Marissa Lithopoulos has always had a passion for science. “My favourite show growing up was ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy.’ I knew I wanted to be just like him one day.” She began delivering hands-on science activities in classrooms as part of the Let’s Talk Science outreach program in 2014 and has been hooked ever since.

It moves some to tears. Others are shocked, yet hopeful. Anger, guilt and shame can also come with the heightened awareness hospital staff members have after taking part in the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, which retells 500 years of Canada’s history through the perspective of First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

Two innovative clinical trials led by Stroke Neurologist Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi intend to help stroke patients recover: one will use technology, the other stem cells.

Dr. Kumanan Wilson and his team have a novel approach to finding out how often babies are born preterm in low-resource countries. They’re using data collected from routine newborn blood tests and they’ve received nearly US $1 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support their research.

Dr. Neil Reaume walked into the exam room, greeted patient John Richichi, tapped his ID badge against a small black box near the computer screen and up popped the latest CAT scan. Thanks to this innovative new ‘follow-me computing’ system, doctors in The Ottawa Hospital’s Cancer Centre can spend more quality time with patients.

When Dr. Clare Liddy shared with Dr. Erin Keely that one of her patients had to wait for more than nine months for an appointment with a specialist, they agreed this was too long. Together, they developed eConsult – and the electronic wait-time solution is spreading across Canada and around the world.

When Denise Schaerer feels a thumping in her chest, she doesn’t just feel her own heartbeat – she feels someone else’s as well. More than 300 patient family members gathered on April 25 at the General and Civic campuses to honour someone they loved, who had consented to organ donation.

Dr. David Gray’s cancer was hiding in plain sight. When a pea-sized tumour on his cheek turned out to be Stage 3c melanoma, with a high risk of spreading, he decided to join a clinical trial that compared two immunotherapy drugs.

Sailing is a life-long love affair for Peter Juryn that began when was nine years old. Unfortunately, the medication he takes for Parkinson’s disease was making it harder to do the things he loves.

Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital store vaccines, medications, cells and chemicals in deep freezers – and by ‘deep’ they mean ‘really, really deep’ – temperatures as low as minus-80°C. When the hospital replaced its 15-year-old deep freezers last year with six new energy efficient models, its energy consumption dropped by 85 percent.

Extensive research consistently finds positive connections between mental health, experiencing nature and taking breaks outdoors. That’s why The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus will have space for gardens, walking paths and contemplative areas – for patients and staff.

Mike Soloski wanted to do meaningful, hands-on volunteer work in his retirement, and he found his niche at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre. “This was the place where I felt as though, if I need to do some payback, here’s where it’s supposed to be.”