Check-Up

4 female students doing a cultural dance

The brain like we’ve never seen it before

It’s the difference between your parents’ black-and-white TV and the latest technology from Best Buy. Canada’s first 15.2 Tesla MRI system enables researchers to study the brain with unprecedented resolution. This $6-million Bruker 15.2T preclinical system supports research focused on neurological disorders. “This is one of the most powerful MRI systems in the world,” says Ravi Menon, professor and scientific director of the Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping. “The unprecedented spatial resolution and unique image contrast will help advance our understanding of neurological processes and assess new treatments in mouse models of disease.”

Empowering the next generation

Student Walat Saed was among 22 students from London and area high schools who took part in X-LABS, an immersive two-week science program that opens doors for talented students from diverse backgrounds.

Health Minister engages with dental learners

Schulich Dentistry Clinics – which serve more than 7,000 patients annually, including many of the London area’s most vulnerable – hosted Canada’s Health Minister Mark Holland to discuss the Canadian Dental Care Plan with staff and students. “Thank you to Minister Holland and his team for engaging with our community about the Canadian Dental Care Plan, which is rooted in the same sense of social responsibility we emphasize in our curriculum and training,” says Dr. Carlos Quiñonez, vice dean and director of Dentistry.

Strengthening Uganda partnership

First signed in 2006, a new memorandum of understanding with Makerere University extends existing relationships between Western, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and Uganda’s largest institution of higher learning. The expanded partnership sets the stage for further research and collaboration, gives students an eye-opening view of medicine and dentistry on the ground and includes an annual internship with the School’s Global Health Systems Master’s program.

New pathways to medicine

“When people see themselves in the physician population, they are more likely to come forward and seek help,” says Dr. Jedrin Ngungu, an assistant professor of Psychiatry who chairs the School’s Medical Admissions Access Pathway sub-committee. Now a new Black Applicant Pathway that streamlines the application process for qualified Black students will help the School achieve its goals of developing medical school graduates who reflect the community. In addition, future physicians applying to the School’s MD program will have the option to begin their medical journey in the third year of a four-year undergraduate degree.

Global recognition for improving the lives of older people

Dr. Vladimir Hachinski has received global honours for his research that enhances quality of life for older people. The Distinguished University Professor in Clinical Neurological Sciences and Epidemiology & Biostatistics received New Zealand’s 2024 Ryman Prize from the country’s prime minister. The $250,000 NZD award recognizes Hachinski as one of the top global talents making significant contributions to this area of research.

One of Canada’s top teachers

Imagine being blindfolded in the class- room or unable to hear what’s being said – or not said – by students around you. Nicole Campbell, PhD, is out to change this invisible world of unwritten rules and perspectives that can hurt a student’s academic performance. The magic Campbell has created in her classrooms earned the director of the Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences program one of Canada’s most prestigious teaching honours – the 2024 3M National Teaching Fellowship Award.

MD program successfully accredited for maximum eight-year term

The Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools voted to continue accreditation for Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s MD Program for the maximum term of eight years. The highly successful outcome results from the unparalleled engagement and outstanding efforts of the School’s community.

Thornton returns to Olympic stage

As people around the world cheered on their favourite athletes at this summer’s Olympics, the Schulich Medicine & Dentistry community had another reason to celebrate. Dr. Jane Thornton, BSc Honors’00, MSc’02, PhD’07, became the new International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical and Scientific Director. A veteran Western Mustangs varsity rower, Canadian Olympian and renowned researcher, Thornton returned to the Olympic stage in charge of the IOC’s medical and scientific departments, while maintaining her academic appointment as well as her research and education connections to the University.

Rapport 2024