Physicians and Staff

In “The Gambler,” country music singer Kenny Rogers croons that “The best you can hope for is to die in your sleep”– presumably suggesting that dying unexpectedly and without enduring long-term suffering is the best way to die. However, most of us won’t be so fortunate.

Drs. Dilip Gill and Nathan Ginther are revolutionizing colorectal cancer care for patients in Saskatchewan thanks in part to the generosity of donors to Royal University Hospital Foundation.

For patients suffering from chronic kidney disease, in-hospital dialysis treatment can often seem as unsettling as the illness. One in ten Canadians lives with damaged or failed kidneys. As a result, they aren’t able to properly remove waste and unwanted water from their blood. Dialysis is an artificial way of carrying out this process when a person has typically lost 85 to 90 per cent of kidney function. Unless one receives a kidney transplant, a person must continue to have dialysis for the rest of their life.

What do geriatrician Dr. Jenny Basran and King Julien from the movie Madagascar have in common? They both are mobility advocates. As the animated self-proclaimed king of the lemurs says, “I like to move it, move it . . . You got to move it, move it . . . Move it!”

Royal University Hospital respirologist Dr. Erika Penz has joined the ranks of researchers worldwide who are transforming the way participants are engaged in clinical research studies.

“A dedicated Trauma Observation Unit (TOU) would become the standard destination for sick trauma patients after having been cared for in the Emergency Department, Operating Room and the Intensive Care Unit,” says Dr. Sothilingam. “It would provide enhanced care and vital monitoring for close to 400 trauma patients a year, who would benefit from an extended observation period before transitioning to the in-patient unit.”

In June 2013, renowned neurosurgeon–scientist Dr. Ivar Mendez joined the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatoon Health Region. Dr. Mendez is an enthusiastic advocate for the application of robotics in healthcare.

Physicians who wish to sub-specialize after their Residency training may enter a Fellowship training program. Sub-specialists fill service gaps and advance patient care, research and training at RUH. Similar to Residency training seats, a Fellow cannot fund their Fellowship seat: funding must be provided by a third party.

Dr. Paul Babyn is the Department Head of Medical Imaging for the Saskatoon Health Region and the University of Saskatchewan. He spoke with the Royal University Hospital Foundation about the Picture This! Campaign, which raised funds for a PET-CT (Positron Emission Tomography-Computer Tomography) in Royal University Hospital.