Patient Inspires Cancer Foundation Gift P2

Alzheimer’s Awareness: Caring For The Caregiver P3

Gearing Up For Flu Season P4

inside this issue

sePtember 27, 2010

Mount Sinai Scientists Receive New Funding from the Terry Fox Research Institute

Four cancer research teams at Mount Sinai’s Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute will keep their research running full speed ahead thanks to a new $7-million grant from the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI).

The research teams of Drs. Andras Nagy, Tony Pawson, Sue Quaggin and Jeff Wrana were recently awarded continued funding from the TFRI through a Terry Fox Team Grant of almost $7 million over five years. The new funds will enable Lunenfeld researchers to further their leading-edge research.

“We are extremely grateful to the Terry Fox Research Institute for their vision and for recognizing the power of our science,” says Dr. Nagy.

The new funds will support Lunenfeld researchers in their investigations into the formation of blood vessels in solid tumours, and in the development of new therapies designed to cut off blood vessels from feeding tumours.

“Through this grant, we can use our individual sets of tools and our combined expertise in the hopes that we will find new treatments for cancer,” says Dr. Nagy.

Lunenfeld researchers have received approximately $11 million from the TFRI and its Terry Fox Foundation since 1985, and Dr. Nagy has been the Team Grant lead at Mount Sinai since 2004.

“This is a truly outstanding team of investigators who are working together to tackle an important field of cancer biology by bringing their enormous expertise to this multi-faceted problem,” says Dr. Jim Woodgett, Director of Research at the Lunenfeld. “This is one of only four teams funded nationally, exemplifying their stature in cancer research and validating the generous support of donors to the Lunenfeld.”

Dr. Pawson announces award at a press conference Learn more about bill 168 inside!

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Gle

nn L

owso

n of

The

Ter

ry F

ox R

esea

rch

Inst

itute

Bright Minds. Big Hearts. The Best Medicine.

Phot

o by

Com

mun

icat

ions

and

Mar

ketin

gPh

oto

by C

omm

unic

atio

ns a

nd M

arke

ting

Another Mulroney Baby Born at Mount SinaiThe Mulroney clan returned to Mount Sinai’s 7th Level Nursing Unit — Labour and Delivery — for the birth of Mark Mulroney’s and wife Vanessa Miedler’s first child, Maximilian Brian Mulroney. Max arrived on Friday, September 17, weighing seven pounds, three ounces.

The family expressed their gratitude to Dr. Paul Bernstein, whom Vanessa and Mark nicknamed “the Legend”, and all the nurses involved.

“I was amazed at how effectively information was shared and how kind and caring the nurses were,” said proud father Mark. “It was like having family take care of us.”

Maximilian Brian Mulroney joins his one-month-old twin cousins Brian and John — also born at Mount Sinai — as the most recent grandchildren of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Susan Horvath, President Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation

You’re the reason The other day, I opened a letter addressed simply to “Mount Sinai, Toronto” and found a cheque and a hand-written note. The writer explained that her recent stay in Mount Sinai had been worrying for her, and difficult for her family. The excellent care she received had eased their concerns. But it was the depth of kindness and respect — from physicians, nurses and staff — that had inspired her to write the letter and send a donation.

What’s so wonderful is that this is not unusual. My Foundation colleagues and I often receive cards, letters and emails from grateful patients and family members, expressing their thanks to Mount Sinai staff and pledging support. We also receive many comments via Facebook and Twitter. For instance, a patient responded to a recent tweet about our women’s and infants’ health program with: “Thanks for the work you do. My dear daughter and I both owe you more than words can say.”

Donors connect, not with an institution, but with its people. Because you do such a great job of doing your job, patients and their families know that they will be taken care of in an environment that values compassion and excellence. Thank you for all that you do!

Philanthropic Man Inspires Foundation

Vanessa and Mark with son Maximilian.

Anita Kaushal presents Dr. Jay Wunder with The Shayam Kaushal Charitable Foundation’s first donation..

“No one wants to let go the memory of a loved one, but we just knew that Shayam’s footprint was too big not to mark it,” says Anita Kaushal of her late husband, who passed away in February 2009 after an eight-year battle with osteosarcoma. Inspired by that big footprint, the inaugural gala dinner organized by The Shayam Kaushal Charitable Foundation raised $45,000 for cancer stem cell research at Mount Sinai Hospital.

The philosophy and goals of the Kaushal Foundation are anchored in hope, strength and determination — qualities that infused Shayam’s life. It aims to provide funding for community organizations working to better the lives of others. Mount Sinai’s Sarcoma Program was the beneficiary of the Gala Dinner fundraiser.

“This is a great accomplishment, and a real testament to Shayam Kaushal as a truly inspirational man," says Dr. Jay Wunder, Surgeon-in-Chief and Leadership Sinai Chair in Surgery at Mount Sinai. “He was one of the most likeable patients, always had a smile and something good to say, even when things weren't going well with his disease, and he was so appreciative of the care he received at Mount Sinai."

“The Hospital was there for us,” says Anita. “The nurses on the 11th floor were like family. They sat with us, they cried with us, they laughed, they prayed. It was a very special experience.”

Phot

o by

Sid

Tab

ak

Caring for the CaregiverBy Kanu Handa and Julia Gledhill

As a long-time geriatric psychiatrist and Director of Mount Sinai’s Cyril & Dorothy, Joel & Jill Reitman Centre for Alzheimer’s Support and Training, Dr. Joel Sadavoy has worked with countless patients suffering from brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. From meeting with their caregivers, he also knows how difficult it can be to be a caregiver.

According to statistics, nearly 40 per cent of caregivers report being depressed. This is a much higher rate of depression than exists in the general population. If left unchecked, this can quickly spiral into grief, anxiety, anger, guilt and exhaustion. Based on empirical evidence that caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients need support and training that is often not available to them, Dr. Sadavoy and a team of mental health professionals at Mount Sinai’s Reitman Centre has pioneered a first-of-its-kind caregiver support initiative that caters to the emotional needs of Alzheimer’s caregivers.

“In Toronto, and as far as we know, in Canada, this Centre is the first to not only train non-health professionals as Alzheimer’s caregivers, but also provide a continuum of care for caregivers who may show signs of guilt, depression or Dr. Joel Sadavoy

anger and are in need of mental health care such as psychotherapy, medication management or support groups,” says Dr. Virginia Wesson, Mount Sinai staff geriatric psychiatrist in the Reitman Centre.

As part of the intervention program, The Reitman Centre uses professional actors who behave like Alzheimer’s patients and enact brief scenarios to train caregivers through tailored role play. The simulations are filmed and played back for caregivers so health professionals can coach them on how to effectively respond to and manage challenging symptoms, such as memory loss, social withdrawal, mood swings, aggression, spatial confusion and diminished judgement. Dr. Sadavoy, Sam and Judy Pencer and Family Chair in Applied General Psychiatry and one of the pioneers of the program, says the emotional approach goes beyond other educational support programs.

“We try to understand how a caregiver is reacting emotionally, why he or she may be reacting that way and how we can help them modify their reactions and behaviour to deal with the challenges,” he says. “Training and treating family caregivers is a responsibility not just of the social support system in the community, but a responsibility of the health-care system, because caregivers area vulnerable population with

disproportionally high rates of physical and emotional disorders”

Once the 10-week program is complete, the Centre provides monthly maintenance groups for a year to reinforce learned skills and maintain professional support. Though located at Mount Sinai, the program is open to any family caregiver living with and/or caring for a person with dementia. Given its success — measured by high levels of caregiver participation and satisfaction — the program is now being adapted for the Mount Sinai Chinese Mental Health Program for seniors in Scarborough. A three-year $600,000 federal grant will further allow the Reitman Centre to refine and disseminate this model and design a training manual for leaders of other groups as well.

You are invited to a Renew Sinai Open house on October 7All staff are invited to a sneak peek at the next phase of Renew Sinai, Mount Sinai Hospital’s capital redevelopment project, which will beautify and modernize existing key clinical areas and workspaces.

Drop by the 18th floor foyer on Thursday, October 7 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. for an informal look at Mount Sinai’s Phase Three Redevelopment Plan. Areas that are next in line to be redeveloped include the Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Centre; Critical Care; Surgery; Medical Device Reprocessing Department; Health Records; Ambulatory Care, and Materials Management. A new inpatient unit is also in the works.

“This next phase of Renew Sinai will upgrade some of the most critical areas in the Hospital and integrate the most advanced technology,” says Laura Macdougall, Director, Capital Projects.

“We will be creating spaces that are patient-friendly and more appealing for the people who work here every day. We look forward to receiving staff feedback on the plans.”

The October 7 Open House is an opportunity to visualize the future of patient care at Mount Sinai. Light refreshments will be provided, and representatives from each department being redeveloped will be on hand to answer questions and share the future floor plan for their area.

Be it Major League Baseball (MLB) or sports medicine, Dr. Ron Taylor has always made an impact. Today, he is the Director of the S.C. Cooper Family Sports Medicine Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital, but he is no stranger to the playing field. During his illustrious MLB career, he pitched for two World Series-winning teams: the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1969 New York Mets. In 1972, he made a switch to medicine and then spent many years

with the Toronto Blue Jays, becoming the only former player to return as a team doctor. Dr. Taylor was recently inducted into the Ontario Sport Legends Hall of Fame. He spoke with Julia Gledhill about what his diverse career choices have taught him.

Q How does it feel to be inducted into the Ontario Sport Legends Hall of Fame?

A I am gratified to be recognized among such quality athletes.

Q Why did you decide to switch from sports to medicine?

A I played in the major leagues for 11 years, mostly with the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets. My baseball career died a natural death when I was 34. I had a degree in engineering from the University of Toronto and decided to apply for medical school there.

Q Are there any traits required to be a successful pitcher that carry over to becoming a successful doctor?

A A strong work ethic and an even stronger focus!

Q Do you have any advice for people wanting to switch careers?

A Work hard. Be well prepared. Be dedicated. Make sure you love what you do.

From team sports to sports medicine, dr. ron taylor throws a Change up

Are health-care workers at higher risk for influenza?Summer has winded down, but the Infectious Disease Research Team at Mount Sinai is gearing up for another influenza season, and with it, another opportunity to learn more about this common virus.

The Influenza Cohort Study is continuing this year to help find out whether health-care workers are at higher risk of influenza than other working adults, and what types of patients and care pose the highest risk.

“Results from this study will inform recommendations about the importance of different protective measures for health-care workers” says Dr. Allison McGeer, one of the study investigators. “It will also support decisions about whether health-care workers should have priority for vaccine or antivirals in situations of vaccine shortage or pandemics.”

For the study, the research team is looking for staff who work at least 20 hours per week in the hospital, and who are willing to fill out a baseline questionnaire about their work, and short online diaries once a week during the winter. Participants who develop any cold-like or influenza-like symptoms will send in a nasal swab to be tested for influenza and fill out an online illness diary about the severity of their symptoms.

If you want to know more about the study, or are interested in participating, contact the study office at 416-586-4800 ext. 2767. Information is also available online at http://microbiology.mtsinai.on.ca/research

It is too early to tell whether this season’s influenza activity will be caused by the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus or another strain. Because of this, the 2010 influenza vaccine will contain the H1N1 pandemic influenza strain along with the influenza A strain and influenza B. “As always, we recommend that everyone working or volunteering at Mount Sinai be vaccinated to protect themselves, their patients and their families,” says Dr. McGeer. Influenza vaccination clinics begin October 26. More information about the clinics will be available soon.

Dr. Ron Taylor

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Dr.

Ron

Tayl

or

share your stories with us!

Sinai Scene is published by Communications and Marketing every other week. We invite you to share your stories at sinaiscene@mtsinai.on.ca or ext. 8309. For an electronic version visit MSH News at http://info2/intranet. dOnAte nOW at www.mshfoundation.ca