April 9, 2020

Good evening everyone,

As we move into our fourth week experiencing the impacts of COVID-19 in the Maritime provinces, case numbers continue to increase, and tragically, our region has experienced its first COVID-19 related deaths. Clinical activities related to COVID-19 are ramping up with the operation of designated assessment units and hospital wards to manage patients requiring medical attention. As we head into this long weekend of great religious significance to many, we give thanks to our residents, faculty, other health care workers, and our student volunteers who are doing so much to keep us safe.

Under usual circumstances, our Student Affairs Office and student leaders would be busy planning graduation activities and convocation week for our graduating Medical Class of 2020. Although convocation will not move forward as it has in years past, preparations are being made to ensure that the class of 2020 will be properly recognized for their tremendous accomplishments. We will be sharing more information as soon as it is available.

The transition to virtual learning continues this week, as we prepare to hold Med 1 and Med 2 exams utilizing virtual proctoring software. This will enable students to take exams at home while allowing the exam process to proceed in a controlled environment.

For those upcoming graduates who are scheduled to be starting their residency placements at Dalhousie on July 1^st, there is much to be done to prepare. Information sessions are being planned for our future residents to meet with Dr. Andrew Warren (Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education) and Dr. David Bowes (Assistant Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education) to have their questions answered, and help make this transition into residency as seamless as present circumstances allow.

For our students, staff, faculty and friends, please continue with public health measures and stay safe. Holiday weekends are often a time for family gatherings and a great time to get away, but it’s more important than ever for us to continue social distancing measures. With no clear end in site, we must adhere to the best advice put in place by Public Health to minimize the risk of spread of this deadly infection. These measures are especially difficult when we would like to celebrate the holidays, but I encourage you all to support our health care workers by staying home.

Have a safe long weekend,

Dr. David Anderson
Dean, Faculty of Medicine

Update
This communication is to provide updates of events over the over the past week. For details on more Faculty of Medicine-specific information related to COVID-19, please visit: https://medicine.dal.ca/news/covid.html.

Tri-council Research Funding
This week, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) announced that Dr. Shelly McNeil, Head of Infectious Diseases at the Nova Scotia Health Authority, and Professor in the Department of Medicine, and her colleagues, have been awarded almost $1 million in funding to gather data related to COVID-19 symptoms. Their research will also explore possible treatments and risk factors, which will inform Canada’s public health response to COVID-19. This work will be performed through the Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN). Dr. McNeil joins an increasing list of Dalhousie scientists who are funded to study the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two other colleagues received major research awards from Social Science and Humanities Research Council. Dr. Sandra Meier, Assistant Professor and Tier II Canada Research Chair in the Department of Psychiatry received a four-year research award evaluating the impact of social media on mental well being.  Dr. Anna McLeod, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Education, also received a four-year award for her evaluation of teaching students about death and dying in medical school.

K.G. McKenzie Award for Clinical Neuroscience Research
Congratulations also goes to Dr. Mark MacLean, a second-year neurosurgery resident in the Faculty of Medicine who recently received the K.G. McKenzie Memorial Prize for Clinical Neuroscience Research – the top research prize in Canada for a neurosurgery resident.

For more information on Dr. MacLean’s well-deserved prize, please visit Dal Med News.

Postgraduate Medical Education
For residents completing Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada specialty training programs and originally scheduled exams this spring, the College has announced today that oral exams have been cancelled and will no longer be part of the examination process. These residents will have written exams scheduled for the fall of 2020. Residents are directed to visit the RCPSC website for more information.

Graduate Students: Lab2MarketHealth
For our graduate students, please have a look at a new innovative program Lab2MarketHealth, a virtual program hosted by Dalhousie and Ryerson Universities, that will provide training and support to students and researchers looking to bring innovative health solutions to market.

This program is looking for graduate students with big ideas who believe their tech research can solve real world problems (such as COVID-19 related issues). Together with the direct involvement of the faculty supervisors and the support of mentors, graduate students will go through a program that provides the resources, training and guidance needed to take their innovation from lab to market.

Deadline to apply is April 17^th. Learn more at, www.lab2market.ca

Extension of NSERC Discovery Grants
To lessen the negative impact of COVID-19 on research, the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) announced this week that all active holders of Discovery Grants can elect to receive a one-year extension with funds at their current funding level. This includes grants from the recent 2020 competition. For more information, please visit the NSERC website. For previous research related announcements please visit https://medicine.dal.ca/news/covid.html

Accessing Campus for Work Activities
Faculty and staff are reminded that, if you require access to buildings at DMNS or DMNB, to first check in with the appropriate contact person.

For Carlton campus, Building Services is managing non-research-related access. If you need to visit campus, please contact Paul Bourgeois (Paul.Bourgeois@dal.ca). For research related access please notify Dr. Roger McLeod (Roger.McLeod@dal.ca).

Access to the DMNB building is limited to essential services and functions only. Staff access is restricted to picking up essential items to support their continuing work. These visits must be submitted for approval to Ken Lerette (Kenneth.Lerette@dal.ca). Please provide 24 hours notice in advance of your visit if possible. Staff are reminded to be brief and ensure you complete your business in one visit.

ProjectDal
In response to the financial hardships experienced by many at Dalhousie as a result of COVID-19, Dalhousie recently launched new crowdfunding campaigns on ProjectDAL.
There are three ways people can help:

1. Supporting the Student Emergency Relief Fundwill help students facing urgent financial hardships. The money raised will go towards travel, housing or food costs for students.
2. The Student Technology Fundwill ensure all students have access to the technology they need to continue their studies remotely. It will help mitigate the cost of equipment, such as laptops, computer rentals or mobile internet devices for those without internet access.
3. Lastly, the Community Connection Project will enable the Dal community to offer support by means of jobs, mentorship or housing solutions.

Faculty of Medicine Awards of Excellence in Leadership
As a reminder, I encourage you to take some time to consider who you could nominate for our various faculty awards as well as our Faculty of Medicine Awards of Excellence in Leadership, which celebrate the incredible contributions of our staff in administrative, technical and clerical support roles, professional and managerial positions, and those in academic leadership roles.

During times such as these, it’s especially encouraging to acknowledge the impact these contributions have on the Faculty of Medicine. The deadline to submit a nomination is April 30, 2020.

Questions
Thank you to everyone who has reached out with feedback and questions during this ever-changing period and have expressed how this is impacting your education, research or professional responsibilities. Please know that we are meeting regularly to address your questions and communicate the answers to you in a timely manner. If your questions aren’t answered here, or on the website, please contact the Faculty of Medicine’s Communications Advisor, Jason Bremner (jason.bremner@dal.ca).  Again for further information related to the impact of COVID-19 in the Faculty of Medicine, please visit our website at https://medicine.dal.ca/news/covid.html.

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.