Winter Spring 2010 Newsletter.pub

UNIVERSITY OF
OTTAWA
Department of Anesthesiology
Winter/Spring Newsletter
V O L U M E
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Chairman’s
Report
1
Program Director’s Report
2
Trivia
3
Chief Resident’s
Corner
4
Undergrad
Report
5
Holiday Brunch
& CHEO News
6
Site Chief Memo- 7
ries
Events, Research, 8
Awards
Alumni News &
9
Changes
Music Day
10
Winterlude
12
Report
40th Anniversary 13
Report
Announcements
14
AA Corner, Re-
16
cent Events
A Word from the 18
Editor & Admin.
Corner
9 ,
I S S U E
1
S P R I N G
2 0 1 0
Chairman’s Report
residency proIt is always worthgrams at Univerwhile to reiterate
sity of Ottawa did
the appointment
not fare as well,
of new people
resulting in prosince the last
bational approval
Newsletter. Deor even the insiree Persaud is
tent to withdraw.
now our Program
Director DesigOn March 28 –
nate to assume
31, there was an
her new role on
accreditation visit
July 1st. Nikhil
of our Medical
Rastogi is now our
Left to Right: J. Earl Wynands, Keynote Speaker Linda
School. Our DeUGME Director,
partment UGME
Duxbury and Homer Yang at Winterlude
replacing Lucie
Director, Nikhil
Filteau. Don Miller is our new
Gary Johnson, as the founding
Rastogi; Lucie Filteau as the
Site Chief at the General, starting
Program Director spoke at the
freshly retired UGME Director;
March 2010. Greg Bryson is our
event as well. Of course, he
and Julie Ghatalia as the UGME
new TOH Director of Research,
spoke for 50 minutes instead of
Assistant, were busy getting
helping Howard Nathan who is
5, as requested. The event was a
some of the reports ready and
continuing as the Vice-Chair of
great success and the attendance
meeting with the reviewers as a
Research. Dermot Doherty from
at the Winterlude Symposium
group. Stephane Legault, the lead
CHEO has taken up the organizwas a record high. I wish to
person at Monfort as the Francoing of our annual Winerlude
thank Jocelyne, Geraint, and
phone stream was also there and
Symposium. The search process
most definitely, Dermot Domeeting with the reviewers. It is
for the Site Chiefs at the Civic
herty, for all the hard work. Anyimportant to also point out that
and at the Riverside Campus has
one who knows our Program of
our residents have played an
come to an end and Dave Ewing
course also knows that the real
important role in teaching mediand Robert MacNeil have been
“mother” behind all these events
cal students. The Faculty of Medinamed as their successors.
is Lynne McHardy. Thank you,
cine provides RATS (Residents as
Lynne.
During Winterlude this year, we
Teachers) course to teach resiorganized (as an additional parallel event) the celebration of the
40th anniversary of our Residency
Program. Jocelyne McKenna and
Geraint Lewis did all the organizing for that celebration. Jack Kitts
as an alumnus of our Program
spoke of our great successes and
our future as national leaders.
I wish to take this opportunity to
congratulate the education team
and Linda Wynne for successfully
bringing our Residency Program
through the Royal College Accreditation. The official report
just came in and speaks very
highly of our program. It is unfortunate that some of the other
dents as teachers for medical
students, and provides the
START (Set-up, Teaching Moment, Appraise, Review/
Rehearse/Role Model and Teach)
cards.
(continued on page 17)
PAGE
2
Program Director’s Report
bration. Many alumni came from all over the world
and it was a pleasure to catch up with them. A slideshow of memories (thanks Lucie Filteau!) played and
was lots of fun to watch. Thanks must go to
Jocelyne McKenna for the excellent organization of
this event.
Linda
Wynne
Another successful CaRMs year is behind us. We
are delighted with our match and have some really
interesting characters for you to meet over the
next while. We have 10 new PGY1s starting July 1st
plus 2 FPAs with a 3rd FPA starting in September.
This will be my last newsletter submission as Program
Director. It’s been a great 5 years which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. The memories will be almost always
good, occasionally amusing. I think I grew into the job
OK. Certainly, when I started I knew too little - almost my first act as PD had all the PGY5s that year
threatening to go on strike!!!! That hasn’t happened
since, so I guess I’m capable of learning from my mistakes!
“Thanks again to
everyone who has
made this such a
pleasurable and
educational
experience for
me”
It’s a good time to step down. The first draft of the
National Curriculum is completed. Accreditation is
behind us. The RCPSC Accreditation is a good, if
somewhat nerve-racking process. It’s a 6-year cycle
with Internal reviews every 2 years to check things
are on track leading up to the real thing. Several external accreditors descended on Ottawa and every
postgraduate program was examined from every
direction - Clinical, Research & Education. We were
even given instructions on what snacks/food to provide...Anesthesia is one of the bigger programs now
and had a 2 day accreditation process. Every resident
was interviewed (we even skyped in Chris Pysyk from
New Zealand more successfully than we can sometimes videoconference within the city!) and as many
of the teaching faculty that we could spring from the
O.R. at 10 am in the morning. At the end of the 2
days, we were given a couple of minor things to work
on but otherwise passed with flying colours! I would
be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to thank
Holly Videto for her usual sterling work and everyone
else whose hard work contributes to this program
being as great as it is!
Next came the Winterlude conference combined
with the Residency Program 40th Anniversary cele-
DEPARTMENT
OF
ANESTHESIOLOGY
Making a Mark was its usual success & declared a
great help by all the PGY5s that were there. The
BMO centre in Toronto seems settled as its venue
and it’s an excellent facility. Once again we went to
dinner at Madeline’s to decompress after their grueling written exam/oral exam/lecture program.
We are in the final run-up to the 2nd part of the
“big test”. The writtens are over and never again
will there be an anesthesia resident ignorant of the
7 CanMeds roles after seeing that question 2 years
in a row!
Everyone is asking me what I am going to do next.
Well, for a while I’m going to relax! CAS this year is
in Montreal, which is celebrating both Jazz Festival
and St. Jean-Baptiste Day that weekend. I think that
is an appropriate way to bow out! We will have to
defend the Glottis Cup though I haven’t heard what
the competition is this year. With so much fun stuff
going on in the city, we’ve decided not to have the
big dinner this year.
Of course my traveling will continue unabated - and
I hope to take a month next winter to spend in
Guatemala after this last trip at Christmas/New
Year reminded me how much I love that place...
Thanks again to everyone who has made this such a
pleasurable and educational experience for me. In
particular Homer Yang who has been amazingly
supportive; Paul Bragg, my predecessor and mentor
in all this; The members of team-RPC; Holly Videto
who has been unbelievable help and of course
Lynne McHardy who is keeper of the memory! Also
thanks to Jessica Ladouceur for hounding me till I
actually sat down & wrote this!
I pass the torch to Desiree Persaud confident in the
future.
Linda Wynne
VOLUME
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PAGE
Anesthesiology Trivia
In 1907 _______________ invented the
___________; the first short-term respirator.
This apparatus was initially used to resuscitate
miners. Three years later, this device was used
to save electrocuted and drowned patients.
Shortly after, the rescued patients were named
the __________.
Last Issues Trivia Question was:
Q: The word “anesthesia” was first used in which century and
by whom?
A: The word “anesthesia” was first used by the Greek philosopher Dioscorides in the 1st Century of the current era to
describe the narcotic effects of the plant mandragora (Miller,
Chapter 31. Depth of Anesthesia)
Congratulations to Sandra Bromley for correctly answering
last issues Trivia Question
Thanks to Marie Jo Plamondon for this Issue’s Trivia
From Left to Right: Marie Jo Plamondon, Desiree Persaud, &
Firas Al Qadhi getting snuggly
The first person to send in the correct answer to our Trivia Question will receive a $20
Chapters Gift Card!!
3
PAGE
4
Chief Resident’s Corner
candidates, the spirit your fellow residents and support staff demonstrated was second-to-none; Thanks
to everyone who assisted with the two pub nights,
applicant site tours, information sessions, and other
details throughout the CaRMS process making it such
a success.
Don Miller and
Don Miller
ChrisChris
Pysyk
and
Pysyk
As the academic year comes to a close, I keep
asking myself where that time has gone!
Let’s recap since the last update in the fall…
“With full
accreditation
status granted,
the accreditation
process
reaffirmed how
great our
program is.”
Some great traditions continued again this year:
The residents at the Civic cooked and baked up
a storm for their staff colleagues at the annual
Christmas Lunch. At the General, the staff displayed their fantastic culinary skill by providing a
tasty lunch for the residents.
Carrying on with the festive season, the Civic
Campus Christmas party was well attended and
a great time for staff, residents, and support staff
alike. Joel Berubé and his wife Kristyn graciously hosted the Resident Christmas party at
their home. Good times were had by all…(even
if a certain overseas caller interrupted festivities
for a few minutes;) Thanks to the General Campus staff for their continued support of this
great tradition.
And what would the holiday season be without
the Resident Christmas rounds video presentation…what unearthed talent we have! To those
who participated in that production, thanks for
the laughs!
After the holiday season, the much anticipated
Royal College Accreditation of our Residency
Program occurred in the 2nd week of January
2010. With the full accreditation status granted,
this process reaffirmed how great our program
is. Thanks to everyone for making the effort to
be a part of this vital step in improving and
building upon the greatness we have in Ottawa!
Shortly after accreditation, CaRMS interviews
lasted for nearly a week in early February. To
properly showcase our program and inform
DEPARTMENT
OF
ANESTHESIOLOGY
At the Residency Program Committee (RPC) level,
some changes have occurred during the year. Based
on resident feedback of NICU rotations at the Civic
versus General, it was decided to consolidate all
future resident exposure in NICU to the Civic Special Care Nursery starting in the 2010-2011 academic
year. Though the matters discussed at RPC are important, perhaps the biggest change will be in the
people discussing those matters next year. This is
the end of Dr. Linda Wynne’s term as Program Director; her guidance, support of residents and their
issues throughout her term are beyond description
and accolades. Her impact on the program is farreaching. I want to thank her, on behalf of all residents, for her tireless efforts to make this program
what it is today. Stepping into the role of Program
Director is someone well attuned to the Program,
the residents and their needs: Dr. Desiree Persaud.
We welcome and look forward to Dr. Persaud as the
new Program Director.
Finally, as the snow is gone and the days become
longer, we know what time of year it is…exam
preparation time! After travelling to Scarborough for
“Making A Mark” in early March, our PGY5’s are
diligently preparing the final steps for Royal College
exams in June. We wish them all good luck!
It has been an honor serving as your Chief Resident
for the 2009-2010 academic year. At this time, I
would like to welcome the Resident Representatives
for the 2010-2011 academic year: Marc Doré will be
the CHEO Rep, Alim Punja will be the Senior Resident for the General, and Marie-Jo Plamondon will be
the Chief Resident.
Seeing the unique spirit and feel our program has
amongst residents, staff, and support members, I am
very proud of what we have in Ottawa. Indeed, the
outstanding reputation we have across the country is
befitting; I know we will continue to make it great in
the future!
With warmest regards,
Chris Pysyk, Chief Resident
VOLUME
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ISSUE
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5
Undergrad Report
“….many of
you know
from my
emails that I
have stepped
down from
my role as
Undergraduate Director….”
-Lucie Filteau
The undergraduate program in anesthesia continues to thrive.
We’re seeing 160 U of O students in the 3rd year core rotation
and welcome 50-60 students in 4th year electives, from all over
Canada. This past year, we also accommodated several requests from 1st and 2nd year students for 10-hour elective observerships (arranged with individual staff during their call
shifts). Students overall feel very well received and are gaining
much from their exposure to our specialty. The rotation
evaluations are very positive and reflect this high level of satisfaction.
The University is also benefiting from Anesthesia Department
contributions. We have provided 10 CBL tutors for the 20092010 academic year, across all subject areas. (Stay tuned this
spring for the 2010-2011 tutor recruitment emails!) Alan
Chaput has done a tremendous job in revamping the entire
Pharmacology curriculum at the U of O Medical Program.
We’ll no doubt see the fruits of his labour in future Ottawa
students coming to the O.R. His efforts are being recognized
with a national award, the CAME Certificate of Merit, which
will be given to him in Newfoundland in May. Congratulations
Alan! John Penning and Cathy Smyth have also worked tirelessly to create an entire week dedicated to Pain Education.
This week will take place in the 2nd year curriculum and, after
more than a year of planning, the first launch will be this April.
The Pain CBL tutorial sessions and lectures (both English and
French) for the Pain week will be given almost entirely by Anesthesia residents, fellows and staff. Thank you in advance for
this wonderful and important contribution to medical student
education!
If participating in the above activities seems a bit daunting to
you but you’d like to “dip your toes” into the pool of undergraduate education, consider the OSCEs! Three times
per year, the students undergo Objective Structured Clinical Exams. They go to several stations and are tested on
their ability to take a relevant history or interpret an EKG
or manage chest pain, etc. The University is always looking
for evaluators to score the students (based on an established checklist) and provide feedback. The OSCEs take
place in the evening (scheduled well ahead of time) and
participants are given a stipend for their time. If you’re interested in signing up for one, talk to Julie for more
information.
On the administrative side, Julie Ghatalia has com“Students overall
pleted her Master’s in Education and has been with
us for over a year now. She has done a tremendous
feel very well
job coordinating everything Undergrad and beyond.
She has helped the Department with Winterlude
received and are
planning and many other behind-the-scenes tasks.
She’s also started working with Vern Naik in Medi- gaining much from
cal Education Research at the Simulation Centre.
their exposure to
Her contributions in such a short time have been
substantial and we’re truly fortunate to have her!
our specialty”
In the Fall, a group of medical students got together
to form an Anesthesia Interest Group. This initiative was spearheaded by students Karim Abdulla
and Jupinder Bains. The group occasionally meets to attend
lectures and they maintain an email list to keep informed of
anesthesia events of interest. Anyone interested in doing
anything for this eager group (e.g. a Career Night talk)
should contact Julie.
Finally, many of you know from my emails that I have
stepped down from my role as Undergraduate Director. I’d
like to sincerely thank everyone who has helped me carry
out my duties, especially Homer, Lynne, Simone, Julie, Judy,
France and the many residents who participated in the airway workshop/lecture on the Anesthesia Education Day. I’d
also like to enthusiastically welcome the new Undergraduate Committee: Nikhil Rastogi as the Undergraduate Director, Antoinette Corvo as the Pre-Clerkship Coordinator
and Amy Fraser as the Anesthesia Education Day Coordinator. I’m really excited about this team and am sure that
under Nick’s direction we will see many improvements in
the Undergraduate Program in the years to come!
Cheers,
Lucie Filteau
PAGE
6
“I am very proud of
all the folks putting
Holiday Brunch
Due to the overwhelming responses, the Holiday Brunch December 6, 2009 reached its maximum capacity of
185 people! The Brunch took place at the Centurion Center and kept the kids busy with arts and crafts and
a special jolly visitor.
The event was once again a wonderful opportunity to socialize with colleagues from all the hospitals and see
our kids growing up year after year.
in the effort and
time to make our
Department a
little bit more of a
family”
-Homer Yang
News from CHEO
News from CHEO
Pediatric Investigators Network of Canada
(PINC)
A new national collaboration of investigators for
Pediatric Anesthesia was initiated in November.
Spearheaded by members of the Department at
CHEO, a grant-funded meeting was organized
and attended by 13 anesthesia team members
from across Canada.
Varrin AA. We’ll tell you how we came up with the
group’s name some time at the Rochester!
Phillipp Mossdorf
The outcome of this meeting was the creation of
the Pediatric Investigators Network of Canada
with a mandate to promote excellence and collaboration in Pediatric Anesthesia Research.
There was broad consensus that a national strategy was needed to answer some of the important questions concerning Pediatric Anesthesia.
In attendance from CHEO were Drs. Dermot
Doherty, Philipp Mossdorf, David Rosen and Kim
DEPARTMENT
OF
ANESTHESIOLOGY
Dermot Doherty at the Annual Winterlude
Anesthesia Symposium 2009.
VOLUME
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7
Site Chief Memories
Riverside Site Chief Memories
May 2005 – April 2010
In May 2005 Dr Yang asked me to accept the position of Site
Chief at the Riverside Campus. Dr. Don Wilson was stepping down after six years of guiding the Riverside Anesthesia
staff through the changes associated with the amalgamation
of the three hospitals (Civic, General and Riverside) to form
The Ottawa Hospital. I had been the Chief of Anesthesia at
the Riverside Hospital for seven years (1992-1999) before
the merger, so I did have some inside knowledge about how
the administrative management at the Riverside campus
worked… or at least I thought I did. Needless to say in every
new job there are new things to learn and nothing stays the
same forever.
In the past five years the Anesthesia Services at the Riverside
Campus have gone through a number of changes that in time
have proven to be an improvement in patient care and efficiency. The major factor responsible for the implementation
of these changes was the addition of Anesthesia Assistants to
Department of Anesthesia at The Ottawa Hospital. The Anesthesia Assistant in the OR was the extra trained staff required to allow the regional anesthesia program at the Riverside Campus to function in a time efficient manner. Under
the leadership of Dr. Desiree Persaud and her fellow
“blockheads” (as they are affectingly known) and with the
much needed assistance of the AAs, the regional program has
flourished and is very much appreciated by the Orthopedic
Surgeons and most of all by their patients.
son) and the transient staff from the Civic and the General. I
would also like to express my appreciation for the cooperation
I received in working with the nurse managers of the Operating
Room (Kerry Cook), Eye Care Center (Patty Mitchelmore,
now retired and Jason Hann) and PAU (Carolyn Riley). Also a
special thanks to the working staff (Nurses, RPNs
and Orderlies) of the OR, Litho, ECC, PACU, PAU
and Day Care for providing a high quality patient
“In the past five
care environment that all of us (staff and patients)
truly appreciate.
years the
I have enjoyed my five years as Site Chief at the
Anesthesia Services
Riverside Campus. Thanks to Dr. Yang for his support and ideas, especially in the implementation of
at the Riverside
the AA program. Like most good bosses he works
harder than anybody else. Last but certainly not least Campus have gone
multiple thanks to Judy Dureau (scheduler el suthrough a number
preme) for, without her expertise, we would all be
lost.
of changes…”
There are more big changes coming (electronic
records) which should keep my successor busy for
the first year at least. Looking forward to working at Club Riv
as just another worker bee! See you there.
Robert McBurney
The other area where the Anesthesia Assistants had a major
impact was at the Eye Care Centre. Before their arrival we
had as many as four Anesthesiologists providing anesthesia
services per day for four operating rooms. Today one Anesthesiologist supervises five AAs to provide anesthesia services for the four operating rooms and patient preparation in
the bed bay area. The redeployment of the other three Anesthesiologists to areas where their expertise was more
needed was essential because of the manpower shortage of
Anesthesiologists at that time.
As Site Chief, one is faced with the challenge of change,
whether the change is minor or major, throughout each year.
For the change, no matter what the size, to be successful, the
Site Chief requires the cooperation of his fellow colleagues
and excellent communication with management of the other
health services. Over the past five years I have been fortunate to have that kind of cooperation from the three permanent Anesthesia Staff (Dr. Frost, Dr. Oneschuk and Dr. Wil-
Robert McBurney with his second grandson Jake.
Jake was born January 7, 2010. For photos of his
first grandson turn to page 14!
PAGE
8
Mark Your Calendars….
The Academic Year is drawing to a close, but there a
few more events to watch out for before getting
geared up for summer vacation time:
⇒ May 14, 2010: The 27th Annual Gary Johnson
⇒ May 1—5, 2010: The Canadian Conference on
⇒ May 14, 2010: Year End Dinner and Awards
Postgraduate Research Day, Roger Guindon
Hall, Amphitheater A
Medical Education, St. John’s, Newfoundland
⇒ May 8, 2010: The Acute Pain Service Retreat
Ceremony, National Arts Centre
⇒ June 23, 2010: Last Rounds for the Academic
(Subacute and Chronic Pain Issues), Novotel
Ottawa Hotel
Year
Research & Awards
Denise Wozny was awarded the annual COMPASS award at the COMPASS Award Ceremony
April 2010. Denise was recognized for her dedication and help in keeping the research infrastructure
turning like a well-oiled machine (and getting our
grants in on time). Congratulations Denise!
Congratulations to
all our award
winners and
nominees!
Susan Madden was nominated for the TOH
COMPASS Awards. Her dedicated hard work and
compassion in Pain Management was recognized at
the ceremony.
Homer Yang was selected as one of the top five
2011 Physician Leader Champions by the Physician
Management Institute (PMI) which is the Canadian
Medical Association’s physician leadership development program. He was also chosen to be part of
PMI’s Physician Leadership in Action Campaign.
Alan Chaput was awarded a Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME) Certificate of
Merit Award. This award acknowledges his excellent work in Medical Education and is a national
recognition of his work on pharmacotherapeutics.
He will be recognized at the CAME Annual General
Meeting in St. John’s May 2, 2010.
Faculty of 1000 Medicine for his article “Ultrasound
assessment of the height of the palpated intercristal
line”, published in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia
January 2010.
Abeer Arab was awarded her first peer-reviewed
research grant in December. Her project is entitled
“Simulation Assisted Oral Examination of Anaesthesia
Certification in Canada” and was one of only seven
proposals accepted by the Academy for Innovation in
Medical Education (AIME) for funding. Abeer is the PI
on this multicenter study.
Cathy Smyth and members of the Chronic Pain
Clinic have received funding from the “Audrey and
Dennis Forster Endowment” for Chronic Pain Research. The endowment will be disbursed over the
next 18 months to 2 year In the amount of approx.
$750,000.
J. Earl Wynands recently was awarded another
named lectureship. Wednesday April 28, 2010
marked the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologist (SCA) Foundation’s Inaugural Earl Wynands
Lecture. The lecture was delivered by Michael P.
Grocott, MBBS.
Chris Pysyk was awarded the distinction of one
of the the most important articles published in
DEPARTMENT
OF
ANESTHESIOLOGY
Aloha! Bill Splinter and Naveen Eipe at
the IARS Meeting in Hawaii March 2010
VOLUME
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Changing of the Guards….
Marie-Jo Plamondon will be the new Chief Resident for
the 2010/2011 Academic Year. Alim Punja will be the
new Senior Resident and Assistant Chief. Marc Doré will
be the new CHEO Representative.
Don Miller replaced Bob Elliott as Site Chief at the General Campus March 2010.
Dave Ewing replaced Michael Curran as Site Chief at the
Civic May 2010.
Robert MacNeil took over from Robert McBurney as
Riverside Site Chief May 2010.
Desiree Persaud will be replacing Linda Wynne as Resident Program Director as of July 2010.
Anna Wyand will replace Desiree Persaud as Civic Resident Coordinator July 2010. Ilia Charapov will assist until
January 2011.
Anne Lui will succeed Desiree Persaud as Civic Regional
Director as of July. Anne will be supported by Michelle
Chiu. Caroline Tallmadge will oversee equipment
needs and evaluations.
Sylvain Gagne replaced Greg Bryson as Corporate PAU
Director April 2010.
Alan Chaput succeeded Greg Bryson as the Civic and
Riverside sites’ Medical Director as of April 2010.
Gregory Bryson was appointed Research Director as of
April 2010.
Alumni News
Nuoer Sang sent the Department a quick
update over the winter:
I am working in Beijing. It is very busy. The
weather here is not so cold, but it snowed twice
last month. It is very unusual in Beijing and people
here are very excited. I like snow after coming
back from Ottawa! I took some photos in the
park under my apartment.
I miss you all very much!
Nuoer Sang
Nuoer Sang at home in Beijing.
Nuoer finished his Clinical Fellowship
with our Department May 31, 2009
Nikhil Rastogi has taken on the role of Undergraduate
Director from Lucie Filteau as of January. Antoinette
Corvo is now working on the Department’s involvement
with pre-clerkship activities. Amy Fraser has taken on the
role of coordinating the MS-3 Anesthesia Education Day.
Kimmo Murto has taken on the role of Chair of the Gary
Johnson Resident Research Day. Howard Nathan has
stepped down from this position after 5 years.
Rob Anderson is now Resident Program Director for the
Sudbury program. He took over from Joanne Madden July
2009.
Bernard McDonald has taken over as Medical Director of
CSICU at the Heart Institute. Michael Bourke has stepped
down from this position.
Peter Wilkes took on the role of Head of Cardiac Research in 2009.
Lawrie Garnett will be leaving Anesthesia July 2010 and
will continue to work in Civic ICU.
Our new PGY1’s for the 2010/2011 academic year will be:
Takpal Birdie, Kurt Domuracki, Ashleigh Farrell, Lilia Fung,
Kristine Hales, Yvonne Kaethler, Sarika Mann, Sarah
McIsaac, Chris Mercer, Annie Pang, Steve Tremblay, Richard
Waldorf, Brock Wilson.
9
PAGE
10
Anne Lui
shows off her
musical
prowess
“Each year the
program proves to
be entertaining
and engaging….”
2010 Music Day
The second annual
Music Event hosted
by Homer and
Kristine Yang opened
with a rendition of a
“Hard Day’s Night”
by mystery artists MJ
McCartney and John
Dragon Lennon. Each
year, the program
proves to be entertaining and engaging.
Not only are the
phenomenal musical
talents of many in the
department showcased, but more important, creativity
and collaboration are
highlighted in this activity. Last year we were introduced to Welsh music. This year we heard an ancient Chinese Folk melody arranged for Western
musical instruments. Our Editor in Chief for the CJA
provided some fascinating editorial on Beethoven
Sonatas. Kris’ string ensemble performed a delightful
piece “The Best of ABBA”.
Dr. Nolan (a repeat winner from last year for most
entertaining award) and partner Roberta received
the prize for most original performance singing a
duet named the Coconut Song. MJ won the prize for
most courageous venue of “name that tune” that
generated fierce competition amongst the audience.
MJ co-shared the prize with Dr. Miller for his magnificent interpretation of the Beethoven Sonatas.
The most entertaining prize was awarded to Ruth
Ann Green for her virtuosic performance of the
Chopin’s Grand Valse Brillante.
Music was only part of the event. The food and wine
were outstanding. Kristine, you make the best hors
d’oeuvres, and healthy ones too! Who would have
thought that tofu and bok choy can taste so wonderful with an exotic hint of anise (apparently recipe
passed down from “mama” Yang)? This dish paired
well with the Trius Red. Louise’s smoked salmon
bruschetta disappeared rapidly paired with Sauvignon Blanc or the “Twisted White”.
DEPARTMENT
OF
ANESTHESIOLOGY
Thank you so much Homer and Kris, for another fabulous afternoon.
P.S. I have already received the music for next year’s
piece from Homer. I guess this means I have to start
working on the next event.
Anne Lui
Words from a Resident; MJ:
As highlighted by Dr. Lui, the 2010 music day was a
forthright success, and I just can’t wait for next year’s
edition! I was, without any doubt, amazed by the hidden talents and the camaraderie that was reigning
there. This was true teamwork. The music diversity
was unparalleled, and everyone added a little personal
touch to those masterpieces. My ears’ appetite has
now become gargantuan!
I would like to take this opportunity to invite all staff
members and residents to next year’s edition. No need
to be a musician, and remember that only imagination
can delineate the limits!
This event has now become part of a life long tradition
of the department of Anesthesiology!
Thank you very much everyone for sharing with us and
hoping to SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
MJ McCartney
John Dragon Lennon and MJ McCartney
VOLUME
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Music Day in Pictures
PAGE
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Winterlude Report
Our Annual Winterlude Anesthesia Symposium saw a record number of participants this year with 203 registrants!
We had an excellent array of speakers presenting on the spectrum of perioperative challenges and controversies
encountered by clinicians.
Dr. Victor Neira leading the Vascular Access in Adults
and Children Workshop
Linda Duxbury delivers the J. Earl Wynands Royal College
Lecture: Dealing with Boiled Frogs
Dr. Abeer Arab demonstrates neonatal and pediatric
resuscitation in the Code Neonate workshop
Dr. Patti Murphy discussing helpful hints for the Royal
College Exam in the afternoon PBL session
Dr. Greg Bryson’s talk: Neurocognitive Outcomes Related to Anesthesia and Geriatric Anesthesia
Left to right: Diana Noseworthy, Sandra Bromley, Natalie
Clavel, Rebecca Moga, and MJ Plamondon
DEPARTMENT
OF
ANESTHESIOLOGY
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40th Anniversary Report
that has been the key element in developing the Anesthesiology Program at the University of Ottawa to its current
status as the best in Canada.
Dr. Gary Johnson next to the 40th Anniversary Ice Sculpture
Winterlude presented us with an ideal opportunity to celebrate the
40th Anniversary of the University of Ottawa Anesthesiology Training Program. At the beginning of our fifth decade, it was the perfect
moment to take a look back not only at the program’s evolution
over the years, but also at the accomplishments of the many individuals who have made the program what it is today.
We enjoyed excellent representation from colleagues from the
National Capital area (active and retired) as well as visiting alumni
from our program. Conference attendees were also welcome,
giving them a “behind the scenes” look at the University of Ottawa’s Department of Anesthesiology and its residency training
program.
An upscale cocktail party Saturday evening turned out to be the
perfect way to optimize mingling and promote an easy flow of conversation. Epicurean stations were set up in the reception hall,
which was decorated with an impressive ice sculpture, in keeping
with the Winterlude theme. Fittingly, the sculpture depicted an
enormous number “40”; it was the brainchild of Mrs. Lynne
McHardy. As usual, Lynne and her staff were central to the organization of the event and we owe them all a debt of gratitude for the
well attended and entertaining evening.
People mingled & reminisced to a variety of music from our string
quartet. From Jazz to classical, there was something to suit everyone’s taste.
We had an opportunity to hear from our Department Head, Dr.
Homer Yang, our current program director, Dr. Linda Wynne as
well as the program’s first Director, the indomitable Dr. Gary Johnson. Dr. Johnson spoke of our Faculty’s commitment throughout
the program’s 40 year history, reminding us of its humble beginnings and the many challenges of the early years. Throughout our
history, it has always been the selection of outstanding residents
CEO of The Ottawa Hospital and program alumnus, Dr.
Jack Kitts, also addressed the audience in his trademark
motivational style. Dr. Kitts reemphasized the pivotal role
of resident and staff selection as the foundation for excellence in our program. He also reminded us how, over the
past 20 years, anesthesiologists have successfully extended
their field of expertise outside the operating room, developing areas such as Acute Pain Management, Preoperative
Assessment and Perioperative Medicine to name a few.
Anesthesiology in Ottawa has the potential to be a major
contributor to the future of Health Care in Canada. We
are all urged to be part of it.
Thanks to the generosity and sponsorship of
our current Chair and Program Director, we
were able to mark the 40th Anniversary Celebration with a $ 5000 donation to Operation
Smile, an organization that has been the focus
of alumnus, Dr. Wayne Barry’s humanitarian
work over the past several years. Dr. Barry
spoke of his experience with the project and
his images of patients in developing countries
whose lives were changed with the simple
correction of a facial deformity. His talk left
a lasting impression on all those attending.
Several of Ottawa’s residents have participated in Medical Missions with Dr. Barry &
Operation Smile; the rewards of such an
experience could also be seen through their
eyes and in their smiles.
“ The Department
would like to
extend a heartfelt
thank you to
Jocelyn McKenna
for chairing this
event and working
tirelessly. Thank
you to Geraint
Lewis as well”
The formal part of the evening concluded
-Dr. Yang“”
with a few words from another alumnus,
past Program Director and current ViceDean of Postgraduate Education at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Paul Bragg. In his inimitable style, Dr. Bragg reminded us of the human side of anesthesia education: the
collegiality and traditions that have also been a trademark of
the Ottawa Program.
Finally, door prizes were awarded to several lucky attendees: Registration to Winterlude 2011 was won by Dr.
May Peng. A Prince Edward County Week-end Getaway
was won by Dr. MJ Plamondon who gave it to Holly Videto
in recognition of all of her hard work. “Anesthesia and
Coexisting Disease” by Stoelting was won by Dr. Marie Jo
Plamondon.
(continued on page16)
PAGE
14
Announcements & Babies!
Congratulations
on all the new
additions!
Justine Burnie married Matthew McNeely September 19,
2009.
Alec was born to Dr. Igor Andonov and Vicki September 28, 2009. His sister Matea is all smiles.
Dr. Tom Polis
and Zaneta
welcomed
Adam Christopher April 22,
2010
DEPARTMENT
OF
ANESTHESIOLOGY
Dr. Shawn Hicks and Allyson welcomed Simon Shawn
William Hicks on September 16, 2009.
Dr. Robert McBurney and Lynda holding their first
grandchild. Jack was born December 31, 2009.
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More Babies!
Dr. Anna Wyand and Martin welcomed Béatrice Claire Wyand
Kreuser March 30, 2010 at 02:54am.
Dr. Dan McIsaac and Laura welcomed their first son, Aden, born
November 27, 2009. Dan extends a big thanks to Nat Clavel for
her slick epidural.
Dr. David Goulet and Tiffany welcomed twins Chloe and Abby in
March 20, 2010.
Dr. Marc Dore and Caroline welcomed their first baby boy, Colin,
November 13, 2009. He was just over 37 weeks gestation, and
mom delivered with only 9 minutes of pushing!!
Dr. Andy Roberts and Roya welcomed their daughter Poppy Anne
Inez Roberts October 6, 2009.
Drs. Tania Di Renna and Nicolas Guay are proud to introduce
Rosabelle Celine Guay born September 29, 2009.
PAGE
16
Anesthesia Assistant Corner
These past few months have been both busy and
productive for the AA team. Kristin, Carrie, and I
have completed our Anesthesia Assistant program
through The Michener Institute in Toronto, bringing
the number of fully trained staff to 6. Although we
had some great times travelling together, I'm sure
both Carrie and Kris would agree that it's a relief to
be finished!
Algonquin College has now completed its first session
of their new AA program, and 9 of our staff were
enrolled this semester: Erin, Paul, Lucie, Manon, Elise,
Christine, Mohammed, Marie-Eve, and Genevieve. At
the time of this article, they had written their final
exam and were awaiting the start of their clinical
phase. To ensure adequate staffing coverage at all
campuses, two students will enter clinical at a time,
which means it will take approximately 18 months to
have our entire team fully trained.
An exciting trip to the Olympics for both Paula and I
took place in February. We served on the Health
Emergency Response Team (HERT) through the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). We were assigned to the Mobile Medical Unit that was set up at
Whistler. Our unit was a GE custom built transport
truck and trailer with trauma and surgical capabilities,
and our mandate was to provide care to the Olympians, Paralympians, and their family members while on
site for the games. Paula was assigned to the team in
place from February 11 to February 22, and I was
assigned to February 20 to March 2. We are exceptionally proud to be two of only five RT/AAs chosen
from across Canada to participate, and will hopefully
be able to regale you all with great stories and photos
now that we are home!
Ivanette Stubbert
Staff Appreciation Luncheon
The Civic Staff Appreciation Luncheon 2009
was a real success with dishes from around
the world prepared by our fabulous residents. Thank you to all the phenomenal
residents/cooks!
Right: MJ
Plamondon
serves.
Left: Anne Lui
and Susan
Goheen enjoying the
cuisine
40th Anniversary Report (con’t)
Finally, several U of O commemorative coffee mugs, filled
with goodies, were awarded to the most “energetic”
participants. Throughout the evening, a slide show with
an amazing collection of photos from our past was displayed and brought back many fond memories. I would
like to thank all those who shared their photos and
memories with us. In particular, Lynne McHardy for her
resourcefulness in finding photos in the most unusual
locations, Traci Laperriere R.N.A. for sharing her impresDEPARTMENT
OF
ANESTHESIOLOGY
sive collection of Riverside staff photos and Joel
Richard for his aptitude with the scanner.
Special mention is reserved for Dr. Lucie Filteau
whose massive (over 1400) photographic registry of
departmental social events: baby showers, retirement dinners, CAS meetings, alumni dinners etc.
formed the backbone of the show.
Jocelyne McKenna
VOLUME
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Mentor Event: Aerial Adventures
September 19, 2009 turned out to be a glorious sunny day when the mentors and mentees converged at the Camp Fortune Aerial Park for the annual ice-breaking getting-to-know-you event. This much anticipated event was met with controversy, testing the physical and mental agility of the participants.
When the Mentor Program Director clamored up the tree and first appreciated the obstacle ahead of her, a little speech
bubble popped above her head:
The course has its analogies with residents coping with the challenges of Anesthesia: the technical challenges, the fear of the
unknown, the mind over matter that facilitates success, the discipline that keeps you
safe, and the learning curve that starts at
what appears impossible but is possible with
practice. All this plus the sense of team support,
camaraderie, fresh air and healthy outdoor fun.
over matter
OMG ! Which
#@*$ nut bar
came up with this
that facilitates
success; the
discipline that
keeps you
No wonder everyone arrived at the finish with ear to ear smiles, a great sense of accomplishment and charged with renewed energy. Now that the motor cortex and cerebellum have been stimulated, next year’s ice-breaker event will involve a more sensibly sedate theme involving the olfactory and gustatory senses. And don’t forget the annual Music Event:
Homer has been practicing since September!
Anne Lui
Chairman’s Report (continued)
These are all steps to help orient residents as teachers of
medical students.
We have been saying for a long time that our specialty
should play a key role in the teaching of pain management at the Medical School. One ought to be careful in
what one wishes for. John Penning was asked to lead the
pain curriculum development as part of curriculum reform at the Medical School. Now the Pain Block is
viewed as primarily anesthesia, and we are asked to field
a number of lecturers and tutors for the “Pain Week”,
April 19th & 22nd. John Penning and Julie Ghatalia have
been working very hard in organizing this. With the support of the residents and fellows, as well as consultants
from the Heart Institute, Civic, General, CHEO, and
Monfort, I was just informed by Julie that the lecture and
tutorial slots have all been filled. The tutor training will
occur in early April. This is truly a system-wide effort
with great cooperation from all quarters in the system. I
would like to congratulate John Penning, Cathy Smyth,
and Julie Ghatalia for their hard work in organizing this,
and thank many others who have agreed to help out in
making this possible.
Our Department has been receiving its share of awards,
“….the mind
both locally and nationally. Since these awards are highlighted elsewhere in the Newsletter, I won’t repeat them
here, except to express our pride and felicitations to all
those who have deservedly won such awards.
On that note, I look forward to seeing everyone at the
Gary Johnson Day!
Homer Yang
Anesthesia’s 2009 Graduating Class
safe…”
A Word from the Editor
A Word from the Editor
SUBMIT, SUBMIT, SUBMIT!!!
Please send any submissions to:
University of Ottawa
Department of Anesthesiology
The Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus
1053 Carling Avenue, Box 249C
Ottawa, ON K1Y 4E9
Phone: 613-798-5555 ext. 17886
Fax: 613-761-5209
Email: jghatalia@toh.on.ca
I hope you enjoyed this season’s Newsletter! Thank you
once again to all those that have contributed.
As you may have noticed, the theme of this Newsletter is
CHANGE….and lots of it. There have been so many
changes over the past few months, and I think its important to take a moment to reflect on where we’ve been as a
Department and where we are going. I want to reiterate
the thanks that has been expressed for those that are
stepping down or moving on. We certainly look forward
to the changes that those stepping into positions will bring
with them.
In fact, in keeping with the “changes” theme, I would also
like to announce I am giving up my role as Newsletter
Editor. This will be my last edition and I will be passing the
job on to a very able Julie Ghatalia. So you can expect to
see emails from Julie looking for news in the
near future. Thank you Julie!
The Department of Anesthesiology Newsletter will
continue to be published 3 times per year: Fall,
Winter/Spring and Summer. Send your
photos, events, news, etc anytime!
We’re on the Web
www.anesthesiology.org
Admin Update
There are a few changes to report in terms of Administration:
Tara Nabi joined us as Administrative Assistant to Dr. Homer
Yang. Tara worked as a Parliamentary Assistant from the office
of the Honourable Bev Oda, PC, MP before joining us here.
Lisa Charrette joined us as our CME & Education Program
Administrative Assistant. Lisa joins us from MD Management.
Joel Richard is now working as a Scheduling Assitant helping both Judy and France with the new
Scheduling Program.
In other news:
Joel Richard is now playing for the Ottawa Fat
Cats Semi Pro baseball team.
The 2nd Annual Anesthesia Support Staff
Retreat was held March 18, 2010 at the Novotel
Ottawa. We concluded the day on a lighter note
with a “Personalities Colours Test”. Lynne, Francine, Justine, Carrie and Holly were Blues. Judy, Jennifer, Tara,
Angie, and France were Golds. Lisa and Julie were Oranges, and
Jessica was the only Green. Thank you once again to the Department for allowing us to hold this informative meeting.
Jessica Ladouceur
Summer Contributors
I would like to thank the numerous contributors who have once
again made this newsletter happen. Your time and talent is much
appreciated. Please forgive me if I have missed anyone of the many
contributors.
Our contributors include: Homer Yang, Linda Wynne, Chris Pysyk,
Robert McBurney, Anne Lui, Ivannette Stubbert, Jocelyne McKenna
and Marie Jo Plamondon, who all submitted reports
for this publication.
A special thanks is extended to Marie Jo Plamondon
for taking on the Trivia section on rather short notice. She certainly pulled through for me.
I would also like to thank the following individuals for
sending me emails, news and photos: Michelle Chiu,
Phillip Mossdorf, Nuoer Sang, and many of the staff
members and resident contributed news of new
additions to the family, engagements and marriages.
Congratulations and thank you!
A big thank you to Lynne McHardy and Holly Videto who diligently
forwarded me all sorts of emails that form the backbone of this
issue. Most importantly, thank you once again to Lucie Filteau for
the photos, advice and support. This newsletter would be impossible without their constant support. So thank you ladies.
Jessica Ladouceur