Population Health Scholar:

• Dr. Anne Klassen - Project Title: Parents of children with cancer: a study of factors related to their psychological wellbeing

Biomedical Scholar:

• Dr. Michael Kobor - Project Title: Creation and function of neighbourhoods in eukaryotic chromosomes: regulation of SWR1-Com, a deposition complex for histone variant H2A.Z

Clinical Scholar:

• Dr. Suzanne Lewis - Project Title: The identification of susceptibility genes and phenotypic subgroups for autism spectrum disorders

Twenty-eight of 66 applications were successful in the competition.  MSFHR's funding commitment for the 2005 group of Scholars and Senior Scholars totals $7.3 million.

:: Board Briefs - May 2005
Highlights from the Research Institute's Board of Directors meeting on May 11:

• Dr. Jan Friedman, the newly appointed head of the institute's Genetics Program, was introduced to the Board and made a presentation on "Genomic Changes in Children with Mental Retardation."  Dr. Friedman and his team are part of what he described as "one of the largest and most comprehensive genetics services in the world."  He spoke about one facet of their research, which uses new technology to better identify chromosomal abnormalities in children with mental retardation.  The results of this work will have application in genetic and prenatal counseling.

• We welcome Patricia Hanbury, a new Board member recruited to replace Dennis Bettiol, who resigned in January.  Patricia is a career banker with 40 years in the industry and 20 years as a Senior Manager in both personal and commercial banking in lending and investments.  She is an active community volunteer, a long-time supporter of BC Children's Hospital and a graduate of Leadership Vancouver, 1992.

• The Board approved a new name, mission, vision, values and logo for the institute.  A special celebration is being planned for May 26 to introduce our new brand to everyone on the Oak Street campus.  Time and place will be announced shortly.

• The budget for construction of the institute's expansion will go to the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) Board for approval early in June and the Board hopes to have the official sod-turning event mid-July.

• Offers are out for three individuals to fill Leadership Chairs in Child Development, Genetics/CMMT and Neurocognitive Disability.

• Grace Mickelson, Corporate Director, Academic Development, PHSA, briefed the Board on a proposal titled "Education Facilities to Support UBC Expanded Medical Education Program."  The proposal has been prepared for the UBC Medical School Expansion Committee on behalf of PHSA and has now gone to UBC for review.  If approved, funds will be made available for increased research and education space within BC Children's Hospital, BC Women's Hospital, the Jean Matheson Mental Health Building, and the new research expansion.

:: Kevan Jacobson Receives NSERC Discovery Award
Dr. Kevan Jacobson and co-applicant Dr. Sheila Innis, both of the institute's Nutrition Research Program, have been awarded a 2005 Discovery Award through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council (NSERC).  Their project "Dietary effects on intestinal epithelial barrier function" was awarded under the Integrative Animal Biology category, reviewed by the Life Sciences and Interdisciplinary committees.  The award is worth $135,750 over the next five years.

Recent research by Drs. Jacobson and Innis, along with co-author Ms. Harmeet Mundra, was also recently published in the American Journal of Physiology - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology (2005 Feb 24).  Their paper, "Intestinal Responsiveness to Experimental Colitis in Young Rats is Altered by Maternal Diet," points to increasing evidence that fetal and neonatal nutrition impacts later health.  In their study female rats were fed diets that varied only in fat composition.  They demonstrated that maternal dietary fat influences the offspring's intestinal lipid composition and intestinal response to colitis..

:: Welcomes - New Finance Manager

The Research Institute welcomes Eugenia Yoon, new Finance Manager.  Ms. Yoon is a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor.  She was with Smythe Ratcliffe Chartered Accountants before joining the institute and previously was at Grant Thornton LLP Chartered Accountants. 

She'll provide assistance with management of day-to-day financial administration of research accounting and maintenance of reporting systems, preparing financial statements, preparing working paper schedules and draft financial statements for the annual audit, and providing orientation and advice to investigators and staff regarding finance and reporting.  Her office is in room K4-115, Ambulatory Care Building, and she can be reached at 604-875-2000, ext. 6771 or eyoon@cw.bc.ca

Ms. Yoon will be taking over from current Finance Manager Ilinca Manisali, who will be moving to the Finance Department of the Provincial Health Services Authority.  We thank Ilinca for her contribution and dedication to the institute over the past year.