Faculty members elected as Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

Three members of the Cumming School of Medicine have been inducted into the prestigious Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS).  Dr. Raj Midha, Dr. Lynn McIntyre and Keith Sharkey PhD, were inducted into the Academy at the CAHS Annual General Meeting in Ottawa on Sept. 17, 2015.

The CAHS provides advice on key issues relevant to health in Canada, and recognizes individuals of great accomplishment and achievement in the academic health sciences through their fellowship program.

“These three scholars have been recognized for their work in public health, clinical neuroscience and chronic disease,” says Ed McCauley, vice-president (research). “They have made pivotal contributions in health research in their work at the University of Calgary, and now as members of the CAHS, they will extend their leadership as they join some of the best minds in the academic health sciences in Canada to offer informed and unbiased assessments of urgent issues affecting the health of all Canadians.”

Dr. Lynn McIntyre
Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences; associate scientific director, O'Brien Institute for Public Health

Dr. McIntyre joined the University of Calgary in July 2006. Prior to coming to Calgary, she served three terms as Dean of the Faculty of Health Professions at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds both a medical degree and master's degree in Community Health and Epidemiology from the University of Toronto and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Dr. McIntyre’s research uses both quantitative and qualitative means to address household food insecurity and to advance policy that will reduce the problem at the population level.

Dr. Rajiv Midha 
Professor and head, Department of Clinical Neurosciences

An internationally recognized surgeon, scientist and educator, Dr. Midha’s research has produced groundbreaking insights on the repair of peripheral nerve injury, while his clinical program provides state-of-the-art patient centric multidisciplinary care. A member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary, his lab’s most recent research focus has been on developing novel cell-based therapies to improve outcome from nerve repair.

Keith Sharkey, PhD
Professor, departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, and Medicine; deputy director, Hotchkiss Brain Institute; member, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases

Sharkey has pioneered fundamental and translational discoveries in the neural control of the gastrointestinal tract in health and disease. His innovative research has provided significant insights into the etiology and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. He is also an expert in the endocannabinoid system of the gut, and has used his knowledge of cannabinoid biology to advise Health Canada.