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Introducing ... Memorial welcomes new research talent
Memorial’s
newest researchers and teachers enhance and complement existing expertise
in health sciences, engineering, biochemistry and music. And while Memorial’s
newest faculty members come from locations as varied as Iran and Ontario,
others started their academic careers at Memorial University.
| Dr. Majid Abdi | Dr. Faisal Khan |
| Dr. Robert Bertolo | Robert Power |
| Dr. Greg Brown | Dr. Tia Renouf |
Dr. Majid Abdi
Assistant professor,
Mechanical Engineering
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| Dr. Majid Abdi |
Research interests
Dr. Abdi’s research focuses on natural gas processing and conditioning.
“Contrary to what some people might think, there are many contaminants
in natural gas and it is necessary to treat these contaminants so that
the gas can be made suitable for transport in pipelines,” said Dr.
Abdi. Coming from Iran, home to the second largest natural gas reserves
in the world, Dr. Abdi’s research has been directed towards the conversion
of natural gas to liquid hydrocarbons (clean fuels) using high performance
gas purification solvents and treatment methods.
Experience
After graduating from Tehran Polytechnic with a master’s degree in
chemical engineering, Dr. Abdi went to work for the National Iranian Oil
Company (NIOC) in the Research Institute of Petroleum Industries. As a
process design/development engineer, Dr. Abdi worked for six years on
the development of oil and gas processes comprising the design, manufacturing
supervision, start-up and trouble-shooting of gas processing pilot plants.
He then returned to study at the University of British Columbia, graduating
with a doctorate degree in chemical engineering in 1997. After a short
time in Calgary, Alberta, working with Gas Liquids Engineering Ltd., he
returned to Iran and accepted a position as senior project manager and
director of the gas research division with the NIOC.
Background
Born in Tehran, Iran, Dr. Abdi studied at Tehran Polytechnic receiving
a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with petrochemical options,
and a master’s degree in chemical engineering with a concentration
on natural gas processing. Following his doctorate degree at the University
of British Columbia, he received a postdoctoral fellowship from the department
of chemical engineering.
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Dr. Robert Bertolo
Assistant professor,
Biochemistry
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| Dr. Robert Bertolo |
Research interests
A Canadian Research Chair in Human Nutrition, Dr. Bertolo plans to research
the nutritional requirements of the gut, designing treatments targeted
specifically for the challenged intestine and its subsequent impacts on
the body. His long-term goal involves the development of a fetal programming
model. His research will determine how a mother’s nutritional deficiencies
during pregnancy impact the long-term health of the baby, with particular
interest in conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Ultimately,
this new appointment at Memorial University will provide Dr. Bertolo with
“an opportunity to pursue fresh avenues of research” for himself
and his students.
Experience
From high school through to today, Dr. Bertolo has always had a fascination
with research. His drive to conquer new territory encouraged his pursuit
of an arts degree, and persisted as he then went on to study nutrition
and biochemistry. As a graduate student, he studied mineral competition
for transport in the gut, later moving to Alberta to work with piglets
in the exploration of how the intestine modulates the delivery of amino
acids to the blood, and investigating the amino acid requirements of the
gut itself. This research, while focused primarily on neo-natal growth
and nutrition, also has significant implications for the pork industry.
Background
Born and raised in “beautiful” Thunder Bay, Ontario, Dr. Bertolo
completed an arts degree, with a minor in biochemistry, at McMaster University.
When his undergraduate thesis led him to a nutritional biochemistry lab,
he decided to pursue his master’s degree at the University of Guelph,
completing research in mineral metabolism. He later earned his PhD at
the universities of Guelph and Alberta, followed by three years of post-doctoral
work in the area. In 2002, he was awarded a prestigious Canadian Research
Chair in Human Nutrition, and accepted a position as assistant professor
in Biochemistry at Memorial University. He is currently teaching a fourth-year
course in nutrition, and is working on building his lab from scratch.
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Dr. Greg Brown
Assistant professor
Family medicine
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| Dr. Greg Brown |
Research interests
Dr. Greg Brown is a family physician with the extra qualification of a
year’s study in emergency medicine. He has joined the Discipline
of Family Medicine as one of the faculty who will provide the new emergency
medicine 18-month third year for the family medicine residency. He is
particularly interested in the extra skills provided by special training
in emergency medicine and is looking forward to teaching residents. Another
research interest he would like to develop in future is the role of paramedics
and what they are allowed to do in the field.
Experience
Dr. Brown earned his MD at Memorial in 1999, and also holds a B.Sc. (biology)
from Memorial. He did his two year family medicine residency at Memorial
and then went on to do a third year special competence in emergency medicine
at the University of Western Ontario. This certification is from the Canadian
College of Family Physicians and at the moment Memorial is the only medical
school that does not provide the program – a lack soon to be rectified.
Dr. Brown said he chose to specialize in the family medicine emergency
certification so he could remain a generalist but have extra skills. A
five-year emergency medicine specialty is also available through the Royal
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Memorial’s special
competence in emergency medicine will be unique in that it is 18 months
rather than 12 and includes six months of enhanced rural skills. Dr. Brown
said there is already a lot of interest in Memorial’s new program;
nationally this special competence in emergency medicine is fairly competitive
with about 100 people applying for a spot or two at each site.
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Dr. Faisal Khan
Associate professor,
Mechanical Engineering
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| Dr. Faisal Khan |
Research Interests
Dr. Khan has long been interested in how a raw material like oil is turned
into a usable end product. During the course of his education, Dr. Khan’s
area of research shifted from chemical engineering to computer applications
that could interface with chemical engineering, and then later on to looking
at the environment and the effects of interfering with its natural processes.
He first came to Memorial in 2000, as a visiting research professor working
with Dr. Tahir Husain in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
on a research project that was developing computer aided risk based corrective
actions for contaminated sites in Saudi Arabia. Currently, he is working
with another researcher at Dalhousie University developing a safety risk
assessment for the offshore environment. For his outstanding research
in the field of environmental engineering he was awarded the Nawab Zain
Yar Jung Bahduar Memorial Medal from the Institute of Engineers (India)
for 2002.
Experience
While completing his doctorate, Dr. Khan worked as a scientist at the
Centre for Pollution Control and Energy Technology where he developed
a computer aided environmental management unit. After graduation, he took
a position as assistant professor at the Birla Institute of Technology
and Sciences in Pilani, India. Since coming to Memorial, Dr. Khan has
had the opportunity to take his research interests in a new direction.
The offshore environment provides a great opportunity to continue his
work in risk assessment and reliability studies, while addressing issues
specific to working in an offshore, and at times unpredictable, environment.
Background
At Aligarh Muslim University in India, Dr. Khan completed his bachelor’s
degree in chemical engineering. He then went on to complete a master’s
degree in computer aided process plant design at the University of Roorkee,
followed by a doctorate in computer aided risk assessment at Pondicherry
University. He joined Memorial as an associate professor in August of
2002.
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Robert Power
Assistant professor
School of Music
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| Robert Power |
Main interests
Mr. Power divides his time between teaching and playing as a professional
musician. At Memorial, he is currently teaching percussion technique courses,
applied percussion lessons and directs Memorial’s percussion ensemble,
the Scruncheons. In addition, Mr. Power plays in the Newfoundland Symphony
Orchestra, teaches privately and freelances as a contemporary classical
percussionist. In his field, Mr. Power must be versatile in both styles
of music and instrument, particularly with the increased popularity of
world music.
Experience
Mr. Power’s academic background was primarily performance-based,
but during his master’s degree at McGill, he also pursued research
on percussion, and composers such as Bartok and Stravinsky, who wrote
for percussion. After completing his M.Mus., Mr. Power spent six years
in Toronto as a professional musician. There, he played with the North
York Symphony, Toronto Sinfonietta, and in numerous pick-up orchestras
and groups. Although he was based in Toronto, he spent much time travelling
to nearby centres such as Kitchener, Windsor and London, playing with
various ensembles.
Background
As a Newfoundlander, and a former student, Mr. Power is especially pleased
to be teaching at Memorial. He received his B.Mus. from Memorial in 1993,
and his M.Mus. from McGill in 1996. Inspired by percussionist Don Wherry’s
achievements at Memorial’s School of Music, Mr. Power is pleased
to be able to continue Mr. Wherry’s legacy of creativity, quality
and integrity.
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Dr. Tia Renouf
Assistant professor
Family medicine
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| Dr. Tia Renouf |
Research interests
Dr. Tia Renouf has a strong background in emergency medicine. She is excited
about her new geographic full-time faculty position, in which she will
be involved in establishing the new emergency medicine 18-month third
year for the family medicine residency with Dr. David Morgan and other
colleagues. She is particularly interested in rural medicine and the new
program will include six months of enhanced rural skills portion of the
program. She would like to find ways to support and enhance the emergency
skills of rural physicians through a consultative process with rural doctors
so emergency doctors who work in urban settings can deliver relevant information.
Experience
Dr. Renouf has had many adventures in isolated areas of the world. Most
recently she traveled to Antarctica as ship’s doctor aboard the Russian
Akademik Ioffe. Although the trip proved uneventful, she was always prepared
for any emergencies from fractures to heart problems, knowing she might
have to stabilize a patient for a few hours until a plane could arrive.
(For a feature article on Dr. Renouf’s trip to Antarctica see the
Jan. 23, 2003, Gazette)
Always drawn to remote places, Dr. Renouf spent two years in Australia
with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which consists of five aircraft
in Alice Springs that cover central Australia – an area of desert
about the size of Spain. As the doctor on call, she was phoned or radioed
for advice. Based on the information she received, she decided if the
situation could be managed where it was, if a plane and a nurse should
collect the patient, or if she should fly out too. When not on call, she
attended clinics, flying each morning to an Aboriginal homeland.
Dr. Renouf also worked in Micronesia as the solo doctor on the island
of Rota where she treated tropical and environmental diseases such as
exotic animal evenomations. She also worked briefly as an emergency doctor
in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Background
Dr. Renouf earned her MD at Memorial in 1984. She has practiced emergency
medicine for the past 18 years, writing her specialty exams a few years
ago. She has worked mainly in St. John’s and Halifax, maintaining
rural skills by continuing to do locums in rural Newfoundland and Nova
Scotia and remote coastal Labrador as well as other remote areas of the
world.
Note to all deans and directors: If you have new faculty
members and would like them featured in this series, please contact, Deborah
Inkpen, communications co-ordinator (research), at inkpend@
mun.ca.
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