Local News
Winnipeg’s first certified pediatric surgical specialist easing into retirement
By MYRON LOVE According to that venerable Chinese sage Confucius, “a man who loves what he is doing never works a day in his life.”
That maxim aptly describes Dr. Nathan Wiseman to a tee (no pun intended for an individual who is also an ardent golfer).
But even for a man so enthusiastic about his work that he changed “TGIF” (thank goodness it’s Friday) to “TGIM” (Monday), his surgical career has drawn to an end. Winnipeg’s first ever certified pediatric surgical specialist has begun the process of easing into retirement.
On Friday, October 7, his medical colleagues, nurses, family, friends and some grateful patients attended a retirement party for the beloved children’s surgeon who is retiring from full time service at Children’s Hospital after an association spanning almost half a century.
The event was held at the Manitoba Club. “It was a lovely evening,” says the guest of honour. “I had a wonderful time and it was heartening to see so many colleagues who were my teammates as we looked after children together.” He notes that he himself delivered a speech that went on for more than half an hour. “I had so much to say, so many people to thank, most of all my wonderful wife, Eva. I couldn’t have done it without her wholehearted support and understanding through the years.”
That is because Nathan Wiseman was a throwback to the doctors of yore, doctors who were constantly on call 24 hours a day. “I used to have trouble finishing a round of golf as I would get calls while on the course,” he recalls. “Even when we were away on holiday, I might still receive the occasional call. We were in Hawaii once when I got a call from a colleague who wanted me to operate on his daughter. He was prepaired to wait until I returned and did the surgery right after we got back.”
A fourth generation Winnipegger who grew up in West Kildonan, the son of the late Sam and Cecilia (Cissie) Wiseman says that he was inspired to pursue a career in medicine in general and pediatric surgery specifically by the examples of his own pediatrician, Dr. Harry Medovy as well as popular north Winnipeg pediatrician Dr. Percy Barsky.
There was also the influence of his peer group. “A lot of my friends were oriented towards medical careers,” he recalls.
Wiseman was accepted into the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine in 1964 when he was still 19. “I was the youngest of 70 students in my class,” he says.
While enrolled in medicine – during the summers – he had the opportunity to work on a research project with Dr. Colin Ferguson, the city’s leading pediatric surgeon, who became the young Wiseman’s mentor and role model.
Wiseman completed his general medical degree in 1968 and then proceeded to specialize in pediatric surgery – a journey that took him to Boston Children’s Hospital, which is affiliated with Harvard University. On his return to Winnipeg in 1975, he became our city’s first certified pediatric surgeon.
“I had to go to Vancouver to take the certification exam,” he notes “Colin Ferguson went with me. He was my examiner and it was the first year the exam was offered.”
Up to that point, he explains, surgery on children was performed by general surgeons who took an interest in children. “But there are many specific surgical conditions for which children require a specialist’s approach.”
In an excerpt about her husband in her book “Healing Lives: A Century of Manitoba Jewish Physicians,” Eva Wiseman notes that Nathan served as head of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at the Children’s Hospital for 14 years. He also taught medical students and surgical residents, did clinical research, published widely and served as President of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Surgeons. He was also an examiner of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and was a governor of the American College of Surgeons.
In recent years, Wiseman’s workload has been lessened with the addition of several more pediatric surgeons at the Children’s Hospital; there are six in total now. Wiseman says that he appreciates that he had opportunity to encounter a much wider range of uncommon children’s medical problems than do pediatric surgeons working in larger numbers who spread the load more broadly.
Wiseman notes that he has performed tens of thousands of surgeries of all kinds over the years at Children’s Hospital and St. Boniface Hospital. He especially enjoyed doing surgery on tiny newborn infants. He also found that surgery for malignancies in children was challenging and rewarding. On top of all that he did more than 20,000 circumcisions. He relates that he often runs into former patients – now adults – or parents of former patients – who come up to him to express their gratitude for surgeries he did years before.
While he has continued his practice longer than most – if not all of his contemporaries – and he still retains his vigour and strength (presumably his many years on the links have helped) as he nears 80 (not his golf score), he says the it was time to retire.
“A dear friend of mine – who died too young – once remarked that the longer you continue too work- the less time you will have left after you stop working,” Wiseman observed.
Not that Wiseman is walking away entirely- at least not yet. He reports that he will still be going into the hospital from time to time should he be needed – and that he is working in his daughter’s clinic for a few hours a week.
(Dr. Marni Wise-man- one of 23 doctors in the Wiseman extended family- is a dermatologist and medical director of SkinWise dermatology. Nathan is also proud of his son Sam, who is a Professor of Surgery at the University of British Columbia.)
With more free time, Nathan Wiseman is looking forward to more time for golf and travel with Eva. He is considering writing his own light-hearted book provisionally titled “Memoir of a Paediatric Surgical Curmudgeon.”
Local News
Inspirational Gray Academy teacher Sheppy Coodin retiring
By MYRON LOVE After 20 years at Gray Academy – and 30 years overall as a teacher, Dr. Sheppy Coodin is retiring – leaving behind many indelible memories – not only for himself but also for the numerous students he has taught over the years.
“I tried to inspire my students – and I was in turn inspired by them,” says Coodin, the son of Kayla and the late Fischel Coodin, who was one of the longest serving teachers currently teaching at the school.
The beloved biology teacher’s relationship with our community’s Jewish school system actually goes back much longer than 20 years. He is an alumnus of both the former Talmud Torah School and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate and his father-in-law, Jerry Cohen, served as principal of Joseph Wolinsky for 17 years – from 1980-1997.
Coodin recounts that his teachers at Joseph Wolinsky – in particular the Grysmans and Binenfelds – inspired his passion for Judaism.
Coodin earned his Ph.D. in Biology from Western University – graduating in 1993. He says though, that his goal all along had been to become a teacher. After Western, he and his late wife, Naomi, returned to Winnipeg where he earned his B. Ed at the University of Manitoba.
He first taught for a year in the Seven Oaks School System – followed by eight years at St. John’s-Ravenscourt. At Ravenscourt, he taught Grade 8-12 Sciences.
Coodin taught at Ravenscourt for eight years before moving to Gray Academy. At the latter, he taught high school Biology and Judaic Studies.
Coodin describes Gray Academy as a very special school. “My colleagues and the students – we are a family,” he observes.
One important trait that Coodin brought to his role as a teacher was his enthusiasm. “I have always loved lesson planning,” he says. “I loved the challenge of finding new ways to help my students connect with the material.
Coodin also has one talent that is unique among his fellow teachers: He can juggle…no, not in the sense of juggling responsibilities – but real juggling. It was an avocation that he learned in high school. In his younger days, he occasionally worked children’s birthday parties as “Sheppy the Clown” – an act that naturally included juggling.
And from his first year as a teacher, he taught interested students to juggle as part of his school’s extracurricular activities. At Gray Academy, he started a yearly Purim variety show which included his student jugglers as well as other students and staff offering stand-up comedy, song and dance.
He happily reports that the variety shows will continue even though he will no longer be a part of them.
Living and modelling an observant Jewish life has also been important to Coodin. For 30 years, Jewish scholar Barry Bender form New York would fly into Winnipeg in January – with a dozen yeshiva students, to lead a weekend Shabbaton for the school’s high school students – a Shabbaton that Coodin was involved in helping organize.
That came to an end with the Covid lockdowns in 2020 but, Coodin reports, last year, he and his fellow teachers organized their own Shabbaton for their students.
“All 14 of us high school teachers who went were actively involved,” he points out.
Another initiative that Coodin started – with fellow Gray Academy High school teacher Avi Posen (who made aliyah in 2019) was the annual “Shabbat Unplugged.” The two created Shabbat Unplugged in 2016 with the idea of building on the annual high school Shabbaton and organizing an annual Shabbaton for Jewish university students, not only from Winnipeg, but also from other Western Canadian Jewish communities.
The Shabbaton is now run by Hillel, he notes. “It was nice to be invited back by (Hillel director) Raya (Margulets),” Coodin commented in an interview with the Post a few months back. “Raya is also a former student of mine who took part in the 2017 Shabbat Unplugged.”
One of the highlights of his teaching career at Gray Academy, he notes, was being able to teach his own sons, Yoni and Elly. “That was really special,” he recalls.
In retirement, he says, he is looking forward to spending time at Gimli over the summer with his partner, Leslie Singer, who is also retiring from teaching this year. “I am planning on renewing my gym membership and getting back to golf,” he continues. “Leslie and I will most likely do some traveling in the fall. I am also looking forward to spending time with family. ”
And though his teaching career is at an end, Coodin fully expects to keep in touch with many of his former students.
Local News
Winnipegger Mark Joseph leading efforts to fund treatment for rare genetic disorder that afflicted his daughter
By MYRON LOVE It’s not likely that many readers are familiar with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), but it is a condition that Mark and Jennifer Joseph know all too well, as their ten-year-old daughter, Darwin, lives with this disorder.
Prader-Willi Syndrome is a rare life-threatening genetic disorder that occurs in approximately one out of every 15,000 live-births. PWS affects many aspects of an individual’s life. A particular symptom is a relentless and insatiable hunger.
“We were fortunate that we were living in Toronto when Darwin was born so that we had access to many, many specialists and the Hospital for Sick Children,” says Mark, a pilot with Westjet who moved to Winnipeg in 2021. Immediately at Darwin’s birth the doctors knew there was something atypical about Darwin. The room flooded with specialists to assess and treat the newborn, who was labelled “failure to thrive,” as she was as limp as a rag doll, and wasn’t crying. “This was definitely one of the scariest and most traumatic experiences of our lives,” adds Mark.
“The hospital’s lead paediatrician had no experience with PWS, but remembered hearing of it. Genetic testing began, and by one-month-of-age, we had a definitive diagnosis of Prader-Willi Syndrome – a diagnosis that would change the trajectory of our lives,” notes Jennifer.
“Darwin’s diagnosis required us to become experts in her condition,” says Mark, who is the newly installed President and Chair of the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research Canada. “Most medical professionals have never encountered anyone living with it. We had to learn all we could to best advocate for our daughter so that we could have the best possible outcome for her future.”
“Darwin’s early years were filled with therapies – physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, hippotherapy, even feeding therapy, as an infant due to her low muscle tone. We still have therapies, but nothing like in Darwin’s first year of life. Before the age of one, we had attended over 165 medical appointments and therapies. It was exhausting and mentally very hard. This was our first child and definitely not how we had envisioned parenthood,” says Jennifer.
As Darwin has aged, her insatiable appetite has grown with her. In order to keep her safe and provide her a bit of independence in her own home, Darwin’s parents have had to put locks on the fridge and pantry. “Anywhere that food is stored needs to be locked. This helps us keep Darwin safe from overeating, as individuals with PWS have a high pain threshold and can unfortunately eat until they rupture their stomach. But it also helps Darwin manage her food-related anxiety so she doesn’t have to worry about gaining access to food and hurting herself,” notes Mark.
Food needs to be controlled and scheduled in any environment in which Darwin is present. Her school has taken great lengths to ensure food safety and open communication about food-related activities. Every meal has to be nutritious and portion controlled, as not only is Darwin always hungry, her slow metabolism requires her to need only half the typical calories of her peers – otherwise she will face life-threatening obesity and its related diseases.
Locally, on Sunday, June 9, Mark and Jennifer – in conjunction with three other Winnipeg families who are raising children with PWS, organized their second annual “One Small Step” Walk for Prader-Willi Syndrome Research at Kildonan Park. Mark reports that this year’s walk attracted 130 participants and raised over $22,000 – about $6,000 more than last year.
The funding, he reports, is being directed toward research. Clinical trials are taking place around the world to help understand the mechanisms of Prader-Willi Syndrome and investigate new treatments. One such trial is being conducted by Dr. Jennifer Miller, a professor and researcher in the division of Paediatric Endocrinology at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Miller, the world’s leading specialist in PWS, currently works with over 500 patients with Prader-Willi Syndrome from around the world, and has been working towards achieving an effective treatment for hyperphagia (insatiable hunger) for the past 12 years.
The Josephs report that research may be close to a breakthrough in developing a treatment that can minimize some of the more challenging aspects of PWS. “Right now, Darwin is in public school,” Mark notes. “She can read and write and is fairly high functioning, but she is constantly hungry and anxious about food and distracted by the desire to attain food. This obviously has a huge effect on her ability to concentrate and learn. Without treatment, she will not be able to manage the demands of high school or look forward to a career.”
“A treatment will be life-changing for her and for us as a family – she may be able to lead a full and independent future… something we never thought we’d see in the early days of her diagnosis,” adds Jennifer. “Mark himself was responsible for much of the increase in the amount of money raised at this year’s walk thanks to the extensive network of contacts that he has built up over the years through his career in the aviation industry, and as a part of the Jewish community.
“A lot of people are willing to help, but they don’t know how,” Mark observes. “Our fundraising walk provides focus for friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers who want to help.”
For Mark, this is his second go-around in Winnipeg. He previously lived and worked here in 2008. That was when he met Jennifer. He himself is originally from Toronto. He notes that his father is from Haifa and his mother grew up as part of a small Jewish community in Cornwall – which is about 90 km southeast of Ottawa. Although his wife Jennifer is not Jewish, the couple agreed to raise their children – Darwin and younger brother Edison, in the Jewish faith.
“In Ontario, we were living in an area called the Blue Mountains, two hours north of Toronto, and there was no Jewish community,” Mark notes, “So when the pandemic happened, we decided that it was time to move back to Winnipeg to be closer to Jenn’s friends and family. Knowing that there was a large and vibrant Jewish community here made the decision an easy one.”
The Josephs enrolled their son Edison in Gray Academy for junior and senior kindergarten, and then transferred him to the Brock Corydon Hebrew Bilingual program. “We want him to have a strong foundation and connection to his Jewish roots,” Mark says. And though Darwin is not enrolled in the Hebrew program, she enjoys many activities and programs through the Rady JCC. “We are looking forward to deepening our involvement in the Jewish community,”Mark adds.
Readers who would like to support the Josephs’ efforts to develop a treatment for PWS and alleviate the challenges that Darwin and those afflicted with PWS face, can do so by visiting their One Small Step fundraising page at: tiny.cc/70cpyz
To learn more about Prader-Willi Syndrome and the research being conducted you can visit: www.fpwr.ca or www.fpwr.org
Local News
Former Winnipeg JNF Shaliach and Ben-Gurion University Executive Director Ariel Karabelnicoff has new gig with Haifa University
By MYRON LOVE Ariel Karabelnicoff left an indelible mark on our community over the 16 years that he and his wife Grabriela and their daughters lived here. Originally from Argentina, Ariel and Gabriela came here – by way of Israel – in 2003.
On first arriving, Karabelnicoff worked for investment firm Jory Capital. Subsequently, by turn, he served as the State of Israel Bonds’ point man here, then executive director of the local chapter of the Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev – followed by filling the same role for the JNF here. In 2019, he was lured to Toronto by former employer Israel Bonds to serve as national sales director.
About two years ago, Karabelnicoff left Israel Bonds for a new gig as executive director of Canadian Friends of Haifa University.
“I was excited to take on this new role,” Karabelnicoff says. “I strongly believe in the importance of higher education. Higher education broadens the mind and is a path to opening doors to multiple opportunities in life. It is a key to social mobility.”
Karabelnicoff reports that, among the largest universities in Israel, the University of Haifa is the youngest. Fully accredited in 1972, he notes, the university has an enrolment of 18,000 students – with a student body that reflects the diversity of Israel’s population. About 40% of the students come from the Druze, Circassian and Arab communities and – among the Jewish students – there are many whose families are from Ethiopia.
The University of Haifa , he adds, also boasts the highest percentage – among Israeli universities – of students who are the first generation in their families to attend university.
The university has several campuses. The original campus – a 30-floor structure – on Mount Carmel – houses several faculties, among them the Faculty of Law – in its new building – and the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, which offers the only graduate program in Israel in that field. The Computer Science Faculty is located in the port area. The Faculty of Design and Architecture – formerly the Neri Bloomfield School of Design under Hadassah-WIZ Oauspices – is situated in Haifa’s German Colony neighbourhood.
Coming soon for the University of Haifa, Karabelnicoff reports, will be a new School of Medicine. “There is a serious doctor shortage in Israel,” he points out. “The plan is to work in cooperation with Carmel Hospital. The University of Haifa is proud to lead in the efforts to train medical doctors and to be able to serve and take care of the population in the north of Israel.”
He adds that, as a result of the ongoing war, thousands of young Israelis that fought and are fighting right now, will be able to receive treatment and rehabilitation to their injuries and physical disabilities at the “Rehabilitation Training Center,” which will be built as part of the new Medical School of the University of Haifa . The Center, he says, will be one of the most important facilities to be developed at the School of Medicine to train doctors in rehabilitation.
Karabelnicoff further reports that the new School of Medicine was inaugurated at an event during the recent Board of Governors meeting held on June 2, 2024. The school will start teaching its first 50 students in October 2025. In subsequent years 150 students a year will begin training annually.
The school will be built on the grounds of the main campus of the University of Haifa on Mt. Carmel. The capital campaign that was recently launched totals US $120 million. The university has already secured US$65 million – including US$50 million from the Amir Family, US$10 million more from the Bloom Family in Boston, and another US$5 million from other donors around the world so far.
The Canadian Friends of Haifa University, he notes, has been in operation since 1973. The Canadian chapter has been, until now, largely focused on Toronto. The new executive director is working to expand the CFHU outreach to other Canadian Jewish communities.
“There are a lot of Israelis living in Winnipeg, for example,” he says. “I have begun reaching out to them.
“I would also like to see if we could negotiate some joint programming between Haifa University and the University of Manitoba.”
Karabelnicoff reports that the school year, which was delayed by the October 7 attacks and the current ongoing IDF operation in Gaza, began at the beginning of January. “Things are slowly getting back to normal in Israel,” he says. “We had about 1,500 students and faculty fighting in the reserves. Two-thirds are back in class.”
A current fundraising goal for the CFHU is to raise money for students returning from the fighting to provide scholarships to help pay tuition and rent to make up what they had to sacrifice financially while serving in Gaza.
As an individual whose work history has been all about building relationships, Ariel Karabelnicoff may be just the man to expand CFHU’s footprint across Canada.
For readers interested in contacting Ariel about supporting Canadian Friends of Haifa University, his email address is ariel.karabelnicoff@haifa-univ.ca.