About the Invention

Dr. Mary Beth Bowen-Yacyshyn is a research associate at the University of Alberta. With her husband, Dr. Bruce Yacyshyn, who is also an associate professor at the university, Mary Beth is developing and testing new therapies which can be used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis. These diseases are chronic and can afflict both children and adults. Although the cause of the diseases are not known, it is believed that hereditary and environment play a big role in the beginning and continuing of the disease. Some of the therapies are presently in clinical trials in several groups of patients all over the world. As well, a new blood test for Crohn's is presently being developed and validated. Mary Beth's husband has a patent on this particular test.

Recently, Dr. Mary Beth Bowen-Yacyshyn received the Canadian Women's Mentor Award in Science and Technology for helping young women achieve their personal and professional goals. Student Robyn Harrison, who worked for two years in Dr. Bowen-Yacyshyn's lab, nominated her for the award.

About the Inventor

Mary Beth Bowen-Yacyshyn's busy 'work day' day starts at 6:30 a.m. By 7:30, she has made breakfast for her two small daughters and packed lunches. By 8:15, she is on the road to her children's school where she talks to teachers, sees some of her children's current projects and reads with the kindergarten students. Her 'other job' begins at 9:00 and, during the rest of the day, she touches base with the technicians who work at her lab, her students, as well as doing her own work, which includes data analysis, writing papers and reports, and more. Evenings at her home are just as busy with dinner, children's homework, reading stories to the children before bed, and catching up on the day's work.

It sounds all too familiar, doesn't it? Like so many other women, Dr. Mary Beth Bowen-Yacyshyn has successfully evolved a career as well as taking care of a family.

She attributes her success in both areas to the fact that she has been lucky to be surrounded by successful people. Her father and two grandfathers were happy and accomplished in their careers, as was her mother in her life. Her husband, too, is successful and hardworking in his career and family. Their support and advice was crucial for the development of her self-esteem and abilities. They provided her with a solid background when it came time for the tests she faced in university and graduate school, as well as in the work place. Her father, grandfathers, and husband taught her to "Never let anyone else tell you what you are capable of doing — you know it yourself — you just get it done."

Mary Beth Bowen-Yacyshyn was born in the USA and now lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband and three young daughters. She says she is learning to like winter. Her father was an opthamologist and she credits him with being the first person to tweak her curiosity. As a child, she was exposed to medicine because her father taught medical residents and fellows. Her home was filled with scientific and medical products such as 'Mr. Jones,' a skull which was used for certain operations to model eyes and, upon occassion, the refridgerator stored jars of cow eyes for her father's students.

Presently, Mary Beth is working on a number of projects "some new and exciting and some old and exciting" on inflammation and inflammatory bowel diseases. Personally, she is very satisfied knowing that she is doing her best and providing an interesting atmosphere for her own girls to grow up in, and for students to learn in.