A look back at the top stories of 2023

Whether in our own backyard or in distant regions around the globe, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry experts brought their knowledge, innovative thinking and thought leadership to bear on the most pervasive health challenges facing the world in 2023. Our people also created unique partnerships, innovative programming and expanded education to bring about opportunity and much-needed change. And we nurtured bench-to-bedside research, brought on top-tier talent and advanced a more inclusive and equitable world for everyone.

Here is just a sampling of the important contributions made by our people in 2023, as told through some of the year’s top stories.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

wildfire in the smoke and flames
The Globe and Mail
Indigenous communities face harsher effects from wildfire smoke
Jul 15
Indigenous communities, who make up 5 per cent of the population, have faced 42 per cent of all fire-related evacuations in Canada between 1980 and 2021

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Dr. Hamza Jafri, a dentist in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, takes care of five-year-old Piujulia Taylor’s teeth in October, 2022.
The Globe and Mail
Ottawa announces details of expanded dental care program for uninsured Canadians
Dec 11
Full implementation to be complete by 2025 under agreement struck between governing Liberals and NDP

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Cannabis edibles
New Scientist
Vaping vs edibles: How does the way we use cannabis alter its effects?
Dec 01
Edibles, vapes and joints all contain the same psychoactive compounds, but the effects they have on the body vary

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Mosquito
CBC Health
As temperatures rise, dengue fever infections keep surging around the world
Dec 02
Scientists say mosquito-transmitted viral infection could impact more regions thanks to climate change

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school child sleeps in bed
CBC
Giving Melatonin to Kids
Nov 29
An over the counter sleep aid is being used more and more often by parents to help their children get to sleep. Is it a good idea and does it work?

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a woman checking shelf for medication
CBC Health
A popular decongestant has been deemed ineffective. Here's what it means for Canadians
Sep 13
A panel of experts in the U.S. has determined that a decongestant found in many popular over-the-counter medications there and in Canada doesn't do anything to provide relief from a stuffy nose.

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A box of Ozempic
CBC
Ozempic might be 'ubiquitous,' but it's not for everyone, says diabetes researcher
Jun 25
The drug is prescribed for diabetes and obesity, but off label, it delivers weight loss.

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CREATING CHANGE

A London, Ont., high school student shows various devices that are used for vaping
CBC
Despite health risks, more than a quarter of high schoolers say they vape, study finds
Apr 08
More than a quarter of students reported vaping, with 12 per cent using nicotine vapes

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area for homeless individuals with personal belongings scattered on the pavement under a bridge
Schulich News
Family medicine residents join alliance to improve health of those experiencing homelessness in Windsor
May 18
Residents from Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry join efforts to provide healthcare to Windsor's homeless, enhancing community support and medical services.

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three medical students at Western's Schulich School of Medicine
CBC
These Western med students started a website to simplify the health-care system for newcomers
Jun 22
Newcomer Health Hub gives evidence-based, culturally-specific information to communities

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Bilingual hospital sign pointing to Emergency and Children's Emergency with icons for hospital and parking
The Globe and Mail
Children in food-insecure homes visit doctors, ER more than peers, study says
Jul 24
Recent Statistics Canada data show that more than 18 per cent of Canadians said they were food insecure in 2021, up from 15.7 per cent in 2020

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school child sleeps in bed
Schulich News
Pioneering program opens doors to new opportunities
Jul 20
A new Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry program is making biomedical sciences more accessible for students from diverse backgrounds.

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Vessel Prosthetics co-founders and Western University graduates Sydney Robinson and Oleksiy Zaika,
CTV National
Western graduates create innovative new design for prosthetic legs
Jul 31
Vessl Prosthetics co-founders Sydney Robinson and Oleksiy Zaika are refining their design of an automatically adjustable socket for prosthetic legs.

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Dark tone image of a teenager feet wearing sneakers
The Toronto Star
Pandemic saw huge rise in younger adolescents, particularly girls, visiting hospital for mental health crises
Sep 18
The pair of new studies published in the CMAJ found higher-than-expected ER visits, hospitalizations for these crises in children 10-18 compared to years leading up to pandemic.

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EDUCATING TOMORROW’S LEADERS

Close-up view of a dental procedure with tools in the patient's open mouth
Heart FM
Dental Students Providing Care to People in Need in Oxford County
Feb 08
Oxford County Community Dental Clinic has provided care to more than 60 people since April 2022. Western University dental students have also been getting hands-on experience.

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Schulich's White Coat Ceremony
Global News
Ontario expands medical school spots at Western University to ‘address needs in society’
May 04
In May, the government announced that the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry will add 16 medical education spots and 22 residency training positions over the next three years.

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Dr. Larry Jacobs
Windsor Star
Schulich medical school a huge draw for local doctors
Mar 30
The Windsor campus of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry held its 15th anniversary celebrations in March — and for an increasing number of graduates the journey to the ceremony remained a local one.

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Vintage-inspired collage with a spoon over an old photo, a teacup, an eye illustration, a birdcage, and pink peonies against a textured background.
Rapport Magazine
Back to a Better Future
Sep 20
The School’s very first MD+ graduate is shaping her future as a psychiatrist by exploring her passion for psychiatry and history. Her subject? Patient care in 19th-century asylums.

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wildfire in the smoke and flames
Schulich News
Discovery Week: 25 years of life and practice in regional Ontario
May 18
For 25 years, medical students at Schulich Medicine have “discovered” what medical practice in regional Ontario has to offer through Discovery Week – a program that is also bringing hope to the physician shortage in southwestern Ontario.

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NEW RESEARCH FRONTIERS

Professor Ravi Menon, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Professor Lisa Saksida, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Schulich News
Western to revolutionize drug development for brain diseases with $24M federal funding boost
Apr 26
First-of-its-kind platform will fast track drug development and help identify effective new therapies within six years.

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An MRI scan of a human head
New York Times
Brain Study Suggests Traumatic Memories Are Processed as Present Experience
Nov. 30
Traumatic memories had their own neural mechanism, brain scans showed, which may help explain their vivid and intrusive nature.

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Drs. Kun Ping Lu and Xiao Zhen Zhou at Western
Science Daily
In major breakthrough, researchers close in on potential preeclampsia cure
Sep 15
Researchers from Western and Brown University have made groundbreaking progress towards identifying the root cause and potential therapy for preeclampsia.

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Wastewater testing is seen in a still image provided by Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.
CTV London
'Wave after wave after wave': Health officials warn high COVID-19 rates could continue
Dec 08
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Professor and Canada Research Chair in HIV Pathogenesis and Viral Control, Eric Arts, explains why we are finding ourselves amidst another COVID-19 wave, and why this recurring pattern of waves will most likely continue.

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Prof Adrian Owen of the Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, Canada
The Telegraph (U.K.)
Patients in vegetative state ‘could still be conscious’ when life support switched off
Oct 04
MRI scans of unresponsive people in intensive care indicate they may have awareness in their ‘locked in’ state even if they cannot show it

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Hot coffee being poured into a white cup with steam rising, surrounded by roasted coffee beans, conveying a fresh brew.
Global News
Post-COVID smell problems? Ontario researchers investigate treatments
Jul 14
Researchers at Western University in London, Ont., are focusing on what they say is an understudied issue that has a major impact on quality of life: parosmia.

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a screen capture of the sitcom Seinfeld
New Scientist
We now know why we find some jokes funny - thanks to Seinfeld
Dec 08
Scientists have a better understanding of how we enjoy jokes after monitoring people's brain activity while they watched the sitcom Seinfeld

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OUR PEOPLE

From left, Merhu Abel Berhe, Gelila Alemayheu, and Isidora Ntienjem-Sherwood – building community.
Schulich News
Building a Black community of support a key part of MD student’s journey
Mar 13
Gelila Alemayheu, a second-year student in the MD program, and her fellow students are part of a growing Black community at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry

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Dr. Hugh Allen, MD'48, spoke with second-year medical student Omar Nawara at his home in London, Ontario.
Schulich News
Memories and milestones: A conversation with Dr. Hugh Allen, MD'48
Sep 21
It’s been 75 years since Dr. Hugh Allen, MD’48, was a medical student at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. The centenarian spoke with Omar Nawara, Medicine Class of 2026 and President of the Hippocratic Council, about his journey in medicine.

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wildfire in the smoke and flames
Schulich News
Shaping futures, one smile at a time: Kate Jacques’ journey to becoming a dentist
Jun 19
Kate Jacques gained a love of dentistry early on as a dental assistant. Now her passion to help those underserved has brought her full circle as she graduates today from Schulich’s Doctor of Dental Surgery program.

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Shahnaza Hamidullahand Edward Wang
Schulich News
MD/PhD candidates named Vanier scholars
Aug 29
Two MD/PhD candidates at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry have been named among recipients of the 2023-2024 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. Each will receive $50,000 annually for three years.

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Dr. Nasar Ahmad Shayan, MD, PhD
Schulich News
Afghan scholar faces Taliban threats in pursuit of freedom
Jun 21
When the return of the Taliban made life and liberty impossible in Afghanistan, Dr. Nasar Ahmad Shayan and his family made their way to Schulich Medicine. Now he continues his studies, bringing a unique perspective to the School.

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diabetes test
CTV News
London, Ont. doctor returns from helping wounded Ukrainian soldiers
May 10
Dr. Ivanka Nebor, a former clinical fellow at Schulich School of Medicine, returned from her second trip to Ukraine in April where she was part of a group providing reconstructive plastic surgery to wounded soldiers.

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Dr. Robyn Klein
CBC
Western University recruits top neuro-immunologist
Nov 22
Western University has recruited one of the world's top neuro-immunologists to study the effects of viral infections on cognition and the human brain. Incoming Canada Excellence Research Chair Dr. Robyn Klein spoke with CBC London Morning about her new role.

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