Frustrated with the inability to protect her child from the devastation of uncontrollable seizures and the side effects of medications, Susan Axelrod joined forces with two other concerned parents to spearhead the search for a cure for epilepsy. Axelrod became the...
schulich medicine & dentistry
Media Advisory: Announcement supporting concussion research at See the Line
After suffering two concussions on the schoolyard when he was six years old, Sheldon Geerts, now 11, is happy to be back playing hockey, a sport he loves. He remembers the struggle he felt while trying to recover – headaches, trouble sleeping and anxiety – and the...
How family physicians are paid is linked to their rate of referral to specialists
Researchers at Western University, University of Ottawa and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) show that family physicians who switched from a blended fee-for-service payment scheme to a blended capitation model (a fixed rate per patient per year)...
Researchers find gut microbiome plays an important role in atherosclerosis
Researchers at Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute have shown a novel relationship between the intestinal microbiome and atherosclerosis, one of the major causes of heart attack and stroke. This was measured as the burden of plaque in the carotid...
Researchers identify brain mechanism linking PTSD and addiction
Researchers at Western University have shown that the recall of traumatic memories enhances the rewarding effects of morphine, shedding light on the neurobiological link between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and opioid addiction. Steven Laviolette, PhD,...
Using lung MRI to see where and why Canadians with asthma have poor disease control
Researchers at Western University and McMaster University are developing an innovative lung imaging method that provides a unique window on asthma that is aimed at guiding and personalizing treatment for Canadians with severe, poorly controlled asthma. Grace Parraga,...
Research team develops clinically-validated 3D printed stethoscope
A team of researchers have developed an open-source, clinically validated template for a 3D printed stethoscope for use in areas of the world with limited access to medical supplies – places where a stethoscope could mean the difference between life and death. “As far...
This Valentine’s Day: Can the heart be mechanically replaced?
Western University Professor Shelley McKellar explores the history of artificial hearts in new book William Schroeder lived for 620 days after his diseased heart was removed from his chest and replaced with an artificial heart. In the first moments after he emerged...
Research uncovers new link between head trauma, CTE and ALS
Researchers at Western University have uncovered a unique neurobiological pathway triggered by head trauma which underlies both Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease). CTE is a fatal...
Handover of anesthesia care associated with adverse patient outcomes: study
In the operating room, just before surgery begins the last face a patient sees and last voice they hear is that of the anesthesiologist. While surgeons rarely hand over care during a procedure to another surgeon, anesthesiologists do occasionally transfer care to a...
World-renowned researchers unravel mysteries of MS
Canada has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, with an estimated 1 in 340 Canadians living with the disease. Currently, the exact cause of MS and how to prevent it are still a mystery, and this week top MS researchers from around the globe will...
New genetic marker uncovered for neurodevelopmental disorders
A team led by researchers at Western University have identified a previously unidentified genetic mutation that leads to intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder, providing answers to a group of patients with a previously undiagnosed syndrome. While...