offman is the scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's (CIHR's) Institute of Population and Public Health and CIHR's scientific lead for global health. This summer, he was named a full professor at York University's School of Health Policy and Management, and Osgoode Hall Law School.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — for gym owners. Almost 50 percent more people join up in January compared with other months, clearly suffused with a commitment to carry out their New Year’s resolutions to exercise. But people often begin their self-improvement plans armed with bad information. Here are five frequent myths.

Twenty-two McMaster University researchers today heard about their new research grants totalling $19 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

A health sciences course at McMaster University is bringing generations of Hamiltonians together using the power of music. Music, Health and the Community is an interdisciplinary McMaster course that provides students with hands-on community experience through an intergenerational music program in Hamilton.

While past exposure to influenza A viruses often builds immunity to similar, and sometimes different, strains of the virus, Canadian researchers are calling for more attention to exceptions to that rule.

McMaster University researchers have some good news for people who do high intensity interval training, commonly known by the acronym HIIT. A team of scientists at the university found that HIIT boosts both the number and activity of natural killer cells in overweight and obese women, along with obese mice challenged with breast cancer.

McMaster University researchers have developed a genetic test that is five times more accurate than the current standard method in predicting early coronary artery disease (CAD) in young adults.

Two professors of the Faculty of Health Sciences who spent their careers improving the lives of women and children across the country, have been named Officers of the Order of Canada.

McMaster University alumnus Naheed Dosani has been honoured for his work in providing mobile end-of-life care for the homeless and those with unreliable housing.

Tracy Arabski, a familiar face in Health Research Services in the Faculty of Health Sciences, is now its director.

To build better relationships between future physicians and older adults, an elder care education program is being rolled out by the Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

A study from McMaster University suggests more can be done to improve access to and delivery of opioid dependence treatment in adult correctional facilities in Ontario.

The Michael G. DeGroote Health Leadership Academy (HLA) of McMaster University is launching a new fellowship program.

This is part six of a six-part feature on members of the Faculty of Health Sciences advancing human health with partners in Africa.

This is part five of a six-part feature on members of the Faculty of Health Sciences advancing human health with partners in Africa.

This is part four of a six-part feature on members of the Faculty of Health Sciences advancing human health with partners in Africa.

This is part three of a six-part feature on members of the Faculty of Health Sciences advancing human health with partners in Africa.

This is part one of a six-part feature on members of the Faculty of Health Sciences advancing human health with partners in Africa.

McMaster University is hosting a conference this month focused on medicinal cannabis research. Innovations in the Science of Cannabis will be held on Feb. 9 and 10 at the West 5th Campus of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton at 100 West 5th St. in Hamilton.

Compensating drivers for carpooling could help tackle air pollution in the Greater Toronto Area. The concept proved to be winning for a team of students in McMaster University's MSc Global Health program. Khalid Fahoum, Alana Changoor, Himani Bhatnagar, Buvani Sivagnanasunderam and Nicole Viscek took first place and the participant's choice award at the recent Toronto Thinks 2018 Global Health Case Competition.

Students from the collaborative nursing program at McMaster University, Mohawk College and Conestoga College were honoured at this week's annual awards ceremony.

Two Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine students are the inaugural McMaster University recipients of a new awards program of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA).

You have your X-rays taken regularly at the dentist, but you also had that X-ray of your arm after the toboggan accident and the CT scan when you had abdominal pain. You, like many Canadians, wonder how much radiation is too much.

GridlockED, is an educational tool to help future doctors and doctors training to be specialists in emergency medicine learn system approaches to multi-patient management in a safe, low-stakes environment.

A physician, educator and researcher highly regarded as an advocate for change has been awarded the 2018 Elizabeth J. Latimer prize in palliative care.

McMaster University researchers have discovered that a blood-thinning drug, dabigatran, significantly reduces the risk of death, heart attack, stroke, and other heart or blood-vessel complications in patients who have a heart injury following major, non-cardiac surgery.

The McMaster Community and Rural Education program, known as Mac-CARE, has grown exponentially since its inception.

The public conversation is loaded with references to​DNA through news and drama featuring criminal investigations, home-testing kits that tell us about our health and ancestry, and new advances in science.

A study led by researchers at McMaster University has pinpointed a gene that is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.

Patients who received home care visits from nurses were more likely to visit the emergency department during the evening on the same day, particularly for non-urgent issues, according to new research from McMaster University.

From improving outcomes for children with critical illnesses to finding new therapies to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, recipients of the most recent Michael G. DeGroote Fellowship Awards have big ambitions for a healthier world.

Two Faculty of Health Sciences researchers are among three at McMaster who have been awarded infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to advance their work in respiratory medicine, and mental health and materials processing.

To kick off Hamilton Health Innovation Week – a week of activities designed to promote Hamilton's best innovators and innovations in the life sciences sector – the McMaster Industry Liaison Office (MILO) will host its first Health Sciences Venture Fair.

A new study from McMaster and York universities has found that poor muscle health may be a complication of Type 1 diabetes, even among active twenty-somethings. The research team analyzed muscle biopsies of young adults with and without Type 1 diabetes who exceed Diabetes Canada's recommended weekly levels for physical activity.

There is more awareness and less stigma now to mental health issues caused by trauma, but much more needs to be done to improve care and find cures, says a psychologist named the inaugural Homewood Chair in Mental Health and Trauma.

Rebecca Gewurtz, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at McMaster University's School of Rehabilitation Science, is the lead researcher on a new report from the Mental Health Commission of Canada that suggests hiring aspiring workers living with mental illness is good business.

Important milestones are being reached in the development of the Indigenous Health Initiative of McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences. The comprehensive project aims to address systemic barriers in health sciences education for Indigenous learners, as well as educate faculty and administrators regarding Indigenous health.

McMaster is launching a search for the next generation of groundbreaking digestive health researchers as it recruits the inaugural Douglas Family Chair in Gastroenterology Research. The new Douglas Family Chair will be part of the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute.

Two faculty members are being recognized for their outstanding leadership with the title of Distinguished University Professor.

Researchers at McMaster and Western universities are developing an innovative lung imaging method that provides a unique window on asthma. The method is aimed at guiding and personalizing treatment for Canadians with severe, poorly controlled asthma.

Researchers must understand the historical and social context of Indigenous health research, while valuing the unique knowledge, skills and experiences of Indigenous people, in order to conduct meaningful health research, according to an analysis by McMaster researchers in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

What emoji best represents you? What is your definition of success? Meet Sonia Perez, valedictorian at the May 24 convocation for the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Medical student Paul Carr was on an internal medicine rotation at Hamilton General Hospital when he noticed someone familiar walking down the hall.

It's a busy time for Carl Marshall as he marks the completion of his medical degree from McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. He's in the process of preparing to move from St. Catharines to Corner Brook, N.L., where he will be based for his two-year rural family medicine residency through Memorial University.

Two respected leaders in their fields, one a journalist and the other a doctor, are being recognized with honorary degrees from McMaster University. Avis Favaro, the medical specialist​at CTV National News, and Anne-Marie Zajdlik, a family physician and HIV specialist, will be presented with the honour this week during spring convocation ceremonies for McMaster's Faculty of Health Sciences.

Researchers from McMaster University and the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, together with colleagues at other partnering institutions, have developed a new method to treat severe asthma.

Patients are helping researchers, including those at McMaster University, clarify the essential aspects of assessing the value of gene therapy in hemophilia.

A large international study led by a McMaster researcher has found a patient-centric treatment that works for people with mild asthma.

A link between signals from the microbiota in the gut and leukemia has been discovered in a collaborative study between a McMaster University lab run by associate professor of medicine Elena Verdú and led by the University of Chicago.

Patricia (Pat) Ford, an assistant clinical professor of McMaster University's School of Nursing, is the 2018 recipient of the John C. Sibley Award for excellence in education. The award is presented annually to a part-time faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to the education of health professionals. It is named in honour of the former associate dean at McMaster known locally and internationally for his interdisciplinary approach to community health.

Bernice Downey, assistant professor of the School of Nursing, has received an award for excellence in nursing education and scholarship from the Council of Ontario University Programs in Nursing (COUPN).

A McMaster University expert in women's reproductive health has been named the scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Infection and Immunity. Charu Kaushic was formally announced as the new scientific director today. The position begins July 1, 2018.

Five Faculty of Health Sciences researchers have received renewals of their Canada Research Chairs (CRC) in an announcement by the federal government today. The expertise of nine McMaster researchers was recognized with an investment of nearly $10 million from the CRC program.

Three Faculty of Health Sciences professors are among four McMaster University faculty members becoming members of the Order of Canada. Their appointments were announced today by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada. Andrea Baumann is the associate vice-president, global health for the Faculty of Health Sciences; Mohit Bhandari is a professor of surgery for the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine; and Jack Gauldie is a professor emeritus of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine.

The safety of the use of a combined drug for asthma management is supported by a meta-analysis of a significant amount of clinical trial data. A group of international researchers, including McMaster University's Paul O'Byrne, conducted the analysis to better understand the safety, as measured by serious asthma events, of long-acting beta2-agonists, or LABAs, when administered with an inhaled glucocorticoid.

Margo Mountjoy has been appointed the regional assistant dean of the Waterloo Regional Campus of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. A faculty member of McMaster University since 2009, Mountjoy starts her new role on July 1, 2018.

A McMaster-trained midwife has been appointed the assistant dean of the Midwifery Education Program of the Faculty of Health Sciences. Liz Darling is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology. She is also an adjunct scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, and holds an associate appointment in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact.

McMaster University researchers have found there is no significant association between cannabis use and suicidal behaviour in people with psychiatric disorders. The study findings contrast with pre-existing data that shows the drug is linked to an increased chance of suicidal behaviour in the general population.

Developing new ways to improve the treatment of patients with bleeding disorders is the priority for the new Bayer Chair for Clinical Epidemiology Research and Bleeding Disorders at McMaster University.

Six graduate students of the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) are among 10 from McMaster University who have received the Government of Canada's most prestigious scholarships for doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. In addition, a FHS researcher will be a 2018 Banting Postdoctoral Fellow.

Psychotherapy for surgical patients is effective for reducing persistent pain and physical impairment, while simply providing education has no effect, suggests a study led by McMaster University researchers. Persistent post-surgical pain affects between 10 to 80 per cent of patients after common operations. In addition, surgical patients with psychological factors such as depression or anxiety are more likely to develop chronic pain.

Nicholas Jackson Chornenki is someone who always puts his best foot forward. The second-year student of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine knew the other nominees would be top-notch as he assembled his application for the physician-scientist career development award from the American Society of Hematology (ASH), but he wouldn't let it deter him.

First-trimester screening of pregnant women for asymptomatic bacteriuria, which are higher than normal bacteria levels without symptoms of a bladder infection, is recommended by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. A McMaster University faculty member is the first author of the updated guideline, which has been published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

McMaster University researchers have developed a new theory on Huntington's disease which is being welcomed for showing promise to open new avenues of drug development for the condition. Huntington's disease is caused by a mutation in the gene that makes the protein called huntingtin. A team of researchers led by McMaster has found there is a unique type of signalling coming from damaged DNA, that signals huntingtin activity in DNA repair, and that this signalling is defective in Huntington's disease.

Sandra Carroll has been appointed as vice-dean, Faculty of Health Sciences and executive director of the School of Nursing at McMaster University. Carroll formally started her five-year term on July 1, 2018, after serving as the acting associate dean and director of the School of Nursing since last July.

The senior academic administrators of the Faculty of Health Sciences now have new titles. The change is in response to a review which found the titles of individuals responsible for education and research of the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University did not align with those of their counterparts at the other 16 Faculties and medical schools across the country.

A small, black box developed in a McMaster University lab could change the way scientists search for new antibiotics. The Printed Fluorescence Imaging Box - or PFIbox, for short - is capable of collecting massive amounts of data that will help researchers in the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research in their quest to discover new antibiotics.

Recommendations for a high quality diet to avoid cardiovascular disease were developed in high-income countries two to three decades ago. They don't consider other parts of the world or how diets have changed. Now scientists of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences are using research from several large global studies to develop an updated, international approach of identifying a healthy diet.

Patients with cardiovascular disease who develop major internal bleeding are much more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, a large international clinical trial has found. Patients with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding are 18 times more likely to be diagnosed with GI tract cancer, and those who have major genitourinary (GU) tract bleeding are 80-fold more likely to be diagnosed with GU cancer, than patients without internal GI or GU bleeding, respectively.

The next major frontier in brain research will be explored at a collaborative session organized by McMaster University. The Machine Learning for Brain Health Symposium is set for Friday, Sept. 7.

The European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich, Germany next week will see a large delegation from the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences take to the stage. The presentations between Aug. 25 and 29 will include COMPASS trial results in context of other secondary prevention strategies, and PURE study findings that could influence global dietary guidelines.

An international team led by McMaster researchers has developed a simple laboratory score that is safer and faster at diagnosing patients who visit the emergency department with heart attack symptoms.

Sydney Taylor, who is entering her fourth year in nursing at McMaster University, travelled to Honduras with Medical Ministry International for two weeks in July. She was part of an interdisciplinary team of providing primary care, dental work, along with health education in the Central American republic.

New research shows that for the vast majority of individuals, sodium consumption does not increase health risks except for those who eat more than five grams a day, the equivalent of 2.5 teaspoons of salt. Fewer than five per cent of individuals in developed countries exceed that level.

McMaster University researchers are making advances in discovering how a patient's own immune system may be able to develop immunotherapy treatments for ovarian cancer. Previously, solid tumours have been a hurdle for cancer immunotherapy development because they have strong immunosuppressive qualities.

It is considered one of the biggest changes to Canada's medical education in more than a century. Competency based medical education (CBME) is being rolled out at McMaster University and in residency programs across the country.

McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine is well along its way on the implementation of a competency-based medical education curriculum for its postgraduate program. The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) approved an enhanced approach to educating family medicine residents in Canada through the Triple C Competency-based Curriculum in 2011. The goal of Triple C, shared by CFPC and family medicine residency programs, is to ensure graduates are ready to begin the practice of comprehensive family medicine in any community in Canada.

Ovarian cancer patients and those dealing with mental health issues are among the women whose lives could be transformed by research being carried out by this year's recipients of the Women's Health Scholars Awards. Two McMaster researchers are among the ten distinguished Ontario university scholars chosen to receive the 2018-19 Women's Health Scholars Awards, earning scholarships of up to $50,000 to continue their important research to improve the health and well-being of women.

Physicians, medical residents and students, nurses and educators received hands-on patient care experiences last Wednesday during a simulation open house at the St. Catharines site of Niagara Health. The use of medical simulation for education to improve patient safety using shared resources and expertise is behind a new partnership between Niagara Health and the Niagara Regional Campus of McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

Women in Ontario who are newly diagnosed with locally advanced cervix cancer may receive additional imaging as a result of a clinical study involving McMaster University researchers. The study showed that patients who received positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET) imaging as well as conventional computed tomography (CT) imaging were twice as likely to have a change in their treatment.

A researcher in McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences has been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) for his scholarly and scientific accomplishments. Guillaume Paré is a member of the incoming class of the RSC's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Susan Denburg, executive vice-dean and associate vice-president, academic in the Faculty of Health Sciences, has been elected as a Fellow to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). Induction into the CAHS as a Fellow is considered one of the highest honours within Canada's academic community. Denburg, along with 43 other new Fellows, are being formally celebrated on Sept. 13 in Vancouver.

Dairy consumption of around three servings per day is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease and mortality, compared to lower levels of consumption, according to a study led by a team of McMaster University researchers. The study also found that people who consumed three servings of whole fat dairy per day had lower rates of mortality and cardiovascular disease compared to those who consumed less than 0.5 serving of whole fat dairy per day.

Patricia Hewston might not be a dancer by trade; but when she isn't in a clinic working as an occupational therapist or lab as a PhD in rehabilitation science, she's likely to be found in a dance studio, surrounded by lively music for the foxtrot or cha cha. That's because her research, which focuses on older adults with early signs of dementia and frailty, is using adaptive ballroom dance as an innovative mind-body rehabilitation tool.

This fall, McMaster University students are using a new, virtual reality app to hone their anatomy expertise outside of the classroom. A savvy group of professors and students at the university worked together to create the app, called MacAnatomy Virtual Reality Bell Ringer, or MacAnatomy VRBR for short.

McMaster University researchers have provided evidence of new cancerous cells they have termed cancer regenerating cells, which are responsible for the return of acute myeloid leukemia after remission. Current therapy is effective at inducing remission in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia, but most patients later succumb after a relapse. That relapse has been thought to be caused by rare and dormant cancer stem cells that escape chemotherapy.

Branavan Manoranjan, an MD/PhD student at McMaster University, has been selected as a Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award recipient. The award recognizes second-year medical students who demonstrate academic excellence, superior communication skills, school and community involvement, and show outstanding potential as future leaders and innovators of health care in Canada.

McMaster University researchers have found a new way bacteria evade the human immune system and promote infection. Comparing two strains of Salmonella – one that causes disease in humans and the other in reptiles – researchers discovered a covert way that the human-affecting bacteria essentially tricks the immune system into not attacking.

A McMaster University professor and pioneer in the health of extremely premature infants is being recognized with a major award from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Saroj Saigal, a professor emerita of pediatrics, is the 2018 Virginia Apgar Award recipient.

Eileen Hutton retired as assistant dean of McMaster's midwifery program in July, but the professor emeritus has left more than a legacy of research and education excellence. Her family and friends have begun a bursary in the names of both Karyn Kaufman, the founding dean of the program, and Eileen Hutton. The bursary will provide grants for undergraduate students of the midwifery program in financial need.

McMaster University researchers say there is an urgent need for studies on the physical health effects of cannabis use, including its impact on puberty. The call comes following a systematic review of existing literature that identified an absence of such research. The results of the review were published in Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics.

McMaster University is growing its commitment to addressing the epidemic of obesity and related health consequences with the establishment of the Centre for Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research (MODR). The centre is focused on translating world-leading basic science into clinical practice to improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases in children and adults.

A McMaster University-led review and analysis of randomized clinical trials is questioning whether interventions which prolong progression-free survival in cancer patients, improve their health-related quality of life. The systematic review and quantitative analysis of 52 articles reporting on 38 randomized clinical trials involving 13,979 cancer patients across 12 cancer types revealed no significant association between survival when the disease is not getting worse, or "progression-free survival", and health-related quality of life.

Training health professionals to treat Indigenous women with heart disease in a culturally relevant way is the goal of a new research chair at McMaster University. Assistant professor Bernice Downey has received the Indigenous Early Career Women’s Heart and Brain Health Chair Award for the new project.

Delsworth Harnish, vice-dean of undergraduate education for the Faculty of Health Sciences, has died after a short illness. "Del was renowned for his brilliance and leadership in educational innovation," said Paul O'Byrne, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

McMaster University has earned the 23rd spot in the clinical, pre-clinical and health category of the 2019 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The university retains its place in this category from last year, after moving up from the 27th spot in the 2017 international ranking.

It's a Wednesday afternoon in a Thorold school and a medical student is applying a cast to the right arm of a teddy bear under the watchful eye of a seven-year-old girl. Upon completion, the teddy is scooped up and kissed by the child. "You're going to be OK," she says, gently cradling the fuzzy brown bear as she listens to the medical student talk about how bones heal. "The doctor says your arm will be better soon."

Ten faculty members of the Department of Family Medicine are gathering up a wide range of awards this month. Gina Agarwal, an associate professor of family medicine, is receiving an international award from the North American Primary Care Research Group. She is being toasted with the Mid-Career Researcher Award, which is given in recognition of outstanding research accomplishments and with significant recognition for a mid-career researcher.

McMaster University researchers have found that gut bacteria, modified by diet, plays a role in elevated blood glucose, which is the primary indicator of Type 2 diabetes. Based on research in mice, the data showed that while an obesity-causing diet altered gut bacteria within days, it took more than a month for these new gut bacteria to change blood glucose.

Three professor emeriti of the Faculty of Health Sciences will join its Community of Distinction in a ceremony on Friday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. The honourees are the late Heather Arthur of the School of Nursing; Michael Boyle of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, and Saroj Saigal of the Department of Pediatrics. Throughout their careers, they have brought distinction and recognition to McMaster University and the Faculty through their outstanding scholarship and innovative research.

Physicians are being told to cut back routine oxygen therapy for hospital patients because the benefit is uncertain and there is clear harm. In particular, oxygen provides no benefit to patients with heart attacks or strokes with normal blood oxygen saturation. The recommendations come from a panel of international experts led by McMaster University researchers, and they have been published in the prestigious medical journal The BMJ.

Use of opioids for patients with chronic, non-cancer pain may help, but not a lot. In a study published today by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), McMaster University researchers reviewed 96 clinical trials with more than 26,000 participants and found opioids provide only small improvements in pain, physical functioning and sleep quality compared to a placebo.

Where you live in Canada may play a role in your risk of major diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Researchers at McMaster University have identified trends linking health and lifestyle factors like access to public transit, the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in grocery stores, the prices of popular foods, the availability and prices of cigarettes and alcohol, and the promotion, or lack thereof, of healthy foods in restaurants.

If you experience an injury at work, the amount of compensation you receive depends on which impairment rating system is used, according to research from McMaster University and the Netherlands. The American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment is used in workers' compensation systems, federal systems, automobile accidents and personal injury cases to rate impairment.

The inaugural holder has been announced for a nursing professorship established at McMaster University in recognition of a distinguished professor emerita. Denise Bryant-Lukosius has been selected for the Alba DiCenso Professorship in Advanced Practice Nursing. Her five-year term was effective July 1, 2018.

How much you sleep is linked to your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and death, according to a McMaster University-led study of more than 116,000 people in seven regions of the world, published in the European Heart Journal. The researchers found people who slept for more than the recommended six to eight hours a day had an increased risk of dying or developing diseases of the heart or blood vessels in the brain. The study, of more than 116,000 people worldwide, was published in the European Heart Journal.

Two federal cabinet ministers came to McMaster University today to announce a grant for research evaluating positive parenting initiatives, in a drive to help end gender-based violence. ​ Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, along with Minister of Seniors Filomena Tassi, personally delivered the news that researchers of McMaster’s Offord Centre for Children at Child Studies will lead the $3.4 million study over the next five years.