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From the Dean's Desk

'Scripts by David Anderson, MD

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Archives for September 2020

September 2020

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I hope all of you have enjoyed the outstanding weather we have had to date this fall and are enjoying the outdoors, the safest place to be during these COVID 19 times.  I know this has been an academic year unlike any other for our students, staff, and faculty.

Thank you to everyone for your patience, enthusiasm, and dedication as we move to virtual academic programming for much of our work.  I know this has not be a simple or easy transition for many, and I have listed a number of supports at the end of the blog to assist those who need help during this incredibly challenging and unique period in our lifetime.

The COVID 19 pandemic has taught us how quickly situations and society can change, and how important it is to be able to adapt to meet these changes. In addition to a rapidly changing work and learning environment, the pandemic has also highlighted social inequalities and turmoil.

At Dalhousie Medical School, we acknowledge that Dalhousie Medical School sits on the ancestral, unceded, and unsurrendered territory of the Mi’kmaq Nation. As Peace and Friendship Treaty beneficiaries, we have a responsibility to continuously educate ourselves and work in solidarity with Mi’kmaq and other Indigenous communities. We also recognize the histories, contributions, and legacies of the African Nova Scotian people who have been here for over 400 years.

Land acknowledgements are an act of reconciliation that respect and memorialize the traditional land we, as non-Indigenous Canadians, share with original peoples. They are also a chance to educate ourselves on our region’s Indigenous history.

As part of the Dalhousie community, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate with our university partners, health authorities, and organizations on events and actions related to diversity and inclusion, as well as the chance to connect with the broader community around the maritime provinces in these important matters.

Clinical Skills Training

This year, the hands-on learning that is so vital to medical training presents a challenge, yet I am continually impressed at how well our faculty members and staff have responded to the pandemic in creative and resourceful ways. Although a considerable portion of our education programs are virtual this fall (including lectures, tutorials, and some laboratories), strong efforts have been made to find solutions to ensure that face-to-face teaching for clinical skills do occur and will safety enable our first and second year medical students in Halifax and Saint John to learn the most important lessons of medical education; those that take place from engagement with patients and the public that we serve.

Thank you to the dedicated clinical skills leaders, and staff at the C3LR and DMNB buildings for making this possible.

Third- and Fourth-year medicine

I would like to acknowledge the Class of 2021 and wish them all the best as they head into their fourth and final year of medical school training. This is an especially exciting time of year for our fourth-year students as they will soon be starting their electives in anticipation of the results of their CARMS match in early 2022. This year all electives will be taking place in and throughout the Maritimes.

In wishing our fourth years well, I would also like to congratulate the class of 2022 who are starting their clerkship training at DMNS and DMNB. Clerkship is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and challenging parts of medical school, and we are committed in helping you succeed. Best wishes to all.

Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick: First Light Ceremony

On September 11th, I was delighted to welcome the Class of 2024 into the study of medicine in New Brunswick at the annual First Light Ceremony. The socially distanced event celebrated the beginning of our newest cohort’s journey into the world of medicine in their home province of New Brunswick. This is an event I look forward to every year, and I was pleased it was able to move forward considering the circumstances.

Details of the evening have been captured in a Dal Med News article and pictures of the First Light Ceremony can be found on the DMNB Facebook page.

South Shore Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship

I am pleased to share the launch of our second Nova Scotian Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) location on the South Shore took place on September 28. With the launch of the South Shore LIC, five third-year medical students will gain community-based education in the communities of Bridgewater, Lunenburg and Liverpool, under the supervision of local doctors during their 48-week clerkship.

The Longitudinal Clerkship is an approach to clerkship training that places third-year students in the same community setting for an entire academic year—in contrast to short rotations in different locations. Launched at Miramichi Regional Hospital in 2012-13, the LIC program provides students with the opportunity to get to know patients much better and to follow the progress of their clinical care for a much longer time than traditional rotations allow. It also strengthens their ties with a small community, giving them a better feel for the rewards of practising in this environment.

Since our first announcement of the South Shore LIC back in February, 10 additional community doctors and specialists have signed on as preceptors, bringing the total to over 50 physicians across multiple disciplines to oversee the hands-on medical education of our learners. This represents fantastic support.  It is also exciting to see how the South Shore community has embraced the opportunity to have medical students training within their communities.  A video prepared by the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore highlighting the launch can be viewed here.

RIM Research Day

Kudos to all for the success of the Sixth Annual RIM Research Day, held virtually on September 11. The RIM program at Dalhousie is truly unique in that all of our medical students have the opportunity to complete a research study over the course of their training: It’s a first of its kind in Canada, and it has produced exceptional student research. It is truly impressive to see the amount and breadth of research taking place at Dalhousie Medical School. With that, the results for several presentation categories are as follows:

  • Best Platform: Jacqueline Mincer, Class of ’22, DMNB, Jamestown Canyon and Snowshoe Hare Virus Seroprevalence in New Brunswick
  • Best Platform Runner Up: Colton Boudreau, Class of ’21, DMNS, Effect of Compound 21, a Selective Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Agonist, in an Abdominal Adhesion Murine Mode
  • Best Poster: Setareh Lahsaee, Class of ’21, DMNS, Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging and olfactory function in patients with early stage Alzheimer’s disease and Elyisha Hanniman, Class of ’21, DMNS, Utility of Virtual MR Elastography in the Detection and Diagnosis of Fibrotic Liver Disease
  • Best Poster Runner Up: Christopher Murphy, Class of ’23, DMNS, Clinical Outcomes of Primary versus Revision Surgery using Arthroscopic Anatomic Glenoid Reconstruction for Anterior Shoulder Instability and Hannah Stevens, Class of ’22, DMNS, Extubation to High Flow Nasal Cannula in Infants Following Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Congratulations to faculty, residents, and students who participated virtually across the Maritimes. As well, our research directors and department heads deserve special mention for their tireless efforts to support research in their departments. Thank you to the Undergraduate Medical Education Office, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick and the Medical Research Development Office, and everyone else involved in pulling off this tremendous event.  Special thanks to our RIM Unit coordinators Dr. Anna MacLeod in Nova Scotia and Dr. Amanda Cassie at DMNB.

Return to Research Expansion

I am pleased to report that on September 16, the Return to Campus (RTC) committee approved the removal of the 25% limit to normal activity that had been applied to researchers at Dalhousie University. This was an important step that has allowed laboratory research and graduate studies to continue their work with no restrictions on the number of researchers, graduate students, and support staff in the labs, as long as Health and Safety guidelines are met.

Thank you to all our staff and researchers who are helping to make this return to research as seamless as possible, and especially to Dr. Roger McLeod, Associate Dean, Research and Ms. Sara Lavender, Director, Medical Research Development Office for their tireless work to make this possible.

CIHR Project Grant

In September, eight Faculty of Medicine members received financial support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grants, for their research projects. The Project Grant competition is one of CIHR’s flagship funding programs. They are multi-year grants that are designed to support researchers at various stages in their careers as they conduct health research and knowledge translation projects that cover the full range of health research topic. Congratulations to everyone who received funding to further their research.

To view the complete list of recipients, click here.

Dr. Robert Boulay reappointed Assistant Dean, DMNB Clinical Education

I am pleased to announce the reappointment of Dr. Robert Boulay, as Assistant Dean, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick Clinical Education, effective October 1, 2020 for a three-year term. In this role, Dr. Boulay will continue to provide oversight for the delivery of the clinical curriculum for the undergraduate medical education program (Med 1 ‐ 4) in New Brunswick.

Since 1995, Dr. Boulay has enjoyed teaching medical students and family medicine residents. In 2004, he was the recipient of the Dalhousie University Undergraduate Preceptor of the Year Award. He has served as the medical education director for the Miramichi Regional Health Authority and continues to be involved with the development of the medical education program in New Brunswick. He was the Miramichi site director for Dalhousie University’s first longitudinal integrated clerkship, which welcomed their first three students in September 2012. In 2006, Dr. Boulay was acknowledged as Family Physician of the Year for the Province of New Brunswick as the recipient of the Reg L. Perkin Award. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Boulay.

Dr. Brent Johnston appointed Interim Head, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

The Faculty of Medicine would like to announce that Dr. Brent Johnston has agreed to assume the role of Interim Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

Dr. Johnston completed his PhD at the University of Calgary and a CIHR fellowship at Stanford University before being recruited to Dalhousie University in 2004 as the Canada Research Chair in Inflammation and Immunity. Dr. Johnston has served on several Faculty level committees and is currently Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Secretary Treasurer for the Canadian Society for Immunology.

I would like to thank Dr. Johnston for taking on this responsibility. I would also like to thank Dr. Andrew Makrigiannis, for his strong leadership in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology since 2016, who stepped down as Department Head earlier this year for family reasons. Dr. Makrigiannis will continue in his role as a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

Alumni Engagement Lead, Dalhousie Medical Alumni Association (DMAA)
Please join us in welcoming Mr. Barrett Hooper to the Faculty of Medicine and the DMAA as Alumni Engagement Lead. Barrett will lead the work of alumni engagement for the Faculty of Medicine, support the DMAA Executive and Board, as well as the development and implementation of a robust alumni engagement plan. He will work closely with the communications team in the Faculty of Medicine and with our partner organizations to make sure that our alumni are well informed and engaged. He will also work with the team to revitalize VoxMedal, the DMAA’s publication.

Barrett joined Dalhousie University in the fall of 2018 as the Associate Director, Alumni Engagement. Prior to that, he was the senior communications officer for Advancement at the University of Toronto, working in the Faculties of Applied Science & Engineering and Arts & Science to develop and lead engagement initiatives related to the university’s $2.4-billion Boundless Campaign. Born and raised in Saint John, he is a graduate of UNB with degrees in business and sociology and spent more than a decade as a journalist at the National Post, Globe & Mail, and other publications.

Dal Med Faculty among grant recipients of the International Development, Aid and Collaboration program

I’m thrilled to share that several of our faculty members are grant recipients of the International Development, Aid and Collaboration (IDAC) program, facilitated by Royal College International. I hope you will take a few moments to read about these incredible, diverse, and important efforts led by some of our Fellows.

Our congratulations and ongoing support goes to:

Aurum Award winners 2020

I am proud to announce that Dr. Sultan Darvesh (MD’88) is one of Dalhousie’s 2020 Aurum Award recipients. The Aurum Awards recognize outstanding Dalhousie alumni—the innovators and visionaries—who are helping to build a better world. Alumni are considered for their achievements in innovation, community engagement, leadership, and their contributions to the social, cultural and economic well-being of society.

Dr. Sultan Darvesh (Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, and the Department of Medical Neuroscience) is being recognized for his ground-breaking research in Alzheimer’s disease that could change the lives of the millions of people living with it. As the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation’s Irene MacDonald Sobey Chair in Curative Approaches to Alzheimer’s Disease, he is leading a team of researchers at the university in ground-breaking work that could be a gamechanger for millions of people living with the disease.

A full list of award recipients can be found here.

Dr. Noni MacDonald profiled in The Lancet

Dr. MacDonald, a past dean of Dalhousie Medical School, and a renowned global health advocate and researcher was profiled in a recent issue of The Lancet (August 22) as an “inspirational leader in Canadian and global health.” The Lancet profile is one of many recent accolades Dr. MacDonald has earned. She was named to the Order of Nova Scotia last fall and to the Order of Canada earlier this year. She received the Canadian Institute of Child Health’s National Child Day Award in 2017, and in 2018 the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health presented her with its Trailblazer Award.

You can read the full profile of Dr. MacDonald at The Lancet’s website.

Dr. Henry Annan receives prestigious Chevening Scholarship

Congratulations to PGY3, Dr. Henry Annan, for receiving the prestigious Chevening Scholarship. Dr. Annan will be taking time away from his residency to attend Oxford University to study public policy. Recipients of the scholarship are personally selected by British embassies and high commissions throughout the world. Through the MPP program, Dr. Annan is hoping to gain a better understanding of how these factors interplay to impact patient health.

Dr. Annan’s accomplishment was highlighted in a recent Dal Med News article, which I encourage you all to read.

2020 Royal College Accredited CPD Provider Innovation Awards

Congratulations to Dr. Connie LeBlanc, the former Associate Dean of Continuing Professional Development, and the entire CPD team for being selected for a 2020 Royal College Accredited CPD Provider Innovation Award.

The CPD team was recognized for their “Choosing Wisely with Academic Detailing Service Conference: 5 Years Later” campaign. Established in 2011, the Royal College-Accredited CPD Provider Innovation Award is given annually to up to three accredited CPD providers who promote innovation in the development and implementation of educational policies or processes, administrative policies or processes, and education resources or tools. Well done and congratulations to the entire team!

2020 Faculty of Medicine Leadership Awards

The 2020 Faculty of Medicine Leadership Awards took place virtually on September 17th, where we recognized our leaders at all levels in the Faculty of Medicine for their continued commitment in supporting our departments, divisions and units across the Maritimes in achieving the Faculty’s academic mission.

The nominees chosen for these awards demonstrated significant accomplishments in their work directly related to Dalhousie’s leadership competencies, both as a team member or team leader. Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients. A special thank you to our selection committee, and those that took the time to recognize and nominate your colleagues.

The 2020 Award Recipients included:

  • Academic Leadership Award: Andrew Warren, Assistant Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME)
  • Professional & Managerial Leadership Award: Monica Baccardax, IT Project Manager
  • Leadership in Administrative, Clerical & Technical Support Award: Rattina Dasse Nadaradjan, Senior Laboratory Technologist, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick (DMNB)
  • Emerging Leader Award: Michelle Sampson, Administrator, Department of Pathology

Mental Health Supports Available
In this uncertain time, our students, faculty, and staff may be experiencing stress and anxiety. If you need assistance, several mental health resources are available to you:

On that note, take care of yourselves first and let’s continue to work together through the challenges that lie ahead. I wish all our incoming students, the Class of 2024, as well as our returning students a safe and happy Fall.