February 2022 News

The Radiation Oncology Training program has been working hard increasing our digital footprint in an effort to not only showcase our program but also to attract the brightest and best candidates to join our program during these virtual times. Through the efforts of our team, we have improved the website and more recently created an information video which will be added to the website. I am happy to share with you the result of this hard work. A special thanks to those who volunteered their weekend time to cameo in the video (residents, ROs, GPOs i.e Reena, physicists, therapists, clerks, etc). For more information, it can be found on our University website.

We would like to welcome Jennifer Campbell who is joining the Radiation Oncology team as Administrative Assistant. She will be primary Admin for Dr. Marc Gaudet and shared admin for Dr Michel Fung-Kee-Fung. Jennifer, (Jenn) Campbell is joining us from the Private Sector, she is an Administrative Manager with a decade of successful experience in managing all levels of Executives. Jenn is looking forward to starting her career with the Ottawa Hospital, and she loves helping others. Outside of work Jenn enjoys golf, snowshoeing, spending time with her family and friends when possible and loves watching her sons races at the Canadian Superbike Races across Canada.

February is dedicated as Black History Month to honour the culture and impact of Black Canadians. Every February we reflect on and celebrate the legacy and contributions of Black leaders, innovators, and change makers, and recognize their central role in Canadian history. While we have a dedicated month, celebrating Black history shouldn’t be limited to February. This year’s theme, February and Forever: Celebrating Black History Today and Every Day, reminds us of the importance of promoting and celebrating Black history throughout the year.

Studying Black history year-round provides context for how we got to where we are today and a deeper understanding of issues, injustice, and resilience, and removes barriers by showing us how we are alike. We connect to the human stories that led to progress, like the story of Dr. Ethelbert Bartholomew, a Trinidadian man, who in 1918 was forced to withdraw in his fourth year at Queen’s University for being Black. This action was in line with the discriminatory policies at the time of the American Medical Association (AMA), the organization that ranked medical schools in North America. While the AMA had no control over the policies of Canadian medical schools, the rankings influenced funding decisions. When a group of Black doctors sought membership in the AMA, they were repeatedly denied admission. Subsequently, the National Medical Association in the US was created for Black doctors and health professionals who found it necessary to establish their own medical societies and hospitals. Queen’s University has publicly apologized for its past racist policy, which remained in effect until 1965, and has posthumously conferred a Doctor of Medicine Degree to Dr. Bartholomew.

There are many ways for us to learn about the history and stories of Black Canadians and how they have helped to shape the diverse province and country we live in today. A good first step is to watch the video messages from Deputy Solicitor General Mario Di Tommaso and Deputy Solicitor General Karen Ellis on the Ministry of the Solicitor General’s website. The website directs you to various resources, including upcoming Ontario Public Service-led events and learning opportunities.

See more information and resources about Black History Month.

Dr. Sony Singh and Dr. Richard Aviv IFPOC funding approval!
Friday, January 14, 2022

We would like to congratulate Dr. Sony Singh and Dr. Richard Aviv on their recent funding approval! TOHAMO is pleased to inform you that your project entitled “Artificial Intelligence Applied to Three-Dimensional (3D) Rendered Models from MR Imaging: Optimizing Preoperative Planning & Surgical Outcomes in Patients with Uterine Fibroids” has received final approval for funding by the Innovation Fund Provincial Oversight Committee (IFPOC). The grant is for $99,545.

New Record Registration at 12th Annual Ottawa Radiology Review!
Thursday, February 10, 2022
 

Record registration and attendee reach achieved at the 12th Annual Ottawa Radiology Review Course which was held on February 13-18. We hosted attendees from North America, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Nabila, South Africa and Australia! This course provided a week-long broad spectrum review of radiological sub-specialties for radiologists and residents in preparation for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada licensing exam in Diagnostic Radiology. We would like to thank all speakers, moderators, and examiners for their time and efforts.

Message from Department of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics
Friday, February 25, 2022

Message from the Chair

Dear Colleagues,

I’m delighted to announce that after stakeholder engagement, and discussions at University, divisional and sectional level the University Department (formerly known as the Department of Radiology- hope some of you oldies get the musical reference) has been given the green light to rebrand as the Department of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics. You will recall that through our strategic planning exercise it emerged that their was a perception that the prior title did not address all constituents of the Department. The name change is more than symbolic and represents a genuine move towards inclusivity that I hope will be reinforced over the coming years. Within the University Department, we have the existing Departments of Medical Imaging (or radiology depending on the institution) TOH, CHEO and Montfort, the Division of Radiation oncology and Medical Physics. I hope that you will proudly embrace the new title when presenting atconferences or publishing.

Writing of changes, I wanted to wish Amanda Barqueiro all the best as she transitions to a position at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. I’m certain that every member of the Department has benefitted from Amanda’s encyclopedic institutional knowledge, her IT solving abilities, her excellent organization and perpetual desire to assist. I hope each of you will take the time to send Amanda a short note expressing your gratitude to her for the 9 years of service to the Department. Many thanks Amanda!

We have recently completed the 12th Annual Ottawa Radiology Review Course which had record attendances this year on our new EventsAIR platform. As expected, a high quality curriculum was seamlessly delivered again this year. A big thank you to Vanessa Manning and Alvy Catap from our CME team for their outstanding management of the course, both prior to and during the course. Thanks to co-course directors Drs. Andrew Scott-Moncrieff, Zaid Jibri and Akshat Gotra and to section leads Drs. Steve Ryan, Nader Zakhari, Marcos Sampaio, Elena Pena, Nishard Abdeen, Demetri Papadatos and Jackie Lau. My gratitude extends also to the many contributors to the Mock oral and ORCE examinations and hot seats.

We are expanding our on demand CME content within the broader Department and I have spoken with many of you already inviting you to record any talks you give at any events/ conferences and send to our CME office for consideration of inclusion into the on demand content. I welcome any members of the Department who wish to glean and synthesize content as course directors. This will provide an opportunity to gain national and international recognition for course creation and educational leadership, critical for promotion to Associate and Full Professor level. Please speak with the CME team, ottawaradcme@toh.ca, for any ideas you may have. Lastly, I would like to invite contributions to the “Friday thought” email that I try circulating weekly. These should be reflective, inspirational and strategically aligned. We have many talented individuals in our Department and it would be great to hear from you. These can be sent directly to me.

Regards,
Richard

Welcoming MSK radiologist Dr. Dyan Flores
Monday, February 28, 2022

Congratulations, Dr. Dyan Flores, MSK Advanced Fellow, has officially completed her fellowship (Sept 2021-Feb 28, 2022). We welcome Dr. Flores as our newest member of the Musculoskeletal Imaging Section.