club no. 101 chartered with probus canada

   Probus Club of Ottawa Alta Vista

   sponsored by the rotary club of ottawa

SPEAKER PROGRAM

March 26th, Michael Allen, MD, MSc
Katalin Karikó - Covid 19 Vaccine

What's the connection between a 900-pound teddy bear (UK pounds sewn in, not weight) and a lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine?
It's Katalin Karikó, a Hungarian biochemist who, through decades of labouring in obscurity, rose from humble beginnings growing up in one room of a mud-walled home to become a Nobel Laureate. When most researchers doubted the usefulness of messenger RNA, she persisted in her belief in its potential which led to a completely new type of vaccine.
Along the way she and her husband raised a daughter who was a two-time Olympic gold medal athlete.
Michael Allen will relate the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine and the remarkable story of Katalin Karikó's life as told in her autobiography.

Michael Allen worked as a family physician in Nova Scotia for 17 years before joining Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine in 1994. In 2022 he retired as full professor in the Faculty's Office of Continuing Professional Development where he was Director of Evidence-based Programs.
In retirement he has been taking courses and reading popular books on mathematics, physics, and the life sciences, and enjoys sharing the knowledge he has acquired with other curious types.

April 23rd, Peggy Blair
Getting Published

Peggy J. Blair is a Canadian lawyer and author. She has been a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1990 and is a past member of the Law Society of Alberta (1982 - 1999). Peggy is considered an expert in Indigenous legal issues. After leaving active law practice, she became a mystery writer.
Peggy will talk about her "reverse trajectory" from being published by the Big Five (and being an internationally-acclaimed bestselling author) to being self-published and her future plans for ReBound Press.

Peggy Blair's first mystery novel, THE BEGGAR'S OPERA, was turned down 156 times before it was shortlisted for the U.K. Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award. She didn't win the prestigious award, but after a brief encounter with writer Ian Rankin (now Sir Ian) in a hotel bar in Harrogate the night before she headed home, he told her 156 rejections "wasn't too bad" and that she should contact his Canadian publisher and use his name.

As a result, she ended up represented by Rankin's U.K. agent, hit the Frankfurt Book Fair hotlist, and was published internationally to critical acclaim. The story of how Ian Rankin helped her was retold as far afield as the Sydney Herald in Australia, where the newspaper suggested that next time she should buy Rankin a beer.

THE BEGGAR'S OPERA (since renamed MIDNIGHT IN HAVANA after its U.K. title) won the Giller Prize Reader's Choice Award and was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Best Novel Award, among others. Peggy has since created her own imprint, Rebound Press, and her books can be purchased through reboundpress.com.

Stay Safe

Johnson Insurance

We have added a link to the Johnson Insurance web site (see "Links" page).
Johnson provides competitive rates for Probus members for all kinds of insurance, particularly travel insurance.
They are in the process of joining with Belair Direct, but this link will still give you access.

Guests and Visitors from other Clubs are welcome.

Meetings are at:

Gloucester Presbyterian Church
91 Pike Street
Ottawa K1T 3J6

Pike Street runs north from Hunt Club just west of Conroy. The church is at the corner of Lorry Greenberg and Pike. The parking lot entrance is off Pike.

... to stimulate thought, interest and participation in activities at a time in life when it is easy to become complacent and self-centred.