STEPHANIE DEWITTE-ORR, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, WLU
Stephanie DeWitte-Orr received an Honours Bachelor of Science in 2001 and attained a PhD in cell biology in 2006. She is now Associate Professor of Health Sciences and Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University and an undergrad advisor for Health Sciences there. As an expert virologist and innate immunologist, Stephanie has co-authored numerous articles on her research with viruses and how they interact with a cell’s innate immune system, the defense mechanisms in cells to fight off viruses.
Stephanie has always found viruses fascinating. “They are almost perfectly engineered biological entities that can topple civilizations. That intrigued me.” She explained that virology is fairly new. “We didn’t even see viruses until the 1930s. We don’t know a lot about them.”
When the research labs at Laurier had to shut down due to the pandemic, Stephanie was able to re-open her lab to research the virus. Stephanie is developing a biological mask, which she describes as “an inhaler that stimulates your innate immune response in your airways to protect you from virus infection. We can get protection from the coronavirus for 14 days in human lung cells,” she explained. “We’ve been working on this technique for years with other viruses. We worked on it as an oral drug for fish and it works great.” She added, “it was just a matter of trying it with coronavirus.”
The research is still in the early stages and Stephanie cautions that it could fail at any stage in the process. “But the nice thing about this technology is that it induces an innate immune response. Innate immunity is broad spectrum, so it’s not specific to this strain of this virus. So you could use it against other respiratory viruses like influenza.” Stephanie said if everything works out, “we’ll have a way of protecting our airways from viruses, which would have a profound impact on human health.”
ROB GASCHO, PRESIDENT, ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ FEDERATION, WATERLOO
Rob Gascho graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours BA in History in 1987. After graduating, he pursued a career in teaching. “I always saw teachers as positive role models,” said Rob, “and that made me respect the profession.”
Rob expressed an early interest in leadership positions and has always been an “organization man” which eventually led to his current role as the President of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation in Waterloo Region. He represents about 1600 contract and occasional teachers in Waterloo Region’s public secondary schools. This includes being a spokesperson, handling conflicts, representing members in performance appraisals, and so much more.
The most inspiring part of his job is “helping our members work toward the common goal of providing the best learning environment for students and the best working environment for teachers.” However, since the beginning of the pandemic, Rob said, “COVID has made everything more difficult, if not impossible, as we are trying to make a system designed for round pegs fit into square holes. The burnout and frustration teachers are experiencing right now is beyond concerning.”
“In-person classes are, in my opinion, far more valuable than the online environment we have been forced into.” Rob explained, “Establishing positive relationships and a ‘community of learning’ is extremely difficult and artificial online. The immediacy and ability to read a situation and respond appropriately is a hundred times better in person than over a computer screen. We are using online platforms right now because we have to, not because they are better. Students are far less connected or engaged, teachers are burning out struggling to make the technology even work, and parents may or may not be able to provide a functioning online environment for their children.”
“My own high school experience was very positive,” Rob added, “and I wanted to see that upcoming generations could also have those same positive experiences.”
JAY GREEN, CHIEF OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, KITCHENER
In 2002, Jay Green graduated from UWaterloo with a Bachelor of Science degree. Jay is now the Chief of Emergency Medicine at Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital, as well as the Emergency Department Medical Director at Grand River Hospital. He oversees 50 emergency physicians and the care they provide in the emergency departments.
Jay said he was drawn to emergency medicine because of the hunt. “I enjoy the work of a diagnostician. It’s a bit like trying to solve a mystery with each patient you see.” He
continued, “I enjoy how each day begins with a clean slate. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the lifestyle drew me to emergency medicine. We work extremely hard and have a very stressful and unpredictable job with odd hours. But in order to cope with those demands and survive a full career in emergency medicine, we don’t work as many hours as many other physicians.”
“I find it fulfilling to walk with a patient through what is often one of the most stressful and frightening days of their lives,” Jay commented, “especially when there is good news when we’ve figured out what is going on. Communication is key to that part of my job. Interestingly, COVID-19 has generally resulted in fewer patients in our EDs, giving me a bit more time to dedicate to communicating with each patient.”
According to Jay, COVID-19 has also posed challenges in the emergency departments, as “the constant barriers of masks/gowns/space interfere with communication in some ways.” He added, “We are much more deliberate about how and where we perform certain critical care procedures like CPR. We always want to serve our patients first, especially the most critically ill ones, but COVID-19 places our staff at greater risk than usual, so we must first ensure our staff are protected properly, in order to serve our patients.”
Outside of the emergency room, Jay spends time with his family to “get my mind off a tough day at work and de-stress. I am married to a former Grebelite, Sharon (McCullough) Green, who is an occasional teacher and currently has her hands full managing our busy family and dealing with my rather unpredictable schedule.”
RYAN PETRYSHUK (BSC 2011)
I work as a Pharmacist at a couple of Remedy’s Rx Pharmacies in Kitchener. Every day has been interesting as we manage our drug supply, figure out which services are essential, and make sure that people who are quarantined have everything they need. It has been nice to see most people have been understanding of the changes that have been required in our day-to-day operations, including reduced quantities of medication. I hope everyone continues to work together as we continue through this challenging time.
HANNAH SNIDER (WLU 2003)
I am a family physician focusing on mental health and functional medicine. In this crisis, my role is to support mental health implications. I see patients for individual virtual appointments and run two forms of group psychotherapy - Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Whole Health for Mental Health, a program I created to address mental health from a whole person (body and mind) perspective. I have also started a weekly support group for patients who are looking for additional support during this challenging time.
ART WINTER (BSC 2005)
I continue to work as a community family physician in Kitchener, though my routines have changed dramatically. I primarily do visits by phone, with a small number of in- office visits every week. When I am there, we are taking every precaution possible and I end up looking like this! Local volunteers have contributed caps and gowns for us to use in the office, which has been greatly appreciated.
BRENDA PRINS (BCS 2002)
I am working as a Nurse Practitioner at St Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener on the inpatient cardiology unit. It has been challenging as we make adjustments to ensure the safety of our patients and ourselves, but it has been a privilege to receive notes and thoughts of gratitude from friends, family, and my community and beyond.
We are so proud of the compassion, skills, and dedication of our alumni. Front-line workers in healthcare have been working ceaselessly during the pandemic. Thank you to all who are keeping our communities safe! These are just a few updates from Grebelites—you can find more on our Facebook page.
