I hope all of you have had the chance to enjoy some of this great weather we’ve had this season. Fall is a great time to be in Nova Scotia and explore our own backyard.

I recognize that there is significant interest from faculty and staff regarding the eventual return to campus. However, as active cases hit new daily records in other parts of the country, it is important that Dalhousie remains steady and careful in its approach. With increasing case numbers of COVID 19 in Nova Scotia, it is important we check our emails daily for public health directives. Canada’s COVID-19 Alert app is now available in Nova Scotia. This is a free exposure notification app that lets you know if you may have been exposed to COVID-19 without sharing any personal information.

While research capacity continues to increase, Dalhousie continues to have the position that those faculty and staff who can work from home, will continue to do so at least until the end of March. A detailed memo sent from the Provost’s Office to Dalhousie faculty and staff on November 6, outlined further information regarding the university’s plans for the rest of the year, particularly as they relate to the return of faculty and staff to campus, offices and research and our evolving approach to events. Your continued patience and understanding in this evolving situation is deeply appreciated, and I look forward to the day when we can all safely return to campus.

Although COVID 19 restrictions have had a major disruption on all of our activities and our lives, thanks to the spirit and dedication of our students, staff and faculty, we continue to excel and execute our education, research, and serving and engaging missions, while respecting public health guidelines. Having said that, I know this has been a challenging year for many due to the restricted access to campus facilities and the social isolation associated with the virtual learning environment.  Though these are challenging times that will pass, they are a source of struggle for many. It is important for us all to continue to look after each other and reach out for the available supports as we need them.

We are now midway through the first academic semester and a lot has happened since I was last in touch. Have a read through some of the month’s highlights below.

Annual Dean’s Retreat

The Annual Dean’s Retreat is an opportunity to engage our leadership team in meaningful and relevant discussions for the purpose of driving our strategic planning and mandate forward. This year’s retreat is addressing anti-racism and anti-discrimination within the Faculty of Medicine. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event is virtual and is taking place in two parts: the first was held on October 22 and the second will take place on November 19.

On October 22, 2020 our Assistant and Associate Deans, Department Heads, members of Faculty Council and I welcomed four distinguished guest speakers and were grateful for the opportunity to learn from their shared lived experiences:

G.B. Olarewaju, the National Chair of the Black Medical Students Association of Canada (BMSAC) and a med student at UBC Medical School, outlined the experiences and challenges of Black medical students in Canadian Medical Schools.  He also shared the Black Medical Students’ Association of Canada’s recommendations to Faculties of Medicine to address anti-Black racism.

Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Hampshire and current committee chair for the National Society of Black physicists, discussed why Black lives matter in the Sciences, as well as her work with decolonising science reading lists.

Dr. Marcia Anderson, a medical officer of health for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and past president of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada, spoke to her role as Vice Dean of Indigenous Health, addressing anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism in Faculties of Medicine, and the Disruption to all Forms of Racism policy.

Dr. Onye Nnorom, a family doctor and public health and preventive medicine specialist, and the President of the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario, shared her research on Black physicians’ experiences, the need for Continuous Professional Development on Black health, and the collective responsibilities to address and respond to anti-Black racism and patient experiences.

Thank you to all who participated, and to Dr. OmiSoore Dryden, Dr. Watson-Creed, Title and Ms. Shawna O’Hearn, Title for organizing this important event.

On November 21, 2020, this same group will be getting together to discuss what further actions we can take at a Faculty, Department, and program level to address systemic racism. We recognize there is much to be done to ensure the Faculty of Medicine provides a welcoming and inclusive environment, as well as a safe and caring space, for all to study and learn.

Partnering with the MacEachen Institute

I am delighted to announce a partnership between the Faculty of Medicine and Dalhousie’s MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance (MIPP).

Our first collaboration was a two-day event focusing on COVID 19.  This featured a live-stream panel discussion on COVID-19 held on October 1, involving the four Chief Medical Officers of the Atlantic Bubble who frankly discussed their perspectives on the handling of the first wave of COVID 19 infections in our region.  On the second day, the MacEachen Institute hosted a round table discussion during which 27 invitees met online to discuss what policy events needed to change in preparation for Wave II of the COVID-19 infection.  Participants included leaders from public health agencies, provincial health authorities, and government officials from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as well as clinicians and researchers from the health sector.  A briefing note will be generated from this round table discussion which will be available in the coming weeks.

Highlights of the event, and more details of our partnership with the MacEachen Institute were highlighted in a recent Dal Med News article.  If you missed the live stream, the video can be found here.

Researchers from Dalhousie and IWK Health Centre Receive $4.8 Million in Funding from Genome Canada

On October 26, William Amos, Parliamentary Secretary (Science) on behalf of The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced $16 million in federal support to 10 genomics research projects funded through Genome Canada.

One of these projects is being led by four researchers with ties to both Dalhousie University and the IWK Health Centre. The project, Implementation of Clinical Exomes in a Pre-and Peri-Natal Setting, received $4.8 million in funding. The team includes Dr. Karen Bedard (Associate Professor, Department of Pathology at Dalhousie, and Department of Pathology and Immunology, IWK Health Centre); Dr. Anthony Vandersteen (Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health and Dalhousie); Dr. Jo Ann Brock (Division Head, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, IWK Health and Associate Professor, Department of Pathology); and Dr. Sarah Dyack (Division Head, Medical Genetics, IWK Health and Dalhousie University).

Congratulations to all involved. This important funding announcement was highlighted in a recent Dal News article.

Dr. David Kelvin and team awarded $1.2 million grant through Canada Foundation for Innovation

On November 6, the federal government announced a new investment which will provide Dalhousie researchers with $1.2 million to help with the development of new COVID-19 vaccines. The funding, which was made available through the Canada Foundation for Innovation, is part of $28 million pledged to support research infrastructure at 52 universities and research hospitals, colleges, polytechnics, and Cégeps across Canada. The money will help support the urgent needs for equipment for ongoing research related to COVID-19.

Congratulations to all involved for their continued efforts and much needed research. It is great to see Dal researchers playing a key role in the fight against COVID-19. Dr. Kelvin and his daughter Dr. Alyson Kelvin were recently featured in Dal Magazine, recognizing their international research on COVID-19 vaccines and bio-markers.

Dr. Christine Chambers contributes to first ever Lancet Child and Adolescent Health Commission
Congratulations to Dr. Christine Chambers, who along with Dalhousie alum, Dr. Katie Birnie, and Dr. Paula Forgeron, were contributing authors of a major new report released on October 13, 2020 by the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health Commission. Being involved in the Commission was a year-long process for Dr. Chambers that involved both in-person and digital engagement with a range of international stakeholders and the editorial leadership team at the Lancet.

Dr. Chambers’ accomplishment was highlighted in a recent Dal News article.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Education: Call for Proposals

The focus of this year’s Dalhousie Medical Education “Living Laboratory” Fund is Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Education. This fund promotes and supports research and evaluation of the most important research questions across the undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional development continuum at Dalhousie Medical School. The deadline for proposal submissions is Friday, December 11, 2020, 4:00 pm Atlantic Time.  Please see the linked document for further details.

For more information regarding the call for proposals, please reach out to Dr. Sarah Burm at Sarah.Burm@dal.ca or Dr. Anna MacLeod at Anna.MacLeod@Dal.ca.

Diversity in Leadership Training Funding Recipients

As part of the Faculty of Medicine’s efforts to advance diversity and inclusion, the Diversity in Leadership Working Group established a fund to support participation in leadership development programs to designated group members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Medicine.

I am pleased to announce that the following individuals have been selected as the 2020 recipients:

• Lara Hazelton
• Manal Elnenae
• Lesya Shuba
• Zaiping Liu
• Eileen Donovan-Wright
• Nikhil Thomas
• Sally Bird
• Allana Munro
• Alethea Lacas
• Anuradha Mishra

Several the recipients have already taken advantage of the training funds, while other training opportunities have been postponed due to COVID-19. The training fund, as well as the recipients will be profiled in an upcoming Dal Med News article.

Congratulations to all the recipients. We look forward to announcing the 2021 competition in the future.

First Making Waves awards winners announced
On September 30, Nova Scotia Health presented the first Making Waves awards to researchers, employees, physicians, and volunteers. With support from presenting sponsor, Johnson Insurance, the awards ceremony was held virtually in keeping with COVID-19 measures. During the same ceremony, the previously announced 2020 Quality Awards were also presented:

• Mark Sadler – Leadership Excellence award (Physician Leader)
• Kenneth Rockwood – Outstanding Researcher award
• James Robar – Innovator award
• Robin Urquhart – Early Career/Emerging Researcher award

Congratulations to these very dedicated individuals!

Dr. Jeannette Comeau named one of Pediatric Chairs of Canada COVID Leaders

The Pediatric Chairs of Canada have announced that Dr. Jeannette Comeau has won one of their COVID 2020 Leadership awards. Dr. Comeau is being recognized for her work to support redesigned policies and workflows at the IWK and for providing support to the NS Government in their efforts to get children safely back to school in September.

Well done, Dr. Comeau!

Dr. Martin Alda Awarded Colvin Prize

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Martin Alda who was recently awarded the prestigious Colvin Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Bipolar Mood Disorders Research by the Brain & Behaviour Foundation.

Dr. Alda will receive this award along with colleague and joint recipient Dr. Gustavo Turecki during the Foundation’s 2020 Annual International Mental Health and Research Symposium on October 30, 2020. As part of receiving this award, Dr. Alda presented a talk entitled Thinking Rationally about the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder.

Congratulations to Dr. Alda on receiving this honour.

Nova Scotia’s first all-female transplant surgery team

I am happy to share news that all the members of the surgical team for a recent liver transplant performed here in Halifax were women, a first for Nova Scotia, according to Nova Scotia Health Authority. The team was led by Dr. Stephanie Hiebert, a Dal alumnus who completed her surgical residency at Dalhousie Medical School. I am pleased with examples of progress in terms of the growing numbers of women in leadership roles. In the Faculty of Medicine, we are continuously developing new recruitment, retention, training, and other strategies to increase representation of women and other underrepresented groups in leadership roles. The women we have welcomed to our leadership team are distinguished clinicians, scientists, educators, and administrators, and are second to none in their abilities.

Congratulations to Dr. Hiebert and her team. A full story can be found in a recent CBC article.

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:

• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
• Student Health & Wellness
• Dalhousie Remote Working: Mental Health Resources
• Doctors Nova Scotia: Professional Support Program
• Psychology works for COVID-19: Psychologists giving back to front line service providers
• EFAP Crisis Line: 1-844-751-2133
• Nova Scotia Mental Health Crisis Line: 1-888-429-8167
• Fredericton Mental Health Crisis Line: 506-453-2132
• Moncton Mental Health Crisis Line: 1-866-771-7760
• Saint John Mental Health Crisis Line: 1-888-811-3664
• New Brunswick Medical Society: 506-875-6749

On that note, I would like to thank everyone for your continued patience, enthusiasm, and dedication as we move to virtual academic programming for much of our work.  This has not been 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.

I wish all our incoming students, the Class of 2024, as well as our returning students a safe and happy Fall.