2006-2007

News Release

REF NO.: 73

SUBJECT: Memorial physician takes on leadership role with the Canadian Diabetes Association

DATE: November 28, 2006

Dr. Ann Colbourne is one of two leading East Coast physicians to serve in senior voluntary leadership positions with the Canadian Diabetes Association. She has been appointed as a councillor with the association’s clinical and scientific section, while Dr. Ehud Ur of Dalhousie University has been appointed chair.
            Drs. Ur and Colbourne, along with other members of the clinical and scientific section, will provide direction to the Canadian Diabetes Association and the approximately 600 researchers and clinicians it represents. Members of the section take a leadership role in patient care and education and fulfill an advocacy role for Canadians living with diabetes.                                     
            Dr. Colbourne is a Rhodes Scholar as well as an associate professor of Medicine at Memorial. She received a 2006 Canadian Association of Medical Educators Merit Award, recognizing her enormous investment in inter-professional diabetes education for both pre- and post-licensure trainees. Her involvement with the Canadian Diabetes Association began in 1985 when, as a medical student, she participated at the association’s annual children’s summer camp in Newfoundland. Dr. Colbourne is a presenter at many annual provincial association community events, and has adapted and delivered the Canadian Diabetes Association’s Practical Diabetes Management program for and with Primary Health Care (PHC) Teams throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Dr. Colbourne created and delivered additional evidence-informed population health-based programs for all PHC areas to highlight the potential impact of
adherence to clinical practice guidelines in each area. 
            Dr. Colbourne’s clinical practice is dedicated to care for persons with diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and vascular disease. Through a leadership role within the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health and Community Services as well as opportunities within Eastern Health, she is developing and supporting new models of clinical care to promote and sustain health of persons living with chronic disease. Dr. Colbourne has helped develop provincial diabetes, stroke and telehealth strategies.
 
About MemorialUniversity of Newfoundland
            Founded in 1925 as a memorial to Newfoundland’s war dead, Memorial University College was elevated to degree-granting status in 1949 as Memorial University of Newfoundland. Today, the university is the largest in Atlantic Canada, with almost 18,000 students. Memorial provides excellent undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in virtually all disciplines.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
            With locations in St. John’s and Corner Brook in Newfoundland, Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador, the French-owned island of St-Pierre, and Harlow in England, Memorial is committed to experiential learning. The university’s many interdisciplinary programs abound with opportunities for experiential learning, ranging from on-campus employment to work terms around the world.             Outstanding research and scholarship, extraordinary teaching and a focus on community service are the university’s hallmarks. Many teaching and research activities reflect our mid-North Atlantic locations; these unique settings and our cultural heritage have led to the creation of highly-regarded academic programs and specialized facilities in areas such as music, linguistics, folklore and human genetics, as well as earth sciences, cold-ocean engineering, rural health care and archaeology.          
 
About the Canadian Diabetes Association
            The Canadian Diabetes Association works to prevent diabetes and improve the quality of life for those affected, through research, education, service and advocacy. With a presence in more than 150 communities, the Canadian Diabetes Association’s strong network of assistance includes volunteers, employees, healthcare professionals and partners.

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