UBC Feature Web Site
Focus on People:
UBC This Week is a weekly summary of UBC people in the news, recent media releases and upcoming event highlights. UBC This Week past issues are also available on-line.
Sign up for UBC This Week and other UBC Public Affairs e-mail services at www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/eservices.
Recent UBC Media Releases
- Nov. 27: UBC Researcher Reveals Humpback Whales’ Dining Habits – and Costs
- Nov. 21: UBC Researchers Develop Breakthrough Technique to Unlock the Secret of Plasmas
Upcoming Event Highlights
Visit UBCevents, UBC’s new campus-wide calendar: www.events.ubc.ca
- Nov. 28: The Integration of Aboriginal Medicine and Healing Practices and Western Medicine
- Nov. 29: Men’s Hockey vs. Alberta Golden Bears
- Nov. 30: Genocide and the Psychology of Memory: The Case of Rudolf Vrba
- Dec. 1: Life Sciences Institute: Research Open House
- Dec. 2: Thinking at the edge of reason: The university, its discipline, and beyond
- Dec. 3: Annual Dickens Buffet at Cecil Green Park House
- Dec. 4: The Inaugural Collaborative Canadian Prison – Academic Community Health and Education Conference
Find out what else is happening at UBC this week. For sports events, visit the UBC Athletics site at www.gothunderbirds.ca/schedule.asp.
UBC People
- Two of 100 of Canada’s Most Powerful Women from UBC
- Journalism alumnus nominated for two Emmy awards
- UBC professor honoured as one of Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year
- Creative writing professor and student receive Governor General Literacy Awards
- Former UBC staff member wins National Aboriginal Achievement Award
- One of UBC Medicine’s newest Chairs to explore Parkinson’s
- Centre for Korean Research receives grant
- Gabor Maté gives reading
- UBC Players Club presents existential comedy
UBC People
Two of 100 of Canada’s Most Powerful Women from UBC
Dr. Dorothy Shaw, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at UBC Faculty of Medicine, and Dr. Elaine Chong, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at UBC’s Centre for Health Services and Policy Research (CHSPR) and School of Nursing, were named two of Canada’s 100 most powerful women by the Women’s Executive Network.
Shaw is recognized for her role as the first woman to lead the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. She was previously President of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.
Chong is recognized for her previous role as Manager of Clinical Services at Network Healthcare. She runs a healthcare consulting business and is an advocate for women’s health, including cancer screening and prescription drug utilization, among Chinese immigrant women.
For more information, visit www.wxnetwork.com/prizes.aspx.
Journalism alumnus nominated for two Emmy awards
Daniel Sieberg, MJ’00, a UBC School of Journalism alumnus and a CBS News science and technology correspondent, is nominated for two Emmy Awards. The awards show will be Dec. 2.
Sieberg is nominated in the business and financial reporting categories for a story on food labels and a story on Polaroid’s restructuring.
Sieberg writes the regular blog Tech Talk for CBSNews.com, hosts a weekly radio segment SciEye for CBS Radio News and contributes a personal technology column to Oprah.com.
For more information, visit www.journalism.ubc.ca/news/item/grad_nominated_for_2_emmy_awards/ .
UBC professor honoured as one of Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year
Prof. Susan Harris, Dept. of Physical Therapy, was honoured as one of Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year for 2008 by The College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Ten family physicians were recognized for providing exceptional care to their patients, making meaningful contributions to the health and well-being of their communities, and dedicating themselves as researchers and educators of future generations of family doctors.
For more information, visit http://fpoy.cfpc.ca/English/index.html .
Creative writing professor and student receive Governor General Literacy Awards
UBC Creative Writing’s Asst. Prof Maureen Medved and Master of Fine Arts student Catherine Banks received the 2008 Governor General’s Literacy Awards given by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Medved’s novel The Tracey Fragments received the Governor General’s award in the French translation category. It was adapted into a film starring Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated actress Ellen Page. The film was nominated for six Genies.
Banks received her award in the Drama category for her play titled Bone Cage.
For more information, visit www.canadacouncil.ca.
Former UBC staff member wins National Aboriginal Achievement Award
Gordon Prest, a former senior staff member of the Faculty of Forestry and a key initiator of the Forestry First Nations Strategy, has been selected as a winner of a 2009 National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
The award is the highest honour the community bestows.
Prest has served as co-chair of the faculty’s First Nations Council of Advisors and as advisor to the Association of BC Forestry Professionals. Now retired, he works with UBC to maintain links with Aboriginal communities and aid in student recruitment efforts.
He will receive his award at a gala in Winnipeg on Mar. 6, 2009.
One of UBC Medicine’s newest Chairs to explore Parkinson’s
Neurologist Dr. Raul de la Fuente-Fernandez joins UBC’s Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre as holder of the new James A. Moore Chair in Parkinson’s Research.
De la Fuente-Fernandez’s mathematical approach to analyzing the neurodegenerative disease and his focus on using positron-emission tomography (PET) to explore its progression within the brain, stood out amongst 20 or more candidates in the worldwide search. He was a Visiting Scientist at UBC’s Faculty of Medicine from 1999 to 2002 and a Visiting Fellow in 1995.
For more information, visit www.med.ubc.ca/media/One_of_UBC_Medicine_s_Newest_Chairs_to_Explore_Parkinson_s.htm
Centre for Korean Research receives grant
UBC’s Centre for Korean Research has received a grant of nearly $1 million from the Academy of Korean Studies – a Korean governmental agency – to conduct research, hold conferences, and sponsor concerts and exhibits.
The application led by Prof. Nam-Lin Hur, Centre for Korean Research and Assoc. Prof. Nathan Hesselink, School of Music was chosen as one of three schools from a pool of 22 and is the first Canadian university to receive a grant from the Academy.
Gabor Maté gives reading
Gabor Maté will give a reading from his book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, a look at the epidemic of addictions in our society.
Maté is the staff physician at the Portland Hotel, a residence and harm reduction facility in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Date: Dec. 4
Time: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Place: Lillooet Room (301), Chapman Learning Commons
3rd Floor, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
Info: Please RSVP in advance: allan.cho@ubc.ca or 604-827-436
www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/ps/readingseries.html
UBC Players Club presents existential comedy
UBC Players Club presents A Snowflake on the Tongue of Oberon, an existential comedy playing with the themes and motifs of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights’ Dream, directed and written by creative writing student Andrey Summers.
Founded in 1915 by Prof. Frederic Wood, the Players Club was the first club established at UBC and was the sole outlet for theatre on campus before the inception of the theatre department.
Date: Dec. 3 – 6
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Info: Preview by donation: Dec 3
Tickets $12/Students $10 (778) 866.4190
www.ubcplayersclub.com
