Category: Writing
Posts on writing by a writer Jano Klimas, primarily on books, poetry, slams and science writing.
How to find non-academic mentors
Mentors facilitate professional development in academia. But non-academic mentors are equally important. Here, I acknowledge non-academic mentors and their contribution to my development as a professional and as a person.
Engage in not for profit organizations.
Two organizations jump started my work in non-profits, the University Pastoral Centre and a youth club. I learned the power of community building through youth activism with John Lesondak and taught team building for non-profits with Ivan Humenik. With Ivan and friends, we also had a musical band, JK& band. These activities inspired me to get involved in the community projects for people who use drugs. (more…)
Farewell Thursdays Writing Collective
With the end of the Thursdays Writing Collective coming soon in April 2018, I’ve decided to re-post my earlier blog from 2016 about this unique collective.
Read the OpEd article at the ViA website: http://vancouverisawesome.com/2016/10/05/discovering-thursdays-writing-collective/
Better medical education: One solution to the opioid crisis
Opioid overdose is a complex problem, no one solution is the best. But effective interventions can help manage opioid addiction. Yet, many effective interventions are not used and the lacking medical education is part of the problem…Read the full article at The Conversation
Bring Audrey back: Teaching medical students about substance disorders
When is the best time to teach medical students about substance related disorders? In a new commentary published online in Annals of Internal Medicine, we bring Audrey’s story and call for better addiction medicine education for physicians.
For over 20 years at the University of British Columbia, the first year medical students have had 20 hours of teaching on the theme Addiction Medicine and Inter-collegial Responsibility which has been both highly rated by medical students and has improved their motivational interviewing. (more…)
Annual review: Summaries, essays and productive conferences
The post on 27 deaths out of 100 people receiving methadone in primary care over 17 years was the most frequently visited of the year but also the gloomiest.
I’ve had an inspired year here at the Be-seen, with a brilliant string of posts about new research articles ranging from a progressive post from the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine on improving writing groups for addiction researchers, to emerging treatments for cocaine addiction, and along the same theme a series covering my topic of interest in drinking by people who also use other drugs. Here’s the list of new paper summaries in chronological order:
Summaries of new papers
* First or senior author papers
In sum, the main themes of this year were not only summaries of new papers but also essays on writing and conference reports.
Conferences April-June
With three new entries on academic and cultural meetings, these may be of great interest to my readers fascinated by communication in science and art and blending the boundaries between the two disciplines:
Write well
The fastest start is to listen to patients’ stories – make evidence based responses part of your toolkit, whether it’s responding to the iatrogenic overdose epidemic or writing effective paragraphs. Secondly, consider making scientific writing something that sticks to the brain. Have a try at writing groups or writing classes – they can help. Have the courage to promote simplicity of writing in your field. I’m positive this is not all that I will have to say on the topic – watch this space.
Essays
Literary editors who helped
Andrew Skelly, The Medical Post http://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/physicians/magazines/the-medical-post/
Adam Nanji, Vancouver is Awesome http://vancouverisawesome.com/
Emily Stringer, Emerge 16 https://www.amazon.com/emerge-16-Writers-Studio-Anthology-ebook/dp/B01MG027DA/
Tara Siebarth and Ashleigh VanHouten, University Affairs www.universityaffairs.ca
Stephen Strauss, Canadian Science Writers http://sciencewriters.ca/4072583
Journal editors who helped
Twelve addiction journal editors helped with publishing 16 papers:
Roger Jones, BJGP www.bjgp.org
Jeffrey Samet, Addict Sci& Clin Practice https://ascpjournal.biomedcentral.com/
Richard Saitz, J Addict Medicine www.journals.lww.com/journaladdictionmedicine/Pages/default.aspx
Richard Pates, J Substance Use www.tandfonline.com/loi/ijsu20
Tim Rhodes, J Int Drug Policy www.ijdp.org
Michael Morgan, Addiction www.addictionjournal.org
John Lyne, Irish J Psychol Medicine www.journals.cambridge.org/article_S0790966700017535
Pedro Ruiz, Addict Disorders& Their Treatment www.journals.lww.com/addictiondisorders/Pages/default.aspx
Donata Kurpas, BMC Family Practice www.bmcfampract.biomedcentral.com
Axel Klein, Drugs and Alcohol Today www.emeraldinsight.com/toc/dat/15/4
Wim van den Brink, European Addict Research www.karger.com/EAR/
Jelle Stoffers, Eur J Gen Practice www.tandfonline.com/loi/igen20
In the meantime, I also continued to write in Slovak magazines and in my community of writers. In Slovak, I wrote for Slovo and Zpravodaj edited by Jozef Starosta and Marta Jamborova, respectively.
Early in the January and late in December, I wrote poems with my community of writers from the Thursdays Writing Collectivefacilitated by the fantastic Elee Kralji Gardiner and Amber Dawn. During the year, I wrote with the writers from the Writer’s Studio. Some of those poems landed on stage of the Vancouver Poetry Slam and on their video channel.
Thanks to all of my readers. It’s been over four years for the Be-seen blog now and I owe a lot to the editors and readers. I hope readers will continue to feel that this is a resource for them to visit and engage with.
