How one University of Alberta student persevered after losing brother in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash
The loss of her brother in a horrific bus crash that killed 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team will never leave Mariko Boulet, but as she graduates with her University of Alberta degree on June 12, she hopes it will make her a better person. “I think I’ve become a more loving, understanding…
Award-winning documentary by U of A researcher follows family’s tireless efforts to turn grief into advocacy for change
Tasha Hubbard, a filmmaker and Indigenous studies professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, had been filming with Boushie’s family since 2016. She wanted to document their experience as they sought justice for their loved one through the provincial legal system, and hoped to provide historical and personal context on Indigenous…
But you could give the virus to animals. U of A expert offers tips to help protect pets and livestock from possible infection
Worried about catching COVID-19 from your cat or dog? You shouldn’t be, says a University of Alberta expert. While COVID-19 is believed to have originated from some type of animal, the risk of catching the disease is greater from another human than from a pet, said Simon Otto, a veterinary epidemiologist and assistant professor with the…
U of A to serve as ‘living lab’ to find out if viruses can travel in buildings – and how to improve filtration to prevent it
“We can tell that something’s up on these cruise ships during the pandemic, and questions are also arising about the safety of airplanes and buildings,” said Brian Fleck, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Alberta and a co-applicant on a study aimed at determining whether and how viruses use a building’s ventilation system…
U of A PhD candidate studies and participates in grassroots movement to hack diabetes equipment
People with Type 1 diabetes – including University of Alberta graduate student Jonathan Garfinkel – are using free instructions from the Internet to build an artificial pancreas. The patient-led movement is pushing pharmaceutical companies to improve the treatments they offer, according to U of A diabetes expert Peter Light. “Diabetics have developed, programmed and are now living…
U of A spinoff company Nanostics using diagnostic technology to help health professionals intervene more quickly
A University of Alberta spinoff company focused on creating and commercializing non-invasive diagnostic tests is developing a simple blood test to predict the severity of COVID-19 in positive patients. Nanostics’ test assesses an individual’s viral load, which is the number of viruses they have replicating within their systems, and determines the immune response to COVID-19.…
U of A medical researchers recommend rheumatic drugs, exercise to boost immune-regulating ‘natural killer’ cells
Rheumatologists at the University of Alberta are flagging similarities between the deaths of some COVID-19 patients and those with rheumatic illnesses. They are testing proven rheumatic treatments to see whether they help against the pandemic virus. A substantial proportion of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care die of pneumonia due to a cytokine storm, where…
Textiles expert at U of A creates website with instructions to help people fashion homemade cloth masks based on best available evidence
Ideas for do-it-yourself masks are everywhere, but how do you know which are the best? There are no clear answers, but with that in mind, University of Alberta clothing and textiles professor Anne Bissonnette hopes a website she’s created can at least help people make some science-based choices as they sit down to their sewing. She wanted to…
Social isolation can be deadly for people struggling with addictions, says University of Alberta expert
When Alberta’s chief medical officer, Deena Hinshaw, announced special exemptions to COVID-19 regulations for group therapy in residential addiction treatment centres, it was exactly what University of Alberta addictions expert Cameron Wild was hoping to hear. “The whole concept of recovery is in part founded on developing strong social supportive relationships,” said Wild. Wild is principal investigator with the…
Mistrust, fear and rumours helped the virus spread in 2018, but training trusted local leaders helped stop it, U of A researchers find
Multiple factors led people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to resist public health messages during the 2018 outbreak of Ebola virus. University of Alberta researchers fear the situation could be repeated with COVID-19 unless lessons are learned from the earlier epidemic. “Mistrust, fear and rumours were complete obstacles to the efforts of the…