SPRING 2008

By Niki Legge

The Newfoundland and Labrador Lung Association is calling on all community members including physicians to urge the provincial government to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children.

H E A L T H   T E C H N O L O G Y
Gene discovery may lead to cure for broken hearts

		By Sharon Gray Researchers at Memorial University have discovered the gene responsible for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, a deadly genetic heart condition highly prevalent in Newfoundland and Labrador.

By Dr. Susan King
Here we are again, another winter behind us (almost), and spring is around the corner.  Funny how I welcome the Sears Spring and Summer catalogue; stark contrast to how I feel when the Fall and Winter one arrives when summer has just arrived.

By MUN Staff
Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine will experience tremendous growth in the next decade. Premier Danny Williams’ Blueprint 2007 commits to a $15 million expansion for medical education faculty and $11.75 million in new annual operational costs.

By Joan McCarthy

A professional corporation’s active business income is generally taxed at a much lower rate than a physician’s marginal tax rate. The combined federal/provincial small business rate as well as the small business limit may vary by province.

By Dr. Tanis Adey
Recent statistics suggest that the death rate from eating disorders is 12 times higher than the death rate from all other illnesses combined for females between 15 and 24 years old. Treatment can be a complicated and challenging process for health care providers, clients and their families.

By Dr. Olga Heath

The intensive day treatment program to be offered through the new Eating Disorder Program at Eastern Health will treat patients with eating disorders who cannot be effectively and appropriately treated in their home community by professionals already involved in their care.

By Jonathan Carpenter

The Professional Association of Internes and Residents (PAIRN) has unveiled a completely redesigned and enhanced website with a revitalized appearance and new features.

By CSIP Staff

International Women’s week occurs the first week of March each year. As a part of the celebrations, many of the women’s centers across the province will be acknowledging the role of family physicians doing Pap tests in their communities.

By CSIP Staff

The annual participation rate of women having Pap tests is an often-used measurement for planning for health services. This year, a partnership with the Newfoundland Statistics Agency produced maps for each regional health board of community Pap participation rates.

S T A F F
NLMA staff says goodbye to esteemed colleague and friend

		By NLMA Staff Stephen Jerrett, Director of Negotiations and Health Economics, has announced he will be leaving the NLMA to pursue other interests.

By Leigh Thorne

Of all the risk factors that contribute to stroke, the most powerful is hypertension. The Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care: 2006 includes two recommendations for hypertension assessment and management.

Online Only  H E A L T H   P R O M O T I O N
Thiazide diuretics as first-line treatment for hypertension

		Submitted Article In December 2007, the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health released a Health Technology Assessment report on Thiazide diuretics and its use in the first-line treatment of primary hypertension.

By CMA Staff

After almost two years of development, the CMA has created a tool it hopes it never has to use. The new emergency-contact database will allow rapid communication with over 50,000 active clinicians in the event of a national crisis such as a pandemic.

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Saskatoon family physician nominated as CMA president-elect

		By CMA Staff Dr. Anne Doig, a Saskatoon family physician, has won the tightly contested, seven-physician race to be the Saskatchewan Medical Association’s (SMA) nominee as president-elect of the CMA.

By Drs. Leigh Anne Newhook & Joseph Curtis

Please do not disregard the symptoms of diabetes in children! Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest reported incidence of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in North America and third highest in the world.