Abe and Gar Shek Louie, courtesy of the Louie family.
National Philanthropy Day (NPD)-November 15-is a celebration of giving, volunteering and charitable engagement.
This year, the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry nominated the Louie family to be recognized for their outstanding contributions to medical education. The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) National Philanthropy Day Luncheon in Edmonton, held on Nov. 10, 2016, annually honours outstanding achievements by individuals, foundations, corporations and volunteers who devote their time, talents and resources to the philanthropic community in Edmonton and beyond.
When Gar Shek Louie emigrated to Canada from China in 1921, he faced significant barriers to accessing work and education due to racial discrimination. He worked 10 years to pay off a loan for his $500 Chinese head tax, a fixed fee charged to every Chinese person entering Canada. When he moved to Alberta and married Abe, they worked hard together to keep their family fed. Even their children put in hours at family businesses after school to help out.
Gar Shek and Abe Louie had 11 children: seven boys and four girls. Six of their boys went to medical school at the University of Alberta in the 1950's and '60's, with three of their grandchildren following in their footsteps. Today, there are nine physicians in the Louie family with a connection to the U of A. To honour the Louie family's medical legacy, Brian and Karen, grandchildren of Gar Shek and Abe Louie, have created the Louie Family Scholarship in Medicine, to be awarded to first generation university students who demonstrate outstanding clinical skills and excellence in communication.
"My Grandparents owned a farm and a corner store, and as far as I know neither of them went to university, but they put all of their kids through university," Brian Louie says."I thought it was important that we created something in their honour, and as a tribute to my uncles who went to medical school there. They owe their careers and quality of life to what they gained out of medical school at the University of Alberta."
The reason so many family members have been drawn to medicine is still open for debate. According to Brian, it was a pragmatic choice. "The Louies for the most part are practical people, and they said 'well, we'll never have to go hungry and we'll never have to worry about a job because in medicine, people will always get sick and we want to take care of them'."
"We grew up with it. We listened to my uncles talk about cases over Christmas dinner and around holiday dinners. They would talk about medicine periodically and we were part of it, so we were raised in a medicine family. I think that's what they were born to do."
Brian's father Ed says he was more driven by his curiosity, over practicality.
When older brother Bill was studying medicine he was already an engineer but looking for further intellectual stimulation. "I worked at it for a while," he jokes, "but it was so boring! In medicine there are always new and interesting things to work on, so I switched."
Whatever the reason, hard work and humility exemplify the Louie family tradition. Brian reflects that his uncles were never 'all that' when it came to money matters. They lived a comfortable life, but they drove modest cars, had modest houses, and that's the way they lived their lives.
"Their medical profession gave them a good quality of life and a comfortable living, but it enabled them to raise their children and give their children what they needed in terms of getting into schools and what not. And that's really who the family is."
Brian and Karen hope to help future medical students succeed by reducing some of the financial burden of medical education, while rewarding the qualities that Abe and Gar Shek modelled for their children. "It's not all about the student who got straight A's or a 4.0 GPA...that doesn't necessarily make a good physician," Brian explains. "It's highly likely that a first generation med student comes from a working class family with humble beginnings. They might not have a lot of money and they're trying to make ends meet. It costs a lot of money to go to medical school, so hopefully that will help someone out in the future."
-by Kirsten Bauer
#UAlberta16: Peds grad students mix work and play-for the win
Tamara Yee and Jill Byrne are just two of our many learners crossing the Jubilee stage at fall convocation on November 16, 2016. The pair come from different academic backgrounds, and after graduation will embark on different career paths, but both have gained a lifelong friend along with their PhD.
Yee's background is in occupational therapy and Byrne's undergraduate studies were in psychology. The two women met and realized how much they have in common during a second-year graduate studies course in the Department of Pediatrics.
"We bonded instantly," says Byrne. "In the time after meeting in this course we have collaborated on numerous projects, provided feedback on one another's applications and manuscripts, and even attended each other's weddings."
Both students were drawn to the graduate studies program in the Department of Pediatrics because of strong faculty members who share their interest in child health research. Byrne started a master's degree with Geoff Ball as supervisor, then transferred to the PhD program to continue studying under his mentorship.
Byrne recently took on the new position of Director, Clinical Research in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry's Office of Research.
Yee considered several doctoral programs before choosing the University of Alberta. "I wanted a program that was supportive of my commitment to providing clinical care as an occupational therapist, while receiving top quality research training." She found her match with Lonnie Zwaigenbaum as supervisor.
"When I researched the department, I could see how this multidisciplinary faculty member lived and breathed the child health clinician-scientist lifestyle and clinical-research balance." Yee's academic pursuits continue, as she plans to move on to a post-doctoral fellowship in child health.
Congratulations to all receiving their U of A degrees this week. Welcome to the alumni family!
-by Judith Chrystal
Free screening of Memento at Science in the Cinema Nov. 17
Science in the Cinema presents Memento, a psychological thriller directed and written by Chris Nolan, starring Guy Pearce as a man determined to find justice after the loss of a loved one, even though he is incapable of fully remembering the crime.
Vice dean David Evans will host a Q & A about amnesia with a panel experts including Claire Scavuzzo, a postdoctoral fellow and instructor in the Department of Psychology at the U of A and Tami Yanish, a psychologist on staff at the Adult Brain Injury Clinic at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.
Science in the Cinema presents Memento (2000)
When: Thursday, November 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Metro Cinema at Garneau Theatre (8712 109 Street, Edmonton)
Free admission and free popcorn.