March 2022

Dean’s Blog Winter 2022

It is hard to believe we are through two months of 2022 and another winter is slowly winding down. With March comes longer days and the first hints of spring. The last several months in particular, have been difficult, and faculty, staff and students have continued to go above and beyond not only to ensure we fulfill our mission to train the next generation of physicians and scientists, but also have contributed many hours to Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 efforts. Many residents and staff have been redeployed to clinical areas where the need is greatest, putting their own training and practice on hold. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their hard work and dedication as we continue to navigate these very challenging times.

And on that note, I am deeply saddened and concerned to watch what is happening in Ukraine. The Faculty of Medicine shares our support and stands in solidarity with the Ukranian community both near and far. We wish for a timely and peaceful end to the conflict. Please also refer to the message from President Saini for more details from Dalhousie University regarding this tragic action.

Although COVID-19 restrictions are scheduled to be lifted in the Maritimes later this month, it is important for everyone to continue to make smart decisions that will protect our loved ones and reduce the risk of infection. Stay home and get tested if you develop cold or flu-like symptoms, even if they are mild, and make the personal determination on when masks should be worn. Dalhousie announced that vaccination requirements and mandatory masking will be lifted after April 30. Detailed information for on-campus guidelines can be found here. Provincial health authorities are continuing with significant COVID-19 restrictions given the highly contagious nature of the omicron variant. Nova Scotia Health’s Protocols for safe recovery (NSH protocols) provides detailed expectations for their organization, across the continuum of four tiers of risk. At present, NSH is operating at Tier 4, extreme risk. We want to remind faculty, students, and staff conducting working in NSH and IWK facilities to follow all safety procedures and guidelines of those institutions.

Two years into the pandemic and we are all acutely aware of the importance of our mental health. Next week is Mental Health Awareness Week at Dalhousie. Established in 2020, this is an annual event that aims to bring together the university community to raise awareness on mental health and the resources available to support students. You’re encouraged to participate in the events scheduled between March 12-19, and during these very challenging times, work to support one another.

While most of the Dalhousie community returned to in-person learning and on-campus work on January 31, 2022, the return of students and staff in the Faculty of Medicine has been more gradual. As of March 7, 2022, it is great to see that learning activities have for the most part fully resumed for all our students. I look forward to seeing more of you on campus soon.

Dr. David Anderson
Dean, Faculty of Medicine

International Women’s Day
On March 8 we celebrated International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This year the campaign theme, #BreaktheBias, called for a gender-equal world. Gender equality is a continuous struggle for women globally, and we can all play a part in working for gender parity.

In an address to the University community, Dalhousie President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini spoke to the enormous contributions women have made at Dalhousie, with many of our successes attributed to the efforts of women students, faculty, staff members, and leaders, who have had to overcome barriers along the way. Read the full message here.

On International Women’s Day, the Medical School recognized some of the staff, faculty and learners who are working for a gender-equal world and supporting the #BreaktheBias theme through their work. Visit our Twitter page to see how they are working towards gender equality. Join us in celebrating women’s achievement. Together we can #BreaktheBias.

Learn more about International Women’s Day here.

Med 1 & 2’s return to in-person learning
I am pleased to share that all in-person tutorials, lectures, and in-hospital Skilled Clinician sessions for Med 1 & Med 2 students resumed fully on March 7, 2021.

Hands-on experiential learning is a vital aspect of medical training, and the safety of students and patients will always come first. We have worked closely with our partners at Nova Scotia Health, the IWK Health Centre, Horizon Health, and faculty lecturers and tutors to ensure that students will be receiving the safest and best medical educational experience possible

Government of Canada gives $6‑Million Boost to Dalhousie Health Research
Six researchers from the Faculty of Medicine are among 10 from Dalhousie sharing close to $6 million in Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funding designed to elevate ideas with the greatest potential to improve human health. Congratulations to faculty members:

Robert Adamson, School of Biomedical Engineering
Alon Friedman, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Department of Pediatrics
Tomas Hajek, Department of Psychiatry
James Kramer, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Sandra Meier, Department of Psychiatry
Victor Rafuse, Department of Medical Neuroscience

Read more about the award here.

DMSS Cuts for Cancer
Dalhousie University Medical School’s Students are hosting their fifth Cuts 4 Cancer event from March 7 to 11, 2022. Hosted online, the event welcomes anyone within the community to participate through fundraising or donation. All proceeds support the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Wishes work wonders, and by supporting Cuts 4 Cancer, you can help grant a heartfelt wish and give happiness and hope to a child diagnosed with a life threatening illness.

If you have any questions or alternative ways you would like to support the fundraiser, please contact this year’s organizers of the Cuts 4 Cancer Event, Hannah Price or Rachel Parker at cutsforcancerhali@gmail.com.

Visit the fundraising page.

Resident Peer Support Program
Have you been impacted by a medical error or adverse patient outcome and need support? On March 1, 2022, the Resident Affairs Office, supported by the Dalhousie Medical Alumni Association, is launching a Resident Peer Support Program to provide CONFIDENTIAL help from fellow residents trained in providing peer support aligned with these basic elements:

Non-judgmental listening
Relatability
Problem solving guidance
Provision of resources

For more information, please contact RPSP@dal.ca

Faculty Wellness Peer Support Program
The Faculty Wellness Office is looking for clinical faculty to help with a new Peer Support Program. If you have experience that could help other faculty they would like to hear from you. We value diversity, and we encourage people from equity-deserving groups to apply. As a volunteer, you will receive peer support training, ongoing training in coaching skills, and opportunities to seek help and support from the Faculty Wellness Office.

All volunteers will receive:

Support your faculty peers by offering a safe listening environment
Assist them in processing the challenges they are facing, (professional and/or personal concerns, including distress and burnout)
Help them to identify additional resources

For more information, please contact: Roberta.preston@dal.ca

2021 Dalhousie Annual Report on Research & Innovation
Dalhousie recently released their 2021 Annual Report on Research & Innovation. I encourage you to access the report here to learn how Medicine’s scholars and the rest of Dal’s research community are putting ideas into action and generating innovations that transform lives.

Save the Date: 10th Annual Thomas Fear and Alice Morgans Fear Memorial Conference
Community Health & Epidemiology and Continuing Professional Development & Medical Education will be hosting the 10th Annual Thomas Fear and Alice Morgans Fear Memorial Conference on June 9 and 10. The focus will be on planetary health and the climate crisis. For more details visit the CPD & Medical Education website.

Call for nominations: Faculty of Medicine Awards
The Faculty of Medicine invites nominations for awards that recognize outstanding contribution to education and teaching, administrative leadership, community service, medical research, and continuing medication education:

Faculty of Medicine Awards of Excellence in Leadership: The Faculty of Medicine Awards of Excellence in Leadership acknowledge excellence and recognize the importance of administrative leadership in the medical school setting.
Faculty Awards of Excellence in Education: The Faculty Awards of Excellence in Education recognize outstanding contributions in education and teaching, excellence in the delivery of clinical care and community service.
Community Teacher of the Year Award: The Community Teacher of the Year Award recognize excellence in community-based teaching outside of a major academic centre (Halifax, NS and Saint John, NB).
Faculty of Medicine Awards for Excellence in Medical Research: The Faculty of Medicine Awards for Excellence in Medical Research acknowledge the research excellence among faculty members and encourage continued efforts in medical research.
Faculty of Medicine Wayne Putnam Award: The Faculty of Medicine Wayne Putnam Award recognizes contributions to the continuing education of Maritime physicians.
Excellence in Clinical Practice Award: Two Awards for Excellence in Clinical Practice have been established in recognition of physician faculty members who serve as exemplary role models in delivering patient care of exceptionally high quality.
Allan Cohen Memorial Award in Community Service: The Dr. Allan Cohen Memorial Award for Community Service honors the late Dr. Allan Cohen, a distinguished member of Dalhousie Medical School. This award recognizes faculty, staff, and students who work to fulfill the mission of the Medical School by displaying outstanding community service with health-related organizations and causes.

Deadlines vary for each award, please refer to nomination forms.

Each department is encouraged to nominate members, both early and established career, who have made valuable contributions in any of these areas. The nomination criteria and application details are available here.

Call for Nominations: Dr. G. W. Archibald Gold-headed Cane Award in Medical Humanities
The Dalhousie Humanities HEALS program is accepting nominations for the 2021-2022 Dr. G. W. Archibald Gold-Headed Cane Award in Medical Humanities. This award is presented each year to a physician faculty member who:

Exemplifies a humanistic approach to clinical care and stimulates learners to engage with arts and humanities in their personal and professional life.
Integrates scholarly work related to the humanities into their professional life, and acts as a mentor in scholarship and/or research in the medical humanities.
Serves as an effective role model in the medical humanities.

Nominations will be accepted from any medical trainee, faculty or staff member of the Faculty of Medicine and must include:

Nomination letter
Maximum of three additional letters of support
Abbreviated 2-page CV (font size 12)

Submissions must be made to medhuman@dal.ca by March 15, 2022.

More details available here.

New Assistant Dean Pre-Clerkship appointed at DMNS and DMNB
I am very pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Osama Loubani as the new Assistant Dean Pre-Clerkship (DMNS), effective May 1, 2022, for a five year term, and Dr. Wendy Stewart, as the new Assistant Dean, Pre-Clerkship (DMNB), effective March 1, 2022, for a five year term.

Reporting jointly to the Associate Dean, UGME and Associate Dean, DMNB, the Assistant Deans, Pre-Clerkship, will jointly oversee the delivery of the curriculum for the undergraduate medical education program (Med 1–2) ensuring a cohesive and consistent approach for all program elements. The Assistant Deans Pre-Clerkship will have joint responsibility for the integration, coordination, implementation, and quality improvement of pre-clerkship curriculum and ensure comparable undergraduate experiences across the Faculty of Medicine’s distributed campuses.

Both Drs. Loubani and Stewart have extensive experience in education and clinical activities making them well suited to develop and deliver educational innovations to our Med 1 and Med 2 students.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Loubani and Dr. Stewart to their new roles.

Manager, Alumni Engagement
I am pleased to announce that Ms. Elizabeth Conrad joined the Faculty of Medicine as the Manager of Alumni Engagement, starting March 1, 2022.

Elizabeth is an experienced events and relationship manager, who has previously coordinated events at Edmonton’s University Hospital Foundation and has managed artist communications for the Edmonton Jazz Festival.

In announcing Elizabeth’s appointment, I would like to thank Mr. Barrett Hooper, who had been in the role since 2020, for his dedication and commitment to serving our medical alumni community. Barrett undertook several alumni/student engagement initiatives, including successfully transitioning a number of signature events to a well-attended virtual format, oversaw the redesign and transition to digital of alumni magazine Vox MeDAL, and initiated a regular Class Presidents email.

Program Manager, PLANS
The Global Health Office recently welcomed Ms. Timi Idris as PLANS Program Manager for a two-year term. PLANS seeks to increase representation of African Nova Scotians in the health professions through recruitment and retention, community collaborations and partnerships to improve health outcomes within the African Nova Scotian community.

Timi has been working with Dalhousie since 2020, first with the International Student Work Experience and then as an On-Campus Employment Program Coordinator. She has a master’s in criminology from Saint Mary’s University and has been a research projects manager with the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI). She is passionate about connecting with students and helping them achieve their goals.

Timi will be filling in for Ms. Sarah Upshaw, who has taken a two-year leave of absence to help establish the new African Nova Scotian Justice Institute.

In Memoriam: Dr. Robert Cecil (Bob) Fraser
The Faculty of Medicine and Dalhousie University are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Dr. Robert (Bob) Fraser, family physician, obstetrician, gynecologist, gynecologic oncologist, and former professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dalhousie University, on Feb. 1, 2022 at the age of 85. Amongst his many accomplishments, Dr. Fraser was instrumental in developing the Nova Scotia Gynecological Cancer Screening Program.

For Dr. Fraser’s full obituary, click here.

In Memoriam: Dr. Édouard Hendriks
We are saddened to note the passing of Dr. Édouard Hendriks. Dr. Hendriks was a long-time leading member of the medical community in New Brunswick, holding various high-level positions, including as a senior executive with Horizon Health Network. A community-minded individual, Dr. Hendriks played a key role in continuing to nurture and grow the relationship between Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick and Horizon Health Network.

For Dr. Hendriks’ full obituary, click here.

In Memoriam: Dr. Sonia Salisbury-Murphy
With sadness we announce the passing of Dr. Sonia. Salisbury-Murphy, a dedicated pediatric endocrinologist at IWK, wonderful teacher and mentor to generations of medical students and residents, on Dec. 20, 2021 at the age of 86. She was a trailblazer for young women and had a significant impact on the lives and work of many people.

For Dr. Salisbury-Murphy’s full obituary, click here.

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