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 Manitoba 8th Annual Travel Health Conference April 22 & 23, 2010 On April 22 & 23, 2010 at the Fort Garry Hotel, 125 health care providers attended the Manitoba 8th Annual Travel Health Conference hosted by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Travel Health & Tropical Medicine Services, in collaboration with Manitoba Health. The theme of the conference was "What's New: What's Emerging." Great networking opportunities took place as 66% of the conference attendees were from within the province of Manitoba. Representation consisted of participants from as far west as British Columbia to Newfoundland on the east coast as well as from the northern coast of the Territories in Yukon and Nunavut to as south as Atlanta Georgia in the United States. Conference participants ranged from 49% being nurses, to 19% physicians, 12% pharmacists, 1% medical technicians, 2% students/medical residents, and to 17% being of the "other" category, which mostly consisted of sponsors or individuals with no professional classification listed. Delegates ranged in professional classification, specializing not only in Travel Health, but also Public Health, Occupational Health, Primary Care, Family Practice, Pharmacy, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. No matter their field of expertise, participants left with glowing comments and valuable information, whether it was new information they acquired or important information that was re-enforced. Based on the conference evaluations and feedback that we have received our goal of providing a forum of information exchange among health professionals on practical applications in the field of Travel Medicine was a success! A total of 67 sponsors and supporters contributed their time and resources to make this conference a success. A very special Thank You to the conference "Platinum Sponsors" Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, and sanofi pasteur; our "Gold Sponsor" Manitoba Blue Cross, in addition to our five "Bronze Sponsors" Health Bridge Foundation of Canada, Health Partners International of Canada, MERCK, Novartis and Safeway Pharmacy. There were 13 exhibitors in attendance, which were well attended by the participants during the break times:
The conference offered accreditation through the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, with The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Region 2 Advisory Committee providing a continuing education grant in support of the conference. Accreditation through the College of Family Physicians of Manitoba was not pursued this year, as the criteria for application has changed and the committee did not have adequate timelines to complete the revised process. However the committee would like to pursue this option once again next year. The initial welcome and opening remarks for the conference were made by Lynda Tjaden, Director, of the Population & Public Health Program with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA). Jacquie Shackel, Coordinator of WRHA Travel Health & Tropical Medicine Services, and chair of this year's conference, was the Mistress of Ceremonies and throughout the conference, interactively shared fun-filled tid-bits of information from various parts of the world, "Discover your World." There was a range of topics this year, from a research based focus, to clinical hand's on information as well as experiential presentations, which incorporated our theme of "What's New: What's Emerging." All 12 presentations were highly rated, and were both entertaining and educational. Invited speakers and their topics were as follows: Dr. Pierre Plourde is the Medical Director for WRHA Travel Health & Tropical Medicine Services Clinic and Medical Officer of Health for the WRHA. He also teaches at the University of Manitoba as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medical Microbiology and Community Health Sciences and is a member of the Board of Directors of Health Partners International of Canada as well as the current Chair of the Committee to Advise on Tropical Medicine and Travel (CATMAT). He has travelled and worked in many developing countries and since 2002 has led an annual humanitarian health care mission to Haiti. His presentations included a "CATMAT Update" in addition to several other topics: "Visiting Friends and Relatives," "Envenomation," and "Pragmatic Solidarity: A Preferential Option for the Poor." Dr. Kevin Kain is the current Director of the Sandra A Rotman Laboratories, at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, in Toronto; he is also the Director at Global Health, at the McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine, at the University of Toronto; and the Director at The Center for Travel and Tropical Medicine in Toronto. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and has received multiple awards in his career, including the distinction as one of "Canada's Best in Medicine" in TIME magazine. His main research efforts are focused on malaria and HIV, as they pertain to women and children and on empowering researchers in the developing world to address their own problems in a sustainable fashion. His presentations involved "Malaria 2010 - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," "Biomarkers & Intervention for Life Threatening Infections," and "Emerging Infectious Diseases - What's Hot."
Dr. Philippe Lagacé-Wiens is a physician consultant for WRHA Travel Health & Tropical Medicine Services and for the Medical Microbiology Department at the St-Boniface General Hospital. He carries a diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the University in Lima, Peru and is involved in several promising research projects in Nairobi, Kenya. He provided updates on "It's Raining Bats and Dogs: Rabies in Travel" and "Confessions of a Mosquito: My Life with Yellow Fever." Dr. Glen Drobot completed his residency in internal medicine in 2000, and works as a Physician at St. Boniface General Hospital as well as an assistant Professor in the Section of General Internal Medicine at St. Boniface Hospital and at the University of Manitoba. He is also a consultant in the Heart Failure Clinic at the Bergen Cardiac Centre. After working in Kampala, Uganda he has developed an interest in chronic disease management in resource-limited settings. He presented on his "Experiences in Kampala; Working in a Resource Limited Setting."
Dr. Maryanne Crockett has completed her clinical fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto in addition to her research fellowship at the University of Toronto in Dr. Kevin Kain's malaria research lab. She is currently an assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba, where her current research includes illnesses in immigrant children and pediatric travel-related infections. She has a long-standing interest in global child health having worked in a number of countries around the world. She presented her research on "Travel Related Infections in Canadian Children." Dr. Nichole Riese is a family doctor with a Masters in Community Health Science and has worked, and continues to work, in rural and northern Aboriginal communities as a physician. She also enjoys working in Emergency Medicine, in the field of Addictions and provides teaching opportunities to students. She has done international work with Médecins sans frontières, and presented on "Why Canadians Should Support the Work of MSF/Doctors without Borders."
We're looking forward to seeing you in 2011! Based on the evaluations and hotel availability, the date has been set for April 14 & 15, 2011. Updates for the 2011 conference will be posted at this site. For more information, please contact: Jacquie Shackel RN, BN
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