Going global

CLUING IN ON OBESITY • EAST MEETS WEST TO HEAL • SAFETY AFTER SURGERY

jgh.ca

Jewish General Hospital Volume 48, no. 2

Summer 2012

Going global Playing a role on the world stage as a member of Quebec’s healthcare team

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Goldman Herzl Family Practice Centre 1912 - 2012 JGH News

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F irst P erson S ingular

Dedicated to helping the elderly live not just longer, but better Honour your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land your G-d is giving you. — fifth of the Ten Commandments I find it curious that I’m clinical, research and teaching sometimes asked not just why I responsibilities of the Division entered Geriatrics, but what Geof Geriatric Medicine had inriatrics is. I’ve even come across creased significantly under Drs. articles in medical journals by Clarfield and Howard Bergman. geriatricians who were asked This brings us to the “what” these same questions. of Geriatrics: Our patients’ avFirst, the “why”: I had a erage age has risen to 85. Most very close relationship with have several chronic illnesses, my maternal grandfather, who plus cognitive impairment and lived with us. Among my earcomplex social difficulties. As liest childhood memories are the Baby Boomers age in North him taking me and my brother Dr. Ruby Friedman America, life expectancy is near to Pratt Park and to synagogue. He was a 80, but many live longer with a good quality butcher, and on Sundays my father drove us of life. Half a century ago, 60 was considered around Outremont so my grandfather could old, but now many people stay active and collect payments from his clients. “youthful” into their 70s and beyond. As he got older, my grandfather became That’s why our Division has grown from frailer; our roles reversed and we helped him four beds on 8 West to an “elderly-friendly”, walk with a cane to synagogue. When his multi-disciplinary, 32-bed teaching unit on 6 vision weakened, I held the prayer book to North West. The Geriatric Assessment Unit, his eyes. Eventually, he was confined to our Memory Clinic and Senior Oncology Clinic home, but my mother refused to transfer see more than 2,000 out-patients a year. The him to a long-term care facility. Instead, she Geriatric Consult Team, with a daily presarranged for home visits by Drs. Danny Ber- ence in Emergency and all hospital wards, covitch and Harold Pomerantz, and this left sees over 2,500 patients annually. Our Dia lasting impression on me. vision also conducts internationally recogFast-forward to 1982. Having completed nized research. Yet, Quebec still has fewer medical school at McGill University, I began than 60 geriatricians leading academic and my residency at the Jewish General Hospi- scientific development. tal and was very fortunate to have Drs. Mark From Biblical times to the present, the imClarfield and Rubin Becker—co-founders portance of caring for our vulnerable elders of the Division of Geriatrics—as teach- has been re-emphasized. As Mahatma Ganers and role models. In pursuing my inter- dhi, Pope John Paul II, Winston Churchill est in managing multiple illnesses in the and others have noted, a civilization is meaelderly, I discovered I enjoyed working in a sured by the treatment of its weakest memmulti-disciplinary team with nurses, physio- bers. Their wish is expressed in Psalms 71:9: therapists, occupational therapists and social “Do not cast me away when I am old; do workers—common today, but innovative not forsake me when my strength fails.” We back then. Finally, in 1985, after finishing my in health care want to make that wish come training at Toronto’s Baycrest geriatric cen- true. While we may not always be able to tre, I joined the JGH. By the early ’90s, the cure, we must never forget to care.

Dr. Ruby Friedman Site Director Division of Geriatric Medicine

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Care for all.



JGH NEWS

Summer 2012 Published by: SIR MORTIMER B. DAVIS JEWISH GENERAL HOSPITAL Department of Public Affairs and Communications [email protected] President: Rick Dubrovsky Executive Director: Dr. Hartley Stern Director of Public Affairs & Communications: Glenn J. Nashen Editor: Henry Mietkiewicz Contributors: Astrid Morin Dana Frank Megan Martin Stephanie Malley Amanda Starnino Tod Hoffman Pascal Fischer Mindy Salomon Graphic design: Christine Lalonde Translation: Louise Trépanier Printer: TLC Global Impression Photography: JGH Audio-Visual Services To receive JGH News by mail, please see page 14. Publications Mail Agreement #40062499 Return undeliverable mail with Canadian addresses to: Jewish General Hospital 3755 Côte Ste-Catherine Road, A-107 Montreal, Quebec H3T 1E2 Tel.: 514-340-8222

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A McGill University Teaching Hospital

Contents

Second Place 2012

Among Canada’s top hospital magazines Awarded by the HCPRA

Cover Stories Going global on Quebec’s healthcare team Middle Eastern medicine 8

JGH’s surgical expertise 10

CEOs tour Israeli hospitals

The world comes calling

In the international spotlight 8

Diplomatic doctor 12

JGH leaders on global groups

Medicine conquers politics

Out of Africa 9

Eye on glaucoma 14

A tale of two nurses

JGH’s sought-after DVD

High marks in health care 4

Online problem-solver 17

JGH commended for quality

Hope & Cope joins Virtual Hospice

New Director of Nursing 4

Safety after surgery 21

Johanne Boileau welcomes challenges

Reducing urinary infections

Integrated therapies 15

The Weekend and the Ride 24

East meets West to heal

Volunteers keep everyone on track

Features

Johanne Boileau

Of Special Interest Exercise in Endocrinology 16

Familiar Faces Newsmakers 18

Drawing aim on diabetes

Survey says… 20 Rating Psychosocial Oncology

Skinny mouse’s secret 22 Cluing in on obesity

Auxiliary report 26 Foundation report 29 The big picture 35

To your health 28 For immortals only

JGH News

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News checkup JGH warmly praised for commitment to safety

The JGH has been commended by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute for its pace-setting initiative to publicly disclose data about adverse events that occur in the hospital. In a letter earlier this year to JGH Executive Director Dr. Hartley Stern, the Institute’s CEO, Hugh MacLeod, said the Jewish General Hospital “has set a new standard for transparency and accountability that will demonstrate to other healthcare organizations in Canada how to follow your example.” Information on adverse events—i.e., incidents (where patients’ health is unaffected) and accidents (where patients are injured or may require an unplanned intervention)—first appeared on the hospital’s website late last year. Also online at jgh.ca/en/ qualityindicators is data on other aspects of the JGH’s performance, each of which is known as a Quality Indicator. Last summer, the JGH became the first hospital in Quebec to post this type of information on the internet. “We congratulate you!” said Mr. MacLeod, whose non-profit Institute works with healthcare institutions across the country to improve patient safety and the quality of care. “Reporting patient safety incidents publicly is a great initiative by your hospital. We know that no one goes to work in the morning to intentionally harm patients, but patient safety incidents do happen. That is why by sharing these incidents, healthcare providers, patients and families can learn from the experience of others to ensure that those same patient safety incidents to not occur.” In his reply to Mr. MacLeod, Dr. Stern noted that the hospital’s Board of Directors and Senior Management Team “deserve great credit for the courage of their convictions in contributing to the safety of patients in Montreal, Quebec and Canada.”

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New Director of Nursing welcomes fresh challenges After dedicating her entire 30-year career to the Jewish General Hospital, Johanne Boileau says her recent appointment as Director of Nursing feels like the fulfillment of a dream. “I’m very excited about this new phase in my career and the opportunity to continue to contribute to the JGH, which has been such a huge part of my life for decades,” Ms. Boileau says. “I have such passion for this hospital and the care that we provide to our patients. I’m looking forward to new challenges and to bringing all of my experience to this new phase of my life in Johanne Boileau helping to guide the hospital into the future.” That sense of anticipation is also felt by Dr. Hartley Stern, JGH Executive Director, who has praised Ms. Boileau for “her many years of experience at the JGH, combined with her extraordinary passion, nursing skills and leadership abilities. They will ensure the continued success of the Department of Nursing and the high quality of care that the nursing staff provides to our patients.” Ms. Boileau began her career at the JGH in 1982 with bedside care in Neurology, Dialysis and Intensive Care. Her passion for higher education prompted her to return to school while working full-time, culminating in a Master’s degree in 1992. A strong interest in finance also motivated her to manage the finances of the Department of Nursing. After six years as Head Nurse in Dialysis and the ICU, Ms. Boileau became Associate Director of Nursing for Cardiology and Critical Care in 2006. In that role, she worked intensively on plans for the transition to Pavilion K, the ultramodern critical-care wing that is now under construction. She is involved in many provincial committees and projects at the ministerial level. In recognition of her achievements, Ms. Boileau received the JGH Award for Excellence in Nursing at the hospital’s Annual General Meeting last fall.

In working with all levels of government to strengthen the public healthcare system, Dr. Hartley Stern, JGH Executive Director, regularly meets with political leaders from across Quebec and Canada. On March 20, he welcomed Isabelle Morin, Member of Parliament for Notre-Damede-Grâce–Lachine. While Ms. Morin and other visitors may sometimes be personally familiar with the JGH, their visit is often their first opportunity to meet in an official capacity with senior hospital administrators and members of the Board of Directors. Since health issues have such wide social repercussions, the visits to the JGH involve a broad cross-section of dignitaries and not just those at the provincial level, which has primary responsibility for health care.

It’sCare my for hospital! all.

Facelift on the way for Légaré Street

$4 million grant for study on improvements to care

Légaré Street is scheduled to get a facelift this summer in connection with the construction of Pavilion K, the Jewish General Hospital’s new criticalcare wing. Before Légaré is reopened to through traffic, the City of Montreal will repave the street, pour cement for new sidewalks on both sides, and install new lampposts. This may temporarily affect access to the hospital’s Légaré entrance. For the latest During the spring, construction continued on the tunnel beinformation, please check neath Légaré Street and the underground parking garage for online at jgh.ca before vis- Pavilion K. In the background is the JGH Institute for Community and Family Psychiatry. iting the hospital. Pavilion K was on the agenda on March 30 at the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, where updates were featured on a variety of mega-construction projects in the private and public sectors across the city. Presenting an overview of Pavilion K to business and political leaders, including Mayor Gérald Tremblay, were Dr. Hartley Stern, JGH Executive Director, and Philippe Castiel, JGH Director of Planning and Real Estate Development.

Grants totalling $4 million have been awarded to the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the JGH for a research project to determine how critical services can be delivered as efficiently and effectively as possible to patients with multiple chronic illnesses and cancer. Support is provided by the Quebec Research Fund-Health Care, the Rossy Foundation and the LDI. The project is being conducted in collaboration with Transformational Change, a multi-year, hospital-wide program in which staff are trained to streamline their activities and trim waste by identifying and correcting inefficiencies. Findings from the study will also be used to improve care for other types of patients, including the elderly, and to enable the hospital to respond more nimbly to patients’ changing needs and conditions. “This award is extremely important, since it links the Segal Cancer Centre and the JGH with the Rossy Cancer Network, a major, new program that focuses on the quality of cancer care in McGill University-affiliated hospitals,” says Dr. Gerald Batist, who is Director of the Segal Cancer Centre at the JGH, Chief of Oncology and Deputy Director of the LDI. “Ultimately, it is tremendous news for patients who will benefit from the knowledge we gain and the resulting improvements in care.” Researchers from McGill, the University of Montreal, the University of Public Administration and the Rossy Foundation will be led jointly by Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, JGH Chief of Surgical Services and Director of Transformational Change, and by Dr. François Béland, a member of the Transformational Change Steering Committee and a tenured Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montreal. “Since health care is so dynamic, it’s essential that we evaluate how to enhance our operations while ensuring that patients receive the best care,” says Dr. Rosenberg. Dr. Roderick McInnes, Director of the LDI adds that this research “cuts to the very heart of how best to deliver health care to patients at a time when treatments are increasingly sophisticated and expensive, while resources are limited.”

Greater teamwork urged for ethical issues Just as multi-disciplinary ments in medicine in the healthcare teamwork is last several decades that gaining acceptance in more codes of ethics just weren’t hospitals, multi-disciplinkeeping pace,” Rabbi Afilaary ethical teamwork is fast lo said. “This includes issues becoming a similar necessuch as organ transplant sity, Rabbi Raphael Afilalo technology, cloning, stemtold an audience at a Febcell research and new reruary symposium on Jewproductive measures; all ish medical ethics. of these areas of medicine “Modern medical ethics bring up ethical questions require a multi-disciplinary that need to be addressed.” Rabbi Raphael Afilalo tends approach involving phi- to a patient’s spiritual needs. In addition, changes in losophy, religion, law, social the physician-patient dybehaviour and psychology,” said Raphael namic have had to be re-evaluated by Afilalo, JGH Director of Pastoral Services medical ethicists, he said. “For example, and organizer of the symposium. The patients having the right to ask for a cerday-long event at the Gelber Conference tain treatment or refuse another one are Centre was geared toward physicians, relatively new concepts in medicine, and nurses and healthcare professionals, as ethical codes have had to be constructed well as lawyers, clergy and the public. to reflect these changing rights.” “There have been so many develop-

JGH News

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N e w sc h e c k up I.T. update: Finding relief in an Oacis Consider this dilemma: An Emergency physician approaches a patient and asks why he’s in the hospital. The patient replies, “If you want the best explanation, look at my chart.” But the chart isn’t on hand. So where exactly is it? And who was the last person to use it?

These questions are becoming a thing of the past thanks to Oacis, an electronic medical record that has been piloted in the Emergency and Family Medicine Departments, and will be deployed throughout the hospital over the next several years. It is also in use at several other healthcare institutions in Montreal. Oacis centralizes all hospital systems, including lab results, X-ray imaging and orders for medications. “It presents a global view of each patient and their various treatments, making it easier for healthcare professionals to quickly find the information they need,” says Louise Tanguay, Chief of Medical Records. “Abnormal test results will be flagged, notifications and alerts will be sent when new results are available, and the status of ordered tests can be tracked over time,” says Dr. Stephen Rosenthal, Director of Information Services and a physician in the Emergency Department. “Each healthcare professional with access to the system

In the Emergency Department, Dr. Stephen Rosenthal demonstrates the new electronic medical record.

will also be able to customize the program, create lists and track their own patients or units.” The program, to be used by physicians, nurses and multidisciplinary professionals, will be available on various mobile devices, such as iPhones, iPads and mobile carts equipped with touch screens or laptops. It is also tied into the Chartmaxx system, which has digitized decades of old paper medical records. “Oacis is a wonderful, integrated system whose compatibility with mobile technology will make us even more efficient and give us more time at the patient’s bedside,” says Dr. Alan Azuelos, a physician in the Emergency Department. “Since we will no longer have to bring a physical chart to the bedside, it will be very important for us to have mobile devices, so that we can get information when and where we need it,” adds Dr. Rosenthal. “This is just the beginning of a very exciting journey.”

Cancer researchers exchange insights To further strengthen collaboration in McGill University’s premier cancer research hubs, the Segal Cancer Centre at the JGH and McGill’s Goodman Cancer Research Centre joined forces to organize a conference in April in the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the

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JGH to highlight their ongoing work. Insights were shared with scientists, oncologists and students by Dr. Michael Pollak and Dr. William Foulkes of the LDI and Dr. Nahum Sonenberg and Dr. Peter Siegel of the Goodman Centre.

Care for all.

Healthy employees make for healthier patients

Patients who want to be healthy must be able to rely on hospital employees who are healthy. Which is why the JGH has embarked on an effort to become officially certified as a “Healthy Organization” (better known in Quebec as Entreprise en santé). “Maintaining a healthy, supportive and collaborative environment in the workplace has been shown to lead to improvements in patient safety and in the quality of care,” says Markirit Armutlu, Coordinator of the JGH Quality Program. She adds that if working conditions and the general environment are enhanced in a way that meets the needs of staff, the result is a positive attitude by employees to the work they perform. For four weeks this past winter, JGH personnel completed an online survey that asked their opinion of current workplace conditions, while inviting them to suggest improvements. Views were sought about the work environment (including ergonomics, noise and lighting), lifestyle (eating habits, physical activity), work-life balance (stress management, day care, shift flexibility), and management style and practices (communication, leadership). The questionnaire was completed by more than 40 per cent of JGH staff — over 2,200 employees — an overwhelming response, which is unprecedented for the hospital. The results will form the basis for improvements to be implemented gradually throughout the hospital, starting this fall. Beverly Kravitz, Director of Human Resources and Legal Affairs, also notes that a provincial grant of $150,000 has been provided to help make the changes—the first time her department has received such a grant. “We always say that our staff is our most important resource and this confirms it,” says Ms. Kravitz. “This isn’t a matter of guessing what employees want, but actually knowing what they want, based on a survey that they took seriously. We’ll be basing the improvements not only on the survey’s statistics, but on the 3,000 comments that employees took the time to write.”

Act globally, improve locally JGH works with Quebec team-mates to make a world of difference “It’s not just what you know, it’s whom you know.” A cynical, old saying? Not necessarily. When the issue is health care, that motto is the life-saving truth: The more connections a hospital has with leading healthcare institutions around the world, the greater its ability to provide its patients with the benefits of new medical advances. Rick Dubrovsky President

Dr. Hartley Stern Executive Director

In this era of instant communication, worldwide links can also bring swift news about improvements in a great many non-medical fields—finance, business administration, food service, mechanical engineering and digital technology, to name just a few—that directly affect a hospital’s success at treating patients quickly and effectively. But it’s more than just being tuned to a global frequency. It’s about making contacts and building relationships with institutions abroad to tackle some of health care’s toughest problems at home. In maintaining and strengthening its global ties, the Jewish General Hospital is continually renewing its contribution as an active team player on the Quebec healthcare scene. Knowledge and insights from other countries can be shared with provincial colleagues to help all of Quebec make improvements in unison. “The era of doing things in a vacuum or in silos is really over,” says JGH President Rick Dubrovsky. “It’s obvious that no single institution can be the best at everything. So without a spirit of partnership, cooperation and teamwork with other institutions and with the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, we will never achieve the highest levels of practice in this competitive global environment. That’s why it’s important for the sharing of knowledge, information, talent and facilities to become the norm in Quebec, so that the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.” For that to happen, international ties have become vital, “because it’s about raising the bar and not resting on our historic laurels,” says Dr. Hartley Stern, JGH Executive Director. “Medical knowledge turns over every four years, so if

we’re not continually looking at new knowledge and applying it to our practices, we fall behind. We need to understand what the rest of the world is doing in order to be better able to fulfill the needs of patients—our own, as well as those across Quebec—who benefit from our participation in the province-wide team of hospitals and healthcare agencies.” In addition, says Dr. Stern, the JGH’s global presence means the hospital can continue to attract top talent, not just from elsewhere in Quebec and Canada, but from around the world—and not just in medicine and nursing, but in any profession that affects the quality of health care. This, in turn, creates appeal and momentum that attract high-calibre leaders to the hospital’s board. “Our directors are at the top of their game in law, real estate, finance and many other fields,” says Dr. Stern. “They provide the JGH with terrific advice and support, and they take pride in being associated with an institution with a reputation for excellence.” While the proportions of this global perspective may seem immense, Mr. Dubrovsky notes that the key objective is to use this information to learn how to respond more effectively to local challenges, such as the need to reduce waiting times. “By examining the situation on an international scale, we can share our insights with our Quebec partners and learn how to move patients more smoothly within a single institution or among various institutions. Finding a solution won’t be easy, but it’s encouraging to know we’re all on the same team.”

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Israel’s healthcare strengths inspire North American CEOs Despite the world-shrinking power of digital communication, there’s sometimes no substitute for an up-close, in-person look at healthcare developments in other countries. To explore Israel’s recent strides, Dr. Hartley Stern, JGH Executive Director, joined CEOs from approximately 20 Canadian and 30 U.S. hospitals in February on a tour of several of the country’s most dynamic healthcare institutions. “We all recognize the obvious differences among the Canadian, American and Israeli healthcare systems,” says Dr. Stern. “But what quickly became obvious was the similarities that spring from our shared values—a commitment to democracy, respect for individual rights, acknowledgement of the importance of a caring and just society, and a recognition of the crucial importance of innovation. “Israel’s problems—stresses related to labour unrest, difficulties in maintaining a sustainable medical workforce, and income discrepancies in different regions—are also very similar to those in Canada and the U.S., though the root causes vary from country to country.” The five-day tour, organized by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Industry and Trade, included stops at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital, the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikvah, the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and the Military Medical Training Center near Tel Aviv. Dr. Stern says he loves Israel and has visited Israel many times, “dating back to 1986 when I took a mini-sabbatical to teach at Tel Hashomer, the country’s largest healthcare institution. But this was the first time I’ve seen it from the perspective of finance and management, with the goal of solving the problems faced by a major hospital.” He adds he came away “particularly impressed with Israel’s capital development in health care. The number of construction cranes at hospital sites was just incredible— and it’s all achieved through philanthropy. It was inspiring for me as a Jew and as a Zionist to see that Israel is maintaining its humanitarian values. It’s a caring, compassionate place that’s using its powerful economic engine to solve healthcare problems.”

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Dr. Hartley Stern (rear row, in front of second column from right), joins CEOs from across North America on a tour of the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel.

The trip proved so informative and useful, says Dr. Stern, that he is helping to develop a follow-up conference, “because Israel, Canada and the U.S. can do much

more to improve their healthcare systems by capitalizing on their friendship and their strengths.”

Shining in an international spotlight Over and over, it’s been said Heart Association, and he repthat the Jewish General Hospiresents the Society in leading tal is playing a prominent role the development of activities on the world stage. That much in Latin America to improve may be true, but the metaphor the prevention of hypertenisn’t quite accurate. It’s not as sion and the transfer of knowlif a spotlight is turned on, the edge about hypertension and curtain rises, and out comes the cardiovascular disease. He has JGH. In fact, achieving star staserved on the Society’s executus is a gradual process that has tive since 2006. taken years. To a significant deDr. Schiffrin says these sorts gree, it has resulted from high- Dr. Ernesto Schiffrin of connections “have a major profile, top-level participation impact on the health of our by JGH doctors, nurses, researchers and patients,” since they enable him—and other other healthcare professionals in a variety JGH professionals—to be among the earliof international organizations. est to learn about the most recent medical This September, for example, Dr. Ernesto advances. “I see the latest science coming Schiffrin, the JGH’s Physician-in-Chief and out every day,” he says. Director of the hospital’s Cardiovascular As a result of the JGH’s prominence Prevention Centre, begins a two-year term and prestige, the hospital is also in a betas President of the International Society of ter position to attract top staff and highHypertension, the field’s leading body. His calibre trainees from Canada and around appointment becomes official at the Soci- the world, who enhance the quality of the ety’s Scientific Meeting in Sydney, Australia. hospital’s treatment and care. “It makes Dr. Schiffrin, an internationally recog- us shine in the academic constellation,” nized authority, is also among the editors of says Dr. Schiffrin, “and it places us among Hypertension, the journal of the American Canada’s leaders.”

It’sCare my for hospital! all.

Overseas assignments deepen nurses’ skills As Jacquie Bocking goes about her nursing duties in the clean, modern surroundings of the JGH, a part of her can’t help but think back to another time, another hospital—a place where patients had to pay for their own gauze and intravenous fluids, a place where treatment had to be provided without a working ultrasound machine. Ms. Bocking spent just over three months there—Tanwat Hospital in the rural town of Njombe in southwestern Tanzania—in the fall of 2008, but its echoes and impressions follow her to this day. Along with warm memories of the people she met, she retains a vivid sense of the basic roles that culture and economics play in determining how (and how well) health care is delivered to those who need it most. The experience has proved especially valuable to Ms. Bocking in her capacity as a Nurse Clinician in the Goldman Herzl Family Practice Centre at the JGH, since many of her patients live in Côte-des-Neiges—believed to be Canada’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhood and home to more than half of all immigrants who come to Montreal from foreign countries. “My time in Tanzania has made it easier for me to see Canada through their eyes,” says Ms. Bocking, who has been at Herzl since 2010. “Our resources may seem unlimited, but receiving care here can still be very intimidating for newcomers. I’m lucky to have some sense of how they see our healthcare system, as something far different than what they’re used to.” That understanding is a direct result of Ms. Bocking’s decision to specialize in global health studies while earning her Master’s degree in Nursing from McGill University. The speciality, which requires participants to spend one semester (three to four months) in a small clinic or hospital overseas, is a relatively new addition to the McGill curriculum; Ms. Bocking was among its first graduates in 2009. While in Tanzania, she conducted a project to determine how closely patients kept to the recommended routine of taking their anti-retroviral medications. Often, she says, they could not afford the drugs, did not understand the instructions, were too busy caring for their many siblings, or lived too far away from a centre where the medications were dispensed. This type of exposure to foreign conditions ultimately makes for nurses who are more sensitive and compassionate, says Irene Sarasua, Interim Head Nurse of the JGH Post Partum Unit and a member of the committee that developed the Global Health stream in the McGill School of Nursing. A Co-Chair of the committee is Jodi Tuck, JGH Clinical Nurse Specialist in Maternal-Child Health. So far, says Ms. Sarasua, nursing students have conducted clinical work and community-oriented projects in Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Thailand, in addition to their regular McGill nursing studies and thematically connected courses in such fields as anthropology and sociology. “The overseas work itself is well worth

In 2008, nursing student Jacquie Bocking spent a semester working at a small hospital in rural Tanzania.

Nursing student Ryan Lomenda (standing, right) discusses HIV/AIDS with students at a rural Tanzanian school in 2010.

doing,” she notes, “but for these nurses, what really matters is the context of that work, the immersion in a different culture or language, and the understanding of other cultures that comes with it.” That was certainly the case for Ryan Lomenda who, coincidentally, spent fall 2010 in Njombe, the same town where Ms. Bocking had worked. His assignment was to devise and help conduct a survey of more than 800 students in six primary schools to assess their knowledge, beliefs and practices regarding HIV/AIDS. Armed with the findings, local educators hope to be more effective at preventing, treating and limiting the spread of the disease. “That trip increased my curiosity exponentially,” says Mr. Lomenda, a Nurse Clinician in the JGH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit since mid-2011. “When you see a family coming in here, your first instinct Continued on the next page.

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Tapping into JGH expertise in gynecologic oncology China has come calling on Dr. Walter Gotlieb. So has India. And Israel. Like many countries, they’re feeling a growing need to enhance their expertise in gynecologic oncology and, more specifically, in fighting these cancers with the aid of robotic surgery. And so, they eagerly turn to Dr. Gotlieb, an acknowledged expert and Director of Gynecologic Oncology in the Segal Cancer Centre at the JGH. For the JGH to take its place in the spotlight is a considerable achievement, since a mere four years have passed since the hospital first began performing robot-assisted surgery. Yet, in June of this year, Dr. Gotlieb, who is Professor of Obstetrics-Gynecology and Oncology at McGill University, was already paying his second visit to conduct a demonstration in China—the first being in May 2010 to perform China’s first hysterectomy with a surgical robot in Beijing. On Dr. Gotlieb’s trip to New Delhi in April 2011 to conduct India’s first robotassisted radical hysterectomy, the demonstration was supplemented with a teaching session. This paved the way for an Indian surgeon who specializes in gynecologic oncology to visit the JGH for four months this past spring to observe numerous robotassisted operations and report back on expanding India’s fledgling robotics program. Meanwhile, this summer, the Division of Gynecologic Oncology is further strengthening its international ties with the arrival of the latest Israeli Fellow to undertake three years’ training in a combined JGHMcGill program. “Creating and nurturing these relationships opens all kinds of doors,” says Dr. Gotlieb, who for the past four years has sat

Overseas assignments

Summer 2012

Dr. Anupama Rajanbabu prepares to observe robot-assisted gynecologic surgery at the JGH.

on the council of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society. “This gives us an opportunity to interact with medical leaders world-wide and to contribute significantly on a global level. And by ‘us’ I mean not just the Jewish General Hospital but, by extension, McGill, Quebec and Canada.” The ultimate beneficiaries of these global links are patients, says Dr. Gotlieb, “because the JGH is seen as being at the forefront of cancer treatment, research and robotic surgery. If I need a particular drug, or if I want a second opinion, or if I have to send a patient for a special referral, the doors are open.” This openness is what drew Dr. Anupama

Rajanbabu to the JGH in March to spend four months observing robot-assisted surgery in gynecologic oncology. “I’ve been watching about two sessions a week,” says Dr. Rajanbabu, an Assistant Professor of Surgical Oncology with three years’ experience at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi on India’s southwest coast. “Even if there’s some degree of consistency from one operation to the next, there’s always something unique and different to see. A surgical robot training simulator is also available at the Jewish General Hospital, and that’s very exciting to work on.” For the visiting Israeli Fellow, the JGH fulfills an important need, since sub-specialty

Continued from page 9.

is not to go beyond that first superficial image. But my experiences in Africa keep motivating me to push past that first impression; I become interested in their socio-economic status and their psycho-social situation. Those factors can have a huge impact on understanding the families’ needs and how they can best cope with their baby’s medical problems.”

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Dr. Walter Gotlieb (above, left) with the JGH’s da Vinci surgical robot.

Mr. Lomenda says his stint in Njombe, where he was forced to quickly learn the basics of Swahili, taught him the importance of persevering despite significant obstacles. “The complexity of a case or situation can sometimes be overwhelming, but I now know that if you hit a wall, you’ve got no choice but to find a way around it. You look for new interventions and alternate ways

Care for all.

of working collaboratively with your colleagues and with members of the family.” This is not something a nurse can learn only by travelling halfway around the world, says Mr. Lomenda. “But being in Tanzania made an impression on me that I’ll never forget. And it’s made me just the kind of nurse that the JGH was looking for.”

Straddling the world for stroke research training in gynecologic oncology is not offered in Israel because of the country’s small population. But because it does have a need for expertise in that field, the Israel Cancer Research Fund has been sponsoring training for clinician-scientists. The fourth such trainee completed his two-year stint in late spring, with the position immediately refilled in early summer. Dr. Gotlieb notes that his Division has also welcomed Dr. Darron Halliday, an observer from the Bahamas, whose experience proved so fruitful that the visitor published two papers during his stay at the JGH, resulting in his being accepted for a fellowship in Calgary. In addition, Dr. Sabuhi Qureshi, an Associate Professor from the CSM University in Lucknow, Northern India, is arriving this fall to spend four months at the JGH. These efforts would not have been possible without hospital-wide collaboration and teamwork among doctors, nurses, administrative staff, JGH leaders and the donors who funded the robotics program through the JGH Foundation, Dr. Gotlieb adds. “It’s wonderful to play this role in contributing to knowledge and expertise. By making our presence felt elsewhere and having people from other countries interacting with us in Montreal, we all get better at what we do.” The da Vinci surgical robot was brought to the JGH in 2007 through the generosity and initiative of private donors. This year, the JGH also acquired a stand-alone da Vinci surgical training simulator—to help develop surgeons’ expertise and skills in robotic surgery—thanks to a generous donation from The Auxiliary. Use of the robot has been extremely successful, with demand for this leading-edge technology growing at a pace that outstrips its availability. Acquisition of a second robot, with support from donors, will be vital in extending the benefits of robotic surgery to more people across Quebec and in preparing for its use in more types of surgery. Donations can be made in support of this vital initiative at jghfoundation.org or by calling the JGH Foundation at 514-3408251.

Having come to Canada from Germany to pursue his research, Dr. Alexander Thiel now believes he has the best of both worlds: greater freedom to investigate patients’ recovery from strokes, and the ability to maintain strong ties with top-calibre colleagues in Cologne and Munich. “Compared to Europe, Canada offers much greater independence to work at your own speed and to proceed in the scientific direction that seems most promising,” says Dr. Thiel, who joined the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the JGH in 2006, where he serves as Director of the Neuroplasticity Research Program. In addition, he is Director of the JGH’s Edmond J. Safra Stroke Centre and Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University. Since much of Dr. Thiel’s research focuses on patients who are recruited into research stud- Dr. Alexander Thiel ies, he says the connection to Germany enables many more patients to collaborates with colleagues in the brain be studied. “What we’re looking at can’t be imagery field at the University of Munich. achieved in one site alone,” he adds. “Multi- This has involved bringing research fellows to Canada, as well as organizing last year’s centre studies are the basis for our work.” After graduating from Bonn University’s first Bavaria-Quebec molecular imaging medical school in 1994, Dr. Thiel began his symposium in Munich. The Edmond J. Safra Stroke Centre was research training at the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne, created in 2008 through the commitment followed by a fellowship in brain imaging and generosity of the Edmond J. Safra Philat the Montreal Neurological Institute in anthropic Foundation in Switzerland and 2000. He completed his residency in neurol- the Maurice S. Peress family, along with a ogy and psychiatry at Cologne University, group of Montreal supporters led by Rona where he became a specialist in neurology and Robert Davis. The Goodman family established the Rosalind and Morris Goodin 2004. Having come to Montreal in 2006, Dr. man & Family Endowment for the compreThiel developed his neuroplasticity labo- hensive Stroke Centre, enabling the JGH ratory at the LDI and the JGH, the first to recruit Dr. Thiel to head the Centre and non-invasive brain stimulation lab officially support his leading-edge research. These certified for clinical use in a stroke unit in are outstanding examples of how the JGH Canada. It allows for serial studies in acute Foundation creates partnerships with dostroke patients from the early stages of dis- nors to ensure that Quebecers benefit from ease to the early rehabilitation phase—the the latest technologies and advances in critical interval during which most neuro- patient care and research. plastic processes in the brain occur. In addition to working with German colleagues on brain stimulation, Dr. Thiel

JGH News

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Medicine helps dissolve political barriers in international fellowship program Something unexpected happened to Dr. Eyal Sela on the way to completing a fellowship at the Jewish General Hospital: He became a diplomat, doing his best on a personal level to defuse a bit of the tension in the Middle East. Dr. Sela, who returns to Israel at the end of June after two years of clinical practice, teaching and research, says his main reason for coming to the JGH was to upgrade his skills in cancer-related head and neck reconstructive surgery. But during his stay, he also found himself developing good working relationships with visiting residents from such countries as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai. In the case of one Saudi resident, a true friendship arose, to the point where Dr. Sela hopes to arrange for him to lecture at the Lady Davis Carmel Medical Centre in Haifa, where Dr. Sela is based. (His hospital is named for the same person as the Lady Davis Institute at the JGH.) “In the Middle East, the sort of interaction that we have experienced in Montreal simply would not happen,” he says. However, on neutral ground at the JGH, Dr. Sela discovered how much they had in common, especially because of their medical interests. “When you remove the walls of politics and see people as people, it’s amazing what you can find,” he says. “It made me feel like a diplomat representing the country I come from. It’s the biggest thing that has happened to me outside the medical program.” Dr. Sela is equally enthusiastic about the clinical aspects of his visit, whose first year was supported by the Azrieli Foundation and the second year by the JGH’s Martin Black Endowment Fund. The latter is named for the hospital’s former Chief of Otolaryngology (19731992) former Surgeon-in-Chief (1993-2007), and Director of the JGH Head and Neck Oncology Clinic, who remains active in the JGH Departments of Otolaryngology and Oncology. After Dr. Sela’s departure, the Endowment Fund will support the two-year fellowship of a physician from Pondicherry, India. Because of Israel’s small population, Dr. Sela says he might see only one patient every four to six weeks who requires major reconstructive surgery due to cancer. By contrast, at the JGH, he was involved in one or two operations a week—a major benefit in helping him hone his surgical skills. Especially supportive, he says, were Dr. Black; Dr. Michael Hier, Chief of Otolaryngology; and Dr. Richard Payne, staff physician in Otolaryngology.

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Summer 2012

Dr. Eyal Sela, a clinical Fellow in head and neck oncology, examines Terry Anderson.

By the same token, says Dr. Hier, the JGH has also benefitted, since fellowships involving foreign doctors generally lead to a cross-pollination of ideas, practices and techniques. In Dr. Sela’s case, Montreal doctors drew upon his unique medical experience as a military physician. “When you spend many hours shoulder to shoulder in surgery with someone, it makes for a very interesting interaction,” Dr. Hier says. Similarly, he adds, when the new Fellow arrives from India in July, the JGH stands to gain considerable insight into tropical diseases that doctors do not often see in Canada. This type of information is extremely valuable, says Dr. Hier, because in some instances, what looks like a malignancy is actually the symptom of a tropical disease. “We live in a multi-ethnic society, especially in this part of Montreal,” Dr. Hier notes, “and it’s important for us to learn about diseases that are more prevalent elsewhere in the world. So we’re grateful for the education we get from our international Fellows. We end up learning at least as much as we teach.” The Martin J. Black Endowment Fund for Fellowship in Head and Neck Oncology was established in 2010 with proceeds from the McGill (JGH) 16th Annual Head and Neck Cancer Fundraising Event, and with contributions from over 90 individual and corporate donors. This endowment is the first of its kind to provide a permanent means of supporting training for head-andneck surgeons at the fellowship level in the McGill network and in Quebec. Gifts can be made to the Martin J. Black Endowment Fund by calling the JGH Foundation at 514-340-8251.

It’sCare my for hospital! all.

European ties bolster cancer research

Dr. Leon van Kempen

While the LDI itself was an unknown quantity for Dr. van Kempen at the time, the Institute and the JGH had a big mark in their favour: Dr. Alan Spatz had been recruited in 2008 to become JGH Chief of Pathology and to spearhead development of a Molecular Pathology Centre, after distinguishing himself in France in the fields of dermato-pathology and immuno-pathology. Since Dr. van Kempen had already crossed paths with Dr. Spatz in France (both share a strong interest in melanoma research), the LDI seemed like a highly desirable destination. Also attractive to Dr. van Kempen was the prospect of becoming more closely involved in clinical trials—an opportunity not available to him in the Netherlands. “I’ve never regretted for a moment my decision to come here,” says Dr. van Kempen, whose cancer research focuses on abnormalities related to the X chromosome. “The Lady Davis Institute rates an A+ compared to what I was doing before.” Dr. van Kempen’s arrival in fall 2010 also highlights the LDI’s growing momentum in attracting scientists of world-class calibre, while strengthening its international ties. This was a key factor in Dr. van Kempen’s recent success in securing a government grant to heighten the visibility of Quebec in European research circles. Despite his relocation, Dr. van Kempen remains closely connected to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer as Chair of its Translational Research Committee and as a member of its melanoma group. In addition, he maintains active ties to colleagues in Brussels.

Several years ago, Dr. Leon van Kempen found himself at a career crossroads. On one hand, he had the option of maintaining his comfortable, tenure-tracked position as Associate Professor at the highly regarded Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. The alternative was to give up his hard-won security and move halfway around the world to Montreal to set up a research lab in the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the Jewish General Hospital.

Dr. Spatz, too, has kept his European connections strong. As a result, the JGH— specifically, the Segal Cancer Centre—now holds a special place as the only non-European partner in the Eurocan Platform, a major consortium of the 20 largest cancerrelated institutions in Europe. The benefits to patients are direct and major, says Dr. Spatz, since the JGH is among the first to acquire the latest information on new forms of treatment for patients. He adds that the high profile of the hospital and the LDI also helps smooth the way for grants and other types of funding to ensure that appropriate resources are available for essential research. Dr. Spatz notes that Pathology—within the JGH Dr. Alan Spatz and as a medical field—is playing an increasingly important role, as the era of truly personalized medicine edges closer. This form of medicine has potential for much more effective treatment—against cancer and other illnesses— by analyzing an individual’s unique genetic make-up to determine which drugs have the best chance of fighting a specific disease in a specific person. The role of Pathology, Dr. Spatz explains, is to act as a focal point to help determine a patient’s biological characteristics, provide detailed information about the patient to doctors in other medical specialties, and

coordinate information-sharing activities regarding the patient. “The future holds great promise,” says Dr. Spatz, “and we can make a difference with the collaboration of partners at home and around the world.” The ability to attract and retain the world’s best and brightest medical professionals is crucial to the JGH’s continued success in meeting changing and ever-growing healthcare needs. Private support enables the hospital to recruit first-rate healthcare professionals and purchase the specialized equipment they require to make a lifeaffirming difference now and for years to come. Dr. Spatz is spearheading a major fundraising effort to build and outfit a JGH Molecular Pathology Centre, which will be Quebec’s first institution dedicated to next-generation diagnosis and individualized therapies. It will propel the hospital to the forefront of a new era of personalized medicine, while revolutionizing cancer treatment. The generosity of donors will be crucial in realizing this facility, which must be entirely funded through private donations. For more information or to make a donation, please visit jghfoundation.org/ sections/vitalinit.htm, or phone the JGH Foundation at 514-340-8251.

JGH News

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Keeping a watchful eye on preventing glaucoma From Africa to Scotland and back again to Quebec, the Jewish General Hospital is making a deep and lasting impression through its anti-glaucoma awareness efforts, particularly a free DVD that advises viewers how to prevent, understand and treat glaucoma. I Have Glaucoma, a bilingual, 35-minute DVD produced by the JGH-based McGill Glaucoma Information Centre, has found its way to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar. To see the video on the hospital’s YouTube channel, go to www. youtube.com/jghpac and type “glaucoma” in the search field. Members of the Glaucoma Information Centre are also in regular contact with a Glasgow radio station that’s geared to the vision impaired, and they have arranged for a second DVD to be provided to about 1,000 libraries in every city and town in Quebec with a population of more than 5,000. “It’s quite unusual for us to be turning out these DVDs, and kind of cool, too,” says Marc Renaud, who is a Project Manager in the Glaucoma Information Centre and an ophthalmic technician in the JGH Department of Ophthalmology. “To the best of my knowledge, no one else is making any similar educational DVDs, even though they’re desperately needed.

Copies of the I Have Glaucoma DVD have been sent from the JGH to the Congo and Madagascar.

“Glaucoma can permanently damage vision and even lead to blindness if it’s left untreated. But the symptoms occur only when the disease is fairly advanced. Nearly 15 per cent of people of African descent are particularly susceptible, and they sometimes live in countries where war makes good medical care difficult. That’s why we want to get the word out as aggressively as possible.” Mr. Renaud says he received an e-mail in February from Aide-Vision, a Congolese organization that came upon the JGH website while searching the internet for information in advance of World Glaucoma Week in March. In response to a request from the Aide-Vision correspondent in the city of Goma, Mr. Renaud sent off several copies of I Have Glaucoma. As is always the case with this DVD, Mr. Renaud gave Aide-Vision permission to copy and distribute it to anyone who wants it. This led to a similar e-mail request from a hospital representative in Toamasina,

Madagascar, who wrote, “Here glaucoma remains a major public health problem because, unfortunately, patients come to the hospital only when they are in the final stage of the illness. This is a result of ignorance and a lack of resources.” The Glasgow connection originated about five years ago when Mr. Renaud attended a conference on low vision. At the time, he was interviewed by a Scottish radio station targeted to vision-impaired listeners; producers remained interested in the JGH’s work and have stayed in touch ever since. “As far as I know, we’re the only medical centre or hospital they’re in regular contact with,” says Mr. Renaud. “Working with individuals here in the hospital is certainly fulfilling,” he adds. “But when you do something like sending DVDs to those who need them, you feel you’re having a real influence in making many people better. It’s really amazing to be able to have an effect of this sort in our global village.”

Keep up to date with JGH News! The world of the Jewish General Hospital is yours to discover in JGH News By donating $100 or more per year to the JGH Foundation, JGH News will be mailed to you, in appreciation for your support. This applies to all Foundation donations, except memorial funds.

For changes to your mailing information or to donate, please phone 514-340-8251 or write to the JGH Foundation at [email protected] or 3755 Côte Ste-Catherine Rd., A-107, Montreal QC H3T 1E2.

Your inside view of “Care for all”!

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Summer 2012

Care for all.

New facilities integrate ancient therapies with modern treatments

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t first, it sounds as if Dr. Gerald Batist is contradicting himself: “We’re open to any innovations,” he says, “even ancient innovations.” Pausing, he chuckles at his seemingly odd choice of words. “Innovations—but ancient. Strange, right? But that’s exactly what they are.”

The incongruity is even more calls “the absolutely wonderful pronounced when one considpsycho-spiritual support” of ers that these millennia-old Dr. Mary Grossman, a nurse Eastern “novelties”—including who is the Brojde Centre’s Coacupuncture, meditation, yoga, Director. Qigong and traditional Chinese Ms. Ellis says she realizes that herbs—are among the theraintegrating Eastern techniques peutic options offered to painto Western cancer treatment tients in the ultra-modern Segal may not benefit everyone. But Cancer Centre at the JGH. she credits the Segal Cancer “Nevertheless, tens of milCentre and the Brojde Centre lions of Chinese people and a for making the option available great many sophisticated Chito individuals who respond nese doctors accept the benefito forms of therapy that are cial effects of these practices as sometimes considered unconfact,” says Dr. Batist, JGH Chief ventional by North American of Oncology and Director of standards. In the exercise room of the Peter Brojde Lung Cancer Centre, cancer survivor the Segal Cancer Centre. “This Virginia Ellis gets advice about weight-lifting from physiotherapist Thi Tran. In her own case, after undershould be enough to earn our going surgery, Ms. Ellis was so respect for the traditions of ancient medi- whatever might help them. Hospitals with cold that she constantly wore a sweater in cine, and for us to explore them using mod- Eastern or complementary medicine as a summer—“I wondered why people were ern scientific methods.” separate department aren’t generally as suc- perspiring,” she says with a laugh—and Which, in a nutshell, was the underly- cessful in integrating those approaches into always took a scarf and hot-water bottle ing philosophy behind the Peter Brojde patients’ treatment.” to bed. Today she still needs the hotLung Cancer Centre when it opened in The new facilities have won warm praise water bottle in winter, but acupuncture has 2010 in the Segal Cancer Centre. Demand from cancer survivor Virginia Ellis, who had helped her regain a near-normal sensation was strong from the start: since the launch, been interested in meditation and acupunc- of warmth. about 200 patients have opted to have some ture long before she was diagnosed with a For patients like Ms. Ellis, the great adform of complementary therapy integrated form of lung cancer in 2006. Since the Bro- vantage is that the Brojde Centre saves time into their cancer treatment or health main- jde Centre did not yet exist when she was and effort, since so many different services tenance programs. recovering from surgery in 2007, Ms. Ellis have been gathered into one dedicated In its first two years, the Brojde Centre had to cobble together a makeshift program space, says Dr. Jason Agulnik, Medical Dilacked premises of its own, operating out of her own. This included information rector of Pulmonary Oncology, who has of whatever examination rooms and other on healthy eating from the Segal Cancer been involved in the Centre since its incepareas were available on the seventh floor of Centre’s Cancer Nutrition Rehabilitation tion. Since there is no need to run from one Cummings Pavilion E. However, this spring, Program, sessions in Qigong (a Chinese area of the hospital to another to see various the Centre finally moved into its fully reno- meditative exercise using graceful move- healthcare professionals, the patient experivated 10th-floor home, complete with an ment and controlled breathing) with JGH ences less stress and greater calmness, which exercise room and the low noise levels and physiotherapist Thi Tran (now the Brojde are reinforced by the Centre’s general atmocalming visuals that make it conducive to Centre’s traditional Chinese medicine prac- sphere and its Eastern treatments. healing. Dr. Grossman acknowledges that a great titioner), and acupressure treatments that Although the Brojde Centre now has its she received outside the JGH. deal of rigourous scientific research must own space, by no means should it be seen With the opening of the Brojde Centre in still be conducted to determine how much as a separate department, Dr. Batist notes. 2010, Ms. Ellis was finally able to turn to the is actually accomplished when Eastern “The whole point was to integrate various JGH for all of the services that she needs to practices are integrated into Western canelements of Eastern and Western medicine, maintain her good health, including advice cer therapy. However, she notes, it is widely and to give lung cancer patients access to from dietitian Nelda Swinton and what she Continued on the next page. JGH News

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New facilities Continued from page 15.

recognized that not everyone responds to every type of antibiotic or chemo-therapeutic agent. Similarly, not everyone should be expected to respond to Eastern therapies; for those who do, these techniques might be valuable components in a customized cancer recovery program. Moreover, Dr. Grossman says, in some instances where patients are uncertain whether Eastern practices are actually helping, it has been a revelation when their spouse or close relatives confirm that the patients were in fact notably calmer and not as angry about having cancer. “This is highly significant, says Dr. Grossman, since research suggests that a calm state of mind can contribute to a more effectively functioning immune system. Ms. Ellis, now in her fifth cancer-free year, has no doubt about the role that the Brojde Centre has played in the interlocking aspects of her physical, emotional and spiritual well-being: “For me, it’s been a real gift.” The new facilities of the Peter Brojde Lung Cancer Centre and the lung cancer program were made possible through the vision and generosity of the Brojde family who funded a substantial portion of the renovation and the establishment of the program. Their donation was inspired by a desire to honour the memory of a beloved husband and father, Peter Brojde, who died in 2005 after a courageous battle with lung cancer. They have helped to establish a Centre that will be of immeasurable benefit to lung cancer patients at the JGH and from across Quebec. Funding for the Brojde Centre comes entirely from private sources. Thus, the generosity of donors will be critical as the Centre realizes its unique vision to develop the research, clinical and learning resources to continue to be at the vanguard of care and treatment for lung cancer patients. Funds are required for the general operations of the Centre and the Pulmonary Oncology research program, as well as remaining renovation costs. Donations can be made at www. jghfoundation.org or by calling the JGH Foundation at 514-340-8251.

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Summer 2012

Fitness instruction integrated into diabetes program

Suzanne Mirault (right) gets a fitness tip from Maxime Lavoie, with encouragement from Maria Di Narzo (left) and Sondra Sherman.

With a hernia operation looming, Suzanne Mirault was hardly surprised to be told by her doctor that she had to lose weight before undergoing surgery. What did raise her eyebrows was discovering there was a fitness trainer on the team that would be coaching her in the JGH Division of Endocrinology. “I’m not the same person I was two years ago!” exclaims Ms. Mirault, who learned how exercise and proper food choices could help to control her diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension. “Before this program, I was dying. It’s changed my life for the best in every possible way.” “Combining proper exercise with sensible eating and medication gives you better results than just taking a pill ever could,” explains Maxime Lavoie, the diabetes educator whose in-demand services as a kinesiologist and exercise physiologist in Endocrinology are supported by private donations. As a long-time fitness lover, he meets with each patient and develops a customized exercise program based on the individual’s health and physical abilities. “This program stands apart from so many others, because it provides patients with easy-to-follow training regimens that make a real difference in their health and confidence.” Mr. Lavoie’s involvement may seem unusual, says dietitian and team member Sondra Sherman, but it’s in sync with the overall JGH approach of supporting patients through the skills of a wide range of healthcare and allied health professionals. “In this way, patients learn about proper portion sizes, how to monitor their blood glucose levels, and how to use those numbers to make appropriate medication adjustments. On top of that, they benefit from the effects of exercise and, most importantly, they learn how to balance all of these factors.” Also on the Endocrinology team are nurses Maria Di Narzo and Joyce Arsenault and dietitian Peggy Williams, who act as instructors in programs on diabetes management, diabetes life-skills and multiple daily insulin injections. Donations in support of Mr. Lavoie’s services can be made by calling the JGH Foundation at 514-340-8251.

It’sCare my for hospital! all.

Hope & Cope helps virtual hospice become real-life problem-solver

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he help and support that have distinguished Hope & Cope’s volunteers for more than three decades have triggered a partnership with the Canadian Virtual Hospice (www.virtualhospice.ca), an online community that offers support and information about issues related to coping with a life-threatening illness, the end of life, loss and grief.

Eighteen of Hope & Cope’s palliative care volunteers were trained specifically for the website, with a core group of six prompting conversations on the site’s discussion forums and responding to those who need support and advice. The remaining Hope & Cope volunteers become involved as members of the core group leave; in addition, they offer training to family caregivers in the JGH Palliative Care Unit. Online visitors are unaware which replies come from Hope & Cope volunteers, since all queries and responses are anonymous, says Anna Feindel, Hope & Cope Coordinator in Palliative Care at the JGH. However, she notes, the online presence of Hope & Cope members has added to the depth and insight of the Virtual Hospice. “This is a perfect fit for Hope & Cope,” says Ms. Feindel, “because our volunteers already do so much for patients and their families during the end of life in the Palliative Care Unit. By going online, we can support patients who are dealing with terminal illness, as well as family “By going online, we caregivers who are coping with end-ofcan support patients life difficulties and often find themselves who are dealing with alone due to geographical or social isolation.” terminal illness, as While some questions may involve a well as family caresimple request for information, many givers who are coping others are infused with emotional pain— with end-of-life for instance, the anguish of a husband or difficulties, and often wife caring for a spouse who is dying of find themselves alone cancer. “These online exchanges,” says Ms. Feindel, “are significantly different due to geographical from one-on-one conversations where or social isolation.” you can assess a person’s body language and facial expressions. Online, the volunteer needs to take the time to think deeply about the question— perhaps even read between the lines—and then reply in a constructive, non-judgmental and supportive way.” This has certainly been the case for Marianne Pham, a Hope & Cope volunteer in Palliative Care since 2001 and a Virtual Hospice participant since December. “These questions are the caregivers’ cries for help,” says Ms. Pham, “but they appear as silent words on a screen. I have to think hard—sometimes a day or two—before answering, because I’m also limited to using words and I want them to come out just right. In real life, I might comfort someone by holding them in my arms, but online my words have to act for me.” Then why expose herself to this emotional turmoil? “Because there’s nothing better than a strong bond between one human being and another,” says Ms. Pham. “Just because something is

Marianne Pham (seated) and Anna Feindel explore the Canadian Virtual Hospice website.

difficult doesn’t mean you stop or simply breeze through it. You take the time and find a way.” That attitude neatly summarizes why Hope & Cope was asked to become involved in the Virtual Hospice, says Colleen Young, the website’s Community Moderator. “Hope & Cope’s volunteers have been instrumental in helping us build a thriving online community and making people comfortable when talking about such difficult questions.” The non-profit Virtual Hospice—whose administrative team is mostly based in Winnipeg—was launched in 2004 and currently receives funding from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, with in-kind support from CancerCare Manitoba. Virtualhospice.ca attracts more than 1,000 visitors a day from countries around the world. The discussion forums complement Virtual Hospice’s “Ask a Professional” feature, in which anyone in Canada can submit a question privately and securely to the team of palliative care specialists. They receive a detailed, confidential response within three business days. “Hope & Cope has always reached out to those who are in need,” says Ms. Feindel. “The Virtual Hospice is just another way of making contact with as many people as possible.”

JGH News

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NEWSMAKERS A ppointments

C ongratulations

Dr. Gerald Batist, Chief of Oncology and Director of the Segal Cancer Centre at the JGH, has been named Deputy Director of the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the JGH. In making the announcement, LDI Dr. Gerald Batist Director Dr. Roderick McInnes, praised Dr. Batist as “an exceptional leader” who has made the Segal Cancer Centre one of Canada’s leading cancer research institutes. “Given that the cancer research program of the Segal is one of the largest components of the LDI,” Dr. McInnes said, “it seemed only natural that Gerry should have a more formal role in our leadership structure.”

Two JGH nurses have been awarded the Prix Florence, among the most prestigious honours bestowed for outstanding professional achievement by the Order of Nurses of Quebec. Dr. Carmen Loiselle, a Senior Nurse Scientist in the Lady Davis Institute at the JGH and in the JGH Centre for Nursing Research, received her award in the Nurs- Dr. Carmen Loiselle ing Research category. Esther Dajczman, a Clinical Nurse Specialist with expertise in the care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), was recognized in the Prevention of Disease Esther Dajczman category. Named for Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, the Prix Florence was created in 2003 to recognize the accomplishments of remarkable Quebec nurses in eight categories. In her research, Dr. Loiselle has investigated the way cancer patients seek and benefit from the information they acquire in cancer clinics and online. Research has shown that patients often feel dissatisfied with the type and quality of information they are exposed to. However, by systematically studying the psychosocial impact of searching for information online when one is affected by cancer, Dr. Loiselle has been able to uncover profiles of preferences for cancer information and their effect on people’s well-being. In 2011, in recognition of her work, Dr. Loiselle was appointed the inaugural holder of the Christine & Herschel Victor-Hope & Cope Chair in Psychosocial Oncology at McGill University. This Chair was established through a shared $3 million donation from long-time supporters—Christine and the late Herschel Victor and Hope & Cope—and is only the second such Chair in Canada. In addition, Dr. Loiselle was the 2009 recipient of one of the JGH’s highest honours, the Award for Excellence in

Dr. Howard Bergman, staff physician in the JGH Department of Family Medicine and the Division of Geriatric Medicine, has been appointed Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at McGill Uni- Dr. Howard Bergman versity. Internationally recognized for his expertise in primary care, aging and chronic disease, Dr. Bergman served as JGH Chief of Geriatrics from 1991 to 2009, when he stepped down to become Vice-President and Scientific Director of the Quebec Fund for Health Research (commonly known as the FRSQ). Dr. Bergman is a Professor of Family Medicine, of Medicine and of Oncology at McGill; the first Dr. Joseph Kaufmann Professor of Geriatric Medicine at McGill and the JGH; and adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Administration at the University of Montreal. Dr. Mark Blostein, staff physician in the Division of Hematology and a project director in the the Lady Davis Institute at the JGH, has been named Associate Chief of Hematology.

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Summer 2012

Dr. Mark Blostein

Care for all.

Medical Research. Largely through the efforts of Ms. Dajczman, there has been a significant decrease at the JGH in admissions of patients from Mt. Sinai Hospital because of an emergency exacerbation of their COPD. This is because Ms. Dajczman splits her time between the two hospitals to deliver the right care in the right place at the right time. The quality of care has improved, particularly during the transfer of a patient, since Ms. Dajczman sees the patient in both hospitals to calm any concerns over the change in locale. Among the patients followed by Ms. Dajczman, there has been a decrease in the number of visits to the JGH Emergency Department by those with respiratory problems, as well as a reduction in hospitalizations. The Academic Enrichment Award of the JGH Auxiliary and the Department of Medicine has been presented to Dr. Michelle Elizov, JGH Director of the McGill Core Internal Medicine Residency Training Program and an Assistant Professor in McGill’s Division of General Internal Medicine. The award includes $3,500—the proceeds of an endowment provided by The Auxiliary to mark the 2008 Doctors’ Gala—which Dr. Elizov will apply toward a course on developing leaders in healthcare education. The course is offered by the Association for the Study of Medical Education in Windsor, England. Isabelle Grégoire, a Nurse Clinician in the JGH Department of Urology, has received the Outstanding Contribution Award from the Prostate Cancer Canada Network Montreal West Island, a support group for Isabelle Grégoire those coping with prostate cancer. Ms. Grégoire, who joined the JGH more than 20 years ago, was the first nurse to provide care to cancer patients in the Urology Clinic and she later trained her colleagues to do the same. The award was presented in appreciation of Ms. Grégoire’s distinguished career, including her role in establishing the first prostate cancer support group in Montreal.

She also participated in forming the Canadian Prostate Cancer Network and, for the past five years, has been on the organizing committee of the annual Montreal Ride for Dad, a South Shore motorcycle event that raises funds to support prostate cancer research.

Dr. Apostolos Papageorgiou, JGH Chief of Neonatology and Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University, has been included in the 2011-2012 edition of the Heritage Registry of Who’s Who in recognition of his extensive contributions to his field of medicine.

Dr. Mark Wainberg, head of HIV/ AIDS research in the Lady Davis Institute at the JGH, has been awarded the 2012 Killam Prize in Health Sciences by the Canada Council for the Arts. The Killam Dr. Mark Wainberg Prize, among Canada’s most distinguished research awards, is given to a scholar in recognition of past achievements and the expectation of further contributions. Dr. Wainberg said he was “honoured yet humbled” to receive the award, adding his hope that “political leaders at all levels of government in Canada will understand the need to maintain strong funding for medical research toward the conquest of all human disease and suffering.” Dr. Wainberg, a Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University, is internationally renowned for identifying 3TC as an effective anti-viral drug against HIV. He is also an Officer of the Order of Canada and of the Order of Quebec, an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a Chevalier in France’s Legion of Honour.

Dr. Richard Kohn, staff physician in the Emergency Department, has received the Clinician Educator Award from the Quebec Medical Association. This is one of the Association’s most significant honours, recognizing the exceptional contribution of a doctor who is also a devoted teacher of medicine.

The Canadian Association for Medical Education has presented its 2012 Award of Merit to Dr. Togas Tulandi, former Chief and current staff physician in the JGH Department of Obstetrics and Gyne- Dr. Togas Tulandi cology; and to Dr. Beth-Ann Cummings, staff physician in the JGH Division of Internal Medicine. The award acknowledges the doctors’ substantial contributions to medical education.

“These honours symbolize the dedication and creativity of our entire team in spreading the word about the JGH’s outstanding achievements,” says Glenn J. Nashen, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, who accepted the awards in April at the annual HCPRA conference in Calgary. “It’s yet another example of how the JGH continually strives for and achieves excellence not just in health care, but in a great many fields.” In recognition of his efforts in advancing the JGH contribution to public relations in health care, Mr. Nashen has been appointed to the Executive Committee of the HCPRA. He hopes to encourage the registration of new members from across Quebec’s public healthcare system, so that they, too, can advance their initiatives.

I n memoriam

From left: Henry Mietkiewicz, Glenn J. Nashen and Megan Martin.

When you pick up a JGH magazine, you’re reading a winner. For the third year in a row, JGH publications have won major awards for excellence from the Health Care Public Relations Association (HCPRA), whose members are communicators in healthcare institutions across Canada. JGH News, the hospital’s quarterly magazine edited by Henry Mietkiewicz, took second prize in the External Publications category of the Hygeia Awards. Pulse, the JGH staff magazine edited by Megan Martin, Laure-Elise Singer and Mr. Mietkiewicz, received second prize in the Internal Newsletters category. This makes it a hat-trick for Pulse, which took first prize in its category in the 2011 and 2010 Hygeias. Altogether, the Department of Public Affairs and Communications has received 14 awards over the past 10 years from healthcare-related organizations in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.

At the 2002 Annual General Meeting, Stephen A. Vineberg (left) receives the Distinguished Service Award, whose inscription is read to him by Past President Morton Brownstein, C.M.

The Jewish General Hospital, the JGH Foundation and the entire JGH family mourn the passing on Feb. 26 of Stephen A. Vineberg, who served as President of the hospital from 1991 to 1993 and as President of the Foundation from 1993 to 1996. Mr. Vineberg, a real estate developer, remained active as a Foundation trustee and had just completed his term on the JGH Board of Directors. In 2011, Mr. Vineberg, a cancer survivor, was also heavily involved in creating and developing the One-inThree Forum for Complementary Therapies to improve the quality of life of those Continued on the next page.

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ION · SAFETY ACT · SF

who have cancer or want to prevent it. His son, Scott, serves as Director of the organization. In 2002, Mr. Vineberg received the hospital’s highest honour, the Distinguished Service Award, in recognition of his profound impact on the JGH. Despite a national economic downturn during his term, the hospital extensively renovated the Emergency Department and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, expanded the Lady Davis Institute, and completed a seamless transition to a new Executive Director, Henri Elbaz. Mr. Vineberg’s family roots ran deep at the JGH: he was the grandson of A.M. Vineberg, who chaired the hospital’s first building committee in the 1920s and convinced the Jewish community to acquire the land on which the hospital was later built. “I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with the best medical minds and with creative, gutsy leaders who dedicate themselves to this institution,” Mr. Vineberg said on accepting his Distinguished Service Award. “Outside of my family, the biggest reward of my life has been working on behalf of the Jewish General Hospital.” The JGH community extends its deepest sympathies to Mr. Vineberg’s wife, Lillian, an active hospital volunteer, and to his children, Scott, Shauna and Mosheh. May Mr. Vineberg’s memory and legacy inspire a new generation of volunteers for the JGH.

On April 18, a phone call from the relative of a patient in Palliative Care sent JGH staffers scrambling to create a special moment for that patient. To see how a 4-footby-8-foot piece of plywood with a special message changed his day for the better, just visit:

jgh.ca/lavoie

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· PATIENT SA NT TI ME

ITY IMPRO UAL VE ·Q

Continued from page 19.

JGH QUALITY PROGRAM

ANAGEME KM NT RIS

Stephen A. Vineberg

Professionalism in Psychosocial Oncology Survey praises team’s respect for patients Respect for patients and a high degree of professionalism are two of the most noteworthy traits of the healthcare team in the Louise Granofsky Psychosocial Oncology Program, say patients who were surveyed about their care. Of the 25 questions posed in 2011 about the program in the Segal Cancer Centre at the JGH, all but one received a satisfaction rating above 80 per cent, the dividing line between acceptable performance and a need for improvement. “We can safely say that things went pretty well,” said Dr. Zeev Rosberger, Chief of Psychology, in presenting the results to the JGH Quality and Risk Management Committee in February. Bilingual questionnaires for the Patient Satisfaction Survey were distributed to 211 patients, with replies received from about 42 per cent of them (a statistically valid response rate). Among the findings: • a satisfaction rate of 98 per cent when patients were asked whether members of the team—consisting of a social worker, family therapist, sex therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist and oncology nurse— performed their work well • a rating of 98 per cent for respondents who said they were treated with repect • a satisfaction rate of 97 per cent among those who would be prepared to recommend the program to others

Paula Calestagne, Co-ordinator of the Patient Satisfaction Program, explains that the questionnaires enable patients not only to identify their likes and dislikes, but to state how much each issue matters to them. Thus, even if relatively few people say that something causes them great distress, finding a solution becomes a greater priority. Improvements are planned, even in some areas where patients registered satisfaction

It’sCare my for hospital! all.

rates above 80 per cent. Additional feedback will be sought from patients, so that changes can be made to enable them to better understand the consequences of their illness on their daily lives, and to receive clearer information about the community services and other resources that are available to them after leaving the hospital.

Vital support for cancer patients and their families The Louise Granofsky Psychosocial Oncology Program was established by Mini and David Granofsky in memory of their daughter, Louise, who died of cancer. Unique in Quebec, this program has proved highly effective in alleviating the distress of cancer patients and their families. It does so by improving their quality of life by focusing on their social, psychological, emotional, spiritual and functional needs at all stages of the illness. Since the program is funded almost entirely through private donations, the generosity of donors is crucial in ensuring the future of this vital service for a growing number of cancer patients and their loved ones throughout Quebec. Donations can be made at www.jghfoundation.org or by calling the JGH Foundation at 514-340-8251.

Keeping patients safer after surgery A coordinated series of preventive measures at the JGH has resulted in a drop in infections of the bladder and urinary tract among patients who are recovering from colorectal and general surgery. The improvement is considered significant, because these common infections can lead to more serious infections, along with a need for the patient to be placed on antibiotics and to stay in hospital for a longer period. Preparations are now under way to provide other surgical divisions with detailed information on how the improvements were achieved and what might be done, where appropriate, to lower post-surgical infection rates elsewhere in the hospital. Diane Brault, Head Nurse for Cardiac Surgery and Neurosurgery, says a special committee looked at … after the new potential ways of demeasures were creasing the rate of catheter-associated introduced, the urinary tract infecrate plunged in tions. To raise aware2010 and stayed ness among staff around that level about the risk of the through mid-2011 infection and its pre… preparations vention, a poster was are now under way created, an information booth was set to provide other up, and a teaching surgical divisions session was held. The with detailed successful measures information were spearheaded by on how the a special work group that was co-chaired improvements by Dr. Franck Bladou, were achieved. JGH Chief of Urology, and included Ms. Brault and Hetal Patel, a Nurse Educator and consultant in Surgery. Ms. Brault says one of the main culprits for infection is a catheter that is inserted into the patient’s urinary tract and remains in place after surgery. Although the catheter plays a useful role, the risk of developing a urinary tract infection increases by 5 per cent for each day the catheter is in place. An epidural needle is also placed in the spine to supply drugs that control postsurgical pain. The general practice is to

While recovering from surgery, Margaret Batty (second from left) chats with (from left) Dr. Franck Bladou, Diane Brault and Hetal Patel.

remove the catheter only after the epidural has been taken out—sometimes two days after the operation. However, in the hospital’s pilot project, in order to help lower the chance of infection in colorectal and general surgery patients, the catheter was removed one day after surgery, while leaving the epidural in place. Ms. Patel says an effort was also made to ensure that the catheter bag hangs below the patient’s bladder level, but does not touch the floor; that the catheter is securely attached to the patient’s thigh; and that no openings are created in the catheter system where foreign microbes might enter. The changes were initiated after the JGH joined and began submitting data about certain types of surgery to the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. This voluntary program allows the performance of hundreds of hospitals across North America to be compared to one another.

Rashi Khare, a JGH Clinical Analyst in Surgery, says the level of performance is expressed through a complicated statistical analysis that corrects for many variables and allows fair comparisons to be made among hospitals of varying types and sizes. Data from 2009 showed that the JGH was experiencing many more catheterassociated urinary tract infections than the hospital would normally be expected to have. However, after the new measures were introduced, the rate plunged in 2010 and stayed around that level through mid-2011. “We want that rate to drop even more,” says Ms. Brault, “but we’re happy that our first push made such a difference to the quality of patients’ care.”

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Research at the Lady Davis Institute A lifetime of iron exploration Though an iron deficiency in the blood is a common condition that’s familiar to many people, iron overload can also be extremely damaging, says Dr. Prem Ponka, an internationally recognized researcher who has devoted his career to exploring the mysteries and complexities of iron metabolism. Iron overload can cause irreversible organ damage even before clinical symptoms become apparent, notes Dr. Ponka, a Senior Investigator in the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the JGH. His review article on iron overload was recently published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. Patients with genetically based iron overload are regularly treated through phlebotomy, the process of having a quantity of their blood drawn. However, iron overload can also develop among patients with severe chronic anemia, leading to regular transfusion therapy. These treatments are temporary solutions, leaving an unmet need for novel therapeutics, toward which some aspects of Dr. Ponka’s research are directed. Dr. Ponka, a Professor of Physiology and Medicine at McGill University, received the JGH’s 2007 Award for Excellence in Medical Research; in 2010 the hospital’s André Aisenstadt Memorial Clinical Day was dedicated in his honour. Originally from Prague, Dr. Ponka has been at McGill since 1979, and joined the LDI as a staff investigator five years later.

Dr. Prem Ponka

Skinny mouse may unlock obesity’s secrets In a discovery with potential implications for human obesity and type II diabetes, a researcher in the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the JGH has bred genetically lean mice that do not gain weight even when fed a high-fat diet, because they burn more energy and store less fat.

Dr. Stéphane Richard (left) discusses his discovery about fat and lean mice with research assistants Gillian Vogel and Chau Tuan-Anh Ngo.

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This is the type of serendipitous finding that sometime occurs when scientists are looking for one thing, only to discover another. Since 1998, Dr. Stéphane Richard, a Senior Scientist at the LDI, has been examining mice to determine whether the elimination of the protein Sam68 affects the animal’s susceptibility to cancer. He has shown that these mice are protected against certain forms of breast cancer, as well as age-onset osteoporosis. In the process, Dr. Richard found that Sam68 helps to regulate the production of the enzyme mTOR, which is essential in processing nutrients and producing fat. Without Sam68, significantly less mTOR is produced, resulting in less fat being created and stored. Even so, the mice without Sam68 still have enough fat to support a healthy metabolism and enjoy a normal lifespan. “Curing mice of obesity is a long way from curing humans,” Dr. Richard points out, “but we think we have opened up a very interesting line of inquiry with respect to obesity and its links to type II diabetes.”

Care for all.

Opening new pathways to treating osteoporosis A major international research study into osteoporosis has uncovered 56 genes, 32 of which are new, that are associated with the architecture and physiology of bone mass density, the most important predictor of an individual’s risk for fractures. The team of more than 100 investigators—including Dr. Brent Richards, a research scientist in the Lady Davis Institute at the JGH—based its findings on data from more than 80,000 subjects world-wide. “Our extensive analysis identified six of the eight existing drug targets that are already used in treating osteoporosis,” says Dr. Richards. “This supports the evidence that the novel pathways we revealed are promising targets for new drug development.” Osteoporosis, a serious disease characterized by low bone mass and the progressive deterioration of bone tissue, accounts for about 1.5 million fractures a year. Associated healthcare costs are estimated at $17 billion in the United States alone and are expected to rise 50 per cent by 2025. “By discovering new genetic links to bone mass density, we open the prospects that entirely new classes of drugs may prove effective in preserving bone density and preventing fractures,” says Dr. Richards. “Now that we have identified novel genetic markers associated with bone density, we can take any existing drugs that target those genes and test whether they work against osteoporosis.”

Dr. Brent Richards

Coupling good nutrition with good medicine For Dr. John Hoffer, the promise and potential of nutritional therapy remain largely untapped, overshadowed by more conventional medical treatments.

Dr. John Hoffer

“Why not study and use nutritional therapies as rigorously as we do medication?” wonders Dr. Hoffer, who conducts research in the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital. “We need to think more critically about the nutritional status of our patients, and the barriers to adequate nutrition,” adds Dr. Hoffer, who practices internal medicine and endocrinology at the JGH, as well as serving on the hospital’s nutritional support team, and teaching at McGill University. “Better nourished patients have more reserves with which to fight off illness and to recover.” Dr. Hoffer’s contributions to nutrition research and its clinical nutrition practices have earned him the 2012 Khush Jeejeebhoy Award from the Canadian Nutrition Society. His career-long curiosity for novel ideas that challenge conventional thinking is a trait he inherited from his controversial father, Dr. Abram Hoffer. The senior Dr.

Hoffer conducted pioneering research into the biochemistry of mental illness in the 1950s and ’60s. In an era when mainstream psychiatry was divided between Freudian analysis and pharmaceuticals, his team focused on the notion that proper nutrition and megadoses of certain vitamins should be key components in treating acute schizophrenia. Dr. John Hoffer says he would like to see nutrition more closely incorporated into the clinical setting, with physicians giving it greater emphasis when assessing patients. “There’s still a lot more to be done educating medical students and doctors about the effects that malnutrition has on patients.”

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Committed volunteers keep

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s legions of long-distance walkers and marathon cyclists gather each summer to raise funds for cancer treatment and research in the Segal Cancer Centre at the JGH, they’re the ones, naturally enough, who take the spotlight and make the headlines. But their ability to participate in two of the year’s premier events depends, to a large degree, on volunteers who help put thousands of feet on the pavement, and thousands of wheels speeding along the asphalt. Since 2005 and again this year, Dr. Bluma Girzon, a podiatrist, has been offering advice on proper footwear and providing treatment to walkers with foot problems during the Pharmaprix Weekend to End Women’s Cancers in August. For tips on bicycle maintenance as well as roadside repairs, participants in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer have turned for the past three years to Steve Dennes and his co-workers at Martin Swiss Cycles in Westmount. Dr. Girzon, who lost both parents to cancer, says her involvement stems largely from a desire to impress upon her children the importance of the anti-cancer work that the Weekend makes possible. For this reason, she has delivered lectures, performed foot screenings and arranged booths for footwear companies in advance of the Weekend. During the event, she helps check walkers for muscular or skeletal problems and she even soothes their blisters. “One year,” she recalls, “a team named itself Sisters with Blisters, which I thought was pretty funny.” Dr. Girzon says many foot stations are set up along the route; in one previous year, the largest consisted of about 50 people, including doctors, nurses and podiatry students from the University of Quebec at TroisRivières. Although the students volunteered their time, she notes, they actually wrote thank-you letters to the JGH for the opportunity of taking part in such a lifechanging experience. “Nobody cares who you are or what you are—just what you’re intent on doing,” Dr. Girzon says. “You

Dr. Bluma Girzon (kneeling) provides advice on proper footwear to participants in the Pharmaprix Weekend to End Women’s Cancers.

The essentials The 2012 Pharmaprix Weekend to End Women’s Cancers, Aug. 25 and 26, will raise funds for treatment, prevention and research into all types of women’s cancers at the Segal Cancer Centre at the JGH. Participants have the option of walking one day or both, with everyone paying a $75 registration fee. Those who sign up for the full weekend make a commitment to raise at least $2,000, while one-day walkers must raise at least $1,250. Participants walk a total of 60 kilometres through the streets of Montreal, rain or shine. At the half way point on Saturday, they enjoy entertainment at a camping area and sleep overnight in tents. The walk resumes Sunday morning. All meals,

drinks, tents and washroom facilities are provided. Anyone who is unable to walk the route but wants to get involved can be a crew member who serves meals, assists walkers or performs other necessary jobs. Crew members pay the $75 registration fee, and it is encouraged but not required that they raise $500. Opportunities are also available for volunteers. For more information about the Pharmaprix Weekend to End Women’s Cancers—including registration, joining or forming a team, fundraising and training—please visit the website at www. endcancer.ca or phone 514-393-WALK (9255).

www.endcancer.ca 514-393-WALK (9255) 24

Summer 2012

It’sCare my for hospital! all.

tires spinning and feet in step look around and you see that most people are not athletes, but they’re transformed into athletes. Nothing stops them. They have the most incredible drive.” After three summers of helping cyclists with their bikes in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, Mr. Dennes will once again be bringing his team out on the route to support the cyclists. “Before the event, we help inflate the tires and we adjust the seat and gears,” he says. “And during the ride, we’ve assisted with all kinds of problems—anything to make it as comfortable as possible.” Mr. Dennes says he felt compelled to take part, because several years ago, “my brother was diagnosed with cancer in his lymph glands. He was treated at the JGH and I got to see first-hand not only how cancer affects your life and the lives of everyone around you, but how much good the Segal Cancer Centre does and how it uses the funds that are raised.” Especially impressive is the fierce motivation by riders to complete the tough, two-day ride. In particular, Mr. Dennes recalls one young man who decided to participate, even though he was not in ideal physical shape. At the end of the first day, he felt he would not be able to complete the route and he returned to Montreal. “But the next morning, to my surprise, I found him back at our rest area. He told me that as soon as he got home, he regretted not finishing the Ride. So he came back. It was hard, but he toughed it out and in the end, he was really pleased with what he’d achieved. For me to see something like that made the whole weekend worth it.”

Nuts and bolts The 2012 Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer hits the road on July 7 and 8 to help fund cancer research and care at the Segal Cancer Centre at the JGH. To take part, each rider pays a $75 registration fee and raises at least $2,500. After the final check-in on Saturday morning, riders spend Saturday and Sunday pedalling between Montreal and Quebec City, rain or shine. At the half way point in Trois Rivères, they gather at a camping area to relax, enjoy entertainment and sleep overnight in tents. Then on Sunday, the ride resumes. Throughout the trip, all meals, drinks, tents, medical aid and mechanical assistance for bikes are available.

Individuals who are unable to ride can get involved as crew members who serve meals, assist riders or perform other necessary tasks. Crew members pay the $75 registration fee, and it is encouraged but not required that they also raise $500. For more information about the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer—including registration, joining or forming a team, fundraising, training or any aspect of the event—please visit the website at www.conquercancer.ca or phone 1-866-996-8356.

Steve Dennes checks a bicycle’s roadworthiness at last year’s Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.

www.conquercancer.ca 1-866-996-8356 JGH News

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Thierry Jabbour Investment Advisor Manulife Securities Inc.

Highlights at the half-way point

1405 Trans-Canada, Suite 200 Dorval, Quebec H9P 2V9 Tel.: 514-421-7090 ext. 255 Cell: 514-652-2527 Fax: 514-421-8970

[email protected]

Let your ad make a splash in JGH News Want to make a real impact? Take a cue from the ad above and advertise in JGH News. Each issue of this award-winning publication is eagerly read by: • 5,000 healthcare staff at the Jewish General Hospital • thousands of patients, families, visitors, volunteers and donors • home-delivery recipients in 14,000 anglophone and francophone households across Montreal For ad rates and further information, please contact Amanda Starnino at 514-340-8222, extension 8424 or [email protected]

Testing, testing…

This option is most convenient for residents of Côte Saint-Luc, Hampstead, NDG, Snowdon-West and Montreal-West. The Test Centre at 5800 Cavendish Blvd. is open from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., Saturday and Sunday. The mall is on the 104, 138, 161, 162, and 262 bus lines.

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e

ckl

Ma

Kildare

CLSC René-Cassin Test Centre

Cavendish

If you need to take a blood test or other similar test, you can save yourself a trip to the Jewish General Hospital by going to the CLSC René-Cassin Test Centre at the Cavendish Mall. All results will be sent to the JGH.

Fleet

Côte Saint Luc

Care for all.

Fran Yagod (left) and Merle Klam.

With our presidency now at mid-term, this is a time to reflect on the exciting and rewarding year that has just passed. The Auxiliary, a multifaceted organization, could never achieve such great success without its dedicated volunteers, who always exceed expectations. In the past year, renovations were completed to streamline services in the Atrium Café to ensure that the delicious luncheon specials, customized sandwiches and tasty soups find their way quickly to your tray. In patient care, The Auxiliary has initiated a Geriatric Stimulation Program, facilitated by a dedicated volunteer. The Patient Comfort Program has been providing board games to patients in the Psychiatry Department, as well as personal items to patients in other areas. Thanks to increased funding from The Auxiliary, Dr. Clown’s therapeutic presence throughout the hospital has been increased to one full day a week. Support from The Auxiliary is also behind the recent opening of a special area in the Skin Cancer Centre where patients can wait in sterile surroundings between sessions of surgery. It is with pride and enthusiasm that we begin the second half of our term, anticipating another highly successful year. — Merle Klam and Fran Yagod Co-Presidents

AUXILIARY NEWS Snowbirds of a feather

Saluting tomorrow’s leaders today

From left: Beatrice Lewis, Reisa Lerner, Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, Fran Yagod, Merle Klam, Nancy Rubin and Sheilah Greenberg.

Nearly 75 snowbirds flocked together in Florida this past winter at the Boca Raton home of Sheilah Greenberg, Past President of The Auxiliary, to hear the remarkable story of Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, the son of a Nazi officer. The event, entitled “From the Reich to Hatikvah” and co-chaired by Reisa Lerner and Beatrice Lewis, helped keep Auxiliary members together during the long winter season.

Trans-Atlantic laugh exchange

Let’s hear it for the Next Generation, a group of ambitious, young women who bring energy, commitment, talent and fresh ideas to The Auxiliary. They form the nucleus of tomorrow’s leadership, and they’re busy today in many areas, including our mobile food cart, the Boutique Holiday Sale, the Milly Lande Gift Boutique, the Hospital Opportunity Program for Students (HOPS), and planning successful events such as a bowl-a-thon and lecture series.

Gifts galore Looking for that perfect present? Be sure to stop by the Milly Lande Gift Boutique in the main lobby at the Côte Ste-Catherine entrance. You’ll find a wide assortment of items for all occasions, including baby gifts, collectibles, jewelery and flowers. From left: Dr. Spring, Auxiliary Director Nancy Rubin, Dream Doctors Nimrod and Jérome, Auxiliary Co-President Fran Yagod, and Dr. Fifi.

It’s not just medical doctors who visit other countries to confer with colleagues; the therapeutic entertainers of Dr. Clown do the same. Earlier this year, Dr. Fifi (Montreal’s Melissa Holland) attended the Dream Doctors Medical Clowning Conference in Israel. This became the springboard for a visit in April by the Israeli Dream Doctors to the JGH, the Montreal Children’s Hospital and SainteJustine Hospital. Supported by funding from The Auxiliary, Dr. Clown spends one day a week at the JGH, using laughter to amuse patients and relieve the stress of hospitalization

On the horizon June 14-15 Summer Sale Samuel S. Cohen Auditorium, Pavilion A, JGH

October 28-29 Fall Fair Samuel S. Cohen Auditorium, Pavilion A, JGH

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To your health!

June 26 - July 6

The perfect treat for immortals Hitting all the high notes! JGH Jazz returns for its 13th melodious, rhythmic, soothing, harddriving, provocative, uplifting season. Regardless of the style, each concert will raise your spirit, complementing the healing at the Jewish General Hospital. Among the highlights is a concert in memory of Steve Kirman, whose sponsorship has made JGH Jazz possible, featuring friends from Steve’s Music Store. In addition, the performances and other activities on the closing day, July 6, will be sponsored by Sennheiser Canada.

How wonderful that the fountain of youth has finally been found! Now we can live forever—just like the characters in Tuck Everlasting, the classic children’s novel by Natalie Babbitt.

When: Weekdays at noon Where: Picnic area near the Côte-des-Neiges entrance For more information, please consult the online schedule at jgh.ca/jazz

What do you think of JGH News? Would you like to see more articles on a particular subject? More photos? More personality profiles? An opportunity to receive the magazine digitally? Your opinion matters to us. That’s why we’d like to know how you feel about the content, design and other features in JGH News. By participating, you’ll be eligible to win a JGH prize pack—a $50 value! To take this online survey until September 15, just go to

jgh.ca/JGHNews-Survey You don’t have to identify yourself, unless you want to qualify for the prize. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Thank you for helping to make JGH News even more interesting and informative.

jgh.ca/en/SternBlog The latest word from Dr. Hartley Stern, Executive Director of the Jewish General Hospital.

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How else to explain the fact that so many people still smoke? With our bodies now invulnerable, there’s no chance of getting lung cancer, heart disease or emphysema. Immortality can even overcome the yellowed fingernails, shortness of breath and persistent cough of prolonged cigarette use. True, smoking is expensive—around $10 a pack—but since we’re wealthy in our new Utopia, how better to spend $3,500 a year? For that price, parents could send a child to university for a year. But who’d want that? Then again, perhaps you realize the kind of world we’re really living in. If you’re a smoker hoping to take your head out of the clouds (literally), here’s a solution: A free smoking cessation program is offered through the JGH Cardiovascular Prevention Centre and Cancer Prevention Centre. Through one-on-one and group sessions, counselors help individuals determine how best to become and remain cigarette-free. “Since the launch of this program in 2004, it has treated about 1,000 patients,” says Joseph Erban, JGH Smoking Cessation Counselor. Maybe you should be the 1,001st— unless you’d rather believe in fairy tales. Contact the Smoking Cessation Program in the Stroll Family Cancer Prevention Centre at 514-340-8222, ext. 3870. For more information, visit: • www.cdc.gov/tobacco • www.smokershelpline.ca • http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/specialtopic/ smoking-and-smokeless-tobacco/overview.html

It’sCare my for hospital! all.

REPORT

JGH Foundation to launch new Capital Campaign

The success and exceptional advances that the JGH has achieved over its long history—in facilities, medical recruits, patient care, research, and equipment—have been fuelled by the unique partnership among medical and administrative staff, hospital leadership and devoted and steadfast supporters. At each stage that preceded great strides, a group of committed individuals from these groups gathered to plan the financing campaign which would enable the dreams for, and the challenges of, the future to be realized and met. This is what we hope to replicate in years ahead as we prepare to launch new fundraising initiatives—including a new Capital Campaign—to support leading-edge research, continued hospital expansion and recruitment, and the advancement of quality and services, all to improve the delivery of health care for all Quebecers. For the past year, we have been planning and laying the groundwork for what will be our most ambitious Capital Campaign to date, with a goal of $250 million. We have recruited an all-star dream team of Montreal leaders to spearhead this major effort (please see sidebar). Goals for the campaign were identified through the JGH’s strategic planning process and include: outfitting Pavilion K—currently under construction—, which will transform critical care and patient comfort, with the latest technology and equipment; increased support of the Lady Davis Institute at the JGH and its leading-edge research into the causes of and potential treatments for the most common illnesses affecting us today, with a focus on bringing new discoveries from the bench to the bedside as quickly as possible; upgrading medical information technology systems and services for greater access, quality and safety; acquisition of the latest technology in diagnostic imagery and robotic and minimally invasive surgery; recruitment of a new generation of physicians and medical leaders; and new stateof-the-art facilities and patient programs.

The Foundation is privileged to have numerous dedicated community leaders and a wonderful group of supporters who are committed to ensuring that the JGH continues to lead in scientific discovery and healthcare excellence. The close working relationship between the Foundation and the hospital’s executive and medical leaders is not only unique, but fosters the dynamism and creativity that distinguishes our institution. While the Foundation’s leadership and that of the hospital complement each other, my own collaboration with the hospital’s Executive Director, Dr. Hartley Stern, results in a unified approach to priorities and a productive solution to the challenges before us. The same can be said about the unique partnership we enjoy with the hospital’s physicians and nurses, who never hesitate to lend their vision, expertise and compassion, as well as their time, to making presentations or giving tours to donor groups to help with fundraising efforts. The strength of these partnerships and the passion for excellence that unites us will again be the key to our success in bringing this new campaign to fruition and delivering on the promise of 21st-century medicine, with the ever-present goal of achieving better health and better health care for the people of Montreal and Quebec, now and in the future. We are confident that together we can and will set new standards of fundraising for our hospital and for our city. I invite you to join us in this exciting journey and to take pride in what we will accomplish together. — Myer Bick President and CEO

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CAMPAIGN TEAM HONOURARY CHAIRS France Chrétien Desmarais, C.M. The Honourable Senator E. Leo Kolber, O.C. Michael Sabia CO-CHAIRS Harvey Levenson President, Commonwealth Home Fashions Inc. Bernard Stotland, FCA Consultant and Business Advisor, MNP Montreal office Past President of the JGH VICE-CHAIRS Gaby Bitton CEO, Buffalo International Inc. André Bureau, O.C. Chairman of the Board, Astral Media Inc. Counsel with the legal firm Heenan Blaikie LLP Pierre Brosseau, CA Taxation Manager, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton André B. Charron Vice Chairman, Spesinvest Inc. Tony Loffreda, CPA Head – National Client Group – Quebec and Regional Vice-President Commercial Financial Services RBC Royal Bank Bernard Poulin President and CEO, SM Group International Inc.

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Partners in research The JGH has made a major commitment to medical research, with a focus on bringing new discoveries from the bench to the bedside as quickly as possible. The internationally acclaimed Lady Davis Institute (LDI)—an integral component of the JGH—conducts research into the causes and potential treatments for the most common illnesses affecting us today. It is acknowledged as a world leader in many fields of investigation and has made major breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS, aging, cancer, vascular disease, epidemiology and psychosocial science. As government funding does not fully cover research, private support has been and remains the driving force behind the LDI’s success in recruiting outstanding clinicians and scientists and supporting their research in priority areas—research which, in turn, provides the JGH with the tools and knowledge to deliver the most advanced care to its patients. This unique partnership with donors in the pursuit of research and clinical excellence is exemplified by many accomplishments. These include:

The Edmond J. Safra Stroke Centre The Edmond J. Safra Stroke Centre provides specialized, interdisciplinary care to stroke patients, with an emphasis on acute stroke management and intervention, as well as secondary prevention strategies and rehabilitation. It was created in 2008 thanks to the commitment and generosity of the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation in Switzerland and the Maurice S. Peress family, along with a group of Montreal supporters led by Rona and Robert Davis. The Goodman family, in turn, established the Rosalind and Morris Goodman & Family Endowment for the Comprehensive Stroke Centre, which enabled the JGH to recruit Dr. Alexander Thiel, an outstanding specialist in stroke and neuroplasticity from Germany, to head the Centre and continue his leading-edge research. Since his arrival, Dr. Thiel has attracted a team of talented researchers by virtue of his reputation. His neuroplasticity laboratory at the LDI is the first non-invasive brain stimulation lab officially certified for clinical use in a stroke unit in Canada. He has also established an internationally competitive neuroplasticity research program to investigate the mechanisms in functional recovery Summer 2012 30 Summer 2012

following a stroke, and to define predictors for successful post-stroke recovery. This initiative has led to the development of new treatments for patients in the early stages after a stroke, when the potential for a full recovery is the greatest.

Novel treatment for Type 1 diabetes Private support also plays a critical role in ensuring the continued excellence and growth of existing research programs and in speeding the development of novel treatments and therapeutics. A generous gift from the Polachek Family Foundation has enabled Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, JGH Chief of Surgical Services and a leading diabetes researcher, to launch phase 2 clinical trials of a promising therapy that could revolutionize the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. The treatment under development involves the injection of Exsulin, a peptide-based drug targeted at regeneration of insulin-producing islets in patients, combined with an immunomodulator to protect the new, regrown insulin-producing cells from being destroyed by the patient’s immune system. This is the first trial of its kind and could lead to the development of a treatment that would markedly mitigate or even reverse the effects of insulin loss, and result in easier and better glycemic control, as well as fewer end-organ complications— which would constitute a major advance in the treatment of Type 1 diabetes

Universal breast cancer genetic testing Obtaining funding for research into diseases that affect just a few people, such as hereditary cancers, is difficult, even though it might have a profound impact on all aspects of cancer management,

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including prevention, screening and treatment. This was the case for Dr. William D. Foulkes and his team at the Cancer Genetics Laboratory of the LDI, who were seeking funding to conduct a pilot study to pave the way for the development and deployment of a universal breast cancer genetic screening test across the province that would contribute significantly to the health and well-being of many young women. That was the case until Morden C. Lazarus, founder of the Montrealbased law firm Lazarus Charbonneau, stepped up and took it upon himself to raise the required funds by organizing with partners the 2012 Montreal Party Poker Classic charity event and allocating the proceeds to the Jodi Taiger Lazarus Fund for Hereditary Breast Cancer that was established specifically to support Dr. Foulkes’ innovative research. Dr. Foulkes’ research has also benefited from the generosity of Michael Flinker.

Muscle stem cell research The establishment of the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman McGill Chair in Muscle Stem Cell Research has enabled McGill University and the JGH to jointly recruit in 2012 Dr. Colin Crist, an established and emerging world-class researcher from Institut Louis Pasteur in France, and to support him in developing a program in muscle regeneration with a focus on muscle stem-cell biology, to be based at the LDI. Unlocking the potential of adult stem cells to replace dead or damaged cells will open a world of new possibilities in treating and curing many muscle-wasting diseases, such as myopathy and muscular dystrophy.

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The power of planned giving Given the choice, wouldn’t you prefer to leave a legacy that will benefit your loved ones and provide vital support for a cause you believe in, rather than seeing a sizeable portion of your assets and savings flow to government through taxes? Planned giving lets you decide, while maintaining full control of who will benefit from your generosity, when and how. Planned giving can take many forms, each of which offers different financial and tax benefits. In addition, a planned gift can be made without jeopardizing your existing level of economic freedom and financial security. Options include a bequest in your will, the gift of life insurance, the donation of RRSPs or RRIFs, gifts of securities, gift annuities, charitable reminder trusts and property. Contrary to popular belief, planned giving is not only for the wealthy. It empowers even people with modest means to enjoy tax savings, either personally or on their estate, now or in the future, while giving to worthwhile institutions that they value and wish to support. It can help ease the tax burden for your loved ones following your death. Some planned giving options can also contribute to increasing your current disposable income or providing a lifetime income for you and/or your spouse. It can even enable you to make a larger gift than you thought possible in support of a cause that is dear to your heart. Better still, the financial and tax benefits can often be accessible to you and those you care about in the present, not only to your estate after death.

ospital Foundation

The power of planned giving is that it creates a win-win situation for everyone involved. By using this tax-efficient giving method, those you care about— including your charities of choice and your community as a whole—can benefit much more from your generosity than they otherwise would. If the JGH has made a difference, big or small, in your life, the Foundation hopes you will consider making a planned gift. In doing so, you can provide the hospital with vital funding for new medical equipment and technology, research, the recruitment and retention of first-rate healthcare professionals, the ongoing operation of innovative patient programs that help to improve and extend our lives, and many other areas that are essential to meet the growing healthcare needs of Quebecers. The JGH Foundation has a team of experienced professionals with considerable knowledge about legacy gifts, who would be more than happy to assist you on a confidential basis and without any obligation. Planning to leave a legacy is a major decision with many different options, and the Foundation is committed

to ensuring that the option you choose reflects your philanthropic desires and objectives, as well as your financial situation. If you have already included the Jewish General Hospital Foundation in your will or long-range financial plans, we thank you and invite you to inform us, so that we can properly acknowledge your thoughtfulness and ensure that your wishes are fulfilled. When planning to provide a legacy gift to the JGH—or any other charitable organization, for that matter—you should always consult a qualified legal, notarial or financial advisor to ensure that the type of legacy gift and its timing will bring the maximum benefits to you and your loved ones. You should also contact the JGH Foundation to learn how you can best contribute to the fulfilment of its mission and to ensure that you are leaving a gift for an appropriate and achievable purpose. Your legacy is our future, holding the promise of better health and quality of life for you, your family and loved ones, and your community—not only today, but for generations to come.

2011 Donor Survey In fall 2011, the JGH Foundation conducted a survey as part of its annual direct-mail program to obtain feedback from donors about the ways we communicate with them and keep them informed of the latest developments at the JGH. A total of 679 completed questionnaires were returned, providing invaluable insights into many areas, including: reasons why donors support the JGH; their main sources of information about what’s happening at the hospital and the Foundation; topics they would like to have more information about on a regular basis; ac-

tivities they would be interested in attending; their willingness to replace paper communications with electronic delivery; and their level of awareness and use of the JGH and JGH Foundation websites. We thank all survey participants for taking the time to share their opinions with us. Survey results will be used to guide the JGH Foundation’s communication strategy and help us make improvements to our communications and fundraising efforts, so that they better meet our donors’ interests, expectations and needs.

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In the news… Inaugural Bust a Move for Breast Health has participants asking for more “The funds raised through Bust a Move will help us welcome more patients and provide timely ultrasound services with increased precision and efficiency to the growing number of women and men who don’t have access to this vital technology,” said JGH Breast Centre Director Dr. André Lisbona during his address at the opening ceremony. “Every day, in my work at the Breast Centre, I see the need for events such as this one to raise essential funds for our programs. That’s why I am thrilled to be here not only as a representative of the hospital, but also as a participant,” added Head Nurse Carole Seguin.

The JGH Foundation held its first annual Bust a Move for Breast Health™ event on March 18 at the YM-YWHA Ben Weider Jewish Community Centre. The event, which benefited from the support of world renowned Quebec singer Céline Dion, brought together over 130 exercise enthusiasts of all ages for a day-long fitness and fundraising extravaganza aimed at raising awareness, as well as vital funds for breast health in Quebec. Co-Chairs Jodi Mintz and Phil Black, along with Fitness Chair David Snively, brought their boundless passion and enthusiasm to the fore to keep participants energized through six hours of exercises—from yoga to zumba to aerobics—led by some of Montreal’s best fitness instructors. Trainers included David Snively, Josée Lavigueur, Sara Gallagher, Adonna Greaves, Joëlle Ménard, Jonathan Chaimberg, Jorge Mendez and Guylaine Thibault, Alissa Perzow, Louise Malone, and Melanie Shernofsky. Participants also heard inspiring testimonials from patients and enjoyed a delicious lunch, healthy snacks and refreshments, as well as fabulous gifts and door prizes. Most of all, they really appreciated the wonderful opportunity afforded to them by this unique event to get in shape and have a ton of fun, while contributing the health and well-being of the community at large. Bust a Move for Breast Health originated in Halifax in 2010 as an initiative of the QEII Foundation and IWK Foundation, where it was such a success that it has inspired similar events in Ottawa, Edmonton, and now Montreal. The event raised over $218,000 for the Breast Centre at the JGH, designated by the Quebec government as a Breast Referral and Investigation Centre and widely considered to be one of the leading facilities of its kind in the province. Proceeds will support the expansion of the JGH Breast Centre and the acquisition of a second specialized ultrasound machine, providing improved access to the most advanced technology and services for the early detection of breast cancer. Diagnosing breast cancer as early as possible is crucial, as it provides women and men with more treatment options, a reduced chance of cancer recurrence and an improved chance of survival.

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We thank all the participants, fitness instructors, volunteers and supporters whose generosity, dedication and enthusiasm contributed to making the first Montreal edition of Bust a Move for Breast Health nothing short of amazing. Special thanks to our many sponsors who embraced the cause and helped us deliver more than just another fundraising event by making Bust a Move an empowering and unforgettable experience that has all of the participants asking for more: the YM-YWHA, 94.7 HITS FM, The Montreal Gazette, Bobble/Mann Marketing Inc, AIM Holdings LP, RBC Royal Bank, DavidsTea, Costco, the Steven & Sandra Mintz Family Foundation and Lux Rentals.

Goldfarb Breastfeeding Clinic celebrates 10th anniversary With profound thanks to Lenore and Robert Goldfarb for making it all possible through their generosity and continued support.

Volunteer spotlight Every year, over 1,000 volunteers generously contribute approximately 98,000 hours of their time to the JGH. They can be found everywhere in the hospital, greeting and assisting visitors, providing supplementary help to both staff and patients, and lending a hand in a variety of clinics and outpatient programs. Our volunteers are the backbone of the hospital and a big part of what makes the JGH the very special place it is. They also provide essential behind-the-scenes support for the Foundation’s fundraising efforts by donating their time and talents to help with day-to-day operations, events, special activities and projects. Volunteers like Ruth and Barry (next page) reflect the tradition of selfless giving and caring that is at the heart of our continued success in empowering the JGH to remain at the forefront of

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innovation, scientific discovery and clinical excellence for the greater benefit of the people of Montreal and Quebec. Ruth Wolkowicz has been a dedicated volunteer at the JGH Foundation for 15 years. She comes in every Tuesday morning to help mail receipts. A bookkeeper by profession, Ruth has been volunteering in the Jewish community for over 40 years, notably at the Canadian Jewish Appeal and the Canadian Jewish Congress archives. When a previous commitment came to an end, she decided to give the JGH Foundation a try at the suggestion of people she knew who were already volunteering at the hospital. Ruth enjoys volunteering because she likes to be involved in something that has value for the community, and she takes great pleasure in meeting and doing things with other people. It’s also good for morale. “If you feel you would like to give back to the community, or if you want to do something valuable and enhance your life, volunteering provides that opportunity,” says Ruth who, at 81, is still going strong and intends to keep on performing volunteer work as long as her health allows. We would like to thank Ruth for all of the time and energy she has contributed over the years. Barry Berger, 60, has been volunteering for the JGH and JGH Foundation in many capacities since 1999. It all started when a friend, who was a volunteer at the JGH, recommended him. Having benefited first-hand from the exceptional care provided by the hospital on an outpatient basis, he was thrilled to have the opportunity to do productive service and give back to the community. Monday and Wednesday mornings, he helps with gift receipting, filing and other clerical work at the JGH Foundation; and on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, he can be found showing patients how to register using the new automated digital registration system in the Division of Endocrinology. He also volunteers at the Cummings Centre. His reason for volunteering is stated in one of his favourite Bob Dylan songs: Everybody’s got to serve somebody. “To selflessly help and serve others is one of the most rewarding things in life. It’s what we’re here for in the world,” says Barry. “The bottom line is that we all have to help people in some way, and when you do, you help yourself. Volunteering leads you to be less self-centred and to get more enjoyment out of life than thinking only about yourself.” Thank you, Barry, for your continued hard work and dedication! Become a valued member of our team! To learn more about volunteering opportunities at the JGH Foundation and how you can help contribute to the health and wellbeing of your community, please contact Siobhan O’Brien at 514-340-8222, ext. 3069, or [email protected].

ospital Foundation

Upcoming events for members

Governors' Circle

This summer and fall, members of the Governors’ Circle will be invited to the following exclusive, special events:

Spring Lecture **NEW DATE** Hereditary breast cancer: What you need to know and how you can help By William Foulkes, M.D., Ph.D, Associate Director, Cancer Genetics Program, JGH Stroll Family Cancer Prevention Centre

Monday, June 18 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Block Amphitheatre, B-106, Jewish General Hospital Refreshments at 8:30 p.m. The lecture will be in English, with a question period in French and English. Open to all members of the JGH Foundation Governors’ Circle Space is limited: first come, first served. Please RSVP to Tiffany England at 514-340-8222, extension 5467.

Fall Lecture Novel targets for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease By Andréa C. LeBlanc, Ph.D, Director, Molecular and Cellular Biology of Aging research program, Bloomfield Centre for Research in Aging, Lady Davis Institute

Wednesday, September 12 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Block Amphitheatre, B-106, Jewish General Hospital Refreshments at 8:30 p.m. The lecture will be in English, with a question period in French and English. Open to all members of the JGH Foundation Governors’ Circle Space is limited: first come, first served. Please RSVP to Tiffany England at 514-340-8222, extension 5467.

Become a member! Members of the JGH Foundation Governors’ Circle provide exemplary support and play an important role in advancing clinical research and/or patient care at the JGH, with the promise these endeavours hold for all patients and their loved ones.

You, too, can make a difference by joining us today! For more information about membership or upcoming events involving the Governors’ Circle, please contact Larry Sidel at 514340-8222, ext. 1922, or [email protected].

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Community action Community action Throughout the year, the JGH Foundation hosts or benefits from a wide variety of events that call upon all of us to support initiatives that empower the Jewish General Hospital. This enables the JGH to save lives, improve patients’ quality of life and provide the most vulnerable members of society with the care they need.

Past events

Upcoming events

Bust a Move for Breast Health Montreal March 18 – YM-YWHA Ben Weider JCC Co-Chairs: Jodi Mintz Ginsberg and Phil Black Raised over $218,000 for the JGH Breast Centre Please visit jghfoundation.org/sections/ vitalinit.html for more information Buona Sera Dinner and Jazz Evening April 26 – Selwyn House School Organized by Angelo Rizzolo and Family, Brandon & Kristen Di Perno and Family and Selwyn House School Raised over $5,000 for the VIVO Fund for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Special thanks to the Selwyn House Senior Jazz Band, the ECS Jazz Singers and the SHS Alumni Band

Events

Events

LUNGevity Masquerade Party May 3 – WAVE Complexe Dompark Founder: Fraida Saxe Raised over $120,000 for lung cancer research at the Segal Cancer Centre Special thanks to Dr. Jason Agulnik and his Department and the LUNGevity Committee CancerFightClub: Round 2 May 5 – L’Espace Réunion Chairperson: Nancy Wiseman Benefiting Hope & Cope’s innovative webbased initiative for young adults with cancer Amount raised unavailable at press time Please visit cancerfightclub.com for more information 20th Annual JGH Silver Star MercedesBenz Golf Classic, honouring The Honourable E. Leo Kolber June 4 – Elm Ridge Golf Club Honourary Chair: The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien Co-Chairs: Irwin Litvack, Bernard Poulin, Mark Smith and Gary Wechsler, CA Tribute Chair: Roni Gandell Raised over $1.4 million for the Emergency Department and the creation of a Pulmonary Hypertension Laboratory Please visit jghfoundation.org/sections/ vitalinit.html for more information

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AUGUST 25-26

15th Annual JGH Tennis Summer Slam Uniprix Stadium at Jarry Park / Time Supper Club Co-Chairs: Wendy Spaztner and Demo Trifonopoulos Honourary Co-Chairs: Pat Ifrah-Stein, George Itzkovitz and Richard Stein Benefiting the JGH Memory Clinic Contact: Annette Goldman, 514-340-8222 ext. 4602

8th Annual Pharmaprix Weekend to End Women’s Cancers Co-Chairs: Sylvie Grégoire and Claude Morency Benefiting breast and gynecologic cancer research, treatment and prevention at the Segal Cancer Centre Special thanks to our National Title Sponsor: Pharmaprix Contact: 514-393-WALK (9255) Please visit endcancer.ca for more information

JULY 7-8 4th Annual Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer Co-Chairs: Sheldon Elman, Serge Godin, Ralph Masella, Danny Minogue, Marc Parent, Calin Rovinescu Honourary Chair: Jonathan Ross Goodman Benefiting cancer research, treatment and care at the Segal Cancer Centre at the JGH Special thanks to our National Title Sponsor: Enbridge Contact: 1-866-996-8356 Please visit conquercancer.ca for more information AUGUST 6 11 Annual HSBC Charity Golf Tournament Chair: Bill Aubé Le Mirage Golf Club Benefiting the creation of the Molecular Pathology Centre at the JGH and La Fondation de la tolérance Contact: Tali Chemtob, 514-340-8222 ext. 5391 Please visit jghfoundation.org/sections/ vitalinit.html for more information th

It is immensely gratifying to know that together we can accomplish great things to help people throughout Montreal and Quebec for many years to come. To support any of the events and/or initiatives described in these pages, please contact the JGH Foundation at 514-340-8251. Donations can also be made at jghfoundation.org. If you are interested in organizing a fundraising event, please contact Mary Etzitian, Associate Coordinator, Events, at 514-340-8222, ext. 3986.

Thank you for making a difference!

AUGUST 21 Soirée Fantastique, Honouring Sheila Kussner’s retirement as Chair of Hope & Cope Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue Benefiting Hope & Cope’s varied programs for cancer survivors and their families Contact: 514-340-8255 Please visit hopeandcope.ca for more information

Jewish General Hospital Foundation 3755 Côte Ste-Catherine Road, A-107 · Montreal (Quebec) H3T 1E2 · Tel.: 514-340-8251 · Fax: 514-340-8220 [email protected]

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Jewish General Hospital Foundation

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The Big Picture

Photo: Isabelle Dubé, JGH Audio-Visual Services

Special moments in the JGH

At the Goldman Herzl Family Practice Centre, Dr. Michael Dworkind watches on a closed-circuit TV monitor as Dr. Anne-Sophie Laberge, a resident, examines 4-year-old Leila Tranquille. As part of their training, Family Medicine residents are evaluated and advised on their skills in interacting with patients. In each issue of JGH News, the Big Picture presents special views of the day to day life of the JGH, as captured by staff photographers.

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“This is the most positive medical experience I’ve ever had. The people here are incredibly helpful and supportive, and they figured out the problem when no one else could.” — Sarah Forrest-Power, on the Goldfarb Breastfeeding Clinic in the Goldman Herzl Family Practice Centre

Learn more about Sarah Forrest-Power’s story and find out how you can play an important role at the JGH.

Visit jgh.ca/sarah

New address? Want to stop receiving the magazine? Please phone the JGH Foundation at 514-340-8251.

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