Luanne Metz is a Canadian politician and clinical neurologist and researcher. She was elected member of the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. Since 2012 the Legislative Assembly has had 87 members, elected first past the post f ...

for

Calgary-Varsity Calgary-Varsity is a provincial electoral district in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The district was created in 1993 and returns a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. It comprises the communities of Varsity, Dalhousie, Brentwo ...

in the

2023 Alberta general election The 2023 Alberta general election was held on May 29, 2023. Voters elected the members of the 31st Alberta Legislature. The United Conservative Party under Danielle Smith, the incumbent Premier of Alberta, was re-elected to a second term with a ...

. She is known for her work in the field of

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

(MS) and has been recognized globally as an expert in the field.

Education and career

Metz received her MD from the

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

in 1983. Metz then went on to study

internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. She completed her

neurology Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine) , medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous syst ...

residency at the University of Calgary and became a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada () is a regulatory college which acts as a national, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada. The ...

in 1988. She completed a fellowship in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology in 1989. Metz has been a faculty member of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences within the University of Calgary's

Cumming School of Medicine The Cumming School of Medicine (previously Faculty of Medicine) is the medical school of the University of Calgary. It was established in 1967 and adopted its current name in 2014. It is one of two medical schools in Alberta and one of 17 in Ca ...

and has held several positions within the department, as well as in Alberta Health Service, including MS Clinic director and Section Chief of Neurology, and research director. In 2020, Dr. Metz acted as the associate facility medical director for the

Foothills Medical Centre Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) is the largest hospital in the province of Alberta and is located in the city of Calgary. Foothills Medical Centre provides healthcare services to over two million people from Calgary, and surrounding regions includ ...

. She is recognized for her work in developing the Calgary MS Clinic and for her development of a bench-to-bedside translational research program. She has conducted research on a variety of topics related to MS, including clinical trial design, the development of novel therapies, and the study of oral corticosteroids and vitamin D. In 2020, Metz founded Eyes Forward Alberta, a political action committee to "fight back against what she considers an approaching move to privatize Alberta healthcare." Metz was also the neurology representative and academic representative for the

Alberta Medical Association The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) is a provincial affiliate of the Canadian Medical Association, established in 1889 in the Canadian province of Alberta. It describes itself as an "advocate for its physician members, providing leadership an ...

, and the founding president of the Canadian Network of MS Clinics.

Recognition and awards

Metz has been recognized globally as an expert in MS and has published extensively on the topic. She has also received several grants for her research and has led over 50 industry-sponsored clinical trials. She has served on several international data and safety monitoring boards and has designed and completed her own investigator-initiated studies. In 2015, she was awarded the Alberta Medal of Distinguished Service for her contributions to the medical profession and the people of Alberta. She was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in 2020, as well as a recipient of the Watanabe Distinguished Achievement award from the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine in 1999, and the Calgary Women of Achievement award from

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

Calgary in 2001.

Political career

In December 2021, Metz announced that she would be running as the NDP candidate in the upcoming provincial election for the Calgary-Varsity district. She decided to run for office after becoming upset with the UCP's push to privatize healthcare. NDP Leader Rachel Notley and the three current members of the Calgary NDP Caucus attended a press conference announcing Metz's candidacy. In the election, she won the seat, defeating incumbent and former Minister of Health Jason Copping. As of June 21, 2024, she serves as the Official Opposition critic for Health.

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Metz, Luanne Living people Canadian neurologists Alberta New Democratic Party MLAs Women MLAs in Alberta 21st-century Canadian women politicians Politicians from Calgary University of Calgary alumni University of Toronto alumni Canadian physicians 1957 births 21st-century Canadian women physicians 20th-century Canadian women physicians 21st-century Canadian physicians 20th-century Canadian physicians Academic staff of the University of Calgary 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta