CSPT FellowSHIP Program

Jana Sawynok, BSc, MSc, PhD

Professor (retired), Pharmacology, Dalhousie University

Dr. Sawynok obtained earlier degrees at Melbourne University, Australia and came to Canada to complete a PhD at Queen’s University in 1974. She joined the Department of Pharmacology at Dalhousie University in 1981, became Professor in 1991, then served as Head of Pharmacology from 2005-2012. Within the Pharmacological Society of Canada, she served as Secretary (1992-96) and then President (1999-2001). Her research interests included adenosine systems as novel analgesics, endogenous adenosine as a mediator of other analgesics, caffeine as an adjuvant analgesic and novel topical analgesics. There were several collaborations with Dr. Mary Lynch on clinical trials. This body of work led to 185 research publications, including 54 reviews and book chapters, and was recognized with two research awards. In later years, she became interested in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (now considered Complementary and Integrative Medicine) for chronic pain and served on a national committee to address its role in medical education. She also was involved in research into qigong (a form of meditative movement) for management of fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, and this led to 9 publications between 2009-2021. Following retirement, she co-wrote a History of the Pharmacological Society of Canada 1956-2008 which was published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology in 2020. This was followed by a History of Pharmacology at Dalhousie University 1868-2018 which is available on the departmental website. Her greatest source of pride is her two physician children who have 7 degrees and 5 fellowships between them.

Daniel Sitar  BScPharm, MSc, PhD, FGSA, FCP

Professor Emeritus, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences – College of Medicine (Departments of Internal Medicine, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Pediatrics and Child Health), College of Pharmacy, and Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba.

Dr. Sitar completed his university degrees at the University of Manitoba.  Subsequently, he was an MRC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota.  Dr. Sitar then accepted academic positions at McGill University in 1973 in the Division of Experimental Medicine (Clinical Pharmacology Section), and in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, where he was appointed a Monat Scholar.  In 1978, Dr. Sitar was recruited back to the University of Manitoba to the Department of Internal Medicine (Clinical Pharmacology) and the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, where he participated in the development of the first Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology Research Program in Canada.  Dr. Sitar served as Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics from 1999 until 2008.  His research area can broadly be described as drug disposition and effects at extremes of age, and encompasses both basic and clinical studies.  From 1989-90 he was appointed Rosenstadt Professor at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Pharmacy. 

Dr. Sitar has served on many research grant and advisory panels in various capacities, both in Canada and in the USA.  He has served on several Editorial Boards of scientific research journals, including terms as Associate Editor and then Editor in Chief of the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Dr. Sitar’s research contributions have been recognized by a number of awards in Canada, including the Piafsky Young investigator Award, and the Senior Investigator Award from the Canadian Society for Clinical Pharmacology. He is also a recipient of the Senior Scientist Award from the Pharmacological Society of Canada.  In the USA, his research has been recognized by Fellowship awards from the Gerontological Society of America and the American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Gail Bellward, PhD

Professor Emerita, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Associate Dean Emerita, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia

Dr. Bellward was educated at UBC, first in pharmaceutical sciences, and then with George Drummond in the medical pharmacology department.  Her post-doctoral fellowship was at Emory University in Leon Goldberg’s clinical pharmacology group; sabbaticals were carried out with Sir Colin Dollery at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London, and Wayne Levin at Hoffmann LaRoche, USA. Her undergraduate teaching areas were cardiovascular and renal pharmacology, and general toxicology. Dr. Bellward’s focus as a research scientist was the study of drug metabolism and drug interactions, especially the cytochrome P-450 enzymes, in which she trained many students. She served on numerous UBC committees, as well as on Senate. Dr. Bellward was a Director of the Science Council of BC; and served on many national and international science boards, including the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Toxic Substances Research Initiative of Health Canada and Environment Canada, and the International Union of Pharmacology. She chaired the 10th International Symposium on Microsomes and Drug Oxidations here in Canada. Dr. Bellward was a Killam Senior Fellow; won the YWCA Woman of Distinction award (2003); and senior awards from the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada (Janssen-Ortho Award for Research, 1997) and the Society of Toxicology of Canada (Award of Distinction, 2004). Of note, she was the first woman president of two learned societies, the Pharmacological Society of Canada and the Society of Toxicology of Canada. After her retirement, Gail served as the Chair of the UBC Clinical Research Ethics Board for four years, followed by six years as a lay member of the Law Society of BC hearing panels. She is now on the Council of the Emeritus College at UBC and chairs the Continuing Scholarly Activity and Engagement Committee.

James Hammond, PhD

Dr. Hammond’s research is focused on the structure-function and regulation of purine transporters involved in the cellular uptake of purine analogues used as therapeutic agents.  He obtained his BSc at Western University in London, Ontario in 1979, and his PhD in Pharmacology at the University of Alberta in 1983.  After completing his PhD, Dr. Hammond undertook postdoctoral fellowships at the MRC Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit in Cambridge, UK, the Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, and the Department of Biochemistry, McGill University. In 1988, Dr. Hammond accepted an Assistant Professor position at Western University, Department of Pharmacology.  Over 24 years at Western, while he rose through the ranks to full professor, James made a number of seminal discoveries including the cloning and functional expression of the two major subtypes of murine equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENT1 and ENT2). He also made the novel discovery that mice with a global loss of slc29a1 (the gene that encodes ENT1) developed a skeletal phenotype that mimicked the human condition known as Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH).  While maintaining a very active research program, Dr. Hammond also spent 7 years managing the graduate education program, and 3 years as the undergraduate program coordinator. He was also very active on the National stage (1998-2011) as Treasurer and then President of the Pharmacological Society of Canada (PSC), and was the inaugural President of the Canadian Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CSPT). In 2012, James was recruited to the University of Alberta as Chair of the Department of Pharmacology.  He led the department for 5 years through difficult financial times and initiated a period of critical curriculum reform.  Currently, as Associate Chair, Undergraduate Education, James is continuing the process of curriculum reform for the Department.

Dr. Hammond has 60 peer-reviewed publications and has made over 100 presentations at National and International venues.  In his spare time, he enjoys nature photography, good wine, and travelling with his wife, Catherine, to exotic locales.

Professor Emerita, Medical Education, Medicine, Pharmacology, Dalhousie University

Dr. Gray has served as President of the Canadian Society of Clinical Pharmacology; the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation; the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics; the Canadian Association of Medical Education; the Canadian Institute of Academic Medicine (now known as the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences – CAHS); and as Chair of the Canadian Cochrane Collaboration, the inaugural CIHR Institute of Gender and Health Advisory Board, the NS Health Research Foundation Board, Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Board, CAHS Standing Committee on Assessments and CMAJ Journal Oversight Committee and as Vice-President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) as well as Chair of the RCPSC Clinical Pharmacology Examination Committee of the RCPSC and the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology Examination Committee. She has been a member of several other national and international committees and boards such as the WHO Essential Medicines Committee, the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Council of Canadian Academies and the Canadian Frailty Network.  Among her published work are two edited books -Therapeutic Choices for community-based practitioners (5 editions), the online version eTherapeutics and Drug Advances for internal medicine specialists and has contributed chapters to other pharmacology textbooks.  For 25 years in collaboration with Brian Tuttle, a drug information pharmacist, she edited a bimonthly newsletter for physicians – Drugs and Therapeutics for Maritime Practitioners that provided objective information on new drugs and management recommendations for common medical problems.  But her greatest accomplishment has been her family, including a renowned molecular biologist husband, and two very accomplished daughters!

Stuart MacLeod, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics, University of British Columbia

Dr. MacLeod is a retired clinical pharmacologist and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. Beginning in January 2003, he served as Professor and Associate Dean Research Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia and as Vice-President (Research and Academic Development) in the Provincial Health Services Authority (BC). Between 2003 and 2010 he also led the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Earlier in his career, Dr. MacLeod was Professor of Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Toronto and from 1987-1992 he served as Dean of McMaster University’s innovative Faculty of Health Sciences.

Since graduation from McGill University (PhD, Pharmacology) in 1973 he has been an international leader pursuing optimal drug therapy. His contributions span pediatric and adult medicine, but major impact has been on the basic and clinical investigation of therapies for children and youth with a parallel focus on safe medication use and pharmacogenomics, including minimization of drug risk.

Innovative health professional education and global child health are central interests that have taken Dr. MacLeod to more than 25 countries. He has published seven books and almost 300 scientific papers. Between 2012 and 2014, at the request of Health Canada he chaired an expert panel on improving medicines use by children in Canada for the Council of Canadian Academies. The panel’s final report was published in 2014 and remains widely cited.