Celebrating future leaders in research

Residents, faculty, and staff gathered on June 12, 2024, to celebrate resident research at Dalhousie.  

Held at the Dalhousie Art Gallery, the evening paid tribute to the accomplishments of resident researchers and the 37 nominations for 2024. Five resident physicians were honoured with research awards, and 13 others received scholarships.  

Dr. David Bowes, Assistant Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education, hosted the event, while Dr. Margot Latimer and Athanasius “Tanas” Sylliboy gave the keynote address. Dr. Latimer, who is the Indigenous Health Chair in Nursing in the Faculty of Nursing, researches children's pain management, focusing on Aboriginal children and the impact of culture on pain expression. Tanas Sylliboy, a Cape Breton University nursing graduate and master’s degree holder from Dalhousie, advocates for improved health outcomes for Mi'kmaq and marginalized communities.

“We are immensely proud of our resident researchers at Dalhousie University and their ability to balance demanding residency duties with innovative research,” says Jennifer Acuna, curriculum specialist in the Medical Education Teaching and Research Office in Postgraduate Medical Education. “It is incredibly humbling and exemplifies the synergy between education and real-world application—how academic excellence translates to tangible community benefits.”

Dalhousie medical researchers are committed to solving serious health challenges impacting people in the Maritime provinces and beyond. This important work would not be possible without the collaborative and collective efforts of research teams and support staff, including the very talented and hardworking resident researchers recognized with these awards and scholarships.    

Meet the 2024 resident research award and scholarship recipients:  

Award Winners

Dr. Carley Bekkers: Best Work in Basic Science

PGY-3, Department of Pathology, Diagnostic and Molecular Pathology

Project: Molecular Genetic Predictors of Disease Response to Capecitabine/Temozolomide for Patients with Metastatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Dr. Bekker’s study investigates the chemotherapy combination CAPTEM (capecitabine and temozolomide) for treating metastatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). While commonly used for pancreatic NENs, CAPTEM is also recommended for other NENs. The study aimed to identify genetic markers predicting treatment response using next-generation sequencing on tumors from 14 patients in Atlantic Canada. Results showed that patients with mutations in the MEN1 gene were more likely to respond to CAPTEM. Future research will analyze a second group to further explore this association.

Dr. Ashley Robinson: Best Work in Clinical Research

PGY-4, Department of Surgery, General Surgery

Project: Relationship between Hospital Surgical Volumes and Length of Stay for Hirschsprung’s Disease: Preliminary Results of a Canadian Population-Based Study

Research shows that adults treated at high-volume hospitals for complex surgeries have better outcomes. It's unclear if this applies to children's hospitals due to limited research. Complex surgeries in children are rare and mainly performed at specialized children's hospitals in Canada. Dr. Robinson’s study aimed to determine if hospital volume affects outcomes for babies with Hirschsprung's disease (HD), a congenital bowel condition. From 2010 to 2023, 563 HD patients were treated at 18 Canadian hospitals. Findings revealed no difference in hospital stay length by volume, but higher-volume hospitals had lower blood transfusion rates and higher 1-year readmission rates. The study suggests that hospital volume may not be a strong indicator of patient outcomes for HD, calling for further research on its importance in other pediatric surgeries.

Dr. Sage Dixon: Best Work by a PGY1-2 Resident

PGY1, Department of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine  

Project: Changing Prevalence of Frailty and Associated Risk of Graft Loss in Kidney Transplant Recipients Over Time

The prevalence of frailty among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) is rising, but it's unclear if this trend is consistent across patient subgroups or transplant eras. Dr. Dixon’s study examined changes in KTR frailty over time, using functional status as a proxy, and assessed the risk of all-cause graft loss (ACGL) associated with frailty. Data from 245,446 U.S. adult KTRs from 2000 to 2017 were analyzed using the Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS). Reduced functional status, indicating considerable assistance needed at transplant time, increased by 8600 per cent over this period, with similar trends across age, sex, and race. Reduced functional status was linked to a higher ACGL risk, especially in recent transplant eras. The study indicates a significant rise in frailty among KTRs, consistent across subgroups, and associated with increased ACGL risk.

Dr. Jenna Smith-Forrester: Best work in quality improvement, medical education, leadership, or administration

PGY4, Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery

Project: Understanding Post-operative Emergency Department Care for Nova Scotians Following Posterior Spinal Decompression: Motivations for Change

Dalhousie’s Spine Program aims to reduce preventable Emergency Department (ED) visits after spinal surgeries. Dr. Smith-Forrester reviewed over 900 ED visits and found that over 42 per cent of patients visited the ED within 90 days post-surgery, with two-thirds of these visits directly related to their surgery. Common reasons included inadequate pain management, frequent wound checks, and post-operative bladder issues. These findings have guided improvements in pre- and post-operative patient education and management, aiming to reduce the strain on EDs across the province.

Dr. Jasmine Mah: Best Overall

PGY3, Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine

Project: “Once you ring that bell, it is very hard to not hear the sound of saying somebody's an ‘orphan patient,’ the sound carries through the entire chart”: The Crisis of Managing Socially Admitted Patients in Hospital, A Qualitative Study

Emergency departments and hospitals often serve as a last resort for socially vulnerable people without acute medical illnesses, known as “social admissions.” These patients can experience negative health outcomes. Interviews with healthcare providers revealed that they face moral distress and systemic challenges, including stigma, prejudices, and resource limitations, when caring for socially admitted patients. These issues impact both patient care and provider satisfaction. Addressing them requires systemic and individual changes to improve health equity and care quality for socially vulnerable populations.

Scholarship Winners

The Ross Stewart Smith Memorial Fellowship in Medical Research

The Ross Stewart Smith Memorial Fellowship in Medical Research was established by Dr. James Ross Smith and his late wife, Mrs. Eliza Cochran Smith, in memory of their son who passed away while attending Dalhousie University. Funded by a generous bequest to Dalhousie University, it is open to exceptional graduates of Dalhousie Medical School. The fellowship provides financial support for research-related expenses in clinical medicine or basic medical sciences.

2024 Recipients:  

• Dr. Thomas Brothers, PGY5, Department of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine

• Dr. Hannah Stevens, PGY2, Department of Pediatrics

Samuel R. McLaughlin Fellowship

The Samuel R. McLaughlin Fellowship was established in 2001 with a $500,000 donation from the Samuel R. McLaughlin Foundation to Dalhousie University. It supports medical fellowships, training, research, and education programs. Eligible candidates are Canadian citizens or landed immigrants in a Dalhousie residency program, with preference for those planning a fellowship at an external institute.

2024 Recipients:

• Dr. Frankziska Miller, PGY5, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine

• Dr. Pooja Patel, PGY5, Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery

• Dr. Claudia Cote, PGY6, Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiac Surgery

• Dr. Dawn Veinot, PGY2, Department of Psychiatry

• Dr. Anna Duncan, PGY5, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery

Killam Postgraduate Medical Scholarships

The Killam Postgraduate Medical Scholarships, established by Mrs. Izaak Walton Killam, are awarded to third, fourth, or fifth-year postgraduate students in Dalhousie Medical School's clinical departments. Recipients are selected by the Faculty Awards Committee, based on the department head's recommendation, considering those likely to advance learning or achieve distinction in their specialty and potential future faculty positions.

2024 Recipients:

• Dr. Lucy Eum, PGY3, Department of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine

• Dr. Katherine Archibold, PGY3, Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

• Dr. Christopher Moran, PGY5, Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopedic Surgery

• Dr. Ashlyn Fong, PGY5, Department of Pathology, Diagnostic & Clinical Pathology

• Dr. Felix Zhou, PGY5, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Care & Endoscopy (Gastroenterology – Adult)

• Dr. Joel Bierer, PGY4, Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiac Surgery