UNews - Jillian King

Foremost cancer researcher to speak at U of L

trevor.kenney — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 20:49:35 +0000

One of the world’s foremost cancer researchers, and the woman largely credited with discovering the role of the human papillomavirus as the central and necessary cause of cervical cancer, will present a pair of talks at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge on Wednesday, October 29, 2014.

Dr. Muñoz's research findings have had important implications in the primary prevention of cervical cancer.

Dr. Nubia Muñoz, former Unit chief at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, an Emeritus Scientist of the National Cancer Institute of Colombia, and a member of the Society of Scholars of Johns Hopkins ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Baltimore, MD, comes to campus as part of the Gairdner Foundation Speaker Series.

“This is an outstanding opportunity to hear a true cancer research pioneer,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Interim Vice-President (Research) Dr. Lesley Brown. “Dr. Muñoz’s groundbreaking work has had worldwide implications and she is universally respected in her field. It is a great honour that we are able to facilitate these speaking engagements for her.”

Muñoz will address U of L faculty, staff and students at 1:15 p.m. in the Students’ Union Ballroom A as she presents Challenges and New Approaches to Cervical Cancer Prevention. She will also give a public presentation, in conjunction with the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs and moderated by graduate student Jillian King, at 7 p.m. at the U of L’s Dr. Foster James Penny Building. Muñoz will present The Efficacy and Safety of the HPV Vaccine. Throughout the day, she will interact with students from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Faculty of Health Sciences and speak to a class of Public Health students.

“To be able to expose our students to a researcher such as Dr. Muñoz, whose work has led directly to massive changes in public policy worldwide, is a very valuable learning experience,” says Faculty of Health Sciences Dean, Dr. Chris Hosgood. “Her research stands as an excellent example to our students about how they too can make a real difference in society.”

Her epidemiological research on cancers linked to infectious agents has seen Muñoz implement various research projects in over 30 countries around the world. In addition to demonstrating the role HPV plays in the cause of cervical cancer, her work has shown the causal role of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus in liver cancer.

Her research findings have had important implications in the primary prevention of cervical cancer through the use of prophylactic vaccines and on secondary prevention, through the use of HPV tests in screening programs. She has also played an integral role in the initiation of the first HBV vaccine trials to prevent liver cancer in The Gambia, and later on the initiation and implementation of HPV vaccine trials to demonstrate their efficacy in the prevention of cervical cancer worldwide.

In 2008, Muñoz was nominated jointly with Harald zur Hausen for the Nobel Prize of Medicine and received the first Canada Gairdner Global Health award from the Gairdner Foundation.

The Canada Gairdner Awards were created in 1959 to recognize and reward the achievements of medical researchers whose work contributes significantly to improving the quality of human life. They are Canada’s only globally known and respected international science awards, and Gairdner is the only national organization that consistently brings the world’s best biomedical researchers to Canada to share their ideas and work with scientists across the country. In so doing, it enlarges networks and enhances Canada’s international reputation, while providing a realistic and unbiased benchmark for Canada’s leading scientists.

A closer look at anti-vaccination sentiment

trevor.kenney — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:03:15 +0000

Some parents reject standard medical vaccines for their children, but little is known about their reasons. That is about to change thanks to a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate student who is studying the trend locally.

In her research, Jillian King has learned that the proportion of Albertans who are adequately immunized has consistently fallen below provincial targets for years.

Jillian King (BASc ’12, having previously completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology and religious studies) is exploring the decisions of some families living in or near Lethbridge about whether or not to immunize their kids against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and other preventable infectious diseases. She is interested in the attitudes of pro- and anti-vaccination families, and in the biomedical alternatives being pursued by those in the latter group.

“This is something public health officials are concerned about, so I want to explore why parents are choosing to explore more natural ways of dealing with immune health as opposed to getting immunizations,” says King, who is now completing an Individualized Multi-Disciplinary Master of Arts degree with a concentration in anthropology and public health.

The research is one of the biggest academic projects of King’s education at the U of L. The Calgary native chose the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for its relatively small size and the opportunity to study away from home, and stayed because of the high-quality ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and supportive professors. It was an undergraduate anthropology course that first sparked her interest in medical anthropology, the study of human health, health care systems and biocultural adaptation. Now, her professor from that course, Dr. Steve Ferzacca, is overseeing her master’s research.

“He’s extremely supportive, and I’ve been getting a lot of useful guidance from him on how to develop and pursue this topic,” King says.

This cross-discipline interaction was facilitated by the university’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies, or I-CYS, a multidisciplinary research institution that promotes collaboration between those in the academic disciplines, such as: history, anthropology, literary studies, psychology, neuroscience, and education. King has been involved with I-CYS in several ways: she serves on its advisory committee; designed the institute’s website and newsletter; and has also organized “friendly feedback” sessions in which students can present their research projects to I-CYS faculty members to gain diverse insights.

“Being part of I-CYS has been really useful, because I’ve been able to learn from experienced professors from other disciplines, including those involved child immune studies,” King says. “I think we often get stuck in the thinking of our own disciplines, and being a part of I-CYS helps you think about your research from different perspectives.”

In her research, King has learned that the proportion of Albertans who are adequately immunized has consistently fallen below provincial targets for years. As well, the province still has cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, including whooping cough, invasive pneumococcal disease and invasive meningococcal disease. She plans to interview 20 parents of children under age 6 who either support or oppose immunization, and has so far spoken with 15. In some cases involving anti-vaccination parents, a health issue with a first child perceived as being caused by a vaccine prevented them from immunizing their additional children; others in this camp said they believe in the disease-fighting powers of natural interventions, such as chiropractic, vitamins and a healthy diet (she also wants to speak with families using naturopathy or acupuncture as alternatives). King is also studying conversations of pro- and anti-vaccination families in Facebook groups.

“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding and possibly misrepresentation about this issue,” says King, who graduates in January. “So I think it’s useful to have an understanding of the parental perceptions and practices, and to add an ethnographic perspective to the literature.”

Graduate student asking why some parents opt not to immunize their children

trevor.kenney — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 20:07:12 +0000

The proportion of Albertans who are adequately immunized has consistently fallen below provincial targets, leading a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate student to study why some parents choose to reject medical vaccines for their children.

King would like to see her research add something different to the literature on immunization choices that currently exists.

Jillian King (BSc ’12) is exploring the decisions of some families living in or near Lethbridge on whether or not to immunize their children against afflictions such as measles, mumps, rubella and other preventable infectious diseases. She is interested in the attitudes of both pro- and anti-vaccination families, as well as the biomedical alternatives being pursued by those who choose not to immunize.

“This is something that public health officials are concerned about, so I want to explore why parents are choosing to explore more natural ways of dealing with immune health as opposed to getting immunizations,” says King on the eve of the World Health Organization’s World Immunization Week (Apr. 24-30).

In her research, King, who works with supervisor Steve Ferzacca of the Deprtment of Anthropology, plans to interview a total of 20 parents of children under age 6 who either support or oppose immunization. Having already interviewed 15 parents, her preliminary findings have indicated that some parents who now oppose immunization have had a health issue with a first child that they perceive to have been caused by a vaccine, thus preventing them from immunizing subsequent children. Others have reported that they believe in the disease-fighting powers of natural interventions, such as chiropractic care, vitamins and a healthy diet.

“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding and possibly misrepresentation about this issue,” says King. “So I think it’s useful to have an understanding of the parental perceptions and practices, and to add an ethnographic perspective to the literature.”

King is completing an Individualized Multi-Disciplinary Master of Arts degree, having previously completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology and religious studies. A Calgary native, her interest in medical anthropology was sparked by an undergraduate anthropology course. She now works closely with the U of L’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS) to bring a multidisciplinary approach to her research.

“Being part of I-CYS has been really useful, because I’ve been able to learn from experienced professors from other disciplines, including those involved with child immune studies,” says King. “I think we often get stuck in the thinking of our own disciplines, and being a part of I-CYS helps you think about your research from different perspectives.”

King would like to see her research add something different to the literature that currently exists. She plans to get at why parents are deciding whether or not to immunize their children, instead of merely identify the groups who don’t. She also plans to publish her findings in academic journals and will also disseminate her research in upcoming local and global academic conferences.

For more on research at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, follow this link.

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