Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at Queen's University

From: https://news.oicr.on.ca//new-immune-boosting-approach-cou/ Dr. Victoria Hoskin, OMPRN grantee, wins best poster presentation at the 2019 Terry Fox Research Institute Ontario Node Research Symposium for her novel approach to preventing cancer metastasis The vast majority of cancer-related deaths are caused by cancers that have spread - or metastasized - to other organs. Breast cancer cells, for example, often spread to nearby lymph nodes where they can settle, grow and... spread to more distant organ sites, evading surgery and chemotherapy treatment. Dr. Victoria Hoskin has set out to stop these migrating cancer cells in their tracks. Earlier this year, Hoskin and an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Queen's Cancer Research Institute (QCRI), found that a specific protein, ezrin, which plays a key function in cancer metastasis, may also have an important immune-modulating role. They went on to find that when ezrin is blocked, the immune system's T-cells can better recognize, engage and kill the migrating cancer cells in surrounding lymph nodes. As she describes in her recent Oncotarget editorial, these findings may represent a new method to not only prevent cancer metastasis, but to also engage the immune system.

Research Mentorship Program in partnership with Queen's Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre 2018-19 Highlights Our mentorship program aims to pair high school and university students through discussions of community and science. The program is designed to share knowledge,... expertise and enthusiasm between graduate students and high school youth, making stronger connections between the university and the community. The mentors aim to foster inquiry and problem-solving skills through scientific discovery to help equip the mentees for success in their current and future educational paths. This past year we were privileged to work together with 12 youth in grades 10-12 from the Katarokwi Learning Centre (KLC). Our projects were a collaboration led by the interests of our mentees, and on relevance to their own community. This resulted in coverage of a wide spectrum of topics from womens and mens health, human anatomy, structure and evolution of the brain, physical and chemical properties of water, to microscopic life in the Rideau Lakes watershed. We thank Kiera LaPierre (Indigenous Community Outreach Coordinator) and Laura Maracle (Indigenous Culture Safety Co-ordinator) at the Four Directions Centre, and KLC high school teachers Lacey Siemonsen, Alex O Leary and Scott Nichol for their guidance and amazing support! Working alongside Bruce Elliott (Program Co-ordinator) and Assistant Co-ordinator Chelsea Jackson, are graduate student mentors Christina Ferrone, Jina Nanayakkara, Matteo Zago-Schmitt, Isabelle Grenier-Pleau, Pooja Sridhar and Ryan Marks.

Tuesday, October 22, 201 9 4:00 pm Room 104, Richardson Laboratory 88 Stuart Street, Queen's University... THE TENTH NATHAN KAUFMAN VISITING LECTURER SUSAN DONE FCCMG, FRCPath, PhD, MBA, MRCPath, FRCPC, MB. B.Chir., Associate Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto Pathologist and Researcher, UHN "NOT ALL BREAST CANCER CELLS ARE CREATED EQUAL"

Congratulations to Elham Ghorbanpour on her recent accomplishments. Elham is PhD student in Dr. David Lillicraps lab who is supported partially by a prestigious Trillium Award, recognizing outstanding international students. Elhams research on YAP/TAZ-VWF won a CIHR honorable mention at the CIHR sponsored Canadian Student Health Research Forum in June. She followed up with the top poster winner at the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis conference in Melbourne in July; and most recently, she won the Robert Kisilevsky Seminar Award for the best first year research seminar. Elli is on a roll!....and we look forward to her accomplishments in the coming year.

The Ontario Molecular Pathology Research Network (OMPRN) annual Pathology Matters meeting took place on Monday at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. Our Department was extremely well represented at the meeting. Nearly a quarter of the roughly 100 attendees were from Queens, Queens Faculty members contributed heavily to planning and running the meeting, and three of the four Outstanding Poster Awards went to Queens trainees. Congratulations to Chelsea Jackson, Christina Ferrone and Lina Chen and many thanks to all involved for helping to make this meeting a smashing success!

APPOINTMENT OF TRICIA COTTRELL, MD/PhD I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Tricia Cottrell as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. Tricia joins us from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she completed an MD, a PhD in rheumatology, residency training in Anatomic Pathology, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in immuno-oncology. Tricia completed her undergraduate training and a year as a Research Fellow at Washin...gton University in St. Louis. Dr. Cottrell's primary role will be as a clinician scientist based at the Queen's Cancer Research Institute with a focus on pathologic evaluation of tumour immune responses in clinical trials patients. Tricia will also be involved in clinical anatomical pathology with areas of interest including lung cancer and genitourinary pathology. Dr. Cottrell has been appointed as an Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) Clinician Scientist, as a Senior Investigator for Translational Research in the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG), and will serve as the Deputy Director, CCTG Tumour Tissue and Data Repository (TTDR). Dr. Cottrell's office and laboratory are located in the Division of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Botterell Hall level 3. We welcome Tricia and wish her all the best in her academic and clinical endeavours here at Queen's University and the KHSC. Sandy Boag, MD Department Head

Dr. Peter Greer's laboratory Emerging research in Dr. Peter Greer's laboratory shows that calpain proteases promote cancer metastasis, which is responsible for most cancer deaths. With funds from a new five year CIHR grant we are exploring calpains as novel therapeutic targets in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer. This exciting research involves a range of molecular genetic approaches (including CRISPR gene targeting) as well as preclinical models of breast and ovarian cancer. Students interested in pursuing a MSc or PhD in cancer research are encouraged to contact Dr. Greer at greerp (at) queensu.ca

APPOINTMENT OF ANNA PANCHENKO, PROFESSOR, PhD TIER I, CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR IN COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOPHYSICS... The Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Anna Panchenko to a tenured position at Queen's University. Dr. Panchenko will be assuming a leadership role in the future development of computational biophysics and bioinformatics at Queen's. She will have cross-appointments in the School of Computing and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences. Dr. Panchenko obtained a BSc Magna cum laude in 1989 and a PhD in 1993 from Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia. She was a Visiting Fellow for one year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign followed by three years as a Postdoctoral Fellow. She was then recruited to the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the NIH where she held the position of Head of a Computational Biology and Biophysics Group until recruited to Queen's. We welcome Anna and wish her all the best in her academic career at Queen's University.

APPOINTMENT OF AMANDA XU, MD/MSc The Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Amanda Xu to the positions of Assistant Professor at Queen's University and Attending Staff Pathologist at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre with a focus in Anatomic Pathology and Hematopathology. Dr. Xu obtained a BSc in Physiology in 2008 from the University of Toronto. She then obtained her MD from Queen's University in 2012 and went on to co...mplete her residency in Anatomic Pathology at Queen's University. She followed this with a one-year Hematopathology Fellowship at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. We welcome Amanda and wish her all the best in her academic and clinical endeavours here at the KHSC and Queen's University.

APPOINTMENT OF KEVIN REN, MD/MSc The Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kevin Ren to the positions of Assistant Professor at Queen's University and Attending Staff Pathologist at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre with a focus in Dermatopathology and Renal Pathology. Dr. Ren obtained a BSc in Physiology in 2008 from the University of Toronto. He then obtained his MD from Queen's University in 2013 and went on to comp...lete his residency in Anatomic Pathology at Queen's University. He followed this with a one-year Renal Pathology Fellowship at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. We welcome Kevin and wish him all the best in his academic and clinical endeavours here at the KHSC and Queen's University.

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Rauh, promoted to Associate Professor effective 2019 July 01.

CIHR National Student Research Poster Competition Congratulations to Taha Azad (PhD Candidate - Yang lab, right) for winning the Silver Medal and Elham Ghorbanpour (PhD Candidate - Lillicrap Lab, left) for winning the Honourable Mention award from the CIHR National Student Research Poster Competition in the 30th Annual CSHRF (Canadian Student Health Research Forum). A couple of other students from Queen's also got Honourable Mentioning awards. It's a good year for Queen's. A...bout 17 students representing Queen's attended this event. Normally, around 150 graduate students are nominated by universities across Canada to participate this event. See more

KISILEVSKY, Robert - December 19, 1937 - June 5, 2019 Professor Emeritus, of the Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry at Queen's University, Kingston. Husband; father, Zaida, brother, uncle, and scientist.... Died peacefully in his sleep, at home. He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 51 years Barbara, his children David (Sara Haynes), Sandy (Andy Krull), Natasha (Peter Reid), grandchildren Nathaniel & Claudia Krull and Emily & James Kisilevsky, sisters Zipporah (Alan Yedid) and Laurie (Allan Bultz), nephews Gabriel (Jing), Joseph, Elijah, and Ariel (Koo), and grandnieces Bessia and Olivia. A private family service will be held on Sunday, June 9th, 2019 at 3:30 p.m., Kearney Funeral Services, 450 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver B.C. Bob was born and raised in Montreal. He completed his undergraduate (1958) and medical degrees (1962) at McGill University. He interned at the Jewish General Hospital and then spent a year in Philadelphia as a Pathology resident before entering the combined Pathology residency/Phd in Biochemistry Program at the University of Pittsburgh. After completing the program (1967), he spent a year fellowship in Experimental Pathology at University College London, UK. Subsequently, he returned to Canada as an Assistant Professor in both the Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry, Queen's University in Kingston, ON, focusing on research. Bob progressed through the ranks from Assistant to Full Professor to Head of the Department of Pathology. Driven by his intellect and curiosity, and continuous funding by the MRC of Canada for 40 years, he established an internationally recognized research program and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He published over 300 papers, book chapters and abstracts in the areas of protein synthesis, amyloidosis, cholesterol metabolism and malaria, and founded two biotechnology companies, Neurochem & AtheroChem. Following his retirement from research and medical practice, his goal was to stay alive and productive for many years, to continue to collaborate and publish scientific material, to see grandchildren, and to carve some walking sticks and use them before he went. He did all of those things, as well as ride his bicycle daily, create beautiful decorative wood carvings, and play a formidable game of chess. Donations in his memory may be made to The Robert Kisilevsky Research Education Fund, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON.

Health Sciences Outstanding Thesis Award Congratulations to Dr. Hellen Janse van Rensburg for winning the Health Sciences Outstanding Thesis Award. Ellen has completed the PhD portion of the MD-PhD program and is now engaged in the third year of the MD program.... Ellen's thesis entitled "Identification and characterization of transcriptional targets of TAZ in human breast cancer" describes only part of her stellar research accomplishments and contributions to Dr. Xiaolong Yang's program, which have resulted in 16 publications to date with another four in the works. We're proud of you Ellen, and wish you all the best!

Riders and researchers fight to cure prostate cancer FROM KHSCNow Researchers to receive a $20,000 grant to further their research into novel therapies for prostate cancer... Dr. Berman, Director of Queen's Cancer Research Institute (on right) stands with Ride for Dad supporters on May 9 at the kick-off to this year's ride, happening May 25. The fifteenth annual Kingston-Quinte TELUS Ride for Dad fundraiser, the Prostate Cancer Fight Foundation's (PCFF) signature event, will be held in Kingston on Saturday, May 25. The 200-kilometre route will take hundreds of motorcycle riders-for-a-cause on a scenic tour of the countryside. Since it was established in 2004, the Kingston-Quinte chapter has raised nearly $1,450,000 with more than $700,000 benefiting the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation's (UHKF) research partners as they investigate better treatment options, and diagnostic tools that may, one day, lead to a cure for prostate cancer. At this year's kick-off and cheque presentation, UHKF is pleased to announce that Dr. Katrina Gee, and co-investigator Dr. Andrew Craig - Associate Professors, Queen's University School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences - will receive a $20,000 grant to further their research into novel therapies for prostate cancer.

Queen's University recently awarded its highest research-related honour to nine faculty members internationally recognized for contributions to their respective fields of study. Each recipient was named a Distinguished University Professor for exhibiting an outstanding and sustained research record, teaching excellence, and significant and lasting contributions to Queen's, Canada, and the world. The inaugural group of Distinguished University Professors includes: Susan P. C. ...Cole, Distinguished University Professor, Queen's Cancer Research Institute The work being done here at Queen's in many different academic disciplines is contributing to our understanding of the world and the overall global body of knowledge in many fields," says Daniel Woolf, Principal and Vice-Chancellor."To celebrate this level of world-class excellence in research and teaching, it is my pleasure to designate nine of our most accomplished faculty members as Distinguished University Professors."

Congratulations to Dr. Dalila Villalobos won the Invisible Discoveries category with a picture of a normal prostate gland in the Queen's Art of Research photo contest. Invisible Discoveries - Love under the Microscope - Dalila Villalobos, Postgraduate Medical Education, Anatomical Pathology (MD, Resident), Kingston Health Sciences Centre. Description: As pathologists in training, we are constantly reminded that both human cellular responses and the most deadly medical conditi...ons can be unexpectedly beautiful under the microscope. We are trained to be detail oriented and to understand disease in all its forms because abnormalities will only present to the eye that knows what to look for. This photo captures a normal prostatic gland with its characteristic double layer and irregular branching. The moment we diagnose a benign condition in a patient that is anxiously awaiting for results is always rewarding. But, if, on top of that, we see heart-shape glands, it is inspiration. See more

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Christine Orr is the recipient of this year's William Corbett Award. It is a testament of Christine's diagnostic excellence and academic achievement during her studies within the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. The W.E.N Corbett award was originally established when W.E.N (William) Corbett retired from the Department of Pathology in June 1996.... The purpose of this award is to provide a prize to a resident who shows diagnostic excellence and academic achievement during their studies within the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine.

Winners of the 2018-2019 SEAMO Innovation Fund announced From https://www.seamo.ca//winners-2018-2019-seamo-innovation-f Congratulations to the 2018-2019 SEAMO Innovation Fund award winners! These 9 unique projects aim to transform healthcare delivery in Ontario in several domains... Dr. Neil Renwick - Preparing MicroRNA Profiling and Analysis for Use in Cancer Clinical Trial Research The Innovation Fund was created by the 2008 Alternative Funding Plan (AFP) Agreement between the academic physicians, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). It provides short-term seed funding to support innovative projects and to enable academic physicians to develop programs sufficiently to qualify for additional support and evaluate novel strategies to transform health care delivery in Ontario. This year SEAMO received 35 applications totalling $2.9 million in funding requests. SEAMO receives $650 thousand annually to support these applications and assist the winning projects in jump starting their research.

OICR supports cancer drug discovery in Ontario with new funding for four promising early-stage projects TORONTO (February 21, 2019) - The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) today announced four Early Accelerator projects from across Ontario will each receive $100,000 for one year as part of OICR's Cancer Therapeutics Innovation Pipeline (CTIP) initiative. The funding will be used to validate cancer targets and support experiments to screen molecules against these ta...rgets, finding those that can bind to them successfully and have potential to be developed into medicines. Selection of guanine quadruplex binders for the RET promoter, towards novel therapeutics for RET-receptor associated cancers Anne Petitjean, PI, Queen's University Lois Mulligan, PI, Queen's University. For more information visit www.oicr.on.ca.

Unraveling mysteries in the blood From https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/ unraveling-mysteries-blood Queen's University researcher Paula James has revealed women who are carriers of hemophilia A, an inherited bleeding disorder, experience abnormal bleeding in about 30 per cent of cases. Dr. James is working to unravel the mystery as to why this abnormal bleeding, including nosebleeds, heavy periods, and bleeding following childbirth, occurs.... To define abnormal bleeding, Dr. James used a bleeding score where higher numbers represent more intense bleeding. "It's long been assumed that women who carry this gene don't have bleeding symptoms but we now know that isn't true," says Dr James, who also works as a clinician-scientist at Kingston Health Sciences Research Institute. "Some patients have low levels of clotting Factor FVIII in their blood, and for those that don't, there must be other contributing factors. It's a challenging problem because it has led to their bleeding symptoms being dismissed and not treated properly." Her team has discovered that women who are carriers of hemophilia A respond differently to the stresses that cause bleeding - even those who have normal levels of Factor VIII in their blood. "Normally when we're injured or cut or stressed in other ways, a number of the elements that help our blood clot go up. However, we thought that it might not work that way in these women," says Dr. James. "So what other things could be happening within someone's body that would make them at risk for bleeding?" To find out, Dr. James and her group compared levels of Factor VIII circulating in the blood levels of 17 women who are carriers of hemophilia A with those of seven normal control patients. The volunteers' blood was tested before and after being treated with Desmopressin, a drug that causes an immediate increase in clotting factor levels that mimics the way the body responds to being cut or injured. The researchers were looking to see whether the women's response to the drug was related to how much Factor VIII was already in their blood. "We wondered whether a person's response was only dependent on where they were starting from using a baseline," James says. "That turned out not to be the case." The study was published in Blood Advances.

Congratulations to Coach Scott Davey and the Queen's Gaels, who were crowned the 2019 OUA Women's Curling Champions on Monday as the five-day championships came to a close at the KW Granite Club. In an exciting final day that saw both gold medal games come down to the final end, the Gaels brought the OUA banner back to Queen's for the first time since 1994. "We're really excited to be able to bring the banner home for Queen's," says Gaels skip Mary Fay. "It's really nice to g...o to a school and you're really proud to be a part of something so to be able to bring that home for them is really exciting." In the women's game, like they had done for the majority of the week, the Gaels were ruthless in their efficiency. Controlling the game with wide-open play, the Fay foursome scored two in the second and fourth ends to lead 4-1. Laurentian managed to pull themselves back into the contest with singles in both the fifth and sixth ends but Queen's responded with two more in the seventh to give them a three-point cushion coming home. The Gaels then ran Laurentian out of rocks to secure the 6-4 victory.

Congratulations to Dr. Victoria Hoskin (center, red jacket) who was one of 10 trainees from 116 abstracts selected to give oral presentations at the Terry Fox Research Institute Ontario Node Research Symposium in Toronto on Dec 10, 2018. Victoria's presentation "Targeting the cytoskeleton protein ezrin sensitizes metastatic breast cancer cells to chemotherapy treatment" described her Ontario Medical Pathology Research Network funded project supervised by Drs. Sonal Varma and Peter Greer.

Bruce and Janet Elliott Graduate Award in Transdisciplinary Cancer Research Congratulations to Christina Ferrone, a MSc Candidate in the lab of Dr. Michael Rauh, on being awarded the first Bruce and Janet Elliott Graduate Award in Transdisciplinary Cancer Research.

Nursing Science Society - 2017-2018 Reddick Award On behalf of the Nursing Science Society, we would like to issue a congratulation to you on being selected as the recipient of the 2017-2018 Reddick Award. The Reddick Award is presented for Excellence in Nursing Educations and acknowledges outstanding teaching. You have been selected by the 2021 class of the four-year stream for this award. We would like to thank you for your commitment to excellence in teaching and the impac...t you continue to make in the lives of Undergraduate Students. This award will be presented at the 2018 Faculty of Health Sciences reception. Further details about this event will follow in coordination with the School of Nursing. Again, the Nursing Science Society would like to sincerely congratulate you on this success and commend you for the invaluable difference your teaching has in student's education.

Congratulations to Dr. Maliha Khara for receiving the Morrison H. Finlayson Award for best basic sciences/research paper by a trainee at the 58th annual Canadian Association of Neuropathologists meeting in Halifax on October 6th, 2018.

P&MM Welcoming Reception & Awards The Department held a Welcoming Reception & Awards at the Merchant Tap House this week and congratulations go out to the following: * Aisha Rekab who received Best Seminar by a 1st year student... * Dr. Christine Orr received the Dr. RSA Prentice Award For Excellence in Teaching by a Pathology Resident & For Improving the Quality of Resident Education * Dr. Ivraym Barsoum received the Dr. Paul Manley Award For an Excellent Investigative Record By a Pathology Resident * Chelsea Jackson received Best Seminar by a 2nd year student * Ellen van Rensburg, PhD received Best Seminar by a PhD student * Dr. David Lillicrap received the Bruce Elliott Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentorship * Dr. Tim Childs received the Dr. RSA Prentice Award for Excellence in Teaching See more

Licenced and Accredited Molecular Diagnostic Facility The Queen's University National Inherited Bleeding Disorder Genotyping Laboratory becomes a licenced and accredited molecular diagnostic facility. The National Inherited Bleeding Disorder Genotyping Lab, which has been operating within the Department of Pathology since 2000, has recently become licenced by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), and accredited by the Institute for Quality Management in Healthca...re (IQMH) to ISO15189 to provide molecular diagnostics for patients with hemophilia A, hemophilia B, and von Willebrand disease. These recognitions will improve the access to molecular testing and quality of care for patients with inherited bleeding disorders across Canada. The lab is directed by Dr. David Lillicrap, and Co-Directed by Dr. Paula James. Sample testing is performed by Shawn Tinlin and Gina Jones. Many thanks to everyone who was involved in this process!

Appointment of Associate Head, Research I am pleased to announce that effective immediately Dr. David Lillicrap will assume the position of Associate Head, Research, for the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at Queen's University. Through the creation of this new position the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen's University recognizes our Department's exceptionally successful research program, our ongoing growth and the value Dr. Lillicrap will provide in an incr...easingly challenging research environment. David will continue to Chair the Departmental Research Committee and provide strategic planning leadership but will now also assume oversight of research related departmental finances, infrastructure, grant applications and faculty development. Dr. David Lillicrap is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, holds a CRC Tier I Chair in Molecular Hemostasis and is a Career Investigator in the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. David is an internationally recognized expert on the molecular basis of common bleeding disorders who runs a highly active research program within the Richardson Laboratory of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. Please join me in welcoming David in his new role Alexander H. Boag, MD, FRCPC

ISTH SSC 2018 Meeting in Dublin, Ireland Soundarya Selvam Present Top-Rated Abstract at ISTH SSC 2018 Meeting in Dublin, Ireland PhD candidate Soundarya Selvam received the top rated abstract in the von Willebrand factor (VWF) session and gave both an oral presentation and poster presentation titled "Patients with aortic stenosis have von Willebrand factor abnormalities and aberrant angiogenesis in BOEC".... She also received a Young Investigator award. Soundarya is supervised by Dr. Paula James.

ISTH SSC 2018 Meeting in Dublin, Ireland Orla Rawley and Alison Michels Present Top-Rated Posters at ISTH SSC 2018 Meeting in Dublin, Ireland Congratulations to Orla Rawley (a postdoctoral fellow) and Alison Michels (an MD/PhD student) from the Clinical and Molecular Hemostasis Research Group, who were each presented Top Rated Posters at the ISTH SSC 2018 meeting in Dublin, Ireland.... In addition, Orla Rawley was awarded the Milwaukee SSC President's Award, a Young Investigator's Award, and a Queen's University Postdoctoral Travel award for her abstract titled "Clearance of Mouse VWF Propeptide Is Mediated by Stabilin-2 and Is Regulated by N-linked Glycan Expression." Alison Michels also received a Young Investigator's Award for her abstract "von Willebrand Factor Interactions with Platelets and Leukocytes is Critical for Obesity-mediated Venous Thrombosis"

Banting Fellows and Vanier Scholars to attend the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting From: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/50989.html Four outstanding CIHR supported researchers will be among the 400 aspiring young researchers from around the world who will spend a week with over 40 Nobel Laureates at the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting in Germany from June 24 - June 29, 2018. Participants will be able to exchange ideas, discuss projects and build international networks aroun...d this year's topics which will be dedicated to the field of chemistry. For young scientists standing at the beginning of their careers, it is a valuable opportunity to meet these undisputed role models and mentors, to seek their advice, to exchange thoughts and views, and to discuss current developments in science and beyond. Our congratulations go to the four recipients nominated by CIHR who were accepted by the Lindau scientific review panel to attend this prestigious event: Mr. MohammadTaha MohammadiAzad (Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar), Mr. Michael Laffin (Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar), Dr. Brett Trost (Banting Postdoctoral Fellow) and Mr. Mark Wade (Banting Postdoctoral Fellow). MohammadTaha MohammadiAzad "For me this meeting is an enormous opportunity to take another step towards achieving my goals! I have a big dream to help people who suffer from cancer and to make this dream come true this meeting could help me a lot. These scientists didn't win the Nobel Prize overnight! They spent their entire life on it. I know they had down moments as well, but they never gave up! Sometimes I feel that my dream to cure cancer sounds too far away from reality but I keep trying and dreaming and hoping! For me, this meeting means a lot more than just visiting these great scientists as well as young researcher around the world. In fact, it starts a new chapter in my life, which is helping me to keep up on trying harder even if I fail hundred times! I have many questions to ask them about the journey that they have gone through so far, the uphills and the downhills, what made them more insistent in achieving their goals and how they coped with all the challenges they had faced!" taha2018july

From: https://www.queensu.ca/g/stories/mentoring-indigenous-youth First Nations students in grades 10 and 11 have deepened their knowledge of science and health care with the help of some Queen's graduate students. The high-school students are participants in a pilot program aimed at giving them a leg up as they prepare for post-secondary studies. They met with their mentors from February through to the end of May.... "The vision of this program is to provide these students with a science-based education opportunity that leaves them feeling inspired, confident, and supported," says Lisa Doxtator, Aboriginal Community Outreach Liaison at Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre and one of the program's co-ordinators. "Our hope is that the students will consider furthering their education in the sciences and will be better established for postsecondary success through this program," adds Bruce Elliott, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine who is also one of the program's co-ordinators. "The Four Directions Centre provides an ideal supportive home for our program." Working alongside Dr. Elliott and Ms. Doxtator are assistant co-ordinators, PhD student Chelsea Jackson and MSc graduate Sarah Nersesian; and graduate student mentors Nicole Morse, Natasha Vitkin, and Matteo Zago-Schmitt of the Queen's Collaborative Cancer Grad Program and the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine.

Congratulations to our senior residents: Nikoo Parvinnejad, Amanda Xu and Kevin Ren have passed the Anatomical Pathology Royal College Exam!!!

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Amanda Xu is the recipient of this year's "William Corbett Award for diagnostic excellence and academic achievement during the recipient's studies within the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine". It is a testament of Amanda's diagnostic excellence and academic achievement during her studies within the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. Congratulations Amanda!

Tuesday 2018 May 08 4:00-5:00 pm The Ninth M. Daria Haust Visiting Lecturer - Richardson Lab Amphitheatre - ... Philip Awadalla, PhD - Director of Computational Biology at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research; Professor of Population and Medical Genomics at the University of Toronto and Executive Scientific Director of the Ontario Health Study/Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project. "Exploring large population cohorts to capture genomic and environmental determinants of pre-disease states"

Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Science Fair The 2018 FLA Science Fair was last week and the Special Award winners for the Queen's University Department of Pathology & Molecular Medicine for the "Best project related to the body's response to disease or tissue damage" are as follows: First Place ($100): Leila Smaili "Canada still has not banned triclosan from your family products"... Second Place ($75): Bryn Bain "UV-C light to prevent Microbes from taking flight" Third Place ($50): Charlotte Woodall & Karley Wood-Murphy "Pesticides on organic clementines" Leila also received silver best of fair prize and is going to Ottawa for the national science fair. Her Prefair report is attached. The winners prizes also include a tour of the Pathology dept and research labs this summer, and I will let everyone know when those get finalized.

USCAP 2018 Vancouver BC Our residents and faculty at the 2018 USCAP ( United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology) meeting in Vancouver. Front Row L-R: Drs. Maliha Khara, Lina Chen, Kevin Ren, Amanda Xu... Back Row L-R: Drs. Christine Orr, Sandy Boag, David Hurlbut, Kevin Song