Written by Vanessa Santilli for The Catholic Register on Nov. 7

Written by Vanessa Santilli for The Catholic Register on Sept. 3

Written by Vanessa Santilli for The Catholic Register on March 27

Dr. Peace Bagasha, a Ugandan kidney specialist, is furthering her training through
the International Outreach Program of St. Joseph’s Health System.

Dr. Clement Okello is one of only three hematologists in Uganda. With a population of 35 million, it’s an overwhelming workload. As a Roman Catholic, Okello says his service as a doctor is an extension of the healing mission of Jesus. “I derive my strength from seeking him in prayers.”

Through St. Joseph’s Health System’s International Outreach Program, Okello has been given the opportunity to further his knowledge of hematology, the study of blood-related diseases, as an advanced level of training isn’t available back home.

“I will now be able to provide better care to patients,” says Okello, who works at the Uganda Cancer Institute at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, the country’s capital city.

Founded 30 years ago, the International Outreach program runs out of St. Joseph’s Health System and brings doctors from Uganda, Haiti and Guyana to train in Hamilton. There, doctors train doctors who learn the latest in Canadian medicine to help improve patient care in their home countries.

In 2016, a total of eight doctors from abroad will take part: five from Uganda, including Okello, and three from Guyana.

The program also sends Canadian doctors abroad to train local doctors, partnering with universities, medical schools and teaching hospitals in countries that need more specialists.

Since the program’s creation three decades ago, more than 100 physicians have been trained, says Alan Sharpe, director of development at International Outreach.

The missionary spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton — whose motto is ‘it is a privilege to serve the poor’ — lives on through the program, he adds. The sisters had an emphasis on serving the poor and sick, regardless of race, gender, religion or social status.

“We train physicians regardless of their ability to pay,” explains Sharpe. “We cover the expense of bringing the physicians to Canada and we pay for their stay while here. We do not charge them for their training.”

Another physician currently training in St. Joseph’s Health System in Hamilton is Dr. Peace Bagasha, who works as a nephrologist in Uganda — a specialist in kidneys.

In Uganda, where she works at Mulago Hospital, she says that end-stage Kidney disease, treatable in Canada via dialysis or a kidney transplant, is equivalent to a death sentence.

“This is because they cannot afford dialysis,” says Bagasha. “Because of the limited nephrologists, there is very scanty chronic kidney disease care available to patients.”

When she wraps up her time in Hamilton this June, she hopes to be able to implement holistic kidney care in Uganda. “I want to teach medical school residents about kidney diseases and maybe one day we might be able to set up this model of a fellowship program so it can be available to more Ugandans.”

Like Okello, one of the greatest challenges in Uganda is serving a massive patient volume with very limited resources — so she’s grateful for the opportunity to hone her skills.

“This experience has given me exposure to an advanced healthcare system that is very efficient in ensuring excellent patient care and followup so they don’t fall through the cracks. I have really appreciated the value of coordination in bringing all the players in the healthcare system together.”

Written by Vanessa Santilli for Smith Business Insight on Feb. 10

The Essentials

In times of natural disaster or social disruption, standard management practice is to reduce the demands on employees out of compassion and understanding for their well-being. But doctoral student Derin Kent at Smith School of Business says this approach can ignore what many people need most during dark times. Drawing on previously published accounts of how New Yorkers responded to the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center complex, Kent says that continuing everyday work in organizations can actually help some employees find positive meaning in the aftermath of tragedy and cope more effectively. In this conversation with Smith Business Insight, he offers advice for leaders and managers on what this perspective may mean for the workplace.

Work As A Source Of Meaning

The traditional understanding is that if there’s a major disaster or tragedy in society — Sept. 11 attacks, natural disasters, or school shootings, for example — people generally want to spend more time with their families reflecting on their lives as the events trigger stress and loss of meaning. As a result, the public view companies that demand or encourage people to return to work after these events as callous and self-interested. While that’s one valid view, the research shows that people want to respond in some way to disaster, and a lot of people search for meaning through involvement in their work.

For example, using the example of 9/11, investment banking isn’t something that people traditionally view as deeply meaningful work as compared to being a doctor or a volunteer helping with the disaster by donating their time or money. But a lot of investment bankers found that returning to work was their way of fighting back against the terrorists. One man tried to donate blood and help in other ways but was rejected, and he said to his colleagues, Keeping this company running is one way I fight back.

When people lose meaning and feel uncertain, having a routine can help them find a certain level of comfort. But linking those routines to a broader goal is what provides meaning. The investment banker who, prior to the attacks, would have likely been in the job for money and prestige found that his work took on new meaning following 9/11. Keeping the banks running, making trades, and helping the American economy survive the terrorists is what now mattered to him.

Connect Work With The Broader Story

Not everyone would want to respond in this way. It’s an alternative to the norm. But in a time of crisis, employers shouldn’t assume that people want to move away from work. A lot of people, in uncertain times, want to participate. And one of the ways they can participate in society is through their work. Of course it depends on the conditions, but don’t assume that work is not a meaningful place where employees can find a way to be involved. Continue reading →

I ran as a Liberal candidate for the riding of St. Albert-Edmonton in the federal election [but didn’t win]. It was very hectic so I’d do yoga to release tension every morning at the studio next to my campaign office. I’m a bit of a control freak and one lesson I learned while campaigning was that I need to trust people who have been delegated tasks. It made me feel calm throughout the experience.

I’m currently board chair of the Council for the Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta. My role is to drive the governance and the strategic direction of the organization, which focuses on creating opportunities for access and full participation of members of the African community. It’s very involved work. I can’t say I’m very good at planning but I have an overview in my mind of where things need to be. For example, I have a schedule of when I check in with my two grandkids.

I believe in God, so I meditate a lot and I pray a lot. During the election campaign, I’d spend time with friends who would pray with me on the phone and send messages of encouragement. That was very powerful.

Written by Vanessa Santilli in CPA Magazine on Sept. 1

Rita Elias was at a networking event when inspiration struck. “I was wearing a fur vest that [my sister and I] had redesigned for my mom and everybody was asking where I got it,”says Elias, a former financial analyst at L’Oréal Canada.

In October 2014, Montreal-based sisters Rita and Rim took the plunge and launched Eläma — which translates as “the good life”in Finnish — a fur fashion brand made exclusively in Canada and specializing in vests.

Since then, the sisterly duo has faced the dragons on CBC’s Dragons’ Den (scheduled to air this fall); hosted pop-up shops (which take place in short-term rental spaces), including one at a high-end boutique during the Grand Prix in June; and showcased a collection at StyleLab Montreal, a relatively new trade show created by the Fur Council of Canada. In addition, Rim participated in a trade mission in Paris with the Centre de commerce mondial de Montréal (World Trade Centre Montreal), where Montreal-based companies presented their collections to French partners.

“It’s been really encouraging, so we know we’re on the right path,”Elias says of the feedback.

Their objective? To make fur more accessible, says Elias. “It’s no longer just your mom’s long mink coat — it could be a vest, it could be an accessory. And now we’re mixing and matching a lot of things with cashmere, suede and leather.” Continue reading →

Written by Vanessa Santilli and Alan Morantz for QSB Insight on Aug. 18

Work in Canadian jails gives MDs the opportunity to practise good medicine

Written by Vanessa in The Medical Post on May 26

Doctors working in the Canadian penal system must be able to treat a wide range of physical and mental health emergencies. “The scope of pathologies you encounter daily varies from the treatment of a plantar wart to providing palliative care to a patient with terminal-phase cancer,” said Dr. David Lesage, who is employed full-time with Correctional Service Canada at both the medium security Cowansville Institution and the maximum security Donnacona Institution in Quebec.

Dr. Fiona Kouyoumdjian, pictured outside of the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre, believes Canadian prisons give doctors the opportunity to work with a population in our own country dealing with human rights concerns. (Photo by John Haney)

“A large proportion of our practice deals with the assessment and treatment of chronic conditions, such as musculoskeletal pathology, diabetes, heart conditions and chronic mental health problems like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and personality disorders.”

Work in a Canadian prison is done at either the provincial or federal level — and there’s a key difference between the two that ˆ‡†‡ƒ„pertains to the patient population. The federal system is responsible for administering sentences of two or more years for adult offenders, while the provincial systems handle offenders serving less than two years, those who are awaiting sentencing, young offenders and those who are deemed not criminally responsible.

Here are four points to contemplate if you’re considering lending your medical expertise to the prison system.

1. Be ready to stand your ground

In prison, you juxtapose your desire to practise good medicine with a setting that doesn’t see health or medicine as a priority, explained Dr. Ruth Martin, a 17-year veteran of prison clinics withƒ‹•‘ …Ž‹‹…BC Corrections. “Security is their priority,” she said. “So you’re constantly juggling your need to advocate for the patient with how the system functions.” For prison physicians, standing up for patients is just as important as standing ground against questionable patient demands. “There are a lot of patients who have personality and substance abuse disorders, so it’s necessary to be able to set your limits and say no if you think patients are asking for things that are not appropriate or reasonable,” said Dr. Fiona Kouyoumdjian, who works at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre, a provincial jail in Hamilton. “A classic example is people who want opioid medication for pain control.” Continue reading →