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AIRG News

University of Calgary - The Lung Association Awards Presentation. Pictured L-R Rick Snyder (ARH Healthcare Foundation), Richard Xiang, Jonathan Pelikan, Leigh Allard (TLA President and CEO), Dr. Robert Newton, Dr David Proud, Anne Marie Downey (TLA Board Chair), Dr Kamran Yusuf, Dr. Brent Winston, Dr. Morley Hollenberg. Absent from photo Danny Polley, Dr. Chris Mody and Dr. Richard Leigh.  Photography credit: Todd O'Keefe

• March, 2012 - The members of the Airway Inflammation Research Group are proud to announce that Dr. Richard Leigh has been named the 2012 recipient of the Thoracic Network of Alberta and NWT Award of Excellence.  Dr. Leigh received this award in recognition to his excellence in respiratory research and care and also because of his efforts promoting lung health in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.  Well deserved, Dr. Leigh! 

• November, 2011 - Dr. Robert Newton led a team of researchers from the Airway Inflammation Research Group, along with international collaborators in making an important discovery that could explain why two different asthma therapies work better in combination than alone. The discovery of this mechanism could potentially lead to new and improved therapies for Asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). This research will be published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Congratulations to Dr. Newton and his colleagues on this important work! 

• October, 2011 - The Faculty of Medicine has issued the results of the Emerging Team Grant competition.  The proposal, titled "Combined Glucocorticoid Adrenergic Therapy for Wheezy Pre-School Children", that was submitted by Dr. David Johnson and includes Doctors Robert Newton and Mark Giembycz as part of a multidisciplinary team of investigators, was funded in this competition.   The proposal submitted by Doctors Hans Vogel and Brent Winston, titled "Diagnosis and Prognosis of Community Acquired Pneumonia Using Metabolics" was also funded.  Congratulations! 

• October, 2011 -  The Snyder Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation has announced the winners of the 7th Research Day Poster Competition, which took place on October 3rd 2011. Graduate Students Jonathan Pelikan (Dr. David Proud's lab) and Chris Rider (Dr. Robert Newton's lab) and undergraduate students Cara Page (Dr. Mark Giembycz's lab) and  Simon Hasan (Dr. Margaret Kelly's lab) won special recognitions for their posters. Congratulations to all.

• June, 2011 -  The Lung Association recently announced the results of the National Grant Review. In this highly competitive program, we are pleased to report that the proposals of Dr. Richard Leigh, Dr. Robert Newton and Dr. Brent Winston, members of the AIRG, were successfully approved. In addition, Jonathan Pelikan (Dr. David Proud's Graduate Student) received a Lung Association of Alberta and NWT Studentship Award Award.

   

• November, 2010 - All members of the AIRG extend our warm congratulations to our fellow AIRG member, Dr. Mark Giembycz on his receipt of a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair.  Dr. Giembycz's principal research focus is to provide new insights into better ways of treating airways inflammation-specifically looking at the mechanism of action of existing and novel anti-inflammatory therapies for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and other respiratory conditions that are characterized by chronic inflammation.  The Chair provides a total of $1.4 million in support over a 7-year period.

   

• April, 2010 - Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AI-HS) has announced the Studentship Award March 2010 Competition results, and two graduate students from the Airways Inflammation Research Group have been granted the honor: Claire Tacon (Dr. Richard Leigh's lab) and Chris Rider (Dr. Robert Newton's lab).  Due to the fact that the AI-HS trainee awards are given after candidates have passed rigorous standards of excellence, we give our warmest congratulations to Claire, Chris and their supervisors; once again, the quality of the research performed at the AIRG labs is being recognized and rewarded.  

   

• April, 2010 - The Medical and Scientific Section of The Lung Association of Alberta and North West Territories has given Dr. Robert Cowie, member of the AIRG, a very special recognition for his interesting and productive career.  A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Cowie on April 10, 2010 by the Chairman of the Medical and Scientific Section, Dr. Richard Leigh, at the Lorraine Awards Banquet in Banff.  Well deserved, Dr. Cowie! 

   

• April, 2010 - The Summer Studentship Awards, February 2010 Competition from Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AI-HS) have been announced.  We are very happy to inform that two students to be working under the supervision of members of the Airway Inflammation Research Group have been successful on their applications: Yang Liu, (Dr. Richard Leigh's lab) and Ryan Pratt (Dr. Matthias Amrein's lab). 

   

• April, 2010 -  Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions released the results of last fall's Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research competition, and it was announced that Dr. Robert Newton, Associate Professor at the University of Calgary  and member of the AIRG, was successful on his renewal funding application at the Senior Scholar level.  Congratulations, Dr. Newton!   

• April, 2010 - Claire Tacon, PhD student at Dr. Richard Leigh's lab, and Chris Rider, Graduate Student at Dr. Robert Newton's lab, were recently granted  Studentship Awards from the Lung Association Alberta & NWT for 2009-2010.  Well done! 

   

• April, 2010   Dr. David Proud, member of the 10,000 Citation Club 
  During the second Annual Celebration of Excellence of the Faculty of Medicine, which took place in early February, Dr. David Proud, Chair of the AIRG, received a very special award.  It was announced that Dr. Proud is one of the first three members of the newly created 10,000 Citation Club, which honors researchers whose work over their entire career has accumulated more than 10,000 citations.  Congratulations, Dr. Proud!