Three outstanding students win health research scholarships
(Vancouver, B.C.) PhD students doing medical research at three universities are being honoured with the 2010 Lionel E. McLeod Health Research Scholarship. The awards remember Dr. Lionel McLeod, the founding president of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR), now Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions. The awards are given to outstanding students who best demonstrate promise in the field of health research.
The awards, to be presented by Dr. McLeod's widow, Barbara, honour the late first president of AHFMR (1981 – 1990). Dr. McLeod was Head of Endocrinology at the University of Alberta (1957 – 1969), and, in 1962, he set up in Edmonton the first chronic renal dialysis program in Canada. Dr. McLeod was also Dean of Medicine at the University of Calgary (1973 – 1981) and President and CEO of the UBC Hospitals in Vancouver in the early 1990's.
Heidi Noel Boyda from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Patrick Stemkowski from the University of Alberta (U of A), and Braedon McDonald from the University of Calgary (U of C) have won the 16th annual Lionel E. McLeod Health Research Scholarships. They will be presented with their scholarships at a luncheon on Friday, March 12, 2010 at the Sutton Place Hotel, Vancouver, B.C.
Recipients
Heidi Noel Boyda is doing her PhD in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. Her work focuses on the metabolic side effects of antipsychotic drugs, with the goal of better treatments in the mental health field. Boyda has received numerous awards, including awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and BC Mental Health and Addictions Research Services.
Patrick Stemkowski is pursuing his PhD in the Department of Pharmacology in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at U of A. His research focuses on neuropathic pain resulting from injury to the nervous system. His work aims to provide new insight into the cause of this pain, as well as a basis for developing new treatments. Stemkowski has received numerous awards, including awards from CIHR and the University of Alberta.
Braedon McDonald is earning an MD/PhD in the Faculty of Medicine at U of C. He has received numerous awards, including those from the American Association of Thoracic Surgery and the University of Calgary. McDonald's research investigates how white blood cells infiltrate organs such as the liver and cause tissue damage. More knowledge in this area could lead to new therapies for sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection.
The annual Lionel E. McLeod Health Research Scholarship is given to outstanding students from the universities of British Columbia, Calgary, and Alberta. The award provides $21,500 to support each of the recipients' studies.
Reporters are welcome to attend the awards luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, March 12 at the Sutton Place Hotel, 845 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C.
Photos of the three awards recipients are available on request.
Please note that AHFMR is now Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions, funded by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Endowment Fund.
For more information or interviews, please contact Karen Thomas, Media Specialist, 1.877.423.5727 x225,
For reporters attending on March 12, contact Dwayne Brunner, Liaison Manager, Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions, 1.403.619.4556 (cell).