As our winter comes to an end, I hope everyone is doing well and that between February reading week, March break, or other vacation, got some downtime to enjoy family, friends, and catch up on rest. It’s been an eventful month and here are a few of the highlights.

Accreditation site team concludes visit to Maritimes
The national undergraduate medical education program accreditation site team visited our medical school between February 26 and March 1. While at our Halifax and Saint John campuses, the accreditors met with a large number of faculty, staff, and students – many of whom had been preparing for this process for more than two years. It was our first full accreditation visit since 2009.

Overall, I think overall the visit went very well. The accreditors provided positive feedback about the quality of our medical school and the enthusiasm and engagement of our students, staff, faculty, along with colleagues at our partner health authorities. They also provided constructive feedback about areas we need to work on to make our school better.

We expect to receive official notification about our accreditation status in the fall; I’ll let you know as soon as we get word from the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools.

I want to acknowledge the tremendous assistance and leadership of our students, staff, and faculty who worked collaboratively in preparation for accreditation. It was a fantastic team effort, and I’m extremely proud and grateful for your support.

Next, our continuing professional development program will go through the accreditation in early April, and our postgraduate program in the fall of 2018. More to follow.

CaRMS #MatchDay 2017
There was a lot of buzz in our student lounges in Halifax and Saint John on March 1, which was residency match day for our fourth-year medical students. It’s always an exciting – and anxious – time. Congratulations to all of our fourth-year students and we are very excited for you as you prepare for the next phase of your medical education, with graduation only two months away. Where did those four years go!

Recognizing our best
To acknowledge and celebrate excellence among our faculty members, the following awards of excellence have been created: The Faculty of Medicine Award of Excellence in Education; The Faculty of Medicine Community Teacher Award; and the Faculty of Medicine Award of Excellence in Clinical Practice.

We require excellent teachers and role models to produce excellent students. So to encourage this continued commitment to excellence, I hope you’ll consider putting forth a nomination.

We’re also looking for nominations for the Dr. Allen Cohen Memorial Award for Community Service. This award honours the late Dr. Allan Cohen, a distinguished member of Dalhousie Medical School. This award recognizes faculty, staff, and students who are dedicated to making a difference in society by displaying outstanding community service with health-related organizations and causes.

The deadline for all nomination submissions is March 24. Award eligibility, along with the nomination processes, can be found on our website.

The faculty awards will be presented along with our faculty research awards at our June faculty meeting. These awards complement award presentations that we also will be having this spring for our staff and graduating students.

Recent accolades
While on the topic of awards, I’d like to note a few recent honours:

– Simon Gebremeskel (Microbiology & Immunology) was the winner of the highly competitive Three Minute Thesis final, sponsored by the Faculty of Graduate Studies of Dalhousie University on March 2. Simon’s research topic was Harnessing the Immune System to Fight Cancer. Simon will go on to represent Dalhousie at the Eastern Regional competition in April at UNB.
– Dr. Zhenyu Cheng (Microbiology & Immunology) received new funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation for his cystic fibrosis research.
– Dr. Paul Linsdell (Physiology & Biophysics) was awarded the Cystic Fibrosis Canada (CFC) Senior Scientist Research Training Award and the CFC Cathleen Morrison Research Impact Award.
– Dr. Jeremy Brown (Biomedical Engineering) received funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to support the research and development of a miniature endoscope.
– Drs. Angie McGibbon (Endocrinology & Metabolism) and Lorri Beatty (Emergency Medicine) received certificates of merit from the Canadian Association of Medical Education.
– Dr. Joan Sargeant has been awarded the 2017 Ian Hart Award for Distinguished Contribution to Medical Education from the Canadian Association of Medical Education. This award recognizes Dr. Sargeant’s lifetime contributions to medical education and her dedication to excellence in teaching and mentoring. Dr. Sargeant will receive this award at the upcoming Canadian Conference in Medical Education in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

I congratulate you all, and continue to appreciate the contributions you make to the Dalhousie Medical School community.

Resiliency focus of 2017 Fear conference
Each Fear Family Memorial Conference focuses on an important theme in medical education. This year, the topic is resilience.

Ballast and Buoyancy: Successfully Sailing Through Your Medical Career will help participants to: identify the types of challenges and stressors learners face during their medical training; understand the impact of these challenges and stressors on the health and wellness of learners and practising physicians; and consider ways in which we can change the culture of medicine to support health and wellness.

This will be a great event open to all. For more information on the Fear conference, and to register for the March 24-25 event, visit the conference website.

Promoting patient care through Research in Medicine
On April 8, our med students will showcase their research findings by presenting the results of their Research in Medicine (RIM) projects.

This event brings together faculty, medical students, alumni, allied health professionals, and administrators across the medical school, to share information on a broad spectrum of student research, and to celebrate research excellence.

Since 2014, more than 230 students have presented their RIM research at conferences, and at least 53 have published their research in journals.

RIM Research Day is intended to foster vibrant research in our university. A strong research program not only attracts and retains more health professionals to our region, but also, through scientific discoveries, translates into improved care and health for the communities we serve.

Keep an eye on DalMedix for the finalized RIM Day schedule.

Euphoria supports local education
The talents of our medical students were on full display at this year’s Euphoria. It was an incredible show by all four of our medical classes.

Funds raised from ticket sales supported SHINE Academics. The organization, run by student volunteers, including a number of our medical students, provides free math and science tutoring to students needing of support at the North End Library in Halifax.

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 on winning the coveted trophy for the best class skit.

Health Law Institute appoints new director
Matthew Herder recently assumed the directorship of Dalhousie’s Health Law Institute. An associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Herder educates on a variety of health law topics. He also teaches in the Schulich School of Law.

Winter weather working
I want to thank all of our essential services employees for working through our recent snowstorms and cancellations. I appreciate the difficulties you went through to make it to campus, despite the university being closed for everyone else. Your work and dedication didn’t go unnoticed.

Thanks again for your interest and engagement in Dalhousie Medical School.

Belated happy New Year! I trust everyone had a great holiday break. It’s hard to believe we’re through the first part of 2017 already. Lots going on; I’ll update you on a few key matters.

Remembrance
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of people killed in a Quebec mosque last week while attending an evening service. As Canadians, we value and celebrate the diversity of our communities. We respect the rights of people of all faiths and nationalities to live and prosper in our country.

Accreditation home stretch
Three weeks from now — between February 26 and March 1 — the Undergraduate Medical Education accreditation team, which consists of the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) and the US-based Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), will be on campus. Over a four-day period, the team will visit our educational and clinical facilities in Halifax and Saint John, and provide feedback on the running of our medical school.

Undergraduate medical education accreditation takes place every eight years. In preparation for this accreditation review, faculty, medical students, and staff have worked effectively over the last two years to complete a systemic assessment of our MD program; it’s been a real team effort. Because of this collaborative work, I believe we’re in a good position to welcome the accreditors to Dalhousie.

In preparation for accreditation, we’re having preparatory sessions in Saint John and Halifax for those meeting with the accreditors. This includes touring our educational and clinical spaces in the two cities.

I again want to thank all involved for your patience, dedication, and support in preparing for accreditation of our MD program. I remain impressed and amazed by all the great work being done by our education programs. If you have any questions leading up to the accreditors’ visit, please contact our two accreditation co-leads, Anne Weeden (anne.weeden@dal.ca) or Dr. Darrell White (d.white@dal.ca).

#DalMedForward – From plan to action
We’ve entered the implementation phase of #DalMedForward.

Our strategic priority leadership teams are working to confirm outcomes, targets, and work plans for each of the seven priority areas identified in #DalMedForward. The executive sponsors for our education (Dr. Jennifer Hall), research (Dr. Roger McLeod), and serving & engaging society (Dr. Darrell White) pillars will report back to me with these plans within the next 90 days.

Two research initiatives were recently announced that relate to the implementation of #DalMedForward.

The process for research teams to be considered for Wave 1 and Wave 2 recognition by the Faculty of Medicine for International Excellence in Research was outlined in a communication from Associate Dean of Research, Dr. Roger McLeod. Successful teams will receive supports to enhance their research activities and position them for future major funding opportunities.

We also announced that a bridge funding competition will be held later this spring to support faculty and help build our research infrastructure. More details about this competition will be forthcoming.

More on the implementation of our strategic plan can be found on our #DalMedForward website.

Awards of excellence
In partnership with the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, we’re bringing back the Faculty of Medicine Awards for Excellence in Medical Research. One award will recognize basic science research, the other will recognize patient-oriented research, and the third award will go to a new investigator. The nomination deadline is February 27.

DMRF’s senior research award – the Max Forman Prize – is also available. The nomination deadline for the Forman Prize is February 21.

It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate the great work of our faculty members. So please consider putting one or more nominations forward for these important awards.

Contact carla.ross@dal.ca or dmrf@dal.ca if you have questions, or are seeking more information on the awards and/or nomination process.

Commitment to diversity
With a commitment to diversity and inclusion within the medical school community, we’ve formed a Diversity Leadership Task Force.

Led by Dr. Jean Marshall, former head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Arthur B. MacDonald chair, the group is comprised of representatives from clinical and basic sciences departments, Human Rights and Equity Services, the Social Accountability Committee, and the Dean’s Office.

The task force will develop a report outlining strategies that can facilitate the recruitment and career development of diverse faculty into senior leadership positions within the medical school. Recommendations will be presented to me and to Faculty Council in June; I look forward to receiving the ideas.

If you have suggestions to assist Dr. Marshall in this diversity and inclusion work, she can be reached at jean.marshall@dal.ca.

Dr. Mann receives AFMC honour
We recently received word that Dr. Karen Mann was selected as the posthumous winner of the 2017 Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada Award for Outstanding Contribution to Faculty Development in Canada.

Karen’s teaching career of over 50 years made her one of the country’s most widely respected health educators. She believed in the power of educational research and theory to strengthen health education, and she was committed to learners and colleagues alike.

The award will be presented to Karen’s family at the CCME meeting in Winnipeg in April. Many of Karen’s Dalhousie colleagues will be in attendance to recognize this honour.

Student-led health clinic needs preceptors
In my December update, I told you about Halifax Outreach Prevention Education Support – or HOPES.

This student-led initiative, an interprofessional collaboration between learners in the faculties of Medicine, Health Professions, and Dentistry, will begin offering health consults for marginalized populations in Halifax.

As I mentioned last time, HOPES is in need of volunteer preceptors to supervise students working at the Sunday health clinics. The clinics are held from 1-4:30 p.m., at Dalhousie Health Services, between January and April. If faculty members are interested in helping out, please contact the HOPES preceptor coordinator, Jenna MacGregor (preceptor.hopessrc@gmail.com). This is a terrific service-learning program to support.

New department heads appointed
On January 1, Dr. Kirk Magee was appointed interim department head and chief for the Department of Emergency Medicine. And Dr. Tobias Witter was more recently appointed interim department head and chief for the Department of Critical Care. Through these appointments, Drs. Magee and Witter will direct the clinical, research, and academic affairs in their respective departments.

As Dr. David Petrie (Emergency Medicine) and Dr. Ward Patrick (Critical Care) step down from their roles as department heads, I’d like to thank them for their great leadership over the years; it’s been a pleasure working with them both.

Until next time
Winter will be winding its way to an end soon. Stay warm, and please provide feedback about the topics mentioned above, or other matters that are of interest to you.

All the best.

As the fall term and the year come to an end, I’d like to acknowledge our students for their hard work and dedication for completing another successful term. Everyone is getting closer to his or her degree. Enjoy your break, and we look forward to seeing you in 2017!

HOPES needs preceptors
For our students, it’s more than just working in the classroom. They’re also involved in giving back to the community. One such initiative is HOPES (Halifax Outreach Prevention Education Support). This initiative, which has been a couple of years in the making, is a major interprofessional collaboration between students in the faculties of Medicine, Health Professions, and Dentistry, and students at Mount Saint Vincent University.

Among other things, this group will establish a student-run health promotion clinic in association with St. Andrew’s Church in Halifax. They’ll also be running health clinics on Sunday afternoons at the Dalhousie Health Services Clinic on LeMarchant Street.

HOPES is currently in need of volunteer preceptors to supervise students working at the health centre. They’re seeking a commitment of four Sundays, from 1-4:30 p.m., between January and April. If you’re interested in working as a volunteer preceptor, please contact HOPES preceptor coordinator, Jenna MacGregor (preceptor.hopessrc@gmail.com).

The HOPES clinic is expected to see its first patients early in the new year. Congratulations to the efforts of all involved!

Support the DMJ
Speaking of our students, please take the time to enjoy the latest issue of the Dalhousie Medical Journal. This student-run journal is impressive – both in its scope of articles and its professional layout. The students are working to get the journal indexed on PubMed. Have a read and consider supporting the journal if you have the opportunity.

Condolences from around the world
We continue to receive messages of condolence from around the world in memory of our friend and colleague, Dr. Karen Mann. Karen was a very special person and world-renowned medical educator. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Dr. Jean Marshall named inaugural Arthur B. McDonald Chair
On December 14, Dr. Jean Marshall, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, was named an inaugural Dalhousie University Arthur B. McDonald Chair. Named after the 2015 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics (and Dalhousie alumnus), the chair recognizes high-caliber professors who are actively involved in world-class research.

Dr. Marshall’s laboratory is internationally recognized for its studies in the biology and function of mast cells in host defense against infection and cancer, and also in chronic inflammatory diseases. The Canadian Cancer Society has also just recognized Dr. Marshall’s work; her research was selected as one of the societies top 10 research impact stories of 2016.

Other notable recognitions
Our faculty, staff, and students are continuously being recognized for the excellent work that they do; in this post, I’d like to highlight a few achievements from our latest awards and accolades file:
– Dr. Mahesh Raju, Department of Medicine, received the 2016 Humanitarian Award for New Brunswick.
– Dr. Roy Duncan, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, received an Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Chair; Killam Chairs are awarded to academics of the highest distinction at Dalhousie.
– Dr. Francoise Baylis, Department of Bioethics, was appointed to the Orders of Nova Scotia and Canada.
– Dr. Rudolph Uher, Department of Psychiatry was recently awarded the Canadian Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research.

It’s important that we celebrate the fantastic community of scholars that we’re all so fortunate to be a part of here at Dalhousie Medical School. I encourage you all – faculty, staff, and learners – to nominate deserving candidates for the awards and merits that are available.

#DalMedForward moving ahead
We had a very good turnout at the December town hall meeting, where we launched the implementation strategy for #DalMedForward.

There are three areas of activity – education, research, and serving & engaging society – and there are executive sponsors for each of these three areas. The executive sponsor for research is Dr. Roger McLeod, associate dean of research. The executive sponsor for education is Dr. Jennifer Hall, associate dean of Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick. And our executive lead for serving and engaging society is Dr. Darrell White, senior associate dean. The executive sponsors – in conjunction with other deans, department heads, and key faculty – are responsible for ensuring that #DalMedForward-related work gets done.

Based on feedback subsequent to the town hall, we have importantly added six women scientists to our #DalMedForward research leadership team – to ensure our implementation group represents the diversity of our research faculty.

I truly do thank everyone who’s taken the time to provide us with input. Your opinions are highly valued and the comments are very helpful as they shape this work ahead of us. I look forward to updating you throughout 2017 on how #DalMedForward is progressing.

James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies
We recently learned that Dalhousie’s James Robinson Johnston Chair (JRJ) will be hosted by the Faculty of Medicine, in the Department of Community Health & Epidemiology. This is the first time this highly prestigious Dalhousie University chair has been awarded to the Faculty.

As you know, #DalMedForward has an emphasis on serving and engaging society. Having the JRJ within the medical school will strengthen our efforts on improving the health of black persons in the Maritimes. We’ll begin recruiting the Johnston Chair early in the new year.

Enjoy your holiday break
As we head into the holidays, there are many things to celebrate and to give thanks for. I wish all of you and your families a peaceful and joyous holiday season and all the best for 2017.

I hope everyone’s fall is going well. With the first snow last weekend, we may be tempted to start looking around the corner to the holiday season.

There is a lot going on that I want to update you about.

Celebrating recent successes
Members of the medical school community continue to receive accolades, and I want to single out a couple of people who’ve recently received major awards.

This has been an incredible few months for Dr. Uher, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Canada Research Chair in Early Intervention. Earlier in the fall, he was named a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists, and he’s just received the Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research.

Dr. Pat McGrath, Canada Research Chair and professor in the departments of Psychology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry, is the first recipient of the national Legacy of Leadership Award, which recognizes “exceptional individuals who have made long-lasting and outstanding contributions to advancing Canada’s health system.”

The College of Family Physicians of Canada recently acknowledged its 2016 award recipients. Drs. Samuel Daigle (NB), David Martell (NS), and Garth Slysz (PEI) were named family physicians of the year. Drs. Dean Wilson and Kristian Lobban were honored for their leadership. Dr. Maria Patriquin received a caring and compassion grant. And fourth-year medical student Matthew To was awarded the medical student scholarship.

Academic health sciences collaboration
For many years, the importance of strong collaboration between Dalhousie University and our allied health authorities has been emphasized. For the development of a true academic health sciences network, there needs to be alignment with goals and actions of the major partner organizations. This is why I’m pleased that the inaugural meeting of the Nova Scotia Executive Oversight Committee took place last week – an important new forum for senior leaders representing the faculties of medicine, dentistry, and health professions, along with the Nova Scotia Health Authority and IWK.

This group, which I’m currently chairing, represents the interdependence in our shared learning, research, and clinical service activities. We’ll focus on common issues and opportunities. Planning together will help us align our efforts and address challenges in a more coordinated way. Between meetings, a smaller working group will get together to address more day-to-day matters related specifically to medical school programs.

I look forward to updating the medical school community on partnership initiatives.

Key accreditation milestone met
Last week, we marked a milestone in our undergraduate accreditation progress in anticipation of our full accreditation review.

Our self-study, which includes a detailed review document, a scorecard assessment, and two student questionnaires, was delivered to the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS).

The CACMS site team will now spend the next few months reviewing over 1000 pages of materials ahead of their visit.

I’d like to thank everyone who worked very hard over the past months to get our submission ready. I particularly want to acknowledge the work done by our students in pulling the complex questionnaire materials together. It truly has been a group effort, and the end result looks great!

Preparations are now underway to organize the site team’s visit to both Halifax and Saint John between February 26^th and March 1^st. The team will be meeting with students, faculty, and staff, and will be touring our educational and clinical facilities at both campuses.

For more information, please check out our accreditation website.

Focus on #DalMedForward implementation
At the end of October, I hosted my annual dean’s retreat. The goal of this year’s gathering was finalizing the implementation strategy for our five-year strategic plan, #DalMedForward.

Stakeholder participation is critical to the success of our plan. To this particular event, we invited participants from outside the medical school to provide us with input on where we are with our strategy. Representatives from Nova Scotia Health Authority, the IWK, the governments of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and provincial medical societies joined us. We also had participation from a number of Dalhousie colleagues.

The retreat offered great dialogue and engagement with partners. They each provided valuable feedback on our education, research, and serving & engaging society pillars.

On December 8^th (5 – 6 p.m.), faculty, staff, and students are invited to hear about our implementation strategy and who will lead the next steps of #DalMedForward (details of the meeting are posted on DalMedix). The goal is to identify any outstanding implementation issues so that we’re ready to start delivering #DalMedForward in January. I hope to see you on the 8^th.

Building leadership skills
At the end of October, our Continuing Professional Development office hosted a leadership forum for the medical school’s senior leadership team. It was a great opportunity to learn together, while building key leadership competencies among our group.

This year’s theme focused on coaching and mentoring. The event included a dynamic speed mentoring exercise, which built a good foundation for our leadership training. I look forward to hosting similar events in the future.

We’ve also introduced a program in academic leadership for clinical and basic science faculty. Emerging Leaders in Academic Medicine (ELAM) provides faculty with limited leadership experience with the chance to become more familiar with the functioning of the medical school and acquire knowledge and skills to take on expanded roles in our academic setting. Now in its second year, the program is quite popular – the fall program filled up quickly, and a waiting list for the next session is already building.

Creation of new program
In October, I announced that on January 1^st, we’ll be merging the Division of Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development. Dr. Connie Leblanc will lead this merged unit as part of her associate dean role.

The purpose of the merger is to consolidate resources and expertise, in order to better facilitate initiatives across the spectrum of education. This new merged program, which will be named following a retreat in January, will, in part, enable the execution of our strategic plan.

I would like to thank Dr. Joan Sargeant for her leadership over the years, and particularly for being the head of the Division of Medical Education. She’s been instrumental in many of our educational programs and she is internationally known for her expertise in feedback. Joan will be retiring from Dalhousie in June. As we wish her well, we’ll miss her expertise and good humour.

Participate in Dal’s census
The Dalhousie census – Be Counted – is part of the university’s diversity and inclusiveness strategy, and I encourage all faculty, staff, and leaners to participate in the confidential survey. The census is brief and easy to complete.

Knowing the make-up of the university population is absolutely vital for Dalhousie University in general — and the Faculty of Medicine in particular — to make informed decisions on policy and planning, and to develop programs and initiatives where everyone feels welcome and supported.

Passing of Dr. Karen Mann
Many of you now know that Dr. Karen Mann, professor emeritus in the Division of Medical Education, passed away on November 28^th.

Dr. Mann was a valued colleague to all of us. And we’ll always remember her intellect and kindness.

A funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 2nd, in Cathedral Lane, Halifax. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Pancreatic Cancer Canada or Save the Children.

Celebrate the holidays
As the holiday season approaches, schedules will get busier. So please remember to mark our annual holiday reception in your calendars.

On December 14th, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., we’ll be gathering in the Tupper Foyer to celebrate the season and all that we’ve accomplished in 2016. I look forward to sharing some holiday cheer.

Good luck with studies
I’m aware that all of our students are buckling down in preparation for exams before the holidays, and I send you my best wishes for success.

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

UGME accreditation preparation – approaching the finish line
Our undergraduate self-study report – consisting of the data collection instrument, the independent student analysis, and Dalhousie’s recent Canadian Graduate Questionnaire – is almost finished. It’ll be submitted to the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools next month, and we’ll be one step closer to putting our best foot forward for the full site visit scheduled for February 26 to March 2.

PGME accreditation – mock accreditation visit
With regard to our postgrad accreditation preparation ahead of fall 2018, Dr. Christopher Watling of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in London, Ontario, was recently on campus. He, along with a representative from Maritime Resident Doctors, met with a number of individuals involved in the policy, planning, and administration of postgraduate medical education at Dalhousie.

Dr. Watling’s visit will help our PGME Office put its self-study together, taking into consideration the new PGME accreditation standards. We’re the first medical school in the country to experience the accreditation process using these new standards, which have only recently become available to our program directors and department heads.

Thank you to everyone who continues to work hard on accreditation-related duties.

Cresco supports med student research
Local developer Cresco made a generous $200,000 gift to Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation in support of our Research in Medicine program. Over the next four years, Cresco will fund 40 studentships. As many of you know, Dalhousie’s RIM program is the first of its kind in Canada. The intent of RIM is to give our medical graduates a thorough understanding of the vital role research plays in today’s health care system.

Approximately 30 per cent of our students enter medical school with graduate research degrees. For those without that background, RIM has sparked interest in blending research with a clinical career.

It’s great to see members of our own community supporting the work of our students, and I hope we can establish similar partnerships in future. We intend to develop greater supports for our graduate students as well.

DMRF welcomes new CEO
Speaking of the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, I’m very pleased to welcome Brian Thompson to the medical school community as DMRF’s new CEO.

Coming to DMRF from KCI Ketchum Canada, Brian has over 12 years of leadership experience in the non-profit and fundraising sectors. He’s also not new to the post-secondary environment. As the campaign director for the University of Ottawa, he laid the foundation for a $400 million campaign.

I look forward to working with Brian and the entire DMRF team on funding our future research priorities.

Brian would be very interested in meeting with members of our research community. Please reach out to him (brian.thompson@dal.ca) if you’d like to chat.

Med student receives CMHF award
Third-year medical student Allan Kember was one of seventeen Canadian med students recently honoured by The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

Allan received The Charles Tabachnick award in recognition of his work in addressing disparities in reproductive, maternal, and newborn health, which plague low- and middle-income countries.

Currently leading an international, multi-disciplinary collaboration responsible for several clinical trials investigating maternal sleeping position as a potential risk factor for stillbirth and low birth weight, Allan is also working on prediction and prevention of preeclampsia in Ghana, and developing hospital information systems in low-resource settings.

DMNB graduates first grad students
Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick celebrated another major milestone at the October convocation. Masters students Purvi Trivedi and Ashley Eadie successfully completed their theses under the supervision of Drs. Thomas Pulinilkunnil and Keith Brunt, respectfully.

Building research capacity in New Brunswick remains a priority for Dalhousie Medical School, and attracting new trainees to our Saint John campus will be a key factor in making that happen.

Nocturne inspires med students and Haligonians
To encourage Haligonians to share their motivations in making healthy lifestyle changes – and any barriers they may face in making these changes – Dalhousie medical students participated in this year’s Nocturne event.

The piece, Ask Yourself, was put together by Matthew Lee and Jonathan Oore, who are both members of the Class of 2019.

Ask Yourself drew on motivational interviewing – a technique used in the health professions to support behaviour modification. Information on how to access health services such as smoking cessation and addictions treatment was also available at the installation.

If you’d like to have a look at the piece, it’s currently standing in the Tupper Foyer.

National recognition for faculty
Members of our faculty also deserve our congratulations. Just in the past month or so alone, Dr. Chris McMaster (Pharmacology) attracted $4.5M in funding for orphan diseases research, Dr. Francoise Baylis (Bioethics) received the McNeil Medal from the Royal Society of Canada for increasing the public’s awareness of science, and Dr. Tony Reiman (Medicine) received $5M from the Terry Fox Foundation to lead a pan-Canadian study in patients with multiple myeloma.

If you have departmental recognitions to share, please send them along to Megan Dixon (megan.dixon@dal.ca) for inclusion in the next issue of Awards & Accolades.

Dr. Andrew Lynk appointed head of Pediatrics
I announced last month that Dr. Andrew Lynk is our new department head for Pediatrics. He recently relocated to Halifax from Cape Breton, and is settling into his new office at the IWK Health Centre.

I look forward to working with Dr. Lynk to advance the academic, clinical, and administrative functions of the department. We’re fortunate to have him join our leadership team.

DMAA recognition dinner
The 58^th Annual Dalhousie Medical Alumni Association Recognition Dinner took place Saturday night at the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax. It was nice to reconnect with classmates and colleagues who were in attendance from all over.

Every day, our alumni are working to improve the health of people in our communities, and it’s important to recognize these outstanding achievements in research and clinical practice.

Toronto-based Dr. Raghu Venugopal (Class of 2001) received this year’s Young Alumnus of the Year award. A volunteer with Doctors Without Borders, Dr. Venugopal delivered the evening’s keynote address, “Improving medical care for the worst off.” Other award winners were Drs. David Kirkpatrick (Alumnus of the Year), Margaret Casey (Honorary President’s Award), and Carlyle Chow (Family Physician of the Year). The Resident Research Award went to Dr. John Gencarelli of the Division of Plastic Surgery.

Saturday’s event was hosted by Dr. John Steeves, former associate dean of Dalhousie Medicine New Bruswick, who was appointed DMAA’s president in June.

Special thanks to the medical students who took time out of their schedules to attend.

I look forward to having a lot of alumni in town during our 150^th anniversary celebrations. So, Dal grads, mark your calendars early for October 12-13, 2018.

Retreat to move strategic plan forward
At the end of the week, I’m hosting a retreat for associate & assistant deans and department heads. The focus of this year’s meeting will be to review our strategic plan and roll out an implementation strategy. I’m looking forward to some good discussion.

We’re in the process of organizing a final town hall for faculty, staff, and students – to go over where we are to date with the strategy. It’ll be held December 8^th, 5-6pm. A save-the-date email with more information will be distributed soon.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to look at #DalMedForward, we’ve just launched a new website that outlines the components of our strategic plan. And, as always, I continue to welcome your feedback.