Welcome back to all of our faculty, staff and students! 2018 was a year of celebration of and reflection on our rich 150 years of history as an academic medical institution. It’s hard to believe we’re already a month into 2019 already. I trust everyone had a great holiday break. There is a lot going on so let me update you on a few key matters.
#DalMedForward Town Hall: Meeting and Exceeding Expectations in Research
Under our strategic planning banner, we will be hosting the second of three Town Halls to address each of our three pillars of activity in the Faculty of Medicine. The first Town Hall, under Education, took place back in October. The second, focussing on research will take place on Wednesday, February 27 from 5:15PM to 6:15PM at the following locations:
Halifax (Tupper Theatre A)
- Moncton Hospital (Room 1712)
- Fredericton (DECH 208)
- Saint John (DMNB 218)
- Miramichi Hospital (Room 3112)
- Upper River Valley Hospital (Room 14-021A)
The goal of the Town Hall will be to update faculty, staff and students on the progress made on the implementation of the Research Pillar of our strategic plan, #DalMedForward, through the report of Key Performance Indicators and other significant outcomes. We will check in on future directions and discuss any needed course corrections.
This Town Hall will be co-hosted by our Research strategic plan lead, Dr. Roger McLeod and will provide a forum for discussion of current or anticipated influencers on research over the next three years.
Recognizing our Academic All-Canadian Students
I am pleased to announce that two students from the Faculty of Medicine were named Academic All-Canadians for the 2017-18 school year. To qualify as an Academic All-Canadian, student-athletes must maintain a GPA of at least 3.50 over the academic year while competing in a varsity sport.
Stephanie Dennis (Class of 2020), a member of the women’s swim team, was named as an Academic All-Canadian for the second time. A former Canadian junior national team member and a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, Stephanie has volunteered with many different initiatives including as a public speaker with the Royal Canadian Air Force Speakers Bureau. She plans to pursue a career as a medical officer in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Jenna MacDonald (Class of 2021), a former captain of the cross country team, was named as an Academic All-Canadian for the fourth time. Also a Dean’s List student, Jenna is a three-time AUS all-star and earned both the AUS and U SPORTS community service awards in 2016. She volunteers with Big Brothers, Big Sisters and as a Swim Ability program teacher. She is also the Doctors Nova Scotia Kids Run Club coordinator.
Congratulations to Stephanie and Jenna!
Dr. Jean Marshall wins Canada’s top immunology award
Dalhousie immunology professor Dr. Jean Marshall has captured Canada’s top academic prize in her field, the Bernhard Cinader Award. She is the first Dalhousie faculty member to receive the prestigious prize, given annually by the Canadian Society for Immunology (CSI) to a “Canadian scientist who exemplifies distinguished scientific leadership and accomplishments in immunology.”
“CSI is a very well-established organization that has led the way for immunology in Canada,” says Dr. Marshall, who joined Dalhousie Medical School’s Department of Microbiology & Immunology in 1997 and headed the department from 2005 to 2015. “To receive this award from CSI, from my peers across the country, is special.”
Dr. Marshall is best known for her contributions to our understanding of the innate immune system—the fundamental immunity we are born with—in particular the role of mast cells. These are “master regulator” cells that recruit other immune cells to respond to allergens, pathogens and other insults to the system. She is one of the lead researchers in Dalhousie Medical School’s I3V (Inflammation, Infection, Immunity & Vaccinology) Wave 1 research team.
You can read more about this story in Dal Med News.
Dr. Stan Kutcher appointed to the Senate of Canada
Dr. Stan Kutcher, a professor in Dalhousie Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry, has been named to the Senate of Canada.
He was among four new appointments announced last week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He’ll serve as an independent senator representing Nova Scotia.
The Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health at Dalhousie University and the IWK Health Centre, Dr. Kutcher is the former director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Mental Health Policy and Training at Dalhousie University and the IWK Health Centre. In 2014, he was inducted into the Order of Nova Scotia.
You can read more about this story in Dal Med News.
New DMNB Appointment – Dr. Daniel Dutton
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Daniel J. Dutton, Assistant Professor Community Health & Epidemiology, effective January 2, 2019. Dr. Dutton will be based at our DMNB campus and joins a growing field of health researchers in New Brunswick.
Dr. Dutton has completed a two-year term as a Post-Doctoral Scholar at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. His current research falls into three general categories: social and health economics, applied policy, and computational epidemiology. Currently his work focuses on homelessness, housing, and governmental policy. He also has an interest in methodological practice, including how research is done in applied epidemiology and the questions researchers answer.
Appointment of Dr. David Gass, Interim Head of the Department of Family Medicine
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. David Gass as Interim Head of the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Gass has served as a professor in the Department of Family Medicine since 1978. Throughout this time, he has undertaken various teaching, leadership and research roles, including a previous role as Interim Department Head.
Dr. Gass’ leadership has included three years as Director of Primary Health Care and six years as Physician Advisor to Physician Health Human Resource Planning in the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness. From 2008 until 2010, Dr. Gass served as the Chief of Medical Staff at the Cumberland Health Authority with a focus on recruitment and implementing interprofessional teams in rural settings. His work has focused on ensuring that health system and human resource planning responds to population and community health needs. Dr. Gass has received awards from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) for his leadership and contributions to family medicine and medical education. He has been a member of, and chaired, numerous CFPC committees and was the former Chair of the Canadian Medical Association Committee on Ethics.
In announcing Dr. Gass’ appointment I want to also thank Dr. Greg Archibald, who has served as Department Head since 2010. Under Dr. Archibald’s leadership, the Department has greatly advanced its academic contributions and strategic goals, including expansion of family medicine residency training sites and enhancing distributed medical education opportunities throughout the Maritime provinces.
Call for Applications: Assistant Dean, Clinical Research
We are now in the process of recruiting an Assistant Dean, Clinical Research who will be key in the development, implementation and outcome assessment of the Research pillar of the Faculty of Medicine’s strategic plan. Working with the Associate Dean, the Assistant Dean, Clinical Research, will help lead Dalhousie’s efforts in this area and will facilitate and enhance the quality and quantity of clinical research performed by clinicians in the Faculty of Medicine.
A full job description can be found here. [PDF 637 KB]
Applications and the completed Self-Identification Questionnaire are due no later than February 22, 2019, and should be sent to the attention of Dr. Roger McLeod, Associate Dean Research Faculty by email to sandy.bennett@dal.ca.
The successful candidate will succeed Dr. Sultan Darvesh who will be completing two very successful terms in this role in June 2019.
CIHR Project Grant (Fall 2018) Competition Results
The results are in for the CIHR Project Grant (Fall 2018) competition. Of 35 applications from Dalhousie, six have been funded; a success rate of 17.1%. Of 42 applications from Dalhousie, IWK, and NSHA combined, eight have been funded; a success rate of 19%. The national success rate for this competition was 16.2%.
For a full list of the results from the fall CIHR Project Grant Competition, click here. [Excel 168 KB]
Congratulations to the award recipients.
Euphoria! 2019
Always a highlight on the medical school calendar, this year’s production of Euphoria marks the 50th anniversary of the annual student-led event.
Taking place on Saturday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Euphoria provides all four classes of medical students the chance to work together to produce creative and comical skits with the goal of raising $50,000 for Maritime charities. Proceeds from this year’s show will support Hestia House, a Saint John, N.B. shelter for women and children who have experienced abuse, and Camp Gencheff, a recreational camp in Stratford, P.E.I. for children, adolescents and adults with special needs.
A silent auction is taking place on the evening of the performance that will further help with fundraising efforts.
Tickets are available now at the Dalhousie Arts Centre Box Office.
2019 Annual Faculty Meeting
Save the date! The 2019 Annual Faculty Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 5PM AST. An agenda will be circulated closer to the date.
There is still lots of winter left! Until next time, remember to stay warm, and please provide feedback about the topics mentioned above, or other matters that are of interest to you.