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Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Paul Harding Research Day

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Paul Harding Research Day

Dr. Paul Harding is considered the father of neonatal research in Canada and is remembered for his dedication and leadership as a clinical researcher.

Dr. Harding is credited with building a strong culture of research within obstetrics, particularly at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Dr. Harding was adept at blending research and clinical practice. Dr. Harding served as the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology from 1982 to 1992; Hospital Chief at St. Joseph’s Health Care London from 1974 to 1982; and Associate Dean, Research at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry from 1993 to 1996.

Dr. Harding passed away on September 28, 2020. He will always be remembered as a trailblazer in obstetrics education and research in Canada and worldwide and as the reason we celebrate research today!

The Annual Paul Harding Research Day was established in recognition of Dr. Paul Harding’s legacy. At the Annual Paul Harding Research Day, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology showcases the research endeavors of students, residents and faculty. To recognize and honour Dr. Earl Plunkett the Department also established The Earl R. Plunkett Lecture.

Dr. Earl Plunkett

Dr. Earl Plunkett was an internationally respected physician, reproductive endocrinologist, and professor, who remained devoted to his teaching and research until he died in 1997 at the age of 74. Throughout his career, Dr. Plunkett held key leadership positions, including Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Western University, Chief of Gynecology at University Hospital, Chief of Gynecology and Research at Toronto General Hospital, and Chairman of the Canadian Committee on Fertility Research.

Dr. Plunkett played a role in founding Canada’s first Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) Unit at University Hospital in London Ontario in 1982. This REI Unit became a model for other such clinics around the world. Dr. Plunkett also played a pivotal role in developing the science behind the birth control pill, and the use of norgestrel in hormone replacement therapy.

In 1997, his son, Steve Plunkett established the Plunkett Foundation with a $5-million endowment to honour his memory. The Plunkett Foundation supported more than 50 organizations, many of whom received more than one grant. Dr. Plunkett will be remembered by his patients, colleagues, and students for his exceptional clinical care, his passion for teaching, and his research contributions.

2023

The 21st Annual Paul Harding Research Day will showcase the research endeavours of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology's Faculty, Scientists, Residents, and Graduate Students

Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Time: 7:30 am - 03:30 pm

Location: Four Points Sheraton

Cost: Free

Update: Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of our 21st Annual Paul Harding Research Day. All our presenters did an amazing job, but the following people were our winners:

First Place Basic Science Category: Mohammed Sarikahya
Second Place Basic Science Category: Jack Webb

First Place Clinical Category: TIE! Mohammad Khojah and Stephanie Moltner

First Place Poster Category: Jacob Haagsma
Second Place Poster Category: Tiffany Johnston

Important Information

Registration

Research Day registration is open, please contact Samantha Kreamer (samantha.kreamer@lhsc.on.ca) to register.

Registration closes on Monday, April 3rd, 2023.

Research Day Learning Objectives

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

Identify transdisciplinary research endeavours within the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Describe the essential nature of research and education in an academic health institution
Engage in discussions about relevant research in the field

The Earl R. Plunkett Distinguished Lecture

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Geoffrey Hammond, PhD

Professor Emeritus, Cellular & Physiological Sciences
The University of British Columbia

“Adventures with Steroids: Tracking where they need to go.”

Objectives:

Describe how hormones access their target cells in different organs and tissues and how this varies in different physiological states.
Identify how protein structures provide insight into their function.
Realize how genetic abnormalities reveal how proteins act in health and disease.

Geoffrey Hammond obtained his BSc from the University College of North Wales. He obtained his MSc in Steroid Endocrinology from the University of Leeds, and continued his graduate work at the University of Oulu, Finland, where receiving his PhD in Biochemistry. After postdoctoral training at the University of California San Francisco, he received an MRC (UK) Research Fellow transition award to start his own laboratory at the University of Manchester in 1981.

Dr. Hammond relocated to Canada in 1984, where he received an Ontario Cancer Research and Treatment Foundation Research Career award and held appointments in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, and Oncology at the University of Western Ontario (UWO). He served as Director of the Cancer Research Laboratories at the London Regional Cancer Centre (1990-1998) and held an endowed chair in Molecular Toxicology. In 2002, he was recruited by The University of British Columbia (UBC) as a Professor in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and served as the Scientific Director of the Child & Family Research Institute until 2012, when he was appointed as Professor and Head of the Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences at UBC. Throughout his career he has held numerous salary awards including the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Reproductive Health.

Professor Hammond has had a longstanding interest in endocrinology in general and the ways that steroid hormones function in particular. Steroid hormones control normal biological processes, but are implicated in many diseases, including reproductive disorders, inflammation, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hormone-dependent cancers of male and female reproductive tissues. The way steroids gain access to their target tissues is poorly understood, but this process is influenced primarily by two high affinity steroid-binding proteins in the blood: corticosteroid binding globulin and sex hormone-binding globulin. These two plasma proteins bind the glucocorticoids and the sex steroids (androgens and estrogens), respectively. Through a combination of molecular biological, biochemical, and physiological approaches, Professor Hammond and his trainees, have contributed new information about how these steroid-binding proteins are produced and function with respect to normal development and aging, and their involvement in disease processes.

In recognition of his contributions to our understanding of extracellular steroid-binding proteins, Professor Hammond received the Society for Endocrinology International Medal in 2105. He has published more than 250 scientific articles and reviews; held several patents and has collaborated with the diagnostic and pharmaceutical industries. In his administrative roles, Professor Hammond has contributed broadly to the scientific community as a mentor, peer reviewer and consultant, advancing science policy nationally and internationally. Dr. Hammond retired in 2020 and is a Professor Emeritus at UBC.