July 2012

• An-Wen Chan
• Cindy-Lee Dennis
• Sophie Jamal
• Lorraine Lipscombe
• Valerie Taylor

Dr. An-Wen Chan was recently awarded the 2012 Canadian Dermatology Foundation Young Investigator Award. Chan is a Women's College Phelan scientist and an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is also a Mohs surgeon in the Ricky Kanee Schachter Dermatology Program at Women's College Hospital.

Chan has a clinical and research interest in the skin problems of solid organ transplant patients. He directs a specialized transplant dermatology clinic dedicated to skin cancer, infections, and other skin problems in this immunosuppressed patient population.

As a scientist, Chan studies the epidemiology and innovative treatment of high-risk skin cancers to help reduce their incidence and impact in transplant patients. He is also a recognized expert in clinical trial quality, biases, and methods.

Dr. Cindy-Lee Dennis has been appointed to the position of full professor in the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, effective July 1, 2012. She is cross appointed to the Department of Psychiatry.

Dennis is a senior scientist at Women's College Research Institute, and the inaugural Shirley Brown Chair in Women's Mental Health Research at Women's College Hospital. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Perinatal Community Health.

As the Shirley Brown Chair, Dennis focuses her research on identifying and preventing postpartum depression, and on developing innovative interventions to manage it. She is currently developing an innovative telephone-based interpersonal psychotherapy for the treatment of postpartum depression. In addition, she collaborates with Dr. Simone Vigod to examine the relationship between postpartum depression, domestic violence, childhood violence and substance use.

With more than 70 peer-reviewed publications related to diverse maternal and infant health outcomes, Dennis's specific areas of research focus include: improving breastfeeding outcomes; detecting, preventing and treating perinatal depression and anxiety; examining the health of immigrant mothers and infants; and developing postpartum interventions that include fathers.

In May, Dr. Sophie Jamal, scientist and associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, made two presentations in Stockholm, Sweden at the 39^th annual conference of the European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS). Dr. Jamal presented her paper, “The Treatment of Osteoporosis in Chronic Kidney Disease” and delivered a plenary lecture sponsored by the European Calcified Tissue Society and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, “The Effects of Organic Nitrates on Osteoporosis.”

Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe has been appointed Director of the new Centre for Integrated Diabetes Care, Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care at Women’s College Hospital effective June 1, 2012.

Lipscombe is a scientist at Women's College Research Institute, a staff physician in the division of endocrinology and metabolism at Women's College Hospital and an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. In addition, she is an adjunct scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).

The Centre will provide streamlined “one-stop” ongoing care and support to people with complex needs. Regular monitoring by nurses will prevent complications for patients with complex needs. Women whose gestational diabetes places them at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes will be engaged in prevention strategies.

As director, Lipscombe will apply her substantial expertise in multi-disciplinary research that touches on diabetes, cancer survivorship and health equity. She has studied socio-cultural barriers to care in people with diabetes, and currently examines the complex relationships between gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Her work incorporates experts in oncology, geriatrics, cardiology, psychiatry and gynecology, as well as dieticians, physiotherapists and advanced practice nurses.

Dr. Valerie Taylor has been invited to join the SCOPE International Fellowship by the International Association for the Study of Obesity. The fellowship recognizes Taylor’s internationally renowned expertise in the field and her contributions to the management of obesity.

Taylor is psychiatrist-in-chief at Women’s College Hospital, a scientist at Women’s College Research Institute and an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Her academic focus is on obesity, metabolic syndrome and mental health. By examining the complex relationships between mental health, obesity and chronic disease, Taylor is committed to creating more evidence-based tools that help people to manage their weight effectively, and in a way that is safe and healthy for their minds and bodies.

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