It is hard to believe winter will be winding its way to an end soon and spring is right around the corner. I hope everyone is doing well and that between February reading week, March break or other holidays, you get some downtime to enjoy family, friends, and catch up on rest. Thanks for all everyone is doing as we continue to navigate this exceptional year.
I do want to thank you all and Dalhousie University for giving me the privilege and opportunity to serve a second term as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine beginning July 1, 2021. I have greatly enjoyed the challenges and rewards of leading this incredible faculty, collaborating with our partner organizations and working at Dalhousie. We have achieved much together, and I recognize there is much more to be done. I look forward to working and communicating with you all in this second term.
Town Halls: Refresh of the UGME Curriculum
A major focus of Dr. Evelyn Sutton, the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, and her team has been a review and refresh of our undergraduate medical school curriculum. The Curriculum Refresh Committee (CRC) continues to host a series of virtual town hall feedback sessions that will address each of the key themes that have been identified as part of the curriculum refresh. The working groups dedicated to each theme have been reviewing current objectives, course content, and student evaluations; conducting environmental scans and literature reviews; and consulting with groups/individuals. The input of the medical school community into the curriculum refresh process will be critical to its success and I encourage you to participate. With your help, we look forward to continuing the tradition of training medical professionals with a commitment to lifelong learning, excellence in patient care, high ethical standards, and accountability to society for the responsibilities entrusted to them.
More information about the town hall feedback sessions, including dates and summaries of each working group’s work to date and previously recorded town halls, can be found on the Dal Med website.
COVID-19 Updates
The Faculty of Medicine COVID-19 information page is updated regularly and contains the relevant information for all medical learners, researchers, graduate students, faculty, and staff. Remember to check your emails daily for updates from Dalhousie University, and Public Health directives/health authority notifications.
Currently, Public Health encourages all Nova Scotians to get tested regularly as one of the ways to live safely with COVID-19 and protect your community. Getting tested is important whether you have no symptoms, a few symptoms or even just one. Asymptomatic testing is available at pop-up sites and mobile units throughout the province. For a list of upcoming rapid testing dates and locations, click here.
We appreciate the complexities of having a medical school operating in three provinces, each with their own protocols and travel restrictions. Your continued patience and understanding in this evolving situation are deeply appreciated. With vaccines now being available, I look forward to the day when we can all safely return to campus.
Dalhousie plays key role in Nova Scotian vaccination efforts
I would like to extend my thanks to Dr. Roger McLeod, Associate Dean, Research, and Mr. Paul Bourgeois, Building Services Manager, for their tireless work to assist Nova Scotian vaccination efforts by securing the first cold storage location for the COVID-19 vaccine in Nova Scotia. Both have been instrumental in securing a site to oversee the logistics of effective storage and continuous temperature monitoring of the vaccine.
Details of their efforts were highlighted in a recent Dal Med News article.
2021 AFMC Award for Outstanding Contribution to Faculty Development in Canada
I would like to recognize Dr. Lara Hazelton was recently selected as the recipient of the 2021 AFMC Award for Outstanding Contribution to Faculty Development in Canada. Dr. Lara Hazelton is an Associate Professor and Director of Continuing Professional Development with the Department of Psychiatry and the Director of Academic Faculty Development. Dr. Hazelton completed a Master of Education in Curriculum from Acadia University in 2012. Her scholarly work focuses on topics in continuing education for physicians, including leadership development, teaching skills, and online course development/implementation. Her publications have appeared in Academic Psychiatry, Teaching and Learning in Medicine, The Canadian Journal of Physician Leadership, and The Canadian Medical Association Journal, to name a few.
Congratulations, Dr. Hazelton!
Dr. Robin Urquhart name Scientific Director of Atlantic Path
Earlier this month, the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath), a national study investigating how genetics, environment, lifestyle, and behaviour contribute to the development of chronic disease and cancer, named Dr. Robin Urquhart the new Scientific Director of the Atlantic regional cohort – the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health Study (Atlantic PATH). Dr. Urquhart, an Associate Professor and Canadian Cancer Society Endowed Chair in Population Cancer Research in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, and Senior Scientist with the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute and the Nova Scotia Lead for the Terry Fox Research Institute Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network, brings credible and practical experience to her new role with Atlantic PATH.
Congratulations, Dr. Urquhart and best of luck in your new role. More details about Dr. Urquhart’s appointment can be found on Dal Med News.
Government of Canada invests in first‑of‑its‑kind research study on the health impacts of inactivity
Congratulations to Dr. Olga Theou, a Canada Research Chair, and an Assistant Professor in Physiotherapy and Geriatric Medicine, whose research team was one of eight to receive an investment of $3.34 million to understand the health impacts of extended periods of inactivity and the effectiveness of preventative measures to mitigate the impact of inactivity on our health.
More information about Dr. Theou’s research can be found on Dal Med News.
National platform on aging awarded $1M to address undiagnosed dementia gap
Congratulations to the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), which received nearly $1 million in federal funding to address undiagnosed dementia gaps from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) earlier this month. The CLSA research platform, which has 11 sites across Canada, is co-led by Dr. Susan Kirkland, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology.
More information about the study can be found on Dal Med News.
2021 New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) Emerging Project Fund Recipient
Congratulations to Dr. Keith Brunt for receiving funding from NBIF to continue his project research. Dr, Brunt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Dal Med New Brunswick. His research focuses on translational medicine, with a major interest in understanding how cells adapt to stress in order to develop innovative therapeutic strategies to treat disease. Currently, Dr. Brunt is developing an online health screening tool to investigate the mental health status and resiliencies of frontline community pharmacy workers in a shifting practice intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBIF awards funding to projects that have the potential to grow into larger collaborative projects or technology and knowledge transfer opportunities that will have a positive economic or social impact in New Brunswick.
Congrats Dr. Brunt, we look forward to hearing about the results at the end of the project period.
Academic All-Canadian
Congratulations to Ms. Michaela Sabean, a second-year medical student and star volleyball player, who was recently recognized as one of 136 Dalhousie varsity student-athletes who achieved U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian status during the 2019-20 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. Hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and support are crucial in these students’ lives.
Congratulations, Michaela!
White Fragility Clinic
The White Fragility Clinic is a safe and non-judgmental space for faculty and staff members of the Faculty of Medicine to explore the concept of whiteness and its role in racism, build racial resilience, and develop competency in engaging issues related to the public health and societal challenges arising from race in their daily practices and interactions. I would encourage anyone who is interested to consider attending the upcoming sessions hosted by Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed, Associate Dean, Serving and Engaging Society, and Dr. Ajay Parasram, Assistant Professor in the Departments of International Development Studies:
- Wednesday, March 3, 2:00-3:00 pm
- Monday, March 15 10:00-11:00 am
- Thursday, April 1 9:30-10:30 am
Fore more information and to register, please email: megan.dixon@dal.ca.
2021 Annual Faculty Meeting
Save the date! The 2021 Annual Faculty Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 5 p.m. An agenda with background information including written reports will be circulated closer to the date.
If you have any questions regarding the format of the Annual Meeting, please contact the Chair of Faculty Council, Dr. Karim Mukhida (kmukhida@dal.ca) or Anne Weeden (anne.weeden@dal.ca).
It is with profound sadness that I share with you the news that Mr. Ryan Clow passed suddenly on February 5th, 2021. Ryan was a well-known, well-liked, and highly respected member of the Dalhousie community. Born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Ryan received his Bachelor in Business Administration degree from the University of PEI in 2000 and went on to complete his MBA from Saint Mary’s University in 2009. Ryan began his career at Dalhousie University as a Project Manager and Business Analyst with Information Technology Services (ITS) in 2012 before becoming the Manager of Distributed Education Technologies (MedIT) at the medical school in 2014. Not long after, Ryan joined the leadership team as the Director of MedIT Enterprise Systems and Projects, a position he held for the past four years.
In addition to being an outstanding colleague, Ryan was a loving husband to Julie and a great father to his two young children. I have fond memories of seeing Ryan playing tennis with his young sons and observing their mutual joy of enjoying each successful shot. Ryan touched so many lives at Dalhousie and through his many friends and acquaintances. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
Ryan was admired by many colleagues-turned-friends at Dalhousie and we will remember him for his calm, dedicated leadership, and friendly, always-helpful approach. Details concerning the medical school’s celebration of Ryan’s life will be arranged by the Faculty of Medicine and shared at a later date. Those who wish to can share memories and messages to the family through an online book of condolences. Additionally, a GoFundMe page has been organized by Ryan’s friends in support of the Clow family.
In Memoriam: Dr. John Gray
It is with great sadness that the Faculty of Medicine shares news that former faculty member, Dr. John Gray, has died. Dr. Gray will be remembered for his lead in the development of a new geriatric division at Camp Hill Hospital in Halifax Nova Scotia and as co-founder of the Alzheimer’s Society of N.S. Dr. Gray was the last of a core team of physicians who helped to establish rural medicine in Newfoundland and Labrador and known for his work with the Grenfell Mission as one of the first groups to provide much needed medical services to northern areas of the province. When Dr. Gray eventually moved from Newfoundland to take up a teaching position at Dalhousie University, he was in the middle of organizing a residential project for seniors in the community. The institution, the St. Anthony Interfaith home, opened in 1981 and was later replaced in 1998 by a long-term care centre named after Dr. Gray.
A full obituary celebrating Dr. Gray’s life can be found here.
In Memoriam: Dr. David Murphy
I am deeply saddened by the news that Dr. David Murphy died on February 23, 2021, surrounded by his loving family. Dr. Murphy began his professional career as a veterinarian. Before long, he was back in school at McGill University to study medicine where he met his future wife, Dr. Sonia Salisbury. In 1973, they moved with their three kids to Nova Scotia where Dr. Murphy took a position as a cardiac surgeon at the IWK. He had a profound impact on the way cardiac surgery is practiced in the Maritimes – founding the Maritime Heart Centre, which continues to provide clinical and material support for cardiac patients.
Dr. Murphy served on more than 20 provincial and national committees including the Canadian Heart Foundation and the Executive Council of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and received numerous research grants and publications. He was awarded a Senior membership with Doctors NS and a Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Medical Association.
Dr. Murphy’s full obituary can be read here.
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Please reach out if you need help during what is surely a challenging time. Supports are available through our Employee and Family Assistance Program, which can be accessed at workhealthlife.com, or through the enhanced mental health benefit from Blue Cross, or contact Accessible Employment at accessible.employment@dal.ca for additional support or resources.
Be well and please provide feedback about the topics mentioned above, or other matters that are of interest to you.