Atlantic Veterinary College student Brian Blanchard has been awarded a prestigious $75,000 scholarship by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation.

The AAEP Foundation Coyote Rock Ranch Scholarship is given to top third-year veterinary students attending an AVMA accredited veterinary college with a significant interest in equine sports medicine, a good academic record, and leadership qualities, and who is a member of the school’s AAEP student chapter.

The Coyote Ranch Scholarship program is funded by Penelope Knight, owner and operator of the Coyote Rock Ranch in Terrebonne, Oregon, a ranch that breeds and trains high-end quarter horses for cutting and reining competitions.

Only three to four scholarships valued at $75,000 each are awarded each year. About 80 veterinary students from Canada and the United States applied for the three scholarships awarded in 2018.

Horses have always been a part of Blanchard’s life. Growing up on his family’s dairy farm in Thorndike, Maine, he worked with Percheron draft horses. When his parents purchased a standardbred mare in 1996, he caught the harness racing bug and began driving in 2007.

He spent the next five years working in the US harness racing industry as a driver and trainer, but in 2012 he decided to go to university. In 2015 he graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude and then applied to AVC. He was accepted on the first try.

When he arrived on Prince Edward Island to attend AVC in the fall of 2015, he visited the Red Shores Racetrack in Charlottetown and soon began a part of the racing scene there, jogging, training, and driving horses.

Blanchard is thankful to be chosen for the scholarship. He applied for it based on his involvement in standardbred harness racing before and throughout his veterinary training, his strong academic record, and his plan to practice equine sports medicine after graduation. But he was still surprised—and very happy—when he found out in April that he was successful.

“Though I have worked hard for it, none of this would have been possible without the help of all the faculty, staff, and students I have studied and worked alongside these past three years at AVC, particularly Dr. Laurie McDuffee, Dr. Leigh Lamont, and Karen Roche for their mentorship and help in applying for the scholarship.”

He also thanked his family and Maine veterinarian Dr. Ron Miles for supporting his dream of becoming a veterinarian.

“Last but not least, I’d like to thank Kenny Arsenault, Jamie Smith, and the rest of the crew at the Red Shores Racetrack, aka the Charlottetown Driving Park, for being good friends and mentors in the harness racing game and vet school process over the past three years.”

The AAEP Foundation Coyote Rock Ranch Scholarships will be presented to the recipients on December 3rd, 2018, at the AAEP’s 64th annual convention in San Francisco, California.

An online addictions therapy known as Computer Based Training for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT4CBT), piloted and operated by a UPEI research team, will now be offered free of charge at Murphy’s Pharmacy location across PEI.

Cognitive behavioural therapy allows patients to recognize triggers, improve coping mechanisms, and alter the behaviour that leads to substance abuse. CBT4CBT’s efficacy, durability, and cost-savings have been proven in clinical trials and have been praised by patients and therapy personnel. Through web-based delivery, CBT4CBT can reach people even in rural areas 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“The CBT4CBT program is engaging, with movies that reflect real world problems. One of the first things you realize when using CBT4CBT is that Anna is having a rough day. Anna, who is trying to stop using, has a horrible day at work, then, has a fight with her husband who offers her drugs,” said Dr. Michelle Patterson, research manager at UPEI’s Centre for Health and Community Research (CHCR). “Viewers can watch how to use cognitive and behavioral self-control skills to deal with a problem. There is something powerful about seeing the problem rather than hearing about it in the abstract.”

Access to CBT4CBT is available free of charge. Those dealing with substance abuse can request access at any Murphy’s Pharmacies location. They will be provided with unique login to access this evidence-based program. For more information, visit chcresearch.ca/cbt4cbt-prescription/

Healthcare workers or pharmacists interested in the program for their patients can contact the CHCR at chcr@upei.ca and receive a prescription pad with details about CBT4CBT.

CBT4CBT was developed by Dr. Kathleen Carroll and researchers at the Yale School of Medicine. UPEI’s CHCR performed the first clinical trials in Canada and offers the program at sites across the province.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Colin MacAdam, head coach of UPEI’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams, is pleased to announce Nick Robertson will join the Panthers for the 2018–2019 season. Robertson is a middle- and long-distance runner and a recent graduate of Colonel Gray High School in Charlottetown.

“Nick Robertson is a talented cross-country, triathlon, and track and field athlete who has represented Colonel Gray High School and Prince Edward Island for a number of years,” said MacAdam. “Nick was scouted by a number of universities, and we are delighted that he has chosen to attend UPEI. Nick will be a key member of our track and field and cross-country teams. We expect he will be an impact athlete for both programs.”

Robertson took home three first-place finishes at the most recent PEI School Athletic Association (PEISAA) Track & Field Championship, including the 800-meter, 1500-meter, and 3000-meter races. In 2016–2017, he was a member of Team PEI at the Canada Summer Games for the triathlon. He won his category at the 2017–2018 provincial cross-country championship, and placed second at the Atlantic Cross Country Championship.

“I’m really looking forward to continuing my career as a Panther,” said Robertson. “With help from old and new coaches, and my sponsor, I have high hopes of what I can accomplish during my years at UPEI.”

Robertson has been accepted into UPEI’s Faculty of Science and will be majoring in chemistry.

Go Panthers Go!

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, visited the UPEI campus on Monday, June 25 as part of her official visit to Prince Edward Island.

Her Excellency met with researchers and their teams from the UPEI Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering including Dr. Ali Ahmadi, assistant professor of engineering who is leading a team focusing on the 3D (bio-) printing of natural polymers such as amylum and chitin for tissue engineering and drug delivery applications, adding value to waste streams coming from PEI potato and shellfish industries.

Dr. Bishnu Acharya, assistant professor of engineering, along with his student researchers demonstrated the process they are undertaking to construct equipment that extracts tunicate cellulose in large amounts to turn the shellfish pest into something valuable to shellfish harvesters.

Dr. Nadja Johnson Bressan, assistant professor of engineering, along with Dr. Cate Creighton, assistant professor anaesthesiology, from the Atlantic Veterinary College, and their team of students are working on a project that utilizes fabric sensors to access physiological variables such as the heart rate and respiratory rate of large and small animals non-invasively. The Smart Mat is the first non-invasive physiological monitor of its kind. Dr. Bressan also demonstrated another project that assesses the accuracy of perineurial anesthesia performed using a 3D-holographic image generated by HoloLens, a mixed reality tool that performs local blocks on dogs and cats.

After touring FSDE, Her Excellency met with Dr. Adam Fenech and his research team at the UPEI Climate Lab and discussed CLIVE, the CoastaL Impacts Visualization Environment. Her Excellency completed her UPEI stop by participating in a roundtable at the Regis and Joan Duffy Research Centre with the Honourable Wade MacLauchlan, Premier of Prince Edward Island and members of the bioscience community including, chair of the PEI BioAlliance, UPEI's Dr. Russ Kerr.

Dr. Larry Hammell, Associate Dean (Grad Studies & Research) at the Atlantic Veterinary College and interim dean of UPEI’s Faculty of Graduate Studies, has been appointed to an independent expert panel on aquaculture science, led by Dr. Mona Nemer, Canada’s Chief Science Advisor.

Dr. Nemer was asked in February 2018 by the federal government to lead the panel, which will make recommendations on the appropriate use and consideration of scientific evidence in decision-making about aquaculture. The members will also provide advice on the communication of the science, and associated decisions, to Canadians.
 

Dr. Greg Keefe, dean of AVC, has been appointed to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ (AAVMC) board of governors as At-Large Director for Region II (Canada). The AAVMC works to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals, people, and the environment around the world by advancing academic veterinary medicine. Members include 49 accredited veterinary medical colleges in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI will hold a community workshop on Wednesday, July 11, about strangles, a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the upper respiratory system of the horse. The presentation will take place in AVC’s Lecture Theatre A at 7 p.m.

Dr. Kathleen MacMillan, AVC Equine Ambulatory Service, will talk about the symptoms of strangles, diagnosis and treatment, and ways to reduce the risk of infection. Last month, several cases of strangles were diagnosed in horses in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI. The bacteria causing the illness is easily transmitted by nose-to-nose contact between horses or from things that come in contact with nasal discharge from a sick horse, such as clothing, hands, or equipment.

Everyone is welcome. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served. For more information, call (902) 566-0589.

The following is release on behalf of SHAD: an award-winning enrichment and entrepreneurship program and network that empowers exceptional high school students – at a pivotal point in their education – to recognize their own capabilities and envision their extraordinary potential as tomorrow’s leaders and change makers.

Grade 11 student Amy Mebesius of Chilliwack, British Columbia, knows all about overcoming adversity. Her father passed away when she was just 12 years old and she has experienced severe anxiety ever since. Her family also faces financial barriers but she doesn’t let that hold her back. 

Not only is she heavily involved in her school, participating in things like Student Council, but she has achieved an exceptional academic standing. Being a dancer, Mebesius participated in a group dance where she opened up about these experiences. She danced to an audio recording of herself walking the audience through her difficult journey of losing her father. 

She said she gains motivation from her father’s death, seeking high grades to make him proud, as well as from her mother, who taught her to never give up when times are tough but to instead let her passions “be her guiding light.” 

“Through these obstacles, I have learned that I am strong, resilient and determined and that no matter what the world throws at me, I will persevere and succeed,” Mebesius said. “I have learned that even though times get hard, that things WILL get better even though it may take years of feeling defeated, that nothing will ever go right, it will if you always put your best foot forward.” 

Mebesius is one of 48 students from across Canada heading to the University of Prince Edward Island for the award-winning program SHAD, which takes place at 16 host universities from coast to coast. UPEI is one of three new host campuses to join SHAD in 2018, along with Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, and McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. To celebrate the launch of SHAD-UPEI, Premier Wade MacLauchlan will address the first graduating class of SHAD Fellows from the SHAD UPEI program on July 26. 

Founded in 1980 to help youth reach their full potential, students in grades 10 to 12 are immersed in a one month enrichment program focused on STEAM: science, technology, engineering, arts and math. The students interact with renowned university faculty and visionary corporate leaders. In a unique element of the program, the students are challenged to come up with an original solution to a societal problem they learn about in the first week. It teaches them about entrepreneurship and innovation and leaves the students seeing how they can make an immediate impact. 

“These exceptional students from all parts of Canada spend the month of July together with their peers and mentors. We hope they end the month not only dreaming big, but empowered with the tools and passion they need to take risks, roll up their sleeves and get going,” said SHAD President and CEO Tim Jackson. 

Mebesius hopes to one day use her experiences to help others in need, just like she once was. She believes SHAD will help her reach that goal. 

350-100 Regina St. S., Waterloo, ON N2J 4P9 Canada
T: (519) 884-8844
F: (519) 884-0665
E: info@shad.ca 

www.shad.ca 

“I am incredibly excited to meet such amazing and hardworking youth like me. I know I will be inspired by my peers and I hope to inspire them too. I am enthusiastic to be surrounded by people with drive, aspirations, and dreams,” she said. 

This sentiment was echoed by grade 10 student Jessica Guo of Toronto, Ontario, who will join Mebesius at the University of Prince Edward Island this July. 

Guo is heavily involved in athletics. She is a gold medalist in competitive synchronized swimming and is an amateur boxer. She uses her athletic strengths to teach children needing special assistance how to swim. Before she excelled in sports, however, she had to overcome both chronic joint pain and her fears. 

“I had been living around physical restrictions and activities that I thought I couldn’t do. Pushing past those barriers made me rethink my life and it had a big impact on me,” Guo said. 

Proving she excels in more than one way, for a science project Guo designed a bracelet for patients with Alzheimer’s disease that allows their caregiver to locate them to monitor their health and to get them the help they need. Guo wants to pursue a career in medicine. 

“My doctors, from specialists to physical therapists, have greatly helped me and the way I live my life so I have always looked up to them,” said Guo. “I want more people to have access to good healthcare. So many people could be saved or wouldn’t be sick if they had the same healthcare that people in wealthier countries do.” 

“I am proud and honored to have been chosen and I am very grateful to be able to spend the summer at SHAD. I think any person who is given such a unique and meaningful opportunity should feel this way,” said Guo. 

SHAD 2018 commences July 1 and wraps up on July 27, after which both Mebesius and Guo will join other change makers and top innovators in an impressive network of nearly 17,000 SHAD Fellows, including an NHL hockey executive, a serial entrepreneur on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, a NASA researcher, and a best-selling author. 

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ABOUT SHAD: 

SHAD produces leaders for Canada through its award-winning, life-changing, pan-Canadian enrichment platform for high school students. Every year, SHAD helps almost 1,000 young Canadians tap into their full potential through an innovative month-long program at one of 16 partner university campuses. There, students apply STEAM (science-tech-engineering-arts-math) disciplines to real-life public policy and entrepreneurial challenges, forging insights and valuable relationships for life. Among its thriving global network of close to 17,000 SHAD Fellows and innovators are 32 Rhodes Scholars, 88 Loran Scholars, and 55 Schulich Leaders. For more information, visit www.shad.ca. 

For more information or to set up an interview, please contact: 

Teddy Katz, Vice President, Media Relations | SHAD 

teddy@shad.ca or call (647)505-8095 

Participants of the 13^th biennial conference of the L.M. Montgomery Institute recently planted a tree on UPEI campus in recognition of the relationship between Japan and Prince Edward Island. The flowering cherry tree is reminiscent of two trees in Montgomery’s classic, Anne of Green Gables: one, which greets her at the train station at Bright River when Anne Shirley first arrives on the Island; and, one outside her window at Green Gables.

A plaque set near the tree reads: In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the L.M. Montgomery Institute & the kindred spirits of Japan and PEI. June 23, 2018.

Standing: Yoshika Akamatsa, Hiromi Ochi, Yuka Kajihari-Nolan, Philip Smith, Elizabeth “Betsy” Epperly, Cathy Gillan, Keiko Karube. Sitting: Yukari Yoshihara.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

The 13^th biennial conference of the L.M. Montgomery Institute (LMMI) established three new awards to honour special contributions to the mission of the institute.

The L.M. Montgomery Institute Legacy Award is presented for outstanding lifetime contributions in building Montgomery scholarship and/or public engagement. The inaugural recipient of this awards are Dr. Elizabeth Waterson, Dr. Mary Rubio, Jennie Macneill and the late John Macneill. The Reverend Dr. Francis W.P. Bolger Award recognizes outstanding contributions to our appreciation of Montgomery and place in Prince Edward Island, through scholarship, education, preservation, creative works, or by other means. The award went this year to the Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace Trust. The Dr. Elizabeth R. Epperly Award for Outstanding Early Career Paper was presented to Bonnie Tulloch for her paper “Canadian Anne-girls: Literary Descendants of Montgomery’s Redheaded Heroine.”

Congratulations!

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.