Transition to Practice & Beyond

Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell is a 2024 recipient of the UBC Medical Alumni Association Honorary Medical Alumni Award.

Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell (she/her) is a movement disorder neurologist trained in Germany, London, UK and Vancouver, Canada. She is an Associate Professor for Medicine/Neurology at the University of British Columbia where she holds the Marg Meikle Professorship for Research in Parkinson’s disease and directs the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre. Her research focuses on the role of the microbiome and nutrition in Parkinson’s disease and related brain disorders, lifestyle interventions as well as non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s. In addition to Parkinson’s disease, dystonia is a particular interest of her work, especially ultrasound guidance for injection treatment with botulinum toxin. When not working, she enjoys the outdoors in BC, skis, hikes, bikes, gardens and cooks.

She is the founding director of the BC Brain Wellness Program and has previously served as the president of the Canadian Movement Disorder Society and the Director of the Canadian Residents Course for Movement Disorders. She is the recipient of a 2022/2023 UBC Killam Teaching Award.

What drew you to UBC and the UBC Faculty of Medicine?
Coming to UBC was a combination of the attraction of an internationally leading Parkinson’s research program at UBC led by Dr Jon Stoessl at the time and his kindness of taking me on as a fellow, the pull of family and the natural beauty of BC. When moving from London, UK, to Vancouver, I instantly fell in love with the city and that feeling has endured every since.

What has been your career journey?
My career journey has been somewhat unusual – I grew up in Germany, mostly dedicated to athletics and thanks to a full scholarship I was able to attend an American independent boarding school, The Hotchkiss School, in Connecticut for grade 11. This is where I learned English (my first foreign language was Latin in grade 5 which did not take me that far). Immersion into the English language as well as the experience of being abroad laid the foundation for my future choices. My initial university studies in macroeconomics and international relations were geared towards joining the diplomatic service or an international NGO with the hope to contribute to international connections and to better understand what makes societies work and how to change them for the better. Soon I found myself too far removed from the needs of individuals, though and I changed to study medicine.

In medical school I was very fortunate to have been supported by a full scholarship from the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (the German Academic Scholarship Foundation) which allowed me to travel internationally for electives and extended internships. I spent time in hospitals in New Orleans (neurology and pediatric neurology), London, UK (neurology) and Durban, South Africa (surgery). At the end of Medical School, I was considering neurology (plus psychiatry) or pediatrics as my career choices, neurology won as I found it challenging to emotionally deal with severe illnesses in children and Oliver Sacks’ books had sparked my curiosity about the brain and how it shapes how we experience the world and make decisions. I did my neurology residency at a teaching hospital of the University of Heidelberg but eventually the travelling bug caught up with me again and in 2001, I took my CV with me to London, went to Dr Andrew Lees’ office at Queen Square and asked if they had a fellowship position in movement disorders. Fortunately, they did and in 2002 I started my first fellowship in movement disorders with Dr Lees where I was part of the team that worked on the then newly discovered impulse control disorders that can arise from dopaminergic medications in Parkinson and profoundly influence decision making in affected individuals. In order to qualify as a neurologist in Germany, I also had to do at least one year of psychiatry so I embarked on four years of psychiatry training during which I had two children and took time off for parental leave. This was followed by locum time as a neurology consultant in London.

In 2006/2007 the opportunity came up to move to Canada, my German qualification as a neurologist was not recognized in Canada but I could fortunately do another movement disorder fellowship at UBC. With the help of a lot of fundraising by the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Institute (PPRI) through the Porridge for Parkinson’s event by Marg Meikle and her family, the “Porridge Professorship”, later renamed the “Marg Meikle Professorship for Parkinson’s Research” was established which I have held since 2010. The position has allowed me to focus on movement disorders clinically and with the support from many colleagues and crucially PPRI to build my research program. My path has been anything but straight forward but it all makes sense now. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity provided by UBC and the many colleagues and mentors who have helped to overcome the many hurdles along the way.

What UBC Faculty of Medicine initiatives or projects have you been involved in that you are particularly proud of?
The BC Brain Wellness Program is very close to my heart – Dr. Jack Taunton and I founded it in 2017, it launched with a fabulous team in 2019 to bring lifestyle interventions such as exercise, arts-based practices and more recently nutrition to people living with chronic brain conditions, their care partners and healthy agers. The program is now in its 5^th year and has reached several thousand British Columbians with free mostly online and some in-person programs while also supporting the education on brain conditions in several allied health specialties, and providing volunteering and research opportunities for many students from across campus. We are grateful to all our donors, the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation and to the Faculty of Medicine Development Office for all their crucial support including for featuring the BC Brain Wellness Program at UBC Giving Day.

The biggest part of my research program now is the focus on the role of diet and of the gut microbiome in Parkinson’s. This has been a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary endeavor. Visionary funding from PPRI again made the first several projects possible and allowed us to contribute significantly to the field internationally, we are now running several clinical trials and cohort studies, bringing together a large team of researchers and clinicians, supported by and in close collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine.

I am grateful to be a member of both the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health as well as the Edwin S. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging – both have been most supportive and I truly enjoy the many opportunities to collaborate and create new initiatives. Both are creative spaces where good ideas are supported and I feel there is freedom to explore them.

Could you share a specific moment or experience that reaffirmed your commitment to your role as a clinician, teacher, mentor, or administrator within the UBC Faculty of Medicine?
Recently, one of my children has had significant medical challenges and my colleagues stepped up to help immediately. I have been enormously grateful to all of them for their kindness and wisdom. Moreover, it strengthened my feelings of empathy for my patients and deeply reaffirmed for me the importance of kindness in medicine, the importance of accessibility to medical care, the importance of research to move the needle in the conditions that we don’t have causative treatments for and the importance to teach and mentor the next generation. It affirmed for me that I am in the place I need to be in, even if it is not always easy to strike balance.

What does receiving the Honorary Medical Alumni Award mean to you?
I feel very honored and admittedly very surprised, I certainly did not see this coming! The award is very reassuring that my work and that of my team has meaningful impact which in turn is highly motivating. It makes me feel included in a very special community which is particularly meaningful for someone like me who is coming from the outside on so many levels but has made Vancouver and UBC their home.

How has your identity affected your perspective on the field of medicine and future pursuits? 
My identity as a woman and mother has highlighted the challenges of having a family while also pursuing a career as a clinician scientist, it is an ongoing search for balance but also a most rewarding one and one where my female mentors have been very helpful. While I have several  suggestions for change at the systems level, I also particularly enjoy mentoring young women embarking on the same career path.

Having worked in medicine in several different places around the world, I particularly appreciate the opportunities we have in British Columbia to create new projects, our universal health care insurance and the well-organized, high-quality medical training in BC.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in the next 10 years?
In the next ten years, I am hoping to establish personalized prevention (primary and secondary) and fostering of resilience as an important pillar in the management of neurodegenerative disorders and other brain diseases. Research will focus on lifestyle interventions such as nutrition, exercise, stress-reduction, social connectedness and microbiome-related mechanisms to develop and implement effective therapies to improve quality of life, function, and delay/slow down progression of those diseases.

What does a healthy society mean to you?
A healthy society actively fosters emotional, social, physical, cognitive and spiritual health across all ages; it is designed to create community, is inclusive of all and recognizes each individual as a precious member with their own unique talents and ways to contribute; access to prevention and health care is universal regardless of socio-economic considerations.

Dr. Appel-Cresswell will be recognized at the UBC Medical Alumni Celebration & Awards 2024 on May 2nd.

Dr. Adrian Yee is a 2024 recipient of the UBC Medical Alumni Association Honorary Medical Alumni Award.

Dr. Adrian Yee (he/him/his), is a distinguished leader in medical education.

Dr. Yee completed his MD in Toronto, Hematology training in Edmonton, and the Master of Educational Technology at UBC in 2020. He currently serves as Director of Curriculum for the UBC MD Undergraduate Program. In this role, Dr. Yee provides province-wide curricular leadership, ensuring a high-quality educational experience for UBC medical students across all four sites and four years of the program. Dr. Yee has a passion for community-based and patient-centered innovation. He is the Principal Investigator for innovative projects in Virtual Care, Team-Based Care and Planetary Health. His career goals are to build on the distributed medical education model by advancing social accountability, community-centric education, and Indigenous Reconciliation.

Dr. Yee met his wife, Dr. Janet Mak, at the University of Toronto, and they have two amazing daughters, Michaela and Samantha, who keep him grounded, if not humble. Janet is a family physician with an interest in the care of the elderly. Adrian loves cycling, running, travelling with his family, kayaking, reading novels and listening to his daughters practice violin at home.

What drew you to UBC and the UBC Faculty of Medicine?
I am drawn to the UBC and the UBC Faculty of Medicine because of the commitment to social accountability, serving the communities and innovation. It is a privilege to be part of a dynamic, supportive, and innovative team dedicated to shaping the future of medical education. UBC’s focus on excellence, diversity, and collaboration aligns closely with my values.

I enjoy working with colleagues and learners from diverse backgrounds who bring unique insights and ideas that contribute to a more holistic approach to tackling real-world challenges. I love being challenged to examine our assumptions, to think outside the box, and being pushed to grow personally and professionally.

I am continually humbled by the generosity of my colleagues in sharing their knowledge and expertise. The UBC Faculty of Medicine’s work environment fosters creativity, and I love the can-do spirit.

What has been your career journey?
I completed my Hematology residency in 2004 and joined Island Health and the BC Cancer Agency in Victoria. In 2005, Dr. Kathy Gaul offered me the opportunity to teach in the Hematology block at the Island Medical Program (IMP), marking the beginning of my journey in medical education. Subsequently, I assumed the role of Clinician Educator for the IMP, where I mentored and supported learners facing academic challenges. I found great fulfillment in building relationships with learners, understanding their unique contexts, and contributing to their professional growth while serving the community.

Over the years, I have held various roles, including Assistant Dean at the Island Medical Program in Victoria, Associate Director for Years 3 and 4, and Director of Curriculum for Undergraduate Medical Education. I lead a team overseeing curricular design, enhancement, and innovation. Our core values revolve around Social Accountability and community-centric education, guiding our efforts in the complex distributed medical education system. I am grateful for the unwavering support that my colleagues, staff, and learners have provided throughout this journey.

What UBC Faculty of Medicine initiatives or projects have you been involved in that you are particularly proud of?
I am proud of many innovative initiatives I have led, from the exhilarating experience of leading curriculum renewal to adapting curriculum and delivery, more recently, leading our MD Undergraduate program’s curriculum delivery through a worldwide pandemic. I am particularly proud of designing Virtual Clinical Education Podcasts based on patient/caregiver partners’ perspectives.

I am grateful to the Strategic Investment Fund for supporting the Planetary Health project to create a BC Climate Health Knowledge Network. This funding will support our team to engage, learn from and listen to the community concerns and knowledge of Climate Health. I am proud to lead a team that aims to better understand these complex health and social issues, advance Indigenous Reconciliation, and engage historically underrepresented communities.

Could you share a specific moment or experience that reaffirmed your commitment to your role as a clinician, teacher, mentor, or administrator within the UBC Faculty of Medicine?
There are many defining moments, and I will share an experience of why I cherish the role as a clinician, teacher, and mentor. At a recent social event, one of my colleagues thanked me for the support, assistance, and mentorship through medical school.  We all struggle occasionally and must remember kindness is the most important value. Seeing how learners grow and develop into practicing clinicians to serve our communities is gratifying. The ability to help and support learners to serve our communities matters more than anything else. I will continue to maintain and build on the connection with learners to be content and successful in serving the community.

What does receiving the Honorary Medical Alumni Award mean to you?
I take great pride and joy in receiving this award and am truly grateful for the recognition. I express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Cheryl Holmes for being an unwavering mentor, supporter, coach, and ally throughout my journey. Without the support of the UGME team, and the communities I serve, I would not have been able to achieve what I have.

Being acknowledged for our leadership work and our progress as a community fills my heart with warmth. The challenges brought about by the COVID pandemic have taught us the importance of unity and togetherness. We have learned that we are stronger when we stand together to achieve our common goals.

How has your identity affected your perspective on the field of medicine and future pursuits?
I have had the opportunity to live in various places, such as Hong Kong, Ethiopia, Singapore, Vancouver, London (Ontario), Toronto, and Edmonton. Throughout my upbringing, I have been fortunate to have the support of my parents and family, which I am deeply grateful for. They have instilled in me the values of hard work and kindness. The multiple relocations I experienced taught me to be adaptable, proactive in forging and maintaining friendships, and a rational change-maker.

As a medical educator and clinician, witnessing the lack of equitable health access for marginalized communities deeply saddens me. It is disheartening to see these inequities persist. I aim to build on our current education to advance community-centric education, social accountability, and Indigenous Reconciliation.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in the next 10 years?
In the UBC communities, many colleagues inspire me; among them are Cheryl Holmes, Oscar Casiro, Bruce Wright, Kendall Ho, Angela Towle, John Pawlovich, Maria Hubinette, Derek Thompson, and Carolyn Canfield. These individuals demonstrate dedication and integrity in their community service and work ethic.  They have deep knowledge and willingly share their expertise with others. I aspire to be like them in the next ten years. On a more practical level, I am fully committed to collaborating with the team to work on the Climate Health project.

What does a healthy society mean to you?
A healthy society gives individuals access to resources and opportunities that promote holistic well-being. In a healthy society, there is a focus on having a support system, a sense of community, equity, and environmental sustainability to promote health and well-being for everyone.

Dr. Yee will be recognized at the UBC Medical Alumni Celebration & Awards 2024 on May 2nd.

Mona Shum is the 2023–24 UBC Alumni Builder Award – Faculty of Medicine Recipient.

Mona (she/her) is a distinguished Master of Science in Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (MSc OEH) alum with almost 30 years of professional and community leadership. As a mentor, supervisor, and employer, she has played pivotal roles in the career development and success of many MSc OEH graduates. A dedicated curriculum developer and instructor, she has also played key leadership roles within the American Industrial Hygiene Association, cementing her status as a pivotal figure in her field. At UBC, in BC, and across North America, she has significantly contributed to the practice and growth of occupational hygiene.

What drew you to the MSc OEH program at UBC?
I was in a gap year after graduating with a BSc in Microbiology and a bit disillusioned about a career in primary research. I liked science and learning, but not working in the laboratory, so I was checking out different programs at UBC in 1994.

In those days, without internet, I actually was visiting the Department of Healthcare and Epidemiology to check out their program. As I was leaving in the pouring rain, I happened to see a wet pamphlet on the ground outside the building. For some reason, I picked it up and it was a pamphlet introducing this new Occupational Hygiene Program. It ticked all the boxes for me in terms of a career in science working with people and data, continually learning new things, and not being confined to a lab all my life. I believe it was serendipity that made me pick up a wet piece of garbage from the ground that day!

What is your favorite memory from your time at UBC?
We were a close-knit group of about seven people in the Occupational Hygiene Program and It was probably one of the most stressful times in our lives up until that point, but also the most fun. In those days, our professors would sometimes give us homework assignments in our cubbyholes (yes, we had cubbyholes for our mail, etc.). So, one day a friend and I decided to play a prank on our other classmates by putting a fake and impossible homework assignment in their cubby holes. We let them sweat over the assignment for a few hours in the evening, before calling them up and telling them it was fake. We still talk about the prank to this day!

What has been your journey since graduating from the MSc OEH program at UBC?
In 1997, I started my first job as an industrial hygienist at Shell Canada Ltd. in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta working for the refinery there and responsible for industrial hygiene for all the oil and gas plants and terminals across Canada. It was a great adventure, and I loved learning about oil and gas and travelling on the Shell jet!

I moved to San Francisco a year later and worked for a consulting company for 10 years in the health sciences department. There, I worked as the industrial hygienist doing exposure assessments for a group of primarily epidemiologists. My career really burgeoned in California, as I was able to complete several publications and also served as an expert witness in many indoor air quality cases. Due to family issues, I ended up moving back to Vancouver and managed the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health at the BC Centre for Disease Control. There I learned that environmental public health and occupational health weren’t all that different – they just served different populations, but the principles of hierarchy of control were still applicable.

Then, I decided I missed industrial hygiene too much and stepped back into consulting, but this time in Canada, which was a completely new experience. After a few years, I decided to strike out on my own starting Aura Health and Safety and at the same time, teaching at UBC in the same program from which I graduated, teaching my absolute favourite course that I had the pleasure of taking with Dr. Kay Teschke. Things have certainly come full circle, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity to do what I love.

Since your graduation, tell us about your connection with the occupational hygiene community.
I’ve always been connected to the occupational hygiene community having joined the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) both at the national and local levels fresh out of school.  I’ve served on the AIHA non-ionizing radiation committee since 2000 and have chaired it for a time as well. I served as the president of the AIHA BC Yukon chapter in 2012 and opened an Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) chapter in 2016 serving as the chair for a couple of years.

Even though I lived outside of BC for a good portion of my career, I always stayed in touch with UBC grads and the program, even mentoring (through phone calls in early days to mentoring cafes in present day). In fact, it was a meeting with my former UBC professors that led me to my job at the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health. And it was my continued contact with the UBC School of Occupational and Environmental Health throughout the years that led to my eventual adjunct faculty appointment there in 2016. In 2020, I was grateful to receive the Elizabeth McDonald award, which was awarded to me by my peers and honours Elizabeth McDonald, a pioneer in the field of industrial hygiene.

Why are you inspired to give back to your communities?
I really believe in passing on knowledge, so we don’t lose it, and also giving others the same sort of opportunities for mentorship and learning that I had. I enjoy the camaraderie with my fellow industrial hygienists who volunteer for committees; I feel we all have a sense of wanting to give back and to help others – otherwise, we would have chosen much different career paths!

What advice would you give to alumni who want to get more involved with UBC?
Just do it! There are so many ways to get involved. It doesn’t have to be at the level of teaching at UBC – it can be hiring UBC practicum students, hosting student projects, being a mentor, giving a technical or professional presentation to students, donating to a scholarship fund, or just coming out to alumni events.

How has your identity affected your perspective in your practice, community involvement, and/or your future pursuits?
I am a third child of Chinese immigrants and even from a young age, I was always keenly aware of what my parents gave up in Hong Kong to come here to make a better life for their children. While my father was a physics and math teacher in Hong Kong, he spent many years washing dishes and doing night security work in Canada to make sure that his family was fed and clothed. I always knew that I needed to do well in school, so that I could prove to my parents that they made the right decision all those years ago. However, doing well in school wasn’t all about making my parents proud; I always had a thirst for knowledge and would even ask for extra assignments in school, partially for the extra credit, but mostly because I wanted to know more/do better. I think that childhood thirst is still with me today and it drives me to embark upon some interesting journeys.

I want to leave the ones who will replace me in a better position than I was in. I think that idea comes from my parents who were the first to voice that desire for me.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in the next 10 years?
In keeping with wanting to disseminate knowledge, my colleague and I want to start a 2-year industrial hygiene technologist program, so that the field of industrial hygiene can grow. With more technologists supporting them, industrial hygienists (who graduate from Master’s Programs) can accomplish more and have far greater impacts on occupational health in Canada and globally.

What does a healthy society mean to you?
I remember someone saying to me in the program, that ultimately, we as industrial hygienists want to do such a great job of improving workplace health that we are no longer needed. Unfortunately, I believe there will always be health risks, and thus a need for industrial hygienists. However, I do believe a healthy society is one that is educated and fully aware of the health risks and does what it can to mitigate them.

Oluwadamilola (Damilola) Alashe is a Nigerian, first generation immigrant to Canada. She loves sports especially soccer and badminton which she’s been able to enjoy competitively. Damilola finds joy in healthcare and greatly fascinated by the human body. In her spare time, Damilola listens to music (all genres) and watches anime.

What drew you to the Master of Occupational Therapy (OT) degree at UBC?
I have always wanted to work in the healthcare field and also loved the idea of flexibility of practice. Occupational therapy gives me that and more while allowing me to have a proper work life balance.

How has studying in the MOT program made an impact on you?
The program and curriculum itself is quite rich, but I was impacted the most by the people I met, both the professors and my colleagues, who are so welcoming and accepting.

What was something you learned in the MOT program that surprised you?
The level of impact system has on accessible healthcare and the level to which we need to advocate for those barriers to be eradicated.

What is your favorite memory from your time at UBC?
Celebrations at Rain or Shine with my cohort after every evaluation or exam!

Where do you find inspiration?
Sounds cliché, but from my loved ones, my family, and partner.

What does a healthy society mean to you?
A society that is accepting of everyone’s differences and is not quick to judge.

What are your plans after graduation?
To continue to work as an occupational therapist and hopefully travel more often.