The Ross McIntyre Digital Imaging Centre opened for business in January 2011 thanks to the support of a large number of generous donors. Their support in raising over $350,000 have truly enhanced our facility, giving Manitoba’s dental students one of the most advanced dental imaging centres at a Canadian dental school in which to practice their skills.

The Centre is named to honour the immense contributions of recently retired Manitoba Dental Association Executive Director, Ross McIntyre. For over four decades, Mr. McIntyre was a guiding force in Manitoba’s dental community. With the installation of CT Scan technologies and digital radiography equipment such as the Kodak 9500 Cone Beam 3D System, we have established an imaging centre that cements his legacy of innovation and excellence.

Dr. Mel Sawyer, associate dean (clinical), says the benefit of this technology is that dentists can better visualize every important detail including any issues or abnormalities in the jaw, the sinuses, the lower bones of the eyes, or the chin in clear detail.

“You get an amazing picture of what’s going on,” says Dr. Sawyer. “From experience, by looking at a regular x-ray sometimes there are things that couldn’t be figured out. But with the 3D image and the front to back plane visible, it helps with diagnosing problems.”

Part of the Ross McIntyre Digital Imaging Centre project is the modernization of the Faculty of Dentistry’s clinics to support all new digital technology along with electronic health record and comprehensive computerized patient management, office integration and third party reimbursement systems.

Graduates of the Faculty of Dentistry must be fully prepared to enter a digital practice world based on electronic patient record/management systems. The Ross McIntyre Digital Imaging Centre will modernize our clinics to support all new digital technology along with electronic health record and comprehensive computerized patient management, office integration and third-party reimbursement systems.

April 2011

Maxim Sofware gets on board

The Faculty of Dentistry is extremely grateful for the generosity of its local corporate partners, like Maxim Software for their monetary donation to the faculty. Additionally, Maxim’s donation of paperless practice management software will make charting in both the student and faculty clinics much more efficient.

Maxim’s President, Cheryl Kanhai, visited the Faculty of Dentistry in autumn 2010 to participate in an official cheque presentation. She is pictured, at far right, with (from left) Dean of Dentistry Anthony Iacopino, Associate Dean Clinics Dr. Lawrence Stockton, and Maxim Vice-President Chieu Quach.

March 2011

The Dentistry Class of 1995 has laid down a gauntlet for their fellow alumni. In honour of the 15th anniversary of their graduation, the Class has collectively pledged and donated $123,000 to establish a legacy fund at the Faculty of Dentistry. And they want more classes to follow their example.

They will be a tough act to follow. The Class of 1995 campaign, headed by leaders Dr. Blake Sinclair, senior stick, Dr. Rob Meloff, class president and classmate Dr. Cory Sul, is the most successful in the Faculty’s history.

“I have to admit I was shocked,” says Dr. Sul of his classmates high participation rate. “No one questioned giving something back to the Faculty that has helped them to succeed professionally.”

In fact, the class was so uniformly on board that by the end of the day that the class leaders’ initial e-mail solicitation letter was sent, the campaign had reached approximately $75,000 in pledges.

 “They started flowing in within minutes,” says Dr. Sul. From that day on the response of the classmates has been overwhelming, with close to 100 per cent participation.”

The funds raised by the campaign are currently growing in a legacy endowment fund, which be designated upon the campaign’s conclusion. At that time, the class will select an area to support in consultation with the dean, Dr. Anthony Iacopino.

Dr. Sul and his classmates hope that they are creating more than the legacy of their gift, but one of class giving that will spur all classes on to give back to the Faculty that gave so much to them.

“Other classes may not immediately see it that way, and that’s fine, but we think that once they’ve given it some serious thought they too will see that it is just the right thing to do,” says Dr. Sul.

Eventually, Dr. Sul hopes that this type of giving will become an ingrained tradition, “so that someday students still in school will already be thinking about what kind of legacy their class will leave for the Faculty once they reach their fifteenth reunion.”

January 2011 – by Lisa Thomson Stifora

The son of Russian and Polish immigrants to Canada, Dr. Morris Faiman [BSc(Pharm)/55] grew up with a strong understanding that post-secondary education was his “passport for success.” Now, he has made a commitment that will help University of Manitoba pharmacy students to achieve their educational goals.

Dr. Faiman established an award fund with a contribution of over $12,000 and plans to grow it to at least $50,000. The award will be named for his parents, Sam and Beatrice Faiman, who he says, “sacrificed everything for me. They insisted I obtain an education no matter how much they had to give up.”

Sam and Beatrice believed that a good education could never be taken away. Their influence led Dr. Faiman to pursue his education as a pharmacy student at the University of Manitoba despite his early dreams of becoming a professional baseball or hockey player. (He was even invited to attend a St. Louis Cardinal tryout camp as a baseball pitcher.)

Pharmacy school gave Dr. Faiman a great deal of success, but it wasn’t always easy. “I worked long hours in a Pharmacy while at the University,” he says, “and often had to juggle my studies with work so that I could earn enough money to support my education.”

The hard work paid off. Dr. Faiman eventually pursued Ph.D. studies and has since thrived in the academic environment. He is a Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicolgy at the University of Kansas. In that role, he has served on many scholarship committees, which, “brought back memories of my own financial difficulties as a student.”

With that in mind, Dr. Faiman decided to establish the Sam and Beatrice Faiman Scholarship Fund for students who have a strong academic record, but are not necessarily at the top of their class, and who need financial support to continue their pharmacy education. His generosity will have a perpetual impact on Manitoba’s future pharmacists.

December 2010 – by Lisa Thomson Stifora

Over their four years of medical school, classmates form bonds that can last a lifetime. When they reunite, it is a cause for celebration. For the Medicine Class of 1961, the occasion of their 45th reunion in 2006 was an opportunity to celebrate their success with a class campaign. Since then, they have raised well over $225,000 to create a legacy endowment fund that will benefit medical students for years to come.

Instrumental to this successful campaign are the six class leaders, Dr. John Foerster, Dr. Harvey Bergner, Dr. Richard Armstrong, Dr. Maie Kaarsoo Herrick, Dr. Philippe L'Heureux and Dr. Allan Ronald. Dr. Ronald attributes the strong participation to his class’s closeness. “We have been a class that appreciated each other and the legacy that we enjoyed together from a number of special teachers from 1957 to 1961. We all had a great time together.”

Dr. Ronald and his fellow class leaders are proud of their classmates generosity. “I’m delighted that 23 of those who have survived until 2010 have given generously. I’m sure most of the others will join us as well!”

When the Class of 1961 comes back together in 2011 they will have one more source of pride in this major contribution. They hope their contributions will stand as an example that mobilizes other classes to join together and leave their mark on the Faculty of Medicine.

December 2010 – by Lisa Thomson Stifora

Boost to renal transplant research

Douglas Flynn pledged a $1-million leadership gift to the Chair in Renal Transplantation in 2010, offering tremendous support for kidney disease research to the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine. The chair will continue the important work done by doctors Peter Nickerson and David Rush – two internationally esteemed University of Manitoba researchers who are trying to determine how to prevent the body’s immune system from rejecting kidney transplants. Their research is committed to improving outcomes for patients. Approximately 2,000 Manitobans suffer from kidney disease, about 1,000 of whom require dialysis.

“My father received a new kidney in December 2008, so I have had the good fortune of seeing firsthand the life changing benefits of the Renal program under the direction of Drs. Rush and Nickerson,” says Flynn. “Life on dialysis is exceptionally difficult and offers limited quality. I am happy to report that my father’s new kidney is functioning very well and that dialysis is a thing of the past for him. I am honored to assist the doctors and their team with their worthy efforts so that they may continue to enhance the lives of others in the future.”

June 2010 – by Lisa Thomson Stifora

Medicine Class of 1969 establishes a legacy

When a group of motivated individuals comes together to achieve a common goal, they can accomplish great things. The Medicine Class of 1969 is no exception. Since 2009, they have raised over $148,000 to create a legacy endowment fund that will benefit the Faculty of Medicine and its students for years to come.

The Class of 1969’s three leaders Dr. Diane Biehl, Dr. Allan Becker and Dr. Calvin Gutkin felt that the timing was right for their class to establish a significant legacy. When they gathered to celebrate their 40^th reunion at the 2009 Homecoming celebration, Dr. Biehl noticed a distinct shift in her classmates’ perspective, “I think we have all become very cognizant of our success and have a feeling that we owe at least some of it to the education we received here at the University of Manitoba, and everyone seemed very keen to give something back in return.”

During the weekend’s festivities, the three leaders approached their classmates with the idea of creating a legacy fund that would offer significant support to the Faculty’s future students. It was decided that the class would raise funds for five years leading up to their 45^th reunion and decide how to direct the fund at that time.

Thus far, the campaign has been a great success. Over 24 of the 65 living classmates have already pledged gifts. Additionally, many of the classmates, including all three class leaders, have pledged $6,900 in honour of their year of graduation.

There is a feeling among the classmates of wanting to lend their support to future doctors said Dr. Biehl. “My classmates and I are aware that it is tougher to get a medical education now than when we were students. With tuition costs rising, it is much harder going than it used to be and we just want to help out.”

June 2010 – by Lisa Thomson Stifora

Brothers John (BSc/72, LLB/75) and David (BComm(Hons)/75)  McGoey established the Dr. John E. and Mary McGoey Bursary in Medicine in honour of their parents, for whom the award is named. John and David’s father earned his MD from the University of Manitoba in 1948; both he and their mother were raised in rural Saskatchewan. The new bursary will honour that rural heritage by supporting students from rural Manitoban schools who have the academic qualifications but not the means to pursue their dreams of becoming doctors.

“The medical school was always a cause of my father’s, and when he passed away he did not leave any specific bequests,” said John. “So David and I thought we should do the right thing and make a gift on his behalf. My father was a prominent doctor in the community, but once you retire the name starts to fade, so we felt that this would be a way to keep his name in prominence through the future.”

The brothers plan to continue adding to this legacy, said John. “Both David and I are committed to growing the fund over the years.”

June 2010 – by Lisa Thomson Stifora

As a university student, one thing you definitely appreciate is the generosity of donors who support student awards. The Pharmacy Class of 2009 has followed those donor’s example and established the Pharmacy Class of 2009 Passion and Commitment Award.

With a surplus of $5,000 left in their graduation fund, the Class settled on creating a scholarship. “We thought, what better way to leave an impression on the Faculty for future classes than by giving an award back and having it remind future classes about who we were and what our class was about,” says Crystal Kosheluk, graduation committee member.

The Class chose to focus on rewarding community service in addition to academic merit because many existing scholarships already reward high marks alone.  Kori Wachniak, graduation committee member says her class has noticed that there are many motivated students “who did not necessarily achieve tops marks but had a lot of other non-faculty commitments.”

Based on those observations the class decided to call their scholarship the Passion and Commitment Award. “Our award takes academics, volunteering and community service into consideration to allow a very well-rounded, passionate future pharmacist to earn this award,” Kosheluk says.

For the next 20 years, a $250 scholarship will be awarded annually to one fourth-year Pharmacy student for their service to the community, particularly service outside of the Faculty, as well as their academic excellence. When the initial contribution from the Class of 2009 runs out, Wachniak thinks her class may come together again. “A lot of bonds were made between us in the four years we spent together. We’re all proud to be pharmacists now, so I don’t see why we wouldn’t want to continue to support our future colleagues down the road.”

“From the passion I saw from many of the students in our last year together I have strong confidence that this award will not be forgotten years down the road but have an everlasting legacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy, inspiring others to go out in the community and do great things for the sake of others and the profession of pharmacy,” Kosheluk adds.

May 2010 – by Lisa Thomson Stifora

U of M students provide health care to community in need

Point Douglas community members are ensured access to holistic health care at the Winnipeg Interprofessional Student-Run Health (WISH) Clinic until at least 2015, thanks to a commitment from the Tolkien Trust of 60,000 Pounds over six years. Read more...  

Thanks to an investment of $20,000 by the RBC Foundation, the Swampy Cree Suicide Prevention study will play a significant role in providing First Nations communities with evidence for policymakers to make decisions that will reduce the risk of suicide among groups determined to be at risk. Read more...  

Medical students are better prepared than ever for emergency scenarios and clinical procedures thanks to the appointment of Dr. Robert Brown to the Faculty of Medicine’s Mindermar Professorship in Human Simulation.

Established through a $1-million dollar gift from the Rady Family Foundation, Mindel Olenick and Marjorie and Morley Blankstein, the Mindermar Professorship in Human Simulation plays an important role in creating top calibre doctors. “Medicine and health care are evolving into a much more interdisciplinary team-oriented model,” says Dr. Brown. “The development of new physicians as team members and leaders is fundamental to this evolution, and the simulation environment is ideal for instilling these skills.”

Dr. Brown is tasked with the development, evaluation and research of educational programs utilizing human simulators and standardized patients. “My plan is to have the Clinical Learning and Simulation Facility (CLSF) functioning on a level with any other centre in North America,” he says.

He will also lead the creation of knowledge about simulation. There is “a huge amount of work to be done in defining how and when to use simulation to best advantage,” he says. This includes how it interacts with traditional clinical teaching and how it can be used to better understand the human factors that impact clinical performance in the first place.

What this means to patients is a safer, higher quality level of care. Medical students will be able to practice high risk events in an environment that does not incur risk to actual patients, and will be fully prepared when they treat patients in real environments.

September 2009 – by Lisa Thomson Stifora

The second floor atrium of the Apotex Centre is now home to a Mermaid and a Mountain Ghost. You can also find something Mysterious and Ancient lurking about. While it may sound like mythological creatures and strange forces have moved in to enjoy the bright and sunny space of the atrium, rather these are three of nine bronze sculptures donated to the Faculty of Pharmacy by Anna and Lyle Silverman. “We want others to be able to see and appreciate the artwork that we have enjoyed,” Anna & Lyle Silverman says. “When you hear from the students that they like looking at the art while they are studying and that it makes a difference to their life as a student, it makes it all worthwhile.”

The impressive pieces, sculpted and cast during 1987-89 are the work of Jian Tiefeng, a professor at the Yunnan Art Institute in southwestern China. He and two colleagues, He Neng and Liu Shaohui, pioneered an art movement after the Cultural Revolution, “which is steadfastly apolitical…characterized by remarkable imagery and innovative techniques that mines Chinese tradition in a fresh way.”

The sculptures provide organic shapes and colour contrasting and complementing beautifully with the straight lines and the fresh, modern feel of the Apotex Centre.  

May 2009 – by Alexis McEwen

Med School Alumus donates $2.5 million

The Faculty of Medicine announced a $2.5 million gift by Dr. George Yee (MD/60) - one of its largest gifs ever by an alumus - to establish the George and Fay Yee Centre for Health Care Innovation. Read more...