As usual, the medical school is a hub of activity. I’ve summed up the most recent happenings below.
Graduation time
It’s convocation season at Dal, and I wish the Class of 2016 – and the faculty and staff who’ve supported them over the years – congratulations.
Whether you’re heading off to a residency program, or moving into the next chapter of your research career, I hope you reflect fondly on your time at Dalhousie Medical School. You’ll soon be part of a global network of Dal grads – a network that extends across the Maritimes, the country, and the world. I encourage you to call upon this alumni community as you move forward in your chosen professions.
I look forward to seeing you cross the stage.
Mock accreditation of UGME program helps us get ready for real deal
Since my last update, our mock accreditors visited the medical school. They were on campus April 7th and gave us great feedback to work from. Their visit really sparked our accreditation ramp-up, and you’ll be hearing from me, and others, as we gear up for February. We’re going to need the support of faculty, staff, and students in advance of the review by the Committee on the Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools. So, stay tuned.
Strategic plan town halls well attended
I’d like to sincerely thank those who participated in our strategic plan town halls. From my perspective, they were very well attended. We took lots of notes and our working groups have returned to their desks to incorporate the thoughts and ideas that were presented to us. While we’re on the home stretch – the next iteration of the plan will be presented at the June 7th faculty meeting – we’re still open to feedback. The briefs that were developed in advance of the town halls can be found on the dean’s page. If you have additional insights, please send them to our facilitator, Wayne Marsh (wmarsh@ns.sympatico.ca).
Clinical Investigator Program attracts lots of interest
It’s exciting to see how much interest there is in our Clinical Investigator Program (CIP). I was able to attend part of the annual CIP retreat, and was pleased to learn we have eighteen residents enrolled as clinician-scientist trainees. Because of their high level of both clinical and research involvement, clinician-scientists are uniquely positioned to lead the way in advancing the health research agenda in the future.
Humanities conference highlights mental health in Canadian Forces
A couple of weekends ago, I attended our humanities conference. It was a great celebration of the arts in medicine. The presentations were thoughtful and engaging. I especially enjoyed the keynote by Colonel Rakesh Jetly. A psychiatrist with the Canadian Armed Forces, he gave a powerful talk on war’s impact on military personnel. Post-traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related stresses affect our soldiers, sailors, and aircrew at alarming rates.
On the Saturday evening of the conference, the Gold Headed Cane dinner, sponsored by our humanities program, took place. It was the largest turnout in the 14-year history of this event. Dr. David Hasse received the Faculty of Medicine Gold Headed Cane, and the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Nova Scotia awarded its cane to Dr. Mandi Irwin.
Congratulations to Dr. Wendy Stewart, director of Medical Humanities-HEALS, who coordinated both of these events.
Awards and accolades
Members of our medical school community are continually receiving awards, recognitions, and a variety of different honours. To name a few, Dr. Roy Duncan was recently honoured with a Killam Chair, several of our DMNB students were awarded Killam pre-doctoral scholarships, and first-year med student Connor McGuire won last weekend’s Bluenose Marathon 10km – by a large margin.
For a full list of the most recent accolades, visit our website.