutrition and proper fueling.

Rachel travels frequently internationally, often as an unattached athlete, but at times representing Canada on numerous occasions. “There are few things as special as putting on your nation’s singlet and walking to the start line to compete at the world stage,” she says, “Especially when you know you are in peak physical fitness. Every year my goals seem to get bigger and I know I likely won’t achieve them all, but I love the feeling of accomplishment when a new one is reached.”

Some of her notable athletic achievements to date include running the Canadian record in the half marathon in March 2018 (1:10:08), qualifying for the World Championships in 2017 and placing 20th (time: 32:00.03), running the fastest debut marathon by a Canadian in 2018 in Berlin (2:28:53), and running the Olympic standard in the 5000m in 2016.

An item on her bucket list is to visit every continent in the world, with just Antarctica left on her list. Citing the difficulty in running there, Rachel says she will likely complete that goal after her running career. With her determination and grit, it will be exciting to see what is in store for her next career.

Nancy Cho, BSc (Rehab) ’82

Nancy Cho, BSc (Rehab) ’82, is the Physiotherapy Practice Lead – Professional Practice Allied Health at Vancouver Coastal Health and the 2018 alumni UBC Alumni Builder Award recipient. Learn more about Nancy in her Q&A below!

Describe what you do at your workplace in two or three sentences.
I provide professional practice leadership to 400 physiotherapists and rehab assistants at Vancouver Coastal health across the continuum of care: acute, rehab, community home health, mental health, and residential. Along with my team I ensure safe, competent physiotherapy services by mentoring front line staff and developing best practices in physical therapy. VCH covers geographically Richmond, Vancouver, North Shore, sea to sky corridor, sunshine coast, and the Bellas.

What led you to choose to study and practice physiotherapy?
Originally, I was looking to pursue a degree in pharmacy. When a friend introduced me to the rehab medicine program at UBC, I found it resonated with me. I was looking for a career that was people oriented and supported the well-being of people and rehab medicine was the perfect fit! I graduated with a combined degree in physiotherapy and occupational therapy and appreciate this dual education which I believe enriches my approach to provide the best possible client care.

What is the best professional advice you’ve received?
You will not succeed at all your challenges but always intently observe, listen, and learn from others – don’t sweat the small stuff.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken to date?
Taking a leap of faith, after finishing my MBA, I started looking for a job to use my new found skills and in 1994 changed jobs from VGH Physio Section Head in the Intensive Care Unit to a Clinical Practice Lead position for Physiotherapy in Vancouver Home Health, a role I held for 18 years.

What are the best aspects of your career?
Being a leader in my profession and having the opportunity to be a role model leading, teaching and mentoring others.

What are the most challenging aspects of your career?
Managing pessimism and building morale.

What is one question you’re often asked about your career?
“I’m in pain right here, can you fix me?”
And as a mentor, “how did you get to where you are now, can you help me”?

What advice would you give to current PT students?
Aim first to be a ‘well rounded’ physiotherapist, by consolidating a broad range of knowledge and skills in your first 1-2 years to allow you to keep all future options open, don’t specialize too soon.

Please name a few of your favourite hobbies and activities.
Travelling, gardening, hosting dinner parties, volunteering, hiking, long walks, and cycling.

Name something that is on your bucket list. Have you completed it?
Creating another alumni bursary for PT students (yes) + a trip to Galapagos Islands and Africa (soon!).

Today in healthcare it’s important to…
 educate our patients, clients and residents, including their families to monitor, maintain, and improve their health status and quality of life.

Nancy Cho, BSc (Rehab) ’82
A summary… to date!

Volunteering

  • UBC alumni activities for the past 36 yrs – rehab representative for alumni divisions, resource for Department of Physical Therapy fundraising, bursary development, reunions, etc.
  • UBC Dept. of Physical Therapy clinical associate professor teaching and various committees throughout the years
  • Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators for 27 years: as a Provincial member and then Chair of National Written Exam committee
  • CPTBC (College of Physical Therapists of BC) for 36 yrs: Board member, chair of various committees (Communications, Finance, Quality assurance program, Registrant competency assessment, Patient Relations, Transfer of Function)
  • BC Physiotherapy Leadership Council – chair for the past 8 yrs, member 25 yrs.
  • Shaughnessy Heights United Church Council Chair for last 4 years and many other committees

Work

  • Vancouver Coastal Health – 36 years @ VGH – 12 yrs
  • Vancouver Community Home Health x 18yrs
  • Regional Professional practice x 6 yrs

Awards

  • UBC 75th anniversary award (1992)
  • PABC Leadership Award of Excellence (2009)
  • CPA Leadership Division Award (2016)
  • Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators Award of Distinction (2017)
  • PABC Professional Contribution Award of Excellence (2017)
  • alumni UBC Alumni Builder Award (2018/2019)