Basil Petrof discusses how the funds raised at Le Bal Rouge will help push the boundaries of respiratory research and care. Also, Dr. Jonathan Meakins describes the Art and Heritage Centre at the MUHC and how a donation from RBC will help it bring more art into the hospital.
(Time on Podcast: 9:33). The MUHC hospital holds one of the largest public art collections in Quebec. The relationship between art, healing and health is deep and longstanding. Dr. Jonathan L. Meakins, grandson of Dr. Jonathan C. Meakins, who lent his name to the Meakins-Christie Laboratories, is the Director of the Art and Heritage Centre at the MUHC. Listen to the podcast to learn about the history of the Art and Heritage Centre. The collection includes a portrait of Dr. Dorothy Wiselberg, painted by her sister. This portrait is exhibited at the Annual Doctor Dorothy Wiselberg Seminar organized by the MUHC Adult Respiratory Medicine Division. Dr. Dorothy Wiselberg was one of the first female physicians to work in the are of pulmonary diseases in Montreal. She was based at the Montreal Chest Hospital – now the Montreal Chest Institute – where her work focused on tuberculosis. Dr. Meakins also touches upon his relationship with the Meakins-Christie Laboratories. He was a chief resident when the laboratories were created. The inauguration of the Meakins-Christie Labs is an example of the type of leadership that transformed a unit at the University and hospital. Subsequent leaders of the Meakins further expanded the laboratories and made the world-renowned centre for respiratory research that we know today.
(Time on Podcast: 19:35). The 2023 edition of Le Bal Rouge took place on May 26th. The theme was the Great Gatsby and the Roaring 20s. It was a special evening that raised $1.68M for the Montreal Chest Institute and Respiratory Research. Dr. Basil Petrof attended the event that honored his colleague, Dr. Kevin Schwartzman. Kevin Schwartzman was honored for his leadership of the Respiratory Division over the past 10 years. Kevin is not only a great doctor, but also an accomplished researcher, and has been a great advocate for respiratory research. This kind of support from philanthropy really allows the Montreal Chest Institute to do things that it normally can’t do – not only for patient care, but support of game-changing innovative research. These donations will help us realize a more personalized approach to care. With advances in genetics and other area, each patient is very different, and being able to predict what drug or treatment might work in a patient is now becoming possible because of respiratory research. Our goal is to get a fingerprint for each patient to better identify treatments and diagnoses. This month also marks the 50th Anniversary Symposium of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories. Over the last 50 years, the Meakins-Christie Labs have made many discoveries, from effects of smoking, how best to care for patients in the ICU, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many things that have become standard textbook knowledge that are still taught to our medical students today. Some of our current strengths at the Meakins include asthma, emphysema, and lung fibrosis, as well as lung immunology and lung infection research. The Meakins is also known as an international school for respiratory research. Many past trainees and fellows went back to their home countries to start their own very successful research units that were often modeled on their experience here. These past trainees still feel a strong bond to the Meakins and many came back to Montreal to attend our 50th Anniversary Symposium.
Listen to the Podcast
Uniting specialists to fight a rare and deadly cancer. MUHC Foundation Health Matters Podcast. June 4, 2023.
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