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Human and Animal Health

Explore well-being.

What are the keys to lifelong health? How do we detect disease sooner? How do we recover as quickly as possible? Can we wipe out disease entirely? These are the questions we explore in our quest to make our world a healthier place for all creatures.

Can health care cure climate apathy?

Feeling climate change in your bones

Climate change discussions usually revolve around environmental impact and damage to the planet. But it also has the potential to affect our health on personal and population-scale levels.

Should everyone avoid gluten?

Separating the wheat from the chaff when it comes to grain proteins

Few food ingredients are as controversial as gluten, the cereal grain protein linked to celiac disease. But for people who don't suffer from celiac disease, the health benefits of cutting out gluten are less clear.

Can a meal be medicine?

How what we eat affects our gut health, which affects our wellness

In the fight against chronic diseases, researchers expand the search for cures and treatments to include diet and environmental factors, and examine the connection between the gut and the brain.

Orthorexia nervosa

When healthy eating becomes unhealthy

Most people are familiar with common eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa, which are characterized by unhealthy relationships with food. But what happens when someone becomes obsessed with eating well?

What's the real cost of cheap food?

Nutrition, children, and the factors that shape our eating habits

A growing body of research suggests the amount of processed foods we eat is doing a great deal of harm, and that the more ingrained our eating habits get, the harder they are to change.

Why does pot make you so hungry?

How cannabis affects our bodies and brains

UCalgary researchers explore the biology behind cannabis, and how it acts upon various systems in our bodies.

Avoiding and overcoming addiction

The cautionary side of cannabis legalization

As Canada prepares to legalize cannabis, UCalgary researchers and practitioners look at ways to avoid developing problems with use as well as ways to overcome problem use.

Cancer

Early detection is key

UCalgary researchers are exploring different methods of diagnosing cancer earlier, including blood screening kits and nanoparticles, in hopes of giving patients a better chance at recovery.

blurry picture of person been taking into an ambulance

Stroke

ESCAPE: A revolutionary treatment

Thanks to a groundbreaking new procedure, UCalgary researchers and clinicians are drastically reducing the likelihood of death or disability for stroke patients.

Bone and joint disorders

Keeping the body's framework healthy

As the Canadian population ages, the incidence of bone and joint disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis is expected to increase. 3-D bone scans, blood tests, and biomechanical diagnostics are some of the tools UCalgary researchers are developing.

Pet health

The issue with flat-faced dogs

As so-called brachycephalic or flat-faced dog breeds become more popular, veterinarians warn about some of the health issues and difficulties such dogs are born with.

photo a person walking down a gloomy path in the woods

Clinical depression

Shining a light on the world's leading cause of disability

Depression is a serious mental disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. UCalgary researchers are developing innovative techniques and treatments to tackle this debilitating illness.

Microbiome

Exploring the "forgotten organ"

Each of us lives with trillions of bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi in and around our bodies. UCalgary researchers study the impact this "microbiome" has on our health.

A new way to treat autoimmune diseases

Currently, the only treatments involve suppressing the entire immune system, which leaves patients vulnerable to other infections or cancer.

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Innovations in medicine

There's always a better way

Using their expertise in engineering, computing, and medical science, University of Calgary researchers are developing and improving diagnostic and treatment options in health care.

One health

A unified approach to medicine

A growing body of research that looks at how people, animals and the environment interact, an initiative called One Health, is improving health-care practice around the world.

The roots of anxiety

Watch this webinar to find out what we know so far about the factors contributing to anxiety disorders and how advancing our understanding could help us predict who is at risk, as well as better target treatments for those already suffering.

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Let food be thy medicine

A growing body of evidence indicates our current diets are unhealthy and a major cause of premature death and disability. Watch to learn more about the risks of poor diet, and how changes in nutrition policy could better support the health of all Canadians.

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UCalgary scientists team up with ultramarathoner for research study

Elite runner Dave Proctor to run across Canada in support of his son and others with rare diseases

Study shows dogs help improve well-being in chronic pain sufferers

Interdisciplinary Alberta study finds dogs help with depression, social well-being and giving purpose

What fat cats teach us about feline obesity

Researchers in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine study donated tissue to better understand feline obesity and diabetes.

A new way to battle MS

Groundbreaking findings from the Cumming School of Medicine challenge conventional thinking about the root cause of multiple sclerosis.

Our family of pandas at the Calgary Zoo

Professors and students in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine get up close and personal with new arrivals Er Shun, Da Mao, Ji Panpan and Ji Yueyue.

The dangers of energy drinks

A UCalgary researcher leads new recommendations and warnings on the safety of energy drinks and calls for tighter restrictions on marketing to youths.

Your stress is now my stress

UCalgary researchers discover brain cells change following close contact with a stressed individual

What's it like to work in a germ-free facility?

Excellent bladder control isn’t usually something you think about when you’re applying for a job, but if you want to work at the germ-free facility at the University of Calgary’s International Microbiome Centre (IMC), that skill is essential.

Predicting lung cancer

Dr. Alain Tremblay, professor of medicine in the departments of Medicine and Oncology at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) and member of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, recently led the Calgary arm of a Pan-Canadian study researching the effectiveness of a new lung cancer screening risk predication model.

Brain surgery without scalpel

Imagine a future where devastating brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy or brain tumours could be treated using a new generation of neurosurgery where a doctor’s scalpel never touches the patient; where a patient experiencing severe tremor — to the point they are unable to sign their name or bring a cup of coffee to their mouth — can suddenly perform these tasks immediately following the procedure.

A bear of a toothache

A team of UCalgary Vet Med experts travels to B.C. to help solve a grizzly dental problem.

Preserving one of the world's most endangered primate species

A UCalgary anthropology prof monitors the Madagascar rainforest and its lemur inhabitants as part of a community-based conservation effort.

Memories influence recovery: study

Studying adolescents' recollections of major surgeries provides a breakthrough in understanding chronic pain in children.

Easier eye exams on dogs

A simulated eyeball makes it easier for Vet Med students to learn how to examine canine patients.

Growing healthier gut bacteria

A couple of teaspoons of a fibre supplement, taken daily, has produced some exciting results that will help children with overweight or obesity maintain a healthier weight and prevent many diseases caused by obesity.

Big data in the ER

A grad student’s research project aims to use data and machine learning techniques to predict and prevent emergency room visits.

Physical activity may help protect children from depression: study

The health benefits associated with regular physical activity are well known, and existing research has shown that exercise may help in the treatment of depression in children.

Alberta’s stroke teams slash time to diagnose, treat patients

A provincewide improvement initiative, co-led by the Cumming School of Medicine's Michael Hill, reduces average "door-to-needle" time by half.

Common therapies to treat depression

UCalgary researchers develop innovative techniques and treatments to tackle debilitating illness

Pressing snooze on a sleep myth

There are many consequences for not getting enough sleep, from driving performance (falling asleep at the wheel) to obesity, diabetes and increased risk of other diseases. For athletes and the general population, there is decreased performance, higher rating of perceived exertion during exercise, and a reduced willingness to exercise.

Tooth decay worsened in Calgary s children after fluoride removal

Researcher finds fluoridation is a public health measure worth maintaining.

Study shows Canada's obesity epidemic is growing

Canada’s obesity epidemic is more acute than previously thought, says a study based on the biggest sample of body mass index (BMI) measurements ever reported in this country.

Researchers use chicken's immune system as weapon against avian flu

Study looks at how to stimulate the innate immune system of chickens to fight the spread of different viruses, including avian flu.

New service offers life-saving non-surgical veterinary treatment

Patients back on four feet sooner, thanks to minimally invasive procedures offered through Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

'You can't do good medicine without good communication skills'

Actors and veterinarian-coaches help Vet Med students become great communicators.

Researchers unravel mystery and mechanism behind addiction

Chemical blockers can be used to inhibit the reward response triggered by addictive drugs.

Innovative synthetic bones offer improved surgical training opportunities

A new type of synthetic bone that will allow orthopedic residents to practise surgical techniques on more realistic models.

Child-friendly robots help kids cope with pain

Childlike robots comfort young patients during stressful medical procedures at Alberta Children’s Hospital.

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Human and Animal Health

Living longer, better lives

What are the keys to lifelong health? How do we detect disease sooner? How do we recover as quickly as possible? Can we wipe out disease entirely? These are the questions we explore in our quest to make our world a healthier place for all creatures.

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