Coincidence brings research team together
Each member of this research team, (from left) Ashley-Anne Churchill, Lois Schwarz and Nicole Abbott, brings their own area of expertise to their project.
There's a lot to be said for coincidence.
Environmental Science student Ashley-Anne Churchill was chatting with Aboriginal Student Services Coordinator Dave Seaweed. Seaweed mentioned to Churchill that Biology instructor Lois Schwarz was doing a study on the impact plants native to BC may have on treating inflammation.
Why? Churchill, a member of the North Thompson Band, had given Seaweed information on plants used by Aboriginal peoples for healing when he'd been under the weather, so he thought the project might be of interest to her. She contacted Schwarz and as the cliché goes, the rest is history.
"It's been an amazing experience. Before coming to Douglas, I was adamant that I would go straight to university, but then I found out about the Environmental Science Program at Douglas. I never would have had the opportunity to do field research in my first two years of university," says Churchill.
She is particularly grateful to people like Harry Jules of the North Thompson Band in Barriere and Chu Chua and Richard Duncan of the Dog Creek and Canoe Creek Band who have provided access to and shared their knowledge of many of the plants she's now studying.
"We want to work towards helping protect the habitats of these native plants and traditional grounds. Our hope is not for a pharmaceutical company to buy a patent based on our research, but to share knowledge with everyone about the `medicine cabinet' in our own backyard, especially those who can't afford medications or are looking for safe, natural alternatives."
Working with Churchill and Schwarz is second-year Psychiatric Nursing student Nicole Abbott. She too says it was "a fluke" that she got involved with the project. She happened to be taking a microbiology class with Schwarz - Schwarz knew that Abbott had previously studied horticulture and asked if she would be interested in putting together a poster about the study for Student Research Day at the college.
"The content was so interesting to me I couldn't stop," says Abbott, who is now tending to and taking extractions from the plants she, Schwarz and Churchill are working with in the campus greenhouse.
Abbott, who currently works as a care aide at Lion's Gate Hospital, is particularly interested in how plants could be used to help treat diabetic wounds and bed sores. "I work in extended care and see a lot of people with bed sores. I have worked with people who have had amputations due to diabetes too. So I want to know if there's any possibility we can find a way to interrupt the inflammation in these types of wounds to keep them from becoming worse," she explains.
Meanwhile, Schwarz is pleased she found the right people to work with her on the study, coincidence or not. She is also grateful to Linnaea Nurseries, which donated more than 50 plants to be used for the project.
"Inflammation is the basis for some serious chronic diseases, such as metastatic cancer and cardiovascular disease. So far, our results are encouraging. I hope this project brings many people and ideas together because the results are for everyone," says Schwarz.
Schwarz credits the Scholarly Activity Fund at Douglas with giving her the money to support Abbott and Churchill in doing their research. "It couldn't have happened without that seed money, literally."
Published January 7, 2010
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