miniSter CelebrateS ComPletion of CmCC refurbiSHment Gary Goodyear, minister of state for science and technology, and for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, was in Toronto on May 7 to celebrate the completion of renovation projects at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC). The projects received support through the Government of Canada’s Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP). The KIP was a $2-billion economic stimulus measure launched in March 2009 to support infrastructure enhancement at post-secondary institutions across Canada. The program provided funding to support deferred maintenance, repair and expansion projects at universities and colleges, responding directly to the need indicated by post-secondary institutions to improve existing campus infrastructure across the country. A major portion of this infrastructure was near the end of its projected life cycle and, in many cases, did not adequately meet the needs of today’s research and teaching activities. Proposals submitted to the program were assessed according to their ability to quickly and effectively generate economic activity and support job creation. Project readiness and economic impact were, therefore, key criteria used in project selection. Projects were also assessed on their ability to enhance research capacity, support the attraction of new students and provide a better educational experience for the highly skilled workers of tomorrow. KIP funding was fully committed as of Oct. 23, 2009. The program supported 520 projects across Canada. The federal government delivered the program in partnership with the provinces and territories, which provided much of the $3 billion in additional project funding leveraged through the program, bringing total investment to $5 billion. Projects funded under the KIP generated economic benefits and supported job creation, while improving the quality of research and development at post-secondary institutions and strengthening the ability of institutions to deliver advanced knowledge and skills training. Program funding also had a positive impact on the environment by reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, improving waste management, and enhancing health and safety features at universities and colleges across Canada. DC Student firSt to beCome SCHWeitZer felloW National University of Health Sciences student Dana Madigan is the first student in a chiropractic program to be awarded The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. Madigan was one of 243 multidisciplinary graduate students throughout the United States recently chosen as a 2012-13 Schweitzer Fellow. Upon completion of her one-year fellowship, she will become a “Schweitzer Fellows for Life” member, joining a network of more than 2,500 Schweitzer alumni worldwide. The fellowship program started in 1992 and supports graduate students in learning to effectively address the social factors that impact health, as well as developing lifelong leadership skills and living the famous physician-humanitarian’s message of service. Although application to the fellowship is open to any professional degree student, Madigan is the first in the program’s history to be currently enrolled in a chiropractic degree program. Madigan’s approved project for The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship will be to help deepen connections between the NUHS clinic in Lombard, Illinois, and community organizations that help the medically underserved, specifically in regard to low back pain. “I chose the issue of low back pain, because addressing low back pain is one of our nation’s ‘Healthy People 2020’ goals,” she says. “I want to show how we can use our form of health care to help meet national priorities. “Usually community health programs offer no other choice for those with low back pain than to receive care from an MD or DO,” says Madigan. “Through this project, we are working to make chiropractic care for low back pain accessible for those who may not Otherwise be able to receive it. “ Dana Madigan is also earning her Master of Public Health degree (MPH) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) through a co-ordinated degree program between NUHS and UIC that is partially funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health. She serves as a research assistant at NUHS, a teaching assistant at UIC, and president of the NUHS Public Health Club. Dr. Jerrilyn Cambron of the research faculty of NUHS and the teaching faculty of UIC’s School of Public Health will be Madigan’s academic mentor for her project. “The big thing Dana is doing is trying to show the profession how we can get more involved with public health,” says Dr. Cambron. “A lot of people with low incomes don’t think they can afford chiropractic care, so we have to think of new pathways that give them access to our care.” Madigan’s goals after graduation are in the area of research. “I really want to work to get CAM practitioners involved in community organizations and advance integrative care through those avenues. I think everybody should be able to choose which kind of health care they receive.” Dana says she hopes this will encourage more students from NUHS and other chiropractic colleges to apply for the fellowship in the future. NUHS president James F. Winterstein applauded Madigan, saying, “As the first chiropractic student to receive this prestigious national fellowship, Dana continues the proud National tradition of advancing our profession in ways that improve patientcentred health care.”