‘Tired, depressed, angry’ nurses leaving jobs during pandemic, Windsor study finds Dana Menard, lead investigator of an ongoing study that says nurses are burning out and quitting the profession, is pictured on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. PHOTO BY DAX MELMER /Windsor Star Windsor nurses are so “burnt out and beaten down” by COVID-19 workloads and conspiracy theories that many are quitting the profession, according to an ongoing study. A University of Windsor probe into the pandemic’s effects on local nurses reveal some have taken early retirement, switched jobs or gone on stress leave. It’s a trend that nursing organizations across Ontario and Canada are also noticing. “The participants were almost universally exhausted, burned out, frustrated, depressed,” she said. “They felt disposable. They felt expendable. And there was a lot less of that light at the end of the tunnel kind of hope that things would get better. There was a lot more concern about the variants. There was a lot of concern about vaccination rates not being has high as they need to be,…
Testing tool provides early detection of COVID-19 cases The WE-Spark COVID-19 Dashboard can detect outbreaks of COVID-19 in real time. A new tool from the WE-Spark Health Institute combines local wastewater surveillance testing with University of Windsor saliva-based screening to monitor the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The interactive dashboard compares the levels of the virus in wastewater to active or new COVID-19 cases in Windsor-Essex to detect outbreaks in real time. It pulls data from several local Windsor-Essex wastewater treatment plants, noted UWindsor professor Lisa Porter, the institute’s executive director. “The dashboard, combined with the wastewater and saliva screening, provides a surveillance platform to support the safe re-opening of Windsor-Essex,” she said. “If we have learned anything through the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the importance of having this kind of surveillance that can be rapidly deployed to isolate affected populations and avoid widespread outbreaks that can devastate our…
UWindsor early-detection tools warn community of infectious disease What began as an innovative tool that analyzed what Windsorites flush down the toilet, in order to more rapidly detect the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community, has since expanded to include testing at the other end of the digestive tract. Dr. Qiudi Geng, a research associate at the University of Windsor test local waste water for traces of the COVID-19 virus at the school on Monday, July 26, 2021. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /Windsor Star Analyzing samples from both municipal sewage systems and human saliva in mouths, a multi-disciplinary team of scientists at the University of Windsor is aiming to now track and publicize diseases in the population before the negative health symptoms even begin to show. And the public gets to see the ongoing results in an online real-time interactive dashboard that combines the results of this early sampling with disease outbreaks detected and reported by health authorities like the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. The monitoring so far has shown…
Kinesiology professor warns of deadly threat posed by summer heat The extreme heat of summer places stress on our hearts and blood vessels that can be fatal to the elderly and other vulnerable people, warns kinesiology professor Anthony Bain. In an article published July 21 in The Conversation, Dr. Bain (pictured at left) writes that heat stroke is dangerous, but cardiovascular stress is responsible for more deaths during heat waves. And, thanks to global warming, heat waves are becoming longer, more intense, and more frequent. This is bad news for populations like the elderly and those with conditions such as heart disease and diabetes who are more vulnerable to extreme heat. Bain’s article explains how the cardiovascular system responds when core and skin temperature rise. Seeking relief in air-conditioned environments, wearing light clothing, keeping hydrated, and avoiding strenuous activity are effective ways to place less stress on the cardiovascular system during heat waves. Dr. Bain also explains how supervised heat therapy is emerging as…
No jab needed to return to campus at UWindsor or St. Clair College this fall St. Clair College and the University of Windsor will not be implementing a mandatory vaccination policy for students and staff. (CBC) If you're a student or faculty member returning to the University of Windsor or St. Clair College campuses this fall, you don't need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 — but reactions to this are mixed. "I think mandating vaccination would be a really important step, I think, in keeping the university campuses safe," explained Lisa Porter, a professor and biomedical researcher with the University of Windsor and executive director of WE-Spark Health Institute. But Porter stressed that shouldn't be up to individual schools, and that the school will follow the guidelines set out by the government. "Universities aren't in the business of developing public policy. I mean, that's the job of the province," she said. "They develop policy and we're following what their guidelines are." University…
Youths gain virtual introduction to Faculty of Science Budding young scientists spent a virtual week at UWindsor learning about the programs and activities offered by the Faculty of Science during the 8th annual Science Academy, July 5 to 9. A record number of 60 top-achieving Grade 11 students from Essex County and across Ontario attended. Dora Cavallo-Medved, biomedical sciences professor and Science Academy faculty leader, says they spent a great week engaging with peers as well as UWindsor faculty, staff, and students. “Science Academy allows students to virtually explore our research labs, chat with our undergraduate students, participate in science challenges, and hear directly from our alumni about science and math related career paths,” says Dr. Cavallo-Medved. “Attendees really appreciated the opportunity to catch a glimpse into their futures as a Faculty of Science student.” The students attended departmental sessions and learned about the latest in cutting-edge research. They also competed in the Science Meets Art (SMArt)…
Undergraduate research experience leads alumnus to lifelong dream When Sami Alrashed graduated this spring with his Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry and biomedical sciences, he recalled fondly his research experiences as a UWindsor student. Entering post-secondary studies as an Outstanding Scholar with a thirst for learning, he found opportunities to engage in exploration by reading about professors’ research and attending campus presentations on their progress and discoveries. In his second year, he began working in the biology lab of Lisa Porter. “Professors want to have you on board,” Alrashed said. “And they want to train you into future stars.” By year three, he was known by science faculty and students, working as a teaching assistant and participating in community activities while holding down two part-time jobs off-campus. Alrashed’s fourth-year thesis proposed a novel targeted therapy to combat glioblastoma — an aggressive cancer that can form in the brain or the spinal cord. Research experience as an undergraduate…
Vaccination campaign encouraging students to knock out COVID “Knock Out COVID” is the theme of a campaign to encourage UWindsor students to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The University of Windsor launched a vaccination campaign Monday to encourage students not only to get into the ring and “Knock Out COVID,” but to carry the message to others in the under-25 population around Windsor-Essex County. The KO COVID effort will team the University with the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance to help students and other young people in the community get the facts and support they need to overcome vaccine hesitancy and access vaccination in the community. The University will work with WE-Spark Health Institute and UWindsor researchers to provide expertise, while student mentors will guide, engage, and empower students to protect their health and the health of others in the community. “We’re finally getting closer to the finish line in terms of vaccination, but there is still some work to do and we need that final push with…
August think tank session to spark health research collaboration A WE-Spark Think Tank will provide an overview of three projects seeking input on Friday, Aug. 6. Do you like to discuss new ideas? Solve problems? Make new connections? Then WE-Spark Think Tanks are for you. The Aug. 6 event will begin with an update on local health research activities and new funding opportunities, followed by an overview of three projects that are looking for creative input and breakout sessions: Re-Imagining Health Justice in Windsor Essex Tess Sheldon, University of Windsor, Faculty of Law Clinical Diagnostics using Processing, Extraction, and Detection of Biomedical Signals Esam Abdel-Raheem, University of Windsor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Developing Health Related Mobility Innovations to Build a Connected and Sustainable City Tom Schnekenburger, University of Windsor, Data and Mobility Science Matthew Johnson, Invest Windsor-Essex WE-Spark Health Institute hosts the bi-monthly sessions, open to everyone. Click here to register for the August event,…
