Peak Scholars in Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Knowledge Engagement
2015 Scholars
On November 18, 2015, President and Vice-Chancellor Elizabeth Cannon and Vice-President (Research) Ed McCauley hosted the 2015 Peak Scholars Celebration Luncheon. Scholars were nominated by their Deans to be recognized for their achievements in entrepreneurship, innovation, and knowledge engagement where their academic work has had an impact outside of the academy; including community and knowledge engagement, entrepreneurship, tech transfer, innovation, and collaborative research, resulting in a positive social or economic impact in our communities. Read more in UToday.
2015 Peak Scholars
Chris Hugenholtz, Ph.D., Faculty of Arts, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Cenovus Research Chair, EVDS
Professor Hugenholtz has been nominated for his work Environmental Monitoring with Drones. This work has Dr. Hugenholtz teaming up with a number of local companies to advance the development of applications for drones used in environmental monitoring and mapping.
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Steig Johnson, Ph.D., Faculty of Arts, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Professor Johnson has been nominated for his work Lemur Conservation in Madagascar. His team plays a key role in a larger conservation program that employs innovative ways of community engagement, knowledge transfer and technology transfer in a collaborative framework to address one of the most critical issues in the tropics. Madagascar is one of the most unique and biologically diverse places on Earth. Over 90% of the island has been devastated by environmental degradation resulting from clear cut logging. Saving critically endangered species and developing a sustainable, stable economy and society is at the core of what Dr. Johnson does.
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Robert Oxoby, Ph.D., Faculty of Arts, Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Arts, Professor, Department of Economics
Professor Oxoby has been nominated for his work on the Matched Savings Program and Financial Literacy Interventions. This project explores the use of matched savings programs as a means to facilitate transitions out of poverty. The program utilizes the insights gained from economic research to assist the poorest families in our society to gain financial literacy while saving money to escape the cycle of poverty. Using matched savings and a financial literacy education program, we have developed various mechanisms to create opportunities for skill acquisition, upgrading and asset acquisition (including home ownership), improving the welfare of low income families.
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Norm Campbell, MD, Cumming School of Medicine, Professor, Medicine, Community Health Services, and Physiology and Pharmacology, HSF CIHR Chair in Hypertension Prevention and Control, Chair of the Canadian Hypertension Advisory Committee
Professor Campbell has been nominated for his work on Dietary Sodium Evidence. This project will include the development of minimum standards for the conduct of human research on dietary sodium by an international health and scientific consortium. After the standards are set, systematic reviews will be conducted using the standards to reassess the evidence base on dietary salt reduction with the potential to impact global dietary salt recommendations.
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Michael Hill, MD, M.Sc., FRCPC, Cumming School of Medicine, Associate Professor, Departments of Clinical Neurosciences, Community Health Sciences, and Medicine, Director, Stroke Unit, Calgary Stroke Program, Alberta Health Services
Professor Hill has been nominated for his work Endovascular treatment for Small Core and Anterior circulation Proximal occlusion with Emphasis on minimizing CT to recanalization times (ESCAPE) trial. The ESCAPE trial is a practice and treatment changing randomized controlled trial of endovascular stroke therapy that firmly demonstrates the benefit of rapid endovascular stroke treatment for patients with large intracranial artery occlusions. The results of this work have changed stroke guidelines across the world and multiple efforts are now underway to establish systems of care to allow this therapy to proceed.
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Bijoy Menon, MD, M.Sc., Cumming School of Medicine, Assistant Professor, Clinical Neurology, Radiology and Community Health Science
Professor Menon has been nominated for his work on QuikFlo: An Automated Imaging Decision Support Tool for use in Acute Stroke Patients. QuikFlo is an automated imaging-based triaging decision support tool that can help community physicians make clinical decisions on triage of patients with acute ischemic stroke at any time of the day or night quickly and correctly.
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Luanne Metz, MD, FRCPC, Cumming School of Medicine, Professor, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section Chief, Division of Neurology
Professor Metz has been nominated for her work on Improving Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Care through Clinical Innovations and Research. Through partnerships in the community, with colleagues, government and the pharmaceutical industry, she has stimulated the development of a province-wide MS program and has been a major force behind the development of a local and national MS registry. She completed innovative research to transform treatment of MS relapses from intravenous to oral therapy thus improving access to care and reducing costs.
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David Schriemer, Ph.D., Cumming School of Medicine, Associate Professor, Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Oncology, and Physiology & Pharmacology, Adjunct Associate Professor, Chemistry, Director, Southern Alberta Mass Spectrometry Centre (SAMS)
Professor Schriemer has been nominated for his work Supporting the Ultimate Detector Generates Advances in Technology and Therapeutics. This research program in biological mass spectrometry leads to informatics solutions, and a new treatment options for celiac disease.
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Henry Stelfox, MD, Ph.D. FRCPC, Cumming School of Medicine, Associate Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Scientific Director, Critical Care Strategic Clinical Network, AHS
Professor Stelfox has been nominated for his work Improving the Quality of Trauma Care. Traumatic injuries affect 700 million people around the world, including 2 million Canadians and account for more premature deaths than heart disease, lung disease or HIV. Dr. Stelfox and his team developed the first set of evidence-informed quality measures of trauma care. These have been implemented by healthcare services organizations, research institutes and accreditation bodies in Canada, the United States and Australia to measure and guide efforts to improve the quality of care.
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V. Wee Yong, Ph.D., Cumming School of Medicine, Professor and Department Head of Translational Neuroscience, Co-Director, Multiple Sclerosis Program, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada Research Chair in Neuroimmunology
Professor Yong has been nominated for his work Protecting and Repairing the Brain.
Dr. Yong's research seeks to protect the brain during neural insults, and to harness the benefits of inflammation for repair following neural injury.
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Noel Keough, Ph.D., Faculty of Environmental Design, Assistant Professor, Urban Design
Professor Keough has been nominated for his work Active Neighborhoods Calgary (ANC): Community Sustainability Research, Dialogue and Action. ANC is a 5-year, 5 million dollar Public Health Agency of Canada funded collaboration between Montreal Urban Ecology Centre, Toronto Centre for Active Transportation and Sustainable Calgary Society. The purpose of the initiative is to promote active lifestyles and active transportation options in low income and high immigrant population communities in Canadians cities and towns.
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Carolyn Emery, Ph.D., Faculty of Kinesiology, Professor, Associate Dean Research, Co-chair Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, Chair in Pediatric Rehabilitation, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Professor Emery has been nominated with her colleague Brent Hagel, for their work in Injury Prevention in Youth Sport and Recreation. The Alberta Program is a collaborative research program composed of interdisciplinary researchers, trainees, and community partners with a common goal – to reduce the burden of sport and recreational injuries in Alberta youth. The main objectives of the Program are to develop and evaluate programs and policies in injury prevention in youth sport and recreation and to increase awareness about youth sport and recreational injury prevention including a focus in youth ice hockey, ski and snowboard school programs, and injury prevention in junior high school physical education programs.
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Brent Hagel, Ph.D., Faculty of Kinesiology, Associate Professor, Departments of Paediatrics, Community Health Sciences, Lead for Development of Research Capacity Research Methods Team, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute for Child and Maternal Health
Professor Hagel has been nominated with his colleague Carolyn Emery, for their work in Injury Prevention in Youth Sport and Recreation. The Alberta Program is a collaborative research program composed of interdisciplinary researchers, trainees, and community partners with a common goal – to reduce the burden of sport and recreational injuries in Alberta youth. The main objectives of the Program are to develop and evaluate programs and policies in injury prevention in youth sport and recreation and to increase awareness about youth sport and recreational injury prevention including a focus in youth ice hockey, ski and snowboard school programs, and injury prevention in junior high school physical education programs.
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Bryce Tingle, LL.B, LL.M, Faculty of Law, Associate Professor, N. Murray Edwards Chair in Business Law, Associate Director, Financial Markets Regulation Programme
Professor Tingle has been nominated for his work as the founder and supervisor of BLG Business Venture Clinic and Intellectual Property Clinic. The BLG Business Venture Clinic provides free legal assistance to startup companies and entrepreneurs coming out of the University and surrounding community. The Intellectual Property clinic provides legal assistance to the technology transfer officers at Innovate Calgary.
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Karen Benzies, Ph.D., RN, Faculty of Nursing, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Associate Dean of Research
Professor Benzies has been nominated for her work Welcome to Parenthood - Alberta. This program studies how early parent-child relationships influence early brain and biological development. Dr. Benzies knows our communities are stronger when we ensure that all families receive support when they bring home a new baby. Welcome to Parenthood – Alberta evaluates the types of information and support that parents need during the transition from pregnancy to early parenthood.
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Kathryn King-Shier, Ph.D., RN, Faculty of Nursing, Professor, and Department of Community Health Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev Ji DIL (Heart) Research Chair
Professor King-Shier has been nominated for her work on Heart Health of the South Asian Community. South Asians have greater morbidity from heart disease than many other ethno-cultural groups. Dr. King-Shier’s research is focused on ethno-cultural differences in angina or heart attack symptoms and management strategies for heart disease risk.
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Deborah White, Ph.D., Faculty of Nursing, Associate Professor
Professor White has been nominated for her work on A Comparative Analysis of Alberta’s High Stake Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs). SCNs are province-wide teams of healthcare professionals, researchers, government, communities, patients and families who are collectively engaged to address delivery healthcare across Alberta. In this study of nine strategic clinical networks (SCNs) in Alberta we are using an integrated knowledge translation approach to describe and examine the impacts of team and organizational structures and processes on SCN proximal outputs and outcomes.
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Claude Laflamme, Ph.D., Faculty of Science, Professor of Mathematics, Division Chair, Pure Mathematics, President, Lyryx Learning
Professor Laflamme has been nominated for his work Lyryx with Open Texts. Lyryx has developed a reversed approach to the textbook publishing industry: give the content away through open texts, and offer editorial and support services through educational software license revenues. Lyryx with Open Texts is already supporting various subjects in Business and Economics, and Mathematics and Statistics.
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Antony Ware, D.Phil., Faculty of Science, Associate Professor, Applied Mathematics, Director, Math Finance Lab
Professor Ware has been nominated for his work on Valuation and Hedging of Energy Assets. The project involves working with energy companies to develop mathematical models for risk management of energy assets. This is important both for the ability to invest with confidence in such assets, and to encourage efficient utilization of those assets once they are in operation.
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Ian Gates, Ph.D., P.Eng., Schulich School of Engineering, Professor and Department Head, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Founder: Gushor Inc., Profero Energy Inc., Clathrate Petroleum Inc., Consultancy: Ideas for Dynamic Growth Ltd.
Professor Gates has been nominated for his Heavy Oil and Oil Sands Spin-off Companies Gushor Inc. and Ideas for Dynamic Growth. Gushor Inc. grew in business with projects in nearly all heavy oil jurisdictions globally and was sold to Schlumberger in 2013. Ideas for Dynamic Growth is a reservoir characterization and simulation company that has provided recovery process designs for cold, thermal, thermal-solvent, and post-cold production processes and companies in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Venezuela, China and the Middle East. Several technologies that have been developed with this company are being commercialized through Innovate Calgary.
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Patrick Hettiaratchi, Ph.D., P.Eng., Schulich School of Engineering, Professor of Environmental Engineering
Professor Hettiaratchi has been nominated for his work in Methane Biofiltration Technology. Methane Biofiltration technology is an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective alternative to conventional technologies currently being used to control fugitive and engineered methane emissions in various sectors, including oil and has, municipal waste and agriculture. The associated research program has received financial and in-kind support from Climate Change Management Corporation (CCEMC), oil and gas companies, and Alberta and British Columbian municipalities, as well as funding from NSERC and Alberta Innovates.
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Steve Liang, Ph.D., Schulich School of Engineering, Associate Professor
Professor Liang has been nominated for his work Disrupting the Silos of the Internet of Things through Research and Commercialization. In the near future, millions to billions of small sensors and actuators will be embedded in real-world objects and connected to the Internet forming the Internet of Things (IoT). Today’s IoT systems are isolated technology silos. Professor Liang’s project aims to disrupt the silos of the IoT’s by building an open IoT ecosystem with international open standards.
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David Wood, Ph.D., P.Eng., Schulich School of Engineering, Professor, Enmax/Schulich Chair in Renewable Energy
Professor Wood has been nominated for his work Harnessing Renewable Energy Resources in Developing Countries. Dr. Wood is developing improved designs for small hydroturbines for remote power generation in Nepal and with Professor Ed Nowicki, on better control systems for these turbines. He also teaches and researches on wind turbine design in Ethiopia.
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Lana Wells, Faculty of Social Work, and School of Public Policy, Associate Professor, Brenda Strafford Chair in Prevention of Domestic Violence
Professor Wells has been nominated for her work on the Family Violence Hurts Everyone: A Framework to End Family Violence in Alberta. Lana worked closely with the Government of Alberta on this new policy framework. She was the primary researcher and writer, working in collaboration with the Family Violence Branch in the Human Services Ministry along with partnering Ministries.
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Hieu Van Ngo, Ph.D., Faculty of Social Work, Assistant Professor, Director, Undergrad Student Affairs
Professor Ngo has been nominated for his work on Identity-Based Wraparound Intervention. This project is a collaborative initiative that provides integrative services and support to high risk and gang involved immigrant youth, and draws insights from practice to develop a Canadian approach to youth gang prevention.
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Herman Barkema, DVM, Ph.D., FCAHS, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Medicine, Professor, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Infectious Diseases of Dairy Cattle
Professor Barkema has been nominated for his work on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Dairy Cattle. The goal of Dr. Barkema’s research, education and extension efforts is decreasing the effect of infectious diseases on the Canadian dairy industry; this will be achieved through research and training (graduate and summer students, postdoctoral fellows, farmers and veterinary practitioners). The vast majority of infectious diseases in dairy cattle are the result of an interaction among the genome, microbes, host immunology, and the environment. Therefore, his research is inherently collaborative and multidisciplinary in nature.
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Sylvia Checkley, DVM, Ph.D., Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assistant Professor, Ecosystem and Public Health, Environment Program Lead, ProvLab
Professor Checkley has been nominated for her work on Environmental Public Health. The environmental public health surveillance system is a robust system developed working with a strong interdisciplinary team for monitoring of water quality trends, mitigation of potential health problems and provision of information used for resource planning, risk analyses and decision making.
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Mark Ungrin, Ph.D., Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assistant Professor, Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine (CBEM)
Professor Ungrin has been nominated for his work in AggreWell Technology for Cellular Aggregation. AggreWell technology consists of surfaces completely covered in pyramidal microwells. Cells and/or biomaterials are centrifuged into the microwells, resulting in large numbers of uniform, size controlled and reproducible three-dimensional microtissues.