By Margaret Miller
Special to the Gazette
A heightened interest in research was reflected in the turnout for this year’s Scientific Days Symposium, held Oct. 20-21 in the Faculty of Medicine. A variety of events, including prestigious lectures, poster sessions and oral presentations, were held during the Celebrate Memorial events to showcase the wide range of health research that is carried out by faculty, staff and students.

Events got off to a start Monday Oct. 20 with opening remarks by Dr. Penny Moody-Corbett, assistant dean for research and graduate studies. “Scientific Days provides us all with a unique opportunity to share research and learn about the significant work taking place in our faculty,” she said. The first day included a poster session with a brief talk by each of the 16 authors on topics including predictors of survival rates in head and neck cancer, a model of focal ischemic injury, and acute cough in rural family practice. The afternoon sessions included oral presentations by eight authors covering topics from the basic medical sciences to studies in clinical epidemiology and community health.

On Tuesday the morning poster sessions included brief presentations by 20 authors on topics such as metastatic cancer, endometriosis, and the kinds of accidents that happen to fish harvesters. The prestigious Gairdner Foundation Lecture was delivered by Dr. Albert Aguayo, Gairdner Award recipient 1988, and director of the Center for Research in Neuroscience at McGill University and Montreal General Hospital Research. Dr. Aguayo’s lecture presented an overview of the advances in the study of regeneration and repair of the central nervous system. His research has contributed substantially to the current understanding of how damaged nerves can regrow and his lecture was well attended by faculty, staff and students from across the university.

Following the lecture, the afternoon sessions included oral presentations by faculty and students that highlighted local research successes in genetics, bioinformatics, and occupational safety in the offshore.