On December 6, 2011, the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario, with Cancer Care Ontario and the Canadian Cancer Society - Ontario Division, awarded the 2011 Quality and Innovation Awards.

Dr. Helle Moller, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, is a member of the Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute (TBRRI) team that won the 2011 Innovation Award:  Aboriginal Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Screening Trial.

Other members of the team are Ingeborg Zehbe, Marion Maar, Alberto Severini, Julian Little, Gina Ogilvie, Ann Burchell, Nicholas Escott and Amy Nahwagabow.

The annual awards recognize the development of new processes, products or programs which are bold and experimental and which enhance cancer care in Ontario.

Dr. Peter Brink, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences, is featured in the recently-released documentary, Northern Grown - How is Thunder Bay Feeding Itself?

"Northern Grown" is a documentary researched by The Food Security Research Network to better understand the challenges faced by local farmers in the North. The film is produced by Sheba Films Kelly Saxberg

A link to the Northern Grown film can be found on youtube

Dr. Elaine Wiersma and 5 of her students, Jessica Bresee, Margaret Delmege, Ashley Foster, Kristina Fabris, and Sofia Kurban, presented "Connecting Research, Practice, and Teaching in Public Health" at the Instructional Development Centre 2011 Symposium on Teaching and Learning at Lakehead University on December 9.

The presentation showcased the work students had done in PUBL 5211 "Public Health Ethics"  as part of an ongoing research study using participatory action research to develop an ethics framework in public health.

Dr. Elaine Wiersma, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, is a presenter in the 3-part Healthy Living and Dementia Online Event Series, co-hosted by Canadian Dementia Resource and Knowledge Exchange (CDRAKE) and Alzheimer Knowledge Exchange (AKE). 

The events are scheduled on January 12, 19, and 26, 2012.  Dr. Wiersma will present on January 19th, "Self Management and Dementia".

Carol Cancelliere, who graduated from the Master of Public Health Program in May 2011, has had her Thesis published.

Her paper, entitled:  Are Workplace Promotion/Wellness Programs Effective at Improving Presenteeism (On-the-Job Productivity) in Workers?  A Systematic Review and Best Evidence Synthesis of the Literature, is published in BMC Public Health 2011, 11:395 (open access journal)

The 26th International Conference of Alzheimer's Disease was held March 26 - 29, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario.  Dr. Elaine Wiersma, Assistant Professor in the MPH Program, and Dr. Mary Lou Kelley, Professor of Social Work and Collaborative Faculty Member in the MPH Program, were Plenary Speakers at the Conference.

Dr. Wiersma presented It's managing yourself to give yourself the best that life can give you: Self-management of dementia.  In addition, Dr. Wiersma presented two scientific abstracts, The Context of Dementia in Rural Northern Communities in Ontario and Exploring Perceptions of Self-Management of Dementia. 

Dr. Kelley  presented It’s hard to watch people die for a living: Improving Palliative Care in Long-Term Care Homes.

Dr. Wiersma and Dr. Kelley are also research affiliates at the Centre for Education and Research on Aging &Health.  Their research focuses on self-management of dementia, and palliative care in long-term care homes for residents with dementia.