March 18, 2020

Good evening everyone,

In these extraordinary times, decisions and changes are being made to best address the balance in health and safety of our staff, learners and faculty, with the educational and research needs of our students, residents and faculty.

I thank all of our staff, faculty, students, and residents for their ongoing dedication to their activities as we move through unprecedented challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones and do not hesitate to reach out for support.

Dr. David Anderson
Dean, Faculty of Medicine

Update
In an effort to better communicate new developments within the Faculty of Medicine, our COVID-19 webpage: https://medicine.dal.ca/news/covid.html has been redesigned to help you quickly find the information that pertains to you. The following is predominantly new information pertaining to recent developments. For other relevant information regarding the Faculty of Medicine’s response to COVID-19, please refer to the above webpage.

UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION
Clinical Clerkships
In light of recent developments, we have determined that it is not operationally feasible, nor appropriate for our students to continue with the clinical clerkship program.

After careful thought, and to align with the decision-making of medical schools across North America, we have made the decision to suspend clinical clerkship rotations as of 5:00 p.m. today until at least April 14, 2020.

This was a very difficult decision. Our faculty have done an exceptional job of providing great learning experiences for our students. Our students are highly motivated and passionate about their work and have demonstrated their willingness to be members of the health care team in these challenging times. We thank all for their dedication and hard work and we very much look forward to seeing the day our clerks return to their clinical and educational duties in the hopefully near future.

We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more.

Med 1 & 2
Classes will be moving entirely online beginning March 23, 2020. You will be receiving an email update for login information to your classes no later than Friday, March 20, 2020. In-class activities will not resume before April 14th, 2020.

Thank you all for your patience as we have worked through the logistics of this transition. At this time, we encourage all students to stay in your home community or remain where you are most comfortable. We look forward to welcoming you back to campus in healthier times in the near future.

For detailed updates on your classes, please visit Faculty of Medicine COVID-19 website.

Research
The Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation has introduced new protocols and policies yesterday for researchers at Dalhousie University. The safety and well-being of our researchers, research staff, trainees and participants is of the utmost importance. The Medical Research Development Office has contacted the appropriate people and shared this information widely. Please visit the Research section on the Faculty of Medicine COVID-19 page for more details.

Research Nova Scotia and DMRF commit $750,000 in funding to COVID-19 research
It was announced today that Research Nova Scotia (RNS) will be contributing $600,000 in rapid response match funding from its Research Opportunities Fund to Dr. David Kelvin of Dalhousie University. The Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation has also awarded a $250,000 grant to support Dr. Kelvin.

Dr. Kelvin, along with his international network of research colleagues, are looking for a way to quickly identify the severity of the viral infection in those who test positive for COVID-19. Learn more…

Med Students: Help for Health Care Providers
We are incredibly proud and impressed by the initiative and leadership demonstrated by Dalhousie Medical students. Between March 23 and April 3, the medical students will partner with their fellow students in the health professions to offer free childcare, pickups/dropoffs of items, errands and provide other supports to health care and hospital workers in our communities. Learn more…

Office updates
As per Dalhousie University’s policy, several departments and offices within the Faculty of Medicine have transitioned to remote operations. These offices include: Resident Affairs, Student Affairs, Admissions, Global Health Office, Continuing Professional Development, and Undergraduate Medical Education. It is important to note that all are fully operational but may have new modes of contact. An updated list of contact information can be found on the Faculty of Medicine COVID-19.

Questions
Thank you to everyone who has reached out with feedback and questions in this ever-changing environment and how it will impact your education, research or professional responsibilities. Please know that Faculty of Medicine Leadership is meeting daily to address concerns related to COVID-19. If your questions are not addressed on the website, please contact the Faculty of Medicine’s Communication Advisor, Jason Bremner (jason.bremner@dal.ca).

A reminder that the Public Health Agency of Canada, Nova Scotia Public Health, New Brunswick Public Health and PEI Public Health remain the best source for up-to-date public information on this rapidly changing situation. More information related to Dalhousie can be found at www.dal.ca/coronavirus.