THE BULLETIN
The Ottawa Heart Institute Alumni Bulletin
Volume 18 Issue 2 - Fall 2009
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Table of Contents
President's Report
 I am pleased to report that, at the June Board Meeting, the Directors voted to have me remain as President one more year. In view of the fact
that most Directors are relatively new to the Board, they will have more time to familiarize themselves and will allow a more effective transfer of
duties. For similar reasons, we are delighted that Denny Doucette will remain a Director. I take this opportunity to thank the Directors for
their confidence in me and to assure our members that we take our responsibilities seriously. We will continue to work hard for the betterment of the Heart Institute and in turn for the welfare of its patients.
On behalf of the Board, I would like to welcome newly elected Directors Mike Doherty and Dan Trahan, both
excellent additions. Mike will head the Communications Committee and become the new Editor of The Bulletin, starting with the spring 2010
edition. Dan is already contributing to the Outreach and Project Funding Committees.
Our key activities for the coming year include continuing with our:
- Outreach Program, headed by Richard Lindo;
- Membership Growth Program overseen by Denny Doucette;
- Administrative operations under the leadership of our CAO, Margaret Lilly; and
- Active participation on the HI’s Human Research Ethics Board by VP Daniel Letouzé.
Once again I would like to congratulate those who received awards at the Annual General Meeting (see article). Their
accomplishments are most impressive and they well deserve the recognition. I would like to make special mention of Mary Carley and Frances Sheridan
for their long and invaluable volunteer service to the Alumni. They are still going strong in the Alumni Office, after 23 and 18 years respectively. Their reliability and
dedication are exemplary. Thank you ladies, you have truly made a difference! I also urge our readers to volunteer for whatever their interest
is and for the amount of time that they can spare. Please contact the office by phone (613-761-4370) or email mlilly@ottawaheart.ca.
As this is my last issue as Editor of The Bulletin, I take this opportunity to thank our faithful readers and assure you that The Bulletin will continue to improve under Mike Doherty.
This issue of The Bulletin is dedicated to the memory of Louise Clément, our respected and valued Layout Artist for this newsletter and Webmaster
of the Alumni website. She bravely fought the battle of her life but in the end a higher power needed her skills. Louise, you left us too soon and
too young. We really miss you!
John Herzog
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The AGM: Dr. Roberts Provides Insight into Life Changing Discoveries
The 23rd Annual General Meeting of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Alumni was held at the Nepean Sportsplex on Thursday, June
4. About 80 alumni gathered to dine, chat and listen to Dr. Robert Roberts, Heart Institute CEO, talk about Genes and Future Genetic Testing.
Before dinner, President John Herzog summarized Alumni activities over the last year, mentioning the update of certain of our bylaws, the increasing
popularity of the Alumni website (now receiving 50,000 visits per month) and the successful search for a new Chief Administrative Officer,
Margaret Lilly, who was introduced to the audience.
Alumni CAO, Margaret Lilly,
introduces volunteers
Secretary-Treasurer Karen Meades then thanked her predecessor Ted Legg for his assistance in the preparation of the financial statements, and announced growth in membership numbers, and an excellent year for the Alumni. Denny Doucette, Chair of the Nominating Committee, thanked outgoing Board members Ted Legg and Hubert Drouin for their contributions and confirmed Michael Doherty and Dan Trahan as Board Directors for a two-year term to June 2011. Hubert Drouin explained changes in the constitution that will allow more flexibility in the length of time an executive member can serve on the Board.
Dr. Mesana Presents the Keon Award to Dr. Chan
Later in the evening Dr. Thierry Mesana presented the Alumni’s Wilbert J. Keon Award to Dr. Vince Chan, “one of the top two or three residents in the country,” and praised his dedication, saying, “Just ask the nurses.” Dr. Chan has presented at major international meetings such as the American Heart Association, the Society of Thoracic Surgery and the American Association of Thoracic Surgery. Last year he was the recipient of the Paul Cartier Award at
the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, which is the highest honour
bestowed on a Cardiac Surgery resident in Canada.
Marc Cleland receives the Clinckett Award
The Mary Clinkett Award for an alumni volunteer went to Mark Cleland, a senior technologist in biomedical engineering who works on keeping all the equipment in the OR and the Diagnostic Centre in topnotch condition. His nominators praised his
dedication, technical abilities and, above all, his love of his profession and his patients. His research and publication experience in the field of medical batteries led to the implementation of a battery management program at the Heart Institute that has been recognized as a best practice by Accreditation Canada, Ontario Hospital Association,
and the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society.
Denny Doucette, Past President, presented the Alumni Volunteer Award to Mary Carley for 23 and Frances Sheridan for 18 years respectively of volunteer work for
the Alumni Office handling mail, membership records and inquiries, and coordinating key activities. Their dedication and long-term volunteering will be hard to equal.
Mary Carley and Frances Sheridan
receive
the Alumni Volunteer Awards
Finally, President Herzog thanked Director Hubert Drouin and former Secretary-Treasurer Ted Legg who completed their terms of office on the Board.
Hubert Drouin is recognized
Mr. Drouin spearheaded the update of the Alumni Constitution and By-Laws. Mr. Legg was of invaluable service to the administration of the Alumni and in the maintenance of financial records. He was the Alumni’s representative on the Heart Institute’s Human Research Ethics Board, where his contributions added to the reputation of the Alumni.
Ted Legg is thanked for his many contributions
Dr. Roberts prefaced his talk with
thanks to the Alumni for their hard work in disseminating information about the Institute and their valued support of important projects and services. In a brief update of his time in Ottawa, he said that this year is the
Heart Institute’s “finest hour,” referring to no wait times for procedures, largely due to three new catheter labs, two new ORs and the opening up of a whole new first floor with a $39-million renovation.
He then launched enthusiastically into his talk, saying that the next ten years will be dominated by molecular genetics. Beginning with some historical background to place
his observations in context, he explained that the world has seen three important epochs: first, the 6th century BC when, due to the invention of the alphabet including vowels, it became possible to write down the spoken word, leading to the codification of Western thought and
democracy; second, the Industrial
Revolution in the 18th century; and, finally, Dr. Roberts predicts, the 21st century because of DNA with its
alphabet of 4 letters joined together
Dr. Roberts delivers stimulating presentation
in a certain sequence to give you the 23,000 genes that determine who you are, what you are and what you look like. So far in history, he said, we have discovered all the continents, explored our planet to find out how it works, discovered coal, electricity and oil. But in the nineties something happened for the first time in human history when we started to say, “What about us? What makes us work?”
Now we have the genome or blueprint. It has become a part of our lives, and not only in terms of science since 37% of Wall Street today is tied up in biotechnology. Newspapers are full of articles on understanding what makes us tick and how this new knowledge can be used to make the most of our lives. We are thus entering a world of “personalized medicine” which now means medicine based on our genes and our genetic variance. That means your genes will tell you what drug is more appropriate for you and the appropriate dose. Life expectancy has more than doubled over the last 50 years. It will double again in the next one hundred years; the average life span is now expected to be 160 in fifty years.
The rate of progress is not going to slow down. Moreover, the world is getting old; by 2050, there will be 2 billion people over the age of 60. But living to a ripe old age is not the only thing to consider; we must reflect on quality of life. As far as heart disease goes, most experts feel it will be eliminated in this century. Based on what we know about risk factors, we have decreased the death rate from heart disease by 50% in the last thirty years. We have decreased death from stroke 65% in the last 25 years. Although we have learned much about environmental risk factors, we
haven’t yet identified the genetic risk factors.
Dr. Roberts told us that our hope for the future is in prevention rather than in treating the crisis. Common diseases – heart disease, cancer, infections – all have a genetic
component that we need to know in order to test and to go after comprehensive prevention. About 50% of susceptibility to coronary heart disease is due to your genetic makeup, probably even greater if you get heart disease when you are very young.
Why don’t we know the genes for heart disease? The technology simply wasn’t available until about 2005.
When Dr. Roberts joined the Heart Institute in 2004, he and his team
were aware that such a discovery was imminent; thanks to the Alumni and many other donors, it was possible to
set up the genetic laboratory now known as the Ruddy Canadian Cardiovascular Genetics Centre so that they were ready to take advantage of the technology when it arrived. In 2005, with two computer chips, each containing about
250,000 DNA markers, it was possible to start looking for genes for coronary disease. Benefitting from the tremendous technology now available and the fact that the price of chips has come down, today they are routinely doing 80 million genotypes a day with the capacity to do about 150 million a day. As a result, in their first study, Dr. Roberts and his team identified the first gene in the world for coronary disease, the so-called 9p21. If you have two copies of this gene (one from your mother and one from your father), you have increased your chances by about 40% of having heart disease; if you have only one copy, it’s 20%. 75% of Caucasians have at least one copy of this gene, making this discovery very meaningful.
So we now know that there is an additional unknown mechanism - independent of all other risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity or hypertension - that
contributes to heart disease. The aim is to find out what this gene does and develop new therapy to both prevent and treat heart disease. “We are fortunate and happy to say,” Dr Roberts told us, “that we have identified the first new risk factor in four decades.” The Centre is now working on a huge project with several other universities, including Stanford and Harvard, in the hope of identifying most of the genes for coronary disease in the next eighteen months or two years. “The genes will be put on a chip; you’ll be able to
order it up on your chart and that will determine what your profile is like.” This will happen not just for heart disease but for other chronic diseases as well. The ultimate aim for personalized medicine is to be able to have your complete genome of 3 billion bases sequenced in a reasonable time for a reasonable price. With the new machine, delivered to the Heart Institute a few months ago, they are running 20 million bases a day; the cost of doing 20 million is roughly the same as the cost of doing about 1 million six months ago.
Dr. Roberts’ fascinating overview of what is happening in genetics right here in our city gave us a glimpse into a fast-moving, life-changing world of exciting discovery where our doctors and scientists are working with great success to bring us closer to the
elimination of heart disease. In concluding his remarks, Dr. Roberts thanked the Alumni for their help in taking the Centre forward and the audience in turn thanked him with
enthusiastic applause.
(Reported for The Bulletin by Judy Hamelin)
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Our Musical Doctors
Dr. Marc Ruel and Dr. Fraser Rubens
The University of Ottawa Heart Institute, most of us are aware, has much to be proud of: a pioneering CEO, a growing international reputation, an army of dedicated physicians backed up by caring support staff. But perhaps less recognized among the Institute’s valuable assets are two young surgeons who are also classically trained musicians.
Tenor Dr. Fraser Rubens and pianist Dr. Marc Ruel have teamed up many times over the last ten years, both in their efforts to find new solutions for less invasive, more efficient heart surgery and, when they can find the time, to entertain the public and raise funds for good causes, including the Heart Institute.
Their most recent concert was on April 4 at Southminster United Church in Ottawa. Dr. Ruel performed solo pieces by Schubert and Liszt and accompanied Dr. Rubens in pieces including selections from the operas The Pearl Fishers, La fille du régiment, Manon and L’elisir d’amore. This year Dr. Rubens will perform 7 or 8 times, either here or in Europe.
The two doctors work 12-hour days, moving from the OR to their research labs to their patients’ bedsides. Dr. Ruel, the first cardiac surgeon to receive the Gold Medal in Surgery from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (2007), does innovative operations with not just one but up to three bypasses through a small incision in the left chest. Currently he is working on less invasive procedures in coronary, valve and bypass surgery, “pioneering stuff that hasn’t been done in other centres.”
In his well-funded lab, 10 people are making significant break-throughs in “cell therapy or stem cell treatment, finding special molecules that attract stem cells from within our body and bring them to the site where they’re needed”. Dr. Rubens’ research over many years has involved clinical trials on how to make the heart-lung machine safer. In describing a typical day, he explains that surgeons have a different time schedule than most people because they work in the operating room till the end of the day and then start their other work after that’s finished. They have to be very good at time management if they want to accomplish things and must be flexible in order to fill the operating slots. “A lot of people are dependent on us as sort of quarterbacks; if we’re not present, a whole bunch of people aren’t working the entire day.”
Both doctors speak with great compassion about their patients and what they are doing for them. When asked what it feels like to have a patient’s heart in his hands, Dr. Rubens quips, “Slippery!” but goes on to describe how, although heart surgery eventually becomes routine, “occasionally the team will stop and just reflect and say ‘Gee, can you believe what we’re doing right now?’” After almost 13 years as staff surgeon, he says that, as you become more mature in your career, patients are less and less “cases” and more and more “people.” “It’s not the heart that’s interesting but the person that’s suffering from the disease.”
Similarly, Dr. Ruel considers the heart transplant “the nicest operation” and sees it as “symbolically beautiful” since one patient is giving his or her heart to let someone else live. He explains how concentrated the surgeon must be – no chatting, no music in the OR for him – in order to channel the stress. But not all cardiologists approach these scenes the same way. Dr. Rubens describes his OR as “noisy, raucous and funny.
Dr. Ruel likes to tell his patients, “Your operation is going to be four hours long. And during that time you’ll be more important to me than my wife, my kids, my dad and my mom. Even if something happens at home, I’m not going to walk out.” In return, cardiac surgeons become very important people in their patients’ lives. When heart patients leave the hospital, the doctor may not remember them but they remember their surgeon, who has played such a pivotal role, caring for them from the moment they come into the hospital until the moment they leave.
So what do Rubens and Ruel do to escape the stress such long days, such deep commitment and such intense concentration must entail? Dr. Rubens relaxes with his family – his wife, a radiologist at the Heart Institute, and his two children, 16 and 14, who are “just getting to that stage where they’re ‘human,’ so you can actually converse with them. Even though we have such a horrendous schedule, we have dinner together
every single night, sitting at the kitchen table. I think that’s the most important focus of the day and that’s where the stress gets out, talking and developing our relationships.”
His daughter is in the vocal arts program at De la Salle High School and his son, an accomplished guitarist and composer, was auditioning for De la Salle at the time of this interview. Dr. Ruel, for his part, plays sports to keep in shape, forgets work when he gets home and enjoys his 4-year-old son and 2-week old daughter. One wonders, then, how music and the practice it must require fit into such busy lives.
Each of the doctors came to medicine with a long history in music behind him. Ruel, whose mother was a piano teacher, completed a Masters in piano performance at the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec with high distinction in 1993. Before choosing medicine, he had performed in recitals in Europe and recorded for Radio-Canada and Radio-France. Rubens studied music during his undergraduate days at Queens’ University in Kingston; while in medical school, he continued private lessons and has worked with voice coaches in Toronto, Ottawa and Europe. He studied voice at the
Mozarteum in Salsburg, was selected as one of the Canadian competitors in the International Glory of Mozart Competition in 1991 and has sung regularly as a soloist with local choirs and with Opera Lyra and Thirteen Strings.
These two musical doctors met in the summer of 1997 when Ruel was Rubens’ resident. They planned their concerts from a distance when Ruel later went to Harvard School of Public Health. Since then they have published together, made music together – their concerts have raised up to $ 70,000 for equipment for the OR - and are good friends outside the hospital. They are part of a group that likes to go out for dinner, creating a sense of camaraderie among colleagues that both of them appreciate.
Reflecting on how they manage to fit both music and medicine into their busy schedules, Dr. Rubens says, “You have to be flexible, ready to go at a moment’s notice. If you have an hour, ‘let’s go to the church and practice.’ Or after you get out of the OR, ‘let’s meet at the house and go through things.’ Every minute’s got to be well planned. You’re memorizing a lot of music and at the same time you’re directing a lot of work and research.” When asked which activity, surgery or music, brings them more joy and fulfilment, these dedicated surgeons and passionate musicians gave interesting answers. “To be perfectly frank,” Dr. Rubens confided, “when it’s going really well in the singing, nothing compares to it. There’s nothing like it! At the beginning the surgery is fun; it’s really neat if the case goes well, but singing is a whole different thing. It’s almost like apples and oranges. It’s very, very difficult to compare the two.” But Dr. Ruel, in his comparison of surgery and music, pointed out that both are strong mental exercises, both require memory and emotion, and both involve hand/eye coordination and dexterity. “All these connections have to happen in real time,” he says, “or the whole structure falls apart.”
No matter whether Doctors Rubens and Ruel are taking major steps forward in the prevention and eradication of heart disease or delighting audiences by creating musical beauty and harmony, they continue to touch the hearts of many people.
(Reported for The Bulletin by Judy Hamelin)
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For Whom the Heart Ticks…
We’ve all met them, but do we know them? They well deserve this behind the scenes glimpse of the Electro-Cardiogram (ECG) Unit of the Heart Institute. Since the opening of the renovated second-floor Outpatient Clinic some five years ago, the ECG Unit is the first place we see, even before we arrive at the registration desk in the waiting room. This makes the ECG Unit act, of necessity, as an information centre for many wayward patients trying to find their bearings. Directions are cheerfully provided; including “Be sure to get a number” if indeed the patient is to have an ECG examination.
The ECG Unit has 4 examination rooms, separated by curtains, and a small office that, given the overall limited space allotted, becomes multi-functional. Depending on the time of day, it serves as an administrative hub, a lunch room, a conference room, or a refreshment room because staff and patients ensure that there are always some “goodies” provided. There is continuous motion as patients come and go, curtains are drawn and opened, staff ready the beds for the next person, and one hears lots of “thank you’s”, laughter, and “good luck”. In this beehive of activity, remarkably, there are many smiles all around.
Nancy Tee, Manager of the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) is also responsible for the ECG Unit. Nancy beams with justifiable pride in the team as she explains that staff see 100-130 out-patients a day and also perform another 60 ECG’s for in-patients. This makes for a very busy day indeed. In the performance of their duties, the team touches the lives of all patients and interacts with many staff as well. It is on the scene for all cardiac emergencies as well as STEMI and other procedures carried out in the catheterization laboratories.
There are 4 full-time Cardiovascular Technologists and 7 casuals. One of the full-time staff members, Shirley Fulton-Blackburn, has been seconded to the Holter (heart) Monitor team for a year to provide assistance. “Full-time members work day shifts”, says Sebastien Tranchemontagne, who became full-time as of August 2008. Jean-Marie Guerrier, a four-year casual, elaborates that they work evening and night shifts as well as holidays and cover for those on vacation.
When questioned as to why they chose to pursue a career with the Heart Institute, they respond with one voice: ”If you studied to be a cardiovascular technologist, the Heart Institute is the place to be”. Sebastien is quick to add: “I want to be happy when I come to work. This is a happy group and the work is very satisfying”.
Two administrators, Laura Armstrong and Heather McDermott, are responsible for keeping a huge database up to date for the entire Ottawa Hospital.
The information grows by 6,000 cases a month. The database allows doctors and nurses, from any campus, to access the ECG’s of any patient when the need arises.
As we chat, we hear the chiming of metal on metal. That can only be the unique Bev Visneskie, who joins us, the well-known Technologist with hundreds of pins from all over the world on her jacket.
She smiles, with a twinkle in her eyes and explains how her fabulous collection started. “In 1997, I was working on a research project, and one of the patients gave me a couple of pins upon her return from vacation”, says Bev. “So I put them on my lapel, and other patients commented about them. Before long, I had patients bringing me pins every time they went on vacation. This is my fifth jacket and I have kept the other four intact. I have about 2,000 pins on them. I have to start a new coat when they get too heavy”. She recalls with a chuckle “One Halloween, when many staff dress up to put a smile on our patients’ faces, a new out-patient asked me what I was dressed-up as” “I am not dressed up as anything,“ she gently responded, “this is my every-day attire”.
Bev is delighted to be completing her 28th year with the Heart Institute. She loves her job, especially the opportunity to get to know her patients. She always encourages them not to be shy to ask questions. “This is a good-humoured, family atmosphere where we strive to be open and helpful”.
Surrounded by a number of her staff, Nancy points out that the unit has
undergone many changes over time. In spite of a new location, updated
technology and other practices, the seniority of staff continues to grow.
For example, Ann Desrochers retired recently after a thirty-year career. Bev has no intention of retiring. Others are equally committed to their chosen profession and to remaining part of the Heart Institute team that has fun working together for the benefit of thousands of grateful cardiac patients.
“We continuously advance our technology,” says Nancy. ”For example, those cold suction cups with the cold gels have been replaced by disposable adhesive type contacts. In addition to patient comfort, they offer better control over infection and hygiene.” Oh, thank you Nancy. You made every patient’s day!
The final word belongs to Nancy. “Working in the Heart Institute offers us the best of both worlds: the camaraderie, respect, and intimacy of a small hospital with the advantages of being with a large one.”
The ECG Team from left to right: Sebastien
Tranchemontagne, Laura Armstrong, Nancy Tee,
Marcia Chenner, Beverley Visneskie, Jean-Marie Guerrier,
Jing Xiao, Brenda Smeltzer.
Missing: Heather McDermott,Cathy Zubricki,
Karlyn Kelly, Nur Ozmirak, Amanda D’Aoust-Brahim,
Shriley Fulton-Blackburn
(Reported for The Bulletin by John Herzog)
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The Spring Lecture - Waist Management: The Skinny On Diets And Drugs
Dr. Nisha D’Mello
If obesity were recognized as a deadly disease of epidemic proportions then there would be much greater attention and action to eradicate it in North America and beyond. The facts are that one in two Canadians are overweight and one in four is obese. Obesity causes 1 in 10 premature deaths among Canadian adults between the ages 20 to 64. Obesity in children has tripled over the past 20 years. Comparable studies in the United States are indicating an even worse situation! The trend-line is clear: North Americans are rapidly moving from being overweight to obese.
These were the opening forceful comments by Dr. Nisha D’Mello, MD, FRCP who delivered the Spring Lecture with high content and impact to a rapt audience. Dr. D’Mello, a graduate of the University of Ottawa, is Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Division of Cardiology.
Why is this epidemic happening? “If our genes load the gun, then the environment pulls the trigger”, emphasized Dr. D’Mello. An individual can be biologically susceptible to weight gain but environmental and societal influences make it happen. Although we are eating fewer calories now, we are also burning fewer calories as a result of advancements in technology, automation, and lifestyle choices (such as reduced physical activity).
Obesity can be quantified using the body mass index (BMI) as being in excess of 30. The BMI is calculated by dividing one’s weight into the square of one’s height or BMI=w/(hxh)). Obesity poses a major risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality. It makes us more predisposed to hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, depression and certain forms of cancer. For example, an individual with a BMI of over 35 is 42 times more likely to contract diabetes than a person with a BMI of 23.
The good news is that each of us can do something to eradicate the obesity epidemic. Treatments include diets, drugs, and surgeries, preferably in that order. The first step is to set realistic weight-loss goals. A goal of losing 5-10% of one’s weight over a
6-12 month period is more realistic and safe than say 30%.
There are four types of diets: low carbohydrate (Atkins), low-glycemic index (South Beach), low fats (Pritkin, Ornish) and Mediterranean. Studies of these diets concluded that, over a two-year period, the average weight loss was 4 kilograms, and satiety, hunger, and satisfaction with the diet were similar across all groups. All diets improved fasting insulin levels.
What were the differentiating factors? Attendance at weekly meetings was strongly associated with weight loss. Whereas people tended to discontinue dieting, those who followed the Mediterranean diet stayed with the program beyond 4 years. This diet promotes daily physical activity (lifestyle change) and balances a large variety of meat, poultry, fish, fruit, legumes and, yes, even wine in moderation. Dr. D’Mello prefers this diet from a cardiac perspective but, she says “Whatever diet you select, it is critical that you don’t give up”. Otherwise fat cells, having a “memory”, will fight back to regain their previous status.
Drugs can be categorized into two types: those that suppress appetite and those that reduce nutrient absorption. Sibutramine is the former type and is approved in Canada for clinical use for up to one year. Aswith all drugs, there are side effects. In this case these may be dry mouth, constipation, and insomnia. The drug Orlistat is in the second category, aimed at altering fat absorption. Its side effects include intestinal cramps, flatulence and incontinence. Side effects are increased with higher fat diets. It should be noted that these drugs will costs the patient between
$100 to $140 a month and are not covered by OHIP. Once again, it is important to alter lifestyles from the start to help maintain the reduced weight after completing the drug program.
Surgical treatment is considered for massive obesity (BMI of 40 and over). There are two types of surgery, both aimed at reducing the stomach cavity. One is through bypass surgery where most of the stomach is bypassed. The second places an adjustable gastric band on the stomach that the patient can adjust externally to control the amount of food entering the stomach. Mortality rate from these surgeries is low and is related to the experience of the surgeons and their team.
Deb Gauthier with Dr. D’Mello
Upon concluding her formal presentation, Dr. D’Mello warmly introduced Deb Gauthier, a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit of the Institute. Deb is a very personal and poignant example of determination, strong will, and focused perseverance. These qualities helped her lose over 100 pounds by dieting and changing her lifestyle in a systematic manner. She spoke of her challenges and success, the latter being most evident. In response to a question from a member of the audience, Dr. D’Mello gave the following advice that we can all heed:
- Eat in moderation;
- Decrease quantity. This will also allow you to watch less what you can eat;
- Eat five meals: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner. Make snacks wholesome such as fruit, whole-wheat crackers, etc.;
- Be sure that your last meal is before 7 pm, after which you may drink water. Late dinners, after which you go to bed shortly, will be absorbed as fat.
Both Dr. D’Mello and Ms. Gauthier received thunderous applause from the grateful audience.
Note: For your further reference, an abridged version of Dr. D’Mello’s slide presentation in both official languages will be posted to the Alumni Internet site at http://www.ottawaheartalumni.ca.
(Reported for The Bulletin by John Herzog)
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Volunteers Needed
Over the past 20 years, the Ottawa Heart Institute Alumni has been informing its members of advances within the Institute and the treatment
as well as prevention of heart disease. As we expand our services and programs we are in need of volunteers in the following areas:
Reporters for The Bulletin (2 volunteers)
The Bulletin is published twice a year (Spring and Fall) and is mailed to all our members as well as posted on our website. Reporters with a flair for writing are needed to interview identified medical and other practitioners and write the related articles. This offers an excellent way to get to know more about the Heart Institute by investing about 6-10 hours over a two month period twice a year.
Communications Committee Members (2 volunteers)
Have you had experience in communications and public relations? Our Outreach Program requires volunteers to assist in raising awareness about the Alumni through community newspapers within and outside Ottawa. Assist in developing communications pieces, letters, and announcements and deal with the representatives of the media in co-ordination with the VP Communications for the Heart Institute. Level of effort is about 5-7 hours a month.
Bookkeepers (2 volunteers)
Help maintain our books and support our Secretary-Treasurer. Familiarity with Excel (spreadsheet) required to assemble the Balance Sheet, Income and Expense Statement, and Project Funding schedule for cash management purposes. Previous accounting experience required and ideally one of the candidates should possess an accounting designation. Level of effort is about 5-7 hours a month.
Note: The above positions require some presence in the Alumni Office located in the UOHI (40 Ruskin Street, Ottawa) and considerable portions of the work can be performed from home. The volunteers must have access to a computer and be familiar with e-mail, word processing and in some cases spreadsheet applications.
Data Entry
Use one of the most advanced computerized membership system to maintain our member records. Training will be provided. The work must take place in the Foundation Office on the Civic Campus. Each session is typically 4 hours and every effort will be made to schedule them at mutually convenient times.
You will find these positions an ideal way to “give back” to the Heart Institute, work with other dedicated volunteers to advance the aims of the Heart Institute Alumni, and gain personal satisfaction.
Please note: In all cases, when the volunteer is required to be on site, parking will be paid for. If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, kindly contact:
Margaret Lilly, Chief Administrative Officer
Phone: (613) 761-4370
e-mail: mlilly@ottawaheart.ca
Mail: 40 Ruskin Street, Ottawa ON, K1Y 4W7
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The Ottawa Heart Institute Alumni Outreach Program
A stated objective of the Ottawa Heart Institute Alumni (the Alumni) is to assist the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (the Institute) in providing total health services to its patients and ex-patients and to facilitate patient education. In line with this objective, the Alumni has launched an Outreach initiative that may interest Alumni who reside in communities outside the National Capital Region (NCR).
Since 50% of the Institute’s patients reside outside of the NCR, the Alumni is collaborating with Institute staff to help promote and, in some cases, assist in organizing a number of programs and activities that are presently offered, or will be offered in the near future, in rural and remote areas within the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). The LHIN includes hospitals in the NCR and the area bounded approximately by Cornwall, Hawkesbury, Deep River and Barry's Bay.
Carleton Place and Winchester have been selected to launch our Program. Alumni members in these two communities have been contacted already by mail to inform them, and to solicit volunteers who can assist with the delivery of some of the programs that are noted below:
Get with the Guidelines: a quality improvement program that seeks to ensure that all patients admitted to hospitals in the Champlain LHIN for a heart attack or with cardiac symptoms who are at risk of heart attack, receive life-saving best practice care as a standard of care. The aim of this initiative is to create a regional quality improvement system for monitoring the delivery of these best practices within the Champlain LHIN hospitals and in the community.
STEMI – Primary and Facilitated : this program has been in place in the Ottawa area since 2004 and is now being rolled out in the Champlain LHIN. People who are experiencing Chest Pain/Discomfort call 911. When the paramedics arrive, they perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) on the patient. If the ECG indicates a STEMI (ST – indicators on an ECG; Elevated; Myocardial Infarction – a heart attack), the patient needs to be taken to the Heart Institute as soon as possible. If the travel time is longer, the patient will be taken to the nearest emergency department where appropriate medications will be administered before transfer to the Heart Institute for treatment.
Cardiac TeleCare: this program utilizes Home Monitoring equipment to provide nursing support for cardiac patients who require assistance with medication management, fluid volume regulation, vital sign monitoring and patient education once discharged home from hospital.
Heart Wise Exercise Program: The Canadian Guidelines for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention recommend that most adults should accumulate sixty minutes of aerobic type activity most days of the week. To help former patients achieve this goal , in partnership with many community-based organizations in Ottawa, the Institute has developed and launched the Heart Wise Exercise Program (usually denoted by a special logo).
The objective is to provide guidance in identifying programs that are more suitable for individuals with known cardiac disease, thereby increasing access to community-based exercise for cardiac patients.
At present, there are over 110 Heart Wise Exercise sites in the Champlain District with approximately 2500 participants. A logo identifies them.
The success of the Alumni Outreach Program depends on your active participation. It could also be an ideal way for you to network with new friends who are dedicated to the same goals.
To obtain more information, or to volunteer some of your time, you are encouraged to contact Alumni Board Director Richard Lindo at the Alumni office, 40 Ruskin Street, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4W7 or by email at: prlindo@rogers.com
(Reported for The Bulletin by Richard Lindo)
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