I hope everyone’s fall is going well. With the first snow last weekend, we may be tempted to start looking around the corner to the holiday season.
There is a lot going on that I want to update you about.
Celebrating recent successes
Members of the medical school community continue to receive accolades, and I want to single out a couple of people who’ve recently received major awards.
This has been an incredible few months for Dr. Uher, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Canada Research Chair in Early Intervention. Earlier in the fall, he was named a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists, and he’s just received the Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research.
Dr. Pat McGrath, Canada Research Chair and professor in the departments of Psychology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry, is the first recipient of the national Legacy of Leadership Award, which recognizes “exceptional individuals who have made long-lasting and outstanding contributions to advancing Canada’s health system.”
The College of Family Physicians of Canada recently acknowledged its 2016 award recipients. Drs. Samuel Daigle (NB), David Martell (NS), and Garth Slysz (PEI) were named family physicians of the year. Drs. Dean Wilson and Kristian Lobban were honored for their leadership. Dr. Maria Patriquin received a caring and compassion grant. And fourth-year medical student Matthew To was awarded the medical student scholarship.
Academic health sciences collaboration
For many years, the importance of strong collaboration between Dalhousie University and our allied health authorities has been emphasized. For the development of a true academic health sciences network, there needs to be alignment with goals and actions of the major partner organizations. This is why I’m pleased that the inaugural meeting of the Nova Scotia Executive Oversight Committee took place last week – an important new forum for senior leaders representing the faculties of medicine, dentistry, and health professions, along with the Nova Scotia Health Authority and IWK.
This group, which I’m currently chairing, represents the interdependence in our shared learning, research, and clinical service activities. We’ll focus on common issues and opportunities. Planning together will help us align our efforts and address challenges in a more coordinated way. Between meetings, a smaller working group will get together to address more day-to-day matters related specifically to medical school programs.
I look forward to updating the medical school community on partnership initiatives.
Key accreditation milestone met
Last week, we marked a milestone in our undergraduate accreditation progress in anticipation of our full accreditation review.
Our self-study, which includes a detailed review document, a scorecard assessment, and two student questionnaires, was delivered to the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS).
The CACMS site team will now spend the next few months reviewing over 1000 pages of materials ahead of their visit.
I’d like to thank everyone who worked very hard over the past months to get our submission ready. I particularly want to acknowledge the work done by our students in pulling the complex questionnaire materials together. It truly has been a group effort, and the end result looks great!
Preparations are now underway to organize the site team’s visit to both Halifax and Saint John between February 26th and March 1st. The team will be meeting with students, faculty, and staff, and will be touring our educational and clinical facilities at both campuses.
For more information, please check out our accreditation website.
Focus on #DalMedForward implementation
At the end of October, I hosted my annual dean’s retreat. The goal of this year’s gathering was finalizing the implementation strategy for our five-year strategic plan, #DalMedForward.
Stakeholder participation is critical to the success of our plan. To this particular event, we invited participants from outside the medical school to provide us with input on where we are with our strategy. Representatives from Nova Scotia Health Authority, the IWK, the governments of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and provincial medical societies joined us. We also had participation from a number of Dalhousie colleagues.
The retreat offered great dialogue and engagement with partners. They each provided valuable feedback on our education, research, and serving & engaging society pillars.
On December 8th (5 – 6 p.m.), faculty, staff, and students are invited to hear about our implementation strategy and who will lead the next steps of #DalMedForward (details of the meeting are posted on DalMedix). The goal is to identify any outstanding implementation issues so that we’re ready to start delivering #DalMedForward in January. I hope to see you on the 8th.
Building leadership skills
At the end of October, our Continuing Professional Development office hosted a leadership forum for the medical school’s senior leadership team. It was a great opportunity to learn together, while building key leadership competencies among our group.
This year’s theme focused on coaching and mentoring. The event included a dynamic speed mentoring exercise, which built a good foundation for our leadership training. I look forward to hosting similar events in the future.
We’ve also introduced a program in academic leadership for clinical and basic science faculty. Emerging Leaders in Academic Medicine (ELAM) provides faculty with limited leadership experience with the chance to become more familiar with the functioning of the medical school and acquire knowledge and skills to take on expanded roles in our academic setting. Now in its second year, the program is quite popular – the fall program filled up quickly, and a waiting list for the next session is already building.
Creation of new program
In October, I announced that on January 1st, we’ll be merging the Division of Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development. Dr. Connie Leblanc will lead this merged unit as part of her associate dean role.
The purpose of the merger is to consolidate resources and expertise, in order to better facilitate initiatives across the spectrum of education. This new merged program, which will be named following a retreat in January, will, in part, enable the execution of our strategic plan.
I would like to thank Dr. Joan Sargeant for her leadership over the years, and particularly for being the head of the Division of Medical Education. She’s been instrumental in many of our educational programs and she is internationally known for her expertise in feedback. Joan will be retiring from Dalhousie in June. As we wish her well, we’ll miss her expertise and good humour.
Participate in Dal’s census
The Dalhousie census – Be Counted – is part of the university’s diversity and inclusiveness strategy, and I encourage all faculty, staff, and leaners to participate in the confidential survey. The census is brief and easy to complete.
Knowing the make-up of the university population is absolutely vital for Dalhousie University in general — and the Faculty of Medicine in particular — to make informed decisions on policy and planning, and to develop programs and initiatives where everyone feels welcome and supported.
Passing of Dr. Karen Mann
Many of you now know that Dr. Karen Mann, professor emeritus in the Division of Medical Education, passed away on November 28th.
Dr. Mann was a valued colleague to all of us. And we’ll always remember her intellect and kindness.
A funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 2nd, in Cathedral Lane, Halifax. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Pancreatic Cancer Canada or Save the Children.
Celebrate the holidays
As the holiday season approaches, schedules will get busier. So please remember to mark our annual holiday reception in your calendars.
On December 14th, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., we’ll be gathering in the Tupper Foyer to celebrate the season and all that we’ve accomplished in 2016. I look forward to sharing some holiday cheer.
Good luck with studies
I’m aware that all of our students are buckling down in preparation for exams before the holidays, and I send you my best wishes for success.