Thursday, March 23, 2017

Pharmacists Support patients coming out of hospitals

The Pharmacists Support series is issued by the School of Pharmacy for #PAM2017. It runs every Tuesday and Thursday in March.

“About 90 percent of my appointments are home visits with patients and their families,” says Heather Foley, a patient case manager in the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team. In this role, Heather often attends healthcare appointments with her patients.

“Developing an action plan involves investigative and detective work,” she explains. “When I attend appointments with patients, I have the opportunity to be an advocate for them in the healthcare system, both in and out of hospital. It’s rewarding, and I never have a day that looks the same.”

As a case manager, Heather works with patients who’ve been in and out of hospital at least three times in a year. Her work is unusual for a pharmacist: typically, case managers are nurses or social workers, but Heather’s prior experience as a hospital pharmacist helps her collaborate with patients and their healthcare team to identify why hospitalizations occur and plan to prevent them.

“The bottom line is that we all need to be involved in transitions of care. Patients move through the healthcare system: they are not just as hospital patient or community patient.”

Celebrating community impact

A message from the United Way campaign.

Tomorrow morning  the United Way is holding their annual Community Spirit Awards at St. George Banquet Hall. We are proud to say that the University of Waterloo is well-represented:

• Leadership Award - University of Waterloo 
• Individual Campaign Champion Award – James Skidmore, Campaign Co-Chair, faculty member in Germanic & Slavic Studies
• Individual Impact Award -  Doris Jakobsh, faculty member in Religious Studies

We have another reason to celebrate: we beat our 2016 goal for the United Way campaign! Thanks to all of you, we raised over $275,000.

It’s more important than ever to give back to the community we live and work in. As successful as our campaign was, donations for the United Way Kitchener-Waterloo and Area were down. To make an even larger impact, the United Way KW & Area is joining forces with United Way Cambridge and North Dumfries. The University looks forward to partnering with this new organization, United Way Waterloo Region Communities, when it officially launches on April 1, 2017. Through continued support, we will be able to help even more individuals and families live better lives in the three cities and four townships in the Region of Waterloo. 

Thanks for your support in 2016 and we look forward to seeing you when the campus goes red in 2017!

Photo series looks at Waterloo, then and now

Each week in 2017, the Daily Bulletin will be featuring content highlighting the University of Waterloo's 60^th Anniversary. This is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared on the 60 Years of Innovation website.

For 60 years, the University of Waterloo has inspired new generations of students and new waves of innovation and discovery. At the heart of it all is a dynamic, constantly changing campus.

After seeing archival photos of landmark University sites, our co-op team was inspired to re-shoot those historic images against a modern-day backdrop. Watch for more then-and-now photos, or submit your own on social media at #UWaterloo60.

William G. Davis Computer Research Centre, November 1988

​Students gather at the opening of the William G. Davis Computer Research Centre, housing the Institute for Computer Research. The building was named for the former Ontario premier and education minister — a strong supporter of the University of Waterloo. Its design is intended to resemble the motherboard of a computer.

Dana Porter Library (formerly known as Arts Library), February 1966

Here the Dana Porter Library (then known as the Arts Library) stands at only seven storeys high. The dedication and naming of the building took place the in 1967, honouring Dana Porter, Ontario’s Chief Justice, who served as Waterloo’s chancellor from 1960 to 1966. Construction of floors eight, nine and 10 was completed in 1970, giving the library its distinctive look — known to students as “the sugar cube.”

Mathematics and Computer, February 6, 1968

​Officially opened in 1968, Mathematics and Computer housed Canada’s first Faculty of Mathematics. Today, it remains one of only a few standalone math faculties in the world — and has earned a global reputation. In conjunction with the University’s 60th anniversary, the Faculty of Mathematics celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017.

For a longer trip down memory lane, and to see how campus has changed and stayed the same, check out the full photo essay on the Innovation60 website. If you've got some old photos to share, dig them out and post them on social media using the hashtag #UWaterloo60.

Thursday's notes

Three Minute Thesis final competition today: The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final competition is being held this afternoon from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Modern Languages Theatre of the Arts. The competition is open to the public, and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the People's Choice award and vote for their favourite 3MT competitor using their smartphone. Winners will be announced at the competition after a short deliberation by the judges.

On Friday, March 31 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., the graduating class of Knowledge Integration students will be presenting their senior research projects in the Ev3 atrium. Forming the capstone of their four-year undergraduate career, these projects represent an exciting synthesis of the diverse disciplines the students have explored through this one-of-a-kind interdisciplinary program.

"Since its inception in 2008, Knowledge Integration has provided a stimulating academic home for undergraduate students looking to maintain a broad set of interests while gaining rigorous interdisciplinary training," says a note from Knowledge Integration. "Acknowledging that the complex problems facing the world today don't fit neatly into traditional academic disciplines, KI equips students to be designers, problem-solvers, and skillful collaborators."

"We invite you to attend this symposium to learn more about the student projects and get to know the Knowledge Integration class of 2017."

Here's today's Nutrition Month myth vs. fact supplied by Health Services Dietician Sandra Ace:

Myth: Men shouldn’t eat soy products.

Fact:  Widely circulating concerns that estrogen-like plant isoflavones found in soy foods have feminizing effects in men and adversely affect male fertility are not supported by clinical studies. Even at intake levels that are significantly higher than a typical dietary pattern would contain, the bulk of current research overwhelmingly concludes that there is no evidence to caution men to stop eating soy based foods. 

Men may even benefit from some dietary soy. An analysis of 14 studies suggests that soy consumption is associated with decreased prostate cancer risk. Also, replacing foods high in animal fat with soy protein may be beneficial to hearth health. Small decreases in LDL cholesterol, a risk factor for developing heart disease, have been found when at least 20 grams of soy protein were consumed daily, about ¾ cup of cooked soybeans or tofu. This is similar to the cholesterol-lowering effect of soluble fibre in foods like oats and barley.

Soybeans are an excellent source of high quality protein. Like meat, soybeans are a complete protein and contain all the essential building blocks, or amino acids, we need for good health. Soybeans have small amounts of healthy monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids and are a good source of protein and iron. Both men and women can enjoy eating soybeans as part of a balanced diet.