The one-day institute, organized by Echo鈥檚 Chair in Women鈥檚 Mental Health Research in partnership with the Faculty of Health, will take place Friday, Sept. 27, from 9am to 4pm, at 280N 91亚色 Lanes, Keele campus. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to owhchair@yorku.ca by Sept. 13.

The keynote address will be delivered by the inaugural Lillian Wright Maternal-Child Postdoctoral Fellow聽Chang Su, looking at the effects of life stress, social support and cultural norms on parenting styles among mainland Chinese, European-Canadian and Chinese-Canadian immigrant mothers.

The day will also feature four researchers in the field of maternal-child health and several student poster presenters, as a chance for students, faculty and community members to share and learn.

Professor Deborah Davidson of the Department of Sociology in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional studies will discuss familial and professional support during pregnancy and early motherhood for women with pre-existing diabetes. She will give a preliminary analysis of a view from the professionals in England and Canada.

Professor Nazilla Khanlou, the Echo Chair in Women鈥檚 Mental Health Research and academic lead of the Lillian Wright Maternal-Child Health Scholars Program, of the School of Nursing in the Faculty of Health, will talk about social support for immigrant mothers of children with disabilities.

Professor Tsorng-Yeh Lee of the School of Nursing will examine Chinese women鈥檚 experiences with maternity health-care services in Canada.

Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell of the Department of Psychology will ask the question: Can pain tell us more? She will also look into understanding the relationship between early childhood mental health and parent-child immunization behaviours.

The student presenters include:

• Bramilee Dhayanandhan (PhD candidate);
• Michael Miceli (PhD candidate);
• Jennifer Noseworthy (RN, MScN);
• Monica O鈥橬eill (masters candidate); and
• Nicole Racine (PhD candidate).

For more information, visit the Echo鈥檚 Chair in Women鈥檚 Mental Health Research website.

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When Christine Jonas-Simpson鈥檚 son Ethan was born, there was an eerie quiet in the delivery room, and then a piercing wail, wrote .

鈥淭he only cry I heard was my own,鈥� she said somberly.

Ethan was dead, 鈥渂orn still鈥� in the language of grieving parents; 鈥渟tillborn鈥� in the medical vernacular. The umbilical cord was constricted, essentially suffocating the baby in the womb, a condition impossible to detect with an ultrasound.

Jonas-Simpson, who was almost 38 weeks pregnant, knew her son was dead before she went into labour. When he was born, she held Ethan in her arms, stroking his shock of curly red hair. So did her husband.

The nurses were wonderfully supportive, even explaining to Ethan鈥檚 young siblings how his air tube was broken, something that could happen to an astronaut. The family was able to mourn on their terms.

(Jonas-Simpson, a professor of nursing at 91亚色 [Faculty of Health], published a children鈥檚 book, , and produced a series of research papers and documentaries on stillbirth, the latest of which, Enduring Love: Transforming Loss, will .)

[You can also watch the channel.]

Unlike Ethan, most babies born still are quickly 鈥渄isposed of鈥� without being held, named or given a funeral. In much of the world, reproduction is central to a woman鈥檚 purpose, so there is profound stigma, and no small measure of blame falls on the mother when childbirth fails to produce a living child.

Newly published data show there are more than 2.6 million stillbirths worldwide each year. The deaths remain largely uncounted, the mothers unsupported and preventive measures understudied.

It is an epidemic 鈥� one that claims more lives each year than HIV-AIDS and malaria combined 鈥� that quietly unfolds far from the public eye.

The Lancet, in its Thursday edition, has published that aim to shatter the silence by examining the staggering toll of stillbirth 鈥� emotional, physical and economic 鈥� and proposing practical solutions.

A stillbirth, as defined by the World Health Organization, is one in which a baby dies after reaching at least 28 weeks gestation and weighing at least 1,000 grams. In a country like Canada with advanced medical care, it is 22 weeks at 500 grams. (Loss of a fetus before that time is considered a miscarriage or, if the pregnancy is terminated, an abortion.)

There is a common belief that babies who die in utero were never meant to live. Stillbirths have been seen as a form of natural selection, bad luck, the result of witchcraft 鈥� lame 17th-century explanations for a lingering 21st-century scourge.

The other myth is that most stillbirths occur early in the pregnancy. In fact, the opposite is true: The longer the gestation, the higher the risk.

The vast majority of stillbirths are preventable.

In wealthy countries like Canada, where high-tech obstetrics are the norm, stillbirths are linked to smoking, obesity, advanced maternal age, and abnormalities in the placenta and umbilical cord.

J0nas-Simpson's research was also covered by in a story about the prevalence and impact of stillbirths among Inuit communities.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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The evening saw the presentation of the faculty's inaugural internal research awards to聽chemistry Professor Dasantila Golemi-Kotra, recipient of the ; biology Professor Chun Peng, recipient of the 2010 Established Researcher Award; and physics Professor (Kumar), the recipient of the 2010 Graduate Mentoring Award.

Above: From left, Janusz Kozinski, dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering; physics Professor Anatharaman Kumarakrishnan, biology Professor Chun Peng; and chemistry Professor Dasantila Golemi-Kotra

鈥淭hese awards were created in 2010 to honour and celebrate the outstanding dedication of our faculty to research and graduate student mentoring. This year's recipients are examples of the excellent talent we have at FSE and we are proud to support our researchers in their fundamental, groundbreaking and innovative research endeavours,鈥� said Janusz Kozinski, dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering.

Since 2004, Golemi-Kotra has studied the mechanisms of bacterial resistance. Over the course of her research, she has secured significant funding to create a reputable team of researchers. She has established herself as a rising star in the field of biological chemistry. Her research focuses on an emerging and persistent problem of bacterial resistance.

Right: Dasantila Golemi-Kotra

Specifically, Golemi-Kotra's research focuses on the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium, a leading cause of hospital- and community-acquired infections. Extensive use of antibiotics has invariably been followed by the development and spread of resistance in this organism.

Her research aims to elucidate genes involved with the bacteria鈥檚 response to antibiotics that specifically target cell wall biosynthesis. Essential to the survival of the bacterium, the cell wall is the organism鈥檚 first line of defense against antimicrobial agents. As a result, the cell wall remains an important target in drug development. Golemi-Kotra鈥檚 research seeks to identify new factors involved in antibiotic resistance, which will ultimately lead to the design of new antimicrobial agents.

A world expert in the area of ovarian cancer and the molecular basis of complications in pregnancy, biology Professor Chun Peng is the recipient of the 2010 Established Researcher Award. With an impressive track record of awards and publications, a strong research program and team, Peng has made a significant contribution to the understanding of reproductive biology and the role of hormones in human health.

Right: Chun Peng

She discovered new proteins and their role in the molecular mechanism of receptor signaling that have led to the discoveries of mis-regulation during placental pathologies. These studies are critical in understanding placental development and are important landmarks in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of hormonal control in reproduction.

Significantly, her research team has identified a novel mechanism by which chemo-resistance, a major problem in cancer therapy, is developed. Currently, as a result of those discoveries, novel serum markers may be used to predict preeclampsia, a major disorder of human pregnancy and a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Peng's studies focus on ovarian cancer as well as diseases that result from complications of pregnancy. Her research has the potential to not only advance current knowledge but may also lead to potential diagnostic tools and treatment for complications arising from pregnancy.

Kumarakrishnan (Kumar), a professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, is this year's recipient of the Excellence in Graduate Mentorship award. A large number of both graduate students have successfully completed their research under his mentorship and moved onto becoming valuable members of the scientific community.

Right: Anatharaman Kumarakrishnan (second from the left) with his team of graduate student researchers

Kumar's 聽research utilizes the wave nature of cold atoms and the coherent transient response of a collection of laser-cooled atoms to carry out tabletop studies of light matter interactions and precision measurements in atomic physics.聽The goals of these efforts are to achieve a better understanding of the theoretical foundations of atomic physics as well as to develop cutting-edge techniques and instruments for industrial applications in photonics and optics.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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Those questions and more are at the heart of , a new collection of essays edited by 91亚色 history Professor Myra Rutherdale published this spring by McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press.

The book examines the crucial role women have played in health and medicine as nurses and midwives, particularly in the remote geographical areas that dominate Canada鈥檚 landscape. As the book's editor, Rutherdale assembled a national contingent of scholars from nursing, women鈥檚 studies, geography, native studies and history to supply the essays and anecdotes that are contained within its pages. The result is a comprehensive volume that provides insight and understanding into the two centuries of history and courage of the women working on the front lines of health care and medicine in Canada鈥檚 remote communities.

"I was inspired to gather these works together into one collection because I was made aware that there were many scholars working on the history of outpost nursing and midwivery in rural Canada," says Rutherdale. "It struck me that there would be common themes across the country and across the two centuries explored in this book. Most particularly I thought that the perspective of 鈥榯he periphery鈥� would be useful to explore."

"Were these women, especially the trained nurses, acting as agents of the state or in the best interests of agencies like the Red Cross? To what extent were they actually autonomous?" asks Rutherdale. "And, were they merely reinforcing the sometimes racist and social inequities that seemed to be part of many of the federal government schemes?"

Left: Myra Rutherdale

"Did they, for example, work with midwives from northern communities, and how did they respond to medical traditions which were already established in the communities before their arrival? What motivated these women nurses and midwives to take up their work in the first place?"聽notes Rutherdale.聽"Were they just looking for adventure or were they women who wanted to advance in their chosen careers?"

The essays contained in the book also explore themes of religion, colonialism, social divisions and native-newcomer relations. Special attention is paid by Rutherdale to nursing in Aboriginal communities and the relations of race to medical work, particularly in connection to ideas of British ethnicity and conceptualized meanings of whiteness.

Rutherdale聽looks at the experience of nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador, northern Saskatchewan, northern British Columbia and the Arctic. The book features essays on topics such as Mennonite midwives in Western Canada, missionary nurses and Aboriginal nursing assistants in the Yukon.

"There were many interesting submissions and several fascinating stories. The Mennonite midwives explored [in an essay] by University of Waterloo history Professor Marlene Epp were especially interesting since they were so integral to the communities in which they worked. Not only were they midwives but they also worked as undertakers and arranged bodies for funeral rites," says Rutherdale.

Right: A nursing station in Iqaluit

What she discovered in compiling the book was that creativity was a key attribute for the women profiled within Caregiving on the Periphery. "The midwives and nurses who worked on the periphery had to work often alone, or sometimes with just one partner, and they had to work quickly to ensure the survival of their patients," says Rutherdale. "They did not necessarily have the opportunity to consult doctors or to speak with teams. They had to do their best under some harsh circumstances. They had to be skilled and confident in themselves. Nurses were trained 鈥榥ot to diagnose,鈥� but they often found themselves having to do just that, and quickly. They were tested in these communities and had to work hard."

That quality of creativity was also a key element for some of the research that went into the book, says Rutherdale, as there were challenges associated with the fact that some of the nurses, midwives and patients did not leave聽detailed primary source material. "As is evident from this collection, there are some very innovative ways to get around this frustrating lack of evidence," says Rutherdale. She cites an article by Judith Young, professor emerita of nursing at the University of Toronto. "One example of this is the excellent article by Judith Young who researched midwives in 19th-century Toronto. She used directories and land purchase records as well as other official documents to trace the existence of these fascinating midwives 鈥� records that might not be turned to for the questions which she ultimately answered. Sometimes one has to be innovative and creative to find traces of the human past."

Rutherdale also drew on the creativity of her 19-year-old son when she was seeking an appropriate title for the book. "I always find titles rather challenging. I had several titles, most of which were not favoured by family, colleagues or publishers," says Rutherdale. "Finally, I hashed it out with my son who has two parents who are historians so he has heard his fair share about Canadian history throughout his life. He thought Caregiving on the Periphery made a lot of sense given what the authors were trying to highlight in their collective works. And how does one disagree with an opinionated 19-year-old?"

Above:聽Donalda McKillop Copeland with her interpreter and his friends, Southampton Island, early 1950s.聽Rutherdale is researching the experiences of McKillop Copeland.

Rutherdale teaches Canadian history, with a special focus on 20th-century Canada and native-newcomer relations in the Department of History in 91亚色's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. She also teaches聽courses on the history of the body and Canadian women's history.

Her current research project is on the history of the introduction of westernized medicine into northern Aboriginal communities. "I look at the history of traditional medicine and ask what changes took place when doctors and nurses moved to northern communities to establish nursing stations and small hospitals," she says. "Northern Canada is still woefully under-served in terms of access to health care and there are many inequities that still exist in northern communities. The infant mortality rate is high, and women are still being sent to the south to deliver their children. This is ridiculous in 2010."

Caregiving on the Periphery is available online through , and .

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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A 91亚色 study has shown for the first time how the drug misoprostol, which has been linked to neurodevelopmental defects associated with autism, interferes with neuronal cell function.

It is an important finding because is similar in structure to naturally occurring prostaglandins, which are the key signalling molecules produced by fatty acids in the brain.聽The drug is聽used to prevent ulcers in people who take certain arthritis or pain medicines, including aspirin, that can cause ulcers. It protects the stomach lining and decreases stomach acid secretion.

Past clinical studies have shown an association between misoprostol and severe neurodevelopmental defects including autism symptoms. Those studies looked at cases in Brazil in which women misused the drug early in pregnancy in unsuccessful attempts to terminate their pregnancies.

The 91亚色 study examined mouse neuronal cells to discover how the drug actually interferes at a molecular level with prostaglandins, which are important for development and communication of cells in the brain.

鈥淓arly in the first trimester of pregnancy, neuronal cells reach out to communicate with one another,鈥� says Dorota Crawford, a professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health.聽鈥淥ur study shows that misoprostol interferes with this process by increasing the level of calcium ions in neuronal extensions, which reduces the number and length of these extensions. It prevents the cells from communicating with each other. If changes in prostaglandin level alter the development or differentiation of cells, it may have a physiological impact.鈥�

Left: Dorota Crawford

Crawford and Javaneh Tamiji, who undertook the research for her master鈥檚 thesis in the Neuroscience Graduate Diploma Program at 91亚色, co-authored a study published online in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications: 鈥淧rostaglandin E2 and misoprostol induce neurite retraction in Neuro-2a cells鈥�.

There is no indication that women in Canada are misusing misoprostol to terminate pregnancies, and in fact the drug is used safely for other purposes such as treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal ulcers. However, during early neuronal development the drug misoprostol or other environmental factors such as infections or inflammations, which can also increase the level of prostaglandins, may interfere with normal brain function, says Crawford.

Right: Javaneh Tamiji

Crawford and Tamiji focused on the drug misoprostol because they had evidence from聽clinical studies of the neurotoxic effects of the drug. They used misoprostol and the naturally occurring prostaglandins side by side in their study and found that both compounds produced the same effects on neuronal cell function.

The study shows that misoprostol interferes with the prostaglandin pathway in a dose-dependent manner 鈥� in other words, the higher the dose, the greater the problems created.

鈥淲hat that indicates to us is whether it is infection that will activate it or whether it is the drug, it will cause the same effect,鈥� says Crawford.

Now that it has been shown that misoprostol affects interaction between cells, the next step will be to do animal studies on mice to examine the physiological impacts on particular parts of the brain, she says.

Crawford鈥檚 lab is one of very few in the world that has adopted a multidisciplinary approach to the study of autism spectrum disorders, using molecular techniques to understand the link between causative biological factors (genes and environment) and the behavioural expression.

This research was funded by the . The provided equipment used in the study.

It has also received coverage on MedicalNewsToday.com:

A 91亚色 study has shown for the first time how the drug misoprostol, which has been linked to neurodevelopmental defects associated with autism, interferes with neuronal cell function.

91亚色 Professor Dorota Crawford, of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Science & Enginering, and graduate student Javaneh Tamiji, who undertook the research for her master鈥檚 thesis in the Neuroscience Graduate Diploma Program at 91亚色, co-authored a study published online in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications: 鈥淧rostaglandin E2 and misoprostol induce neurite retraction in Neuro-2a cells鈥�.

By Janice Walls, media relations officer

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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The results show that a type of perfectionism in which individuals feel others expect them to be perfect, known as "socially-prescribed perfectionism," is associated with postpartum depression for first-time mothers.

The study is one of the first to look how perfectionism affects women's ability to adjust to life after childbirth. It involved 100 first-time mothers in Toronto, Canada, who filled out questionnaires to assess their level and type of perfectionism as well as feelings of depression.

The link between perfectionism and postpartum depression was strongest amongst those who try to deal with perfectionism by appearing as if they don't have a problem.

"What this suggests is that there might be some new mothers out there who might seem like everything is fine, in fact it might seem like everything is perfect," said, a professor of psychology [and Canada Research Chair] at 91亚色 in Canada. "[But] in fact it's just the opposite, that they're feeling quite badly but they're pretty good at covering it up."

This finding is particularly concerning, because it means friends and family might not realize their loved one is suffering from depression.

"This tendency to put on this front usually means that people don't tell other people when they're doing badly, so somebody might not know that a young women is having difficulty; they might have no clue whatsoever," Flett said. "And there's sadly some cases where the family says 'We thought everything was fine,' and the next thing we know, the person is no longer with us," he said.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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The other area of high risk for pregnancy is youth from Aboriginal communities in northern Ontario.

鈥淎s we read and summarized and synthesized research literature, and talked to youth workers, we realized there were these specific groups,鈥� says Connolly, director of the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution. 鈥淲ith that kind of feedback our research becomes focused and we can shift the lens to these three groups, for instance.鈥�

That is the value of knowledge mobilization 鈥撀爐he ability to see the gaps in the research and to more accurately zoom in where there is a need.

Right: Jennifer Connolly

The initial goal of Connolly鈥檚 KMb project, 鈥淭een Pregnancy and Teen Mothers: Meeting the Needs in 91亚色 Region鈥�, was to examine the prevalence of pregnant teens and teen mothers in 91亚色 Region and聽how their mental health needs were being met, 聽and it identify聽service gaps. The project also reviewed聽those girls receiving protective service intervention from 91亚色 Region Children鈥檚 Aid Society to evaluate their risk for pregnancy and initiated community-based opportunities for feedback and knowledge exchange. In addition, the project was designed to help determine how research on risk and resilience can inform clinical care, maximize positive outcomes and point the way for areas of further research.

鈥淚t led us to recognize that teen pregnancy was in the low to moderate range in Canada; about three to four per cent of live births are to women 19 and younger," says Connolly, a psychology professor in the Faculty of Health.聽It used to be higher. In the United States, it鈥檚 up around 18 per cent and in Italy it鈥檚 down around one per cent. "Teen pregnancy has certainly dropped in Canada, but when we look at the data, it ignores the fact that there are huge disparities in that information. In some communities the risk of teen pregnancy and motherhood is much higher.鈥�

For teen girls in the three highest risk categories, the rate of pregnancy soars to 30 to 50 per cent, and the teen pregnancy and motherhood outcomes in these groups聽are not good.

The research team 鈥撀燙onnolly, 91亚色 Professor Hala Tamim of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health, psychology Professor Yvonne Bohr also of the Faculty of Health, Sandra Cunning of Kinark Child & Family Services and聽Bonita Majonis of 91亚色 Region Children鈥檚 Aid Society 鈥� realized the value of getting the results from research and knowledge synthesization out to community members聽who could make use of them.

One such community would be the youth workers and service agencies that work directly with these teens. This summer, Connolly, along with colleagues and students, will post plain language research summaries on 11 different topics聽using the聽Orion 03 platform, thanks to a Canadian Institutes of Health Research supplement grant. This is part of a research mobilization project headed by David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services, to get clear, concise summaries of research out to communities.

For Connolly鈥檚 research, youth workers from Kinark Child & Family Services and the 91亚色 Region Children鈥檚 Aid Society will comment on the summaries and bring forth any questions.

The topics that will be tackled for the summaries will include homelessness and teen pregnancy and mothers; the risk and resilience of teen mothers; the risk and resilience of the mothers of teen mothers; teen pregnancy and teen motherhood in Canada; and the availability of services for teen mothers in 91亚色 Region.

It will allow Connolly and Phipps to take a closer look at how synthesized research can help those using the information in the community. It鈥檚 a way to evaluate how well knowledge mobilization works, Conolly聽says. She is hoping the project will point to specific areas where more research is needed. 鈥淭he kind of questions we will ask in future research will be shaped by the real world.鈥�

More information about聽Connolly's research is available on the .

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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