I hope everyone got to do something fun over March break and that we’re all ready to complete the academic year in fine fashion. Spring is here, and there are lots of exciting things going on around the med school.

Wanted: Strategic planning feedback
We’re at a critical point in the medical school’s strategic planning process, and you’re all invited to three upcoming town halls to discuss where we are with our plan. We want to hear your perspectives and seek your input before we move on to the final stages of the strategic planning process, which we’ll wrap up in June.

April 14 – Service & engagement strategy
April 20 – Research strategy
April 28 – Education strategy

All town halls will be held from 5:00pm to 6:30pm in Theatre A and video-conferenced across the Maritimes. There will also be opportunity to provide written feedback.

Thanks in advance for your assistance in advancing this important work.

Upcoming accreditation mock visit
We’re moving forward with preparations for our undergraduate accreditation, which takes place in February 2017. The next major step will be a mock accreditation, which is happening April 7th and 8th. I’ll let you know how things go.

In the meantime, I want to thank everyone who’s been involved in getting us ready for this mock accreditation visit. I know it’s been a lot of work, but it’ll be worthwhile. And special thanks to our medical students for completing and presenting their Independent Student Assessment survey results; this report provided some very good feedback to our accreditation team.

RIM Research Day
On April 1, some of our med students will showcase their research talent by presenting the results of their Research in Medicine projects. Research Day presentations will start at 2:00pm in Theatre A, and will be video linked across the Maritimes. Come early if you want to get a seat! I look forward to seeing you there.

CaRMS match recap
Members of our Class of 2016 recently found out the results of their CaRMS residency match. I want to wish our graduating students all the best as they prepare for their licensing exams and also to begin residency programs in locations across the country.

Generally, our students did very well in the CaRMS match. Many are pursuing their residencies at Dal, and others have been accepted into a variety of training programs in other provinces. Unfortunately, a few students didn’t match in the first iteration, and I realize it’s a very stressful time for them. Our student affairs deans have been assisting these students in moving forward with their future activities. Thanks to some of our grads who’ve also reached out to help.

Our own Dalhousie programs fared very well in the 2016 CaRMS match. Dal and McGill had the fewest unmatched residency spots in this year’s process, which speaks very well for the outstanding national reputation of our postgraduate training.

Euphoria showcases wide-ranging talent
Euphoria – the annual variety show put on by our med students – is a unique tradition at Dalhousie Medical School. It’s been taking place for more than 40 years. The 2016 edition demonstrated the talents and creativity of our students. Congratulations to the Class of 2018 on winning the trophy for the best class skit.

Funds raised from ticket sales went in support of Camp Triumph.

With residencies starting in July, med school starting in August, and graduate studies beginning in September, it’s been a busy few weeks of firsts – for both our learners and me.

Before I get into this month’s highlights, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the troubling events that have faced our medical school over the past month or so. There have been two serious incidents involving students, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved. I thank Dalhousie Security Services and those in law enforcement who have been there for us.

Hippocratic Oath and First Light ceremonies
As tradition would have it, we recently held our annual Hippocratic Oath ceremony in Halifax and First Light ceremony in Saint John. The events welcome our first-year med students to Dalhousie Medical School, and to the practice of medicine.

At the Hippocratic Oath gathering, students heard from second-year internal medicine resident Dr. Alex Legge; she offered tips for their journey ahead. And Dr. Gus Grant, registrar and CEO of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Nova Scotia, addressed our newest students with a straight-shooting – and at times humorous – talk about professionalism. To round out the afternoon, students collectively read their code of conduct, listened to the Hippocratic Oath, and enjoyed musical tributes by members of our humanities program.

At the Saint John event, our New Brunswick students got to celebrate their start to medical school in their own special way. Dr. Jennifer Hall, the senior associate dean for New Brunswick, and I enjoyed participating in our first First Light festivities, and meeting some of our students’ families.

Visit to Miramichi
On my way to the First Light ceremony, I stopped by Miramichi. It was my first chance to connect with Dr. Rob Boulay, the program director for our Miramichi-based Longitudinal Integrated Clerksip (LIC). I also got to meet many of our faculty and students based in that region.

The LIC is a highly-regarded model for delivering medical education, where third-year students spend most of their clerkship in a community setting. Students and faculty are unanimous in their passion for the strengths of this program; the ultimate goal of the LIC is to train students well and encourage them to return to smaller communities to work and live. Our other New Brunswick-based LICs in Moncton and the Upper River Valley are working well. We’re having discussions about setting up LIC sites in Nova Scotia.

New research chair
This month, Dr. Michael Dunbar was named the QEII Foundation Endowed Chair in Arthroplasty Outcomes. With that announcement, Dalhousie Medical School became home to 24 research chairs. Research chairs – recognized as the top researchers in their fields – transform scientific thinking and teaching.

I congratulate Dr. Dunbar, and look forward to what his work will mean for patient care in the Maritimes.

And while on the topic of research, there’s a link on the right-hand side of this page that will take you to a list of our funding successes. That link will remain on this blog site for reference, and the list will be updated periodically.

Molly Appeal 2015
September brought us Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation’s (DMRF) annual Molly Appeal. This year’s campaign focuses on cardiovascular disease. Dalhousie Medical School-affiliated cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, and scientists are looking at innovative approaches to prevent and manage heart disease.

Ours is the only medical school in Canada that’s served by an independent charitable organization. DMRF’s only purpose is to support Dalhousie Medical School scientists and their research activities. Though the Molly Appeal is just one of many ways the Foundation helps advance health research in our region, its legacy has – for more than 35 years – contributed to the success and excellence of our researchers and the science they do.

I’m proud to be a member of DMRF’s board of directors, and I wish the Molly Appeal team much luck with this year’s campaign.

Accreditation
On September 17^th, we officially kicked off our Undergraduate Medical Education accreditation process. As I mentioned in my last blog post, the Committee on the Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools will be reviewing our MD program in 2017.

Soon, faculty, staff, and students will start receiving a monthly accreditation newsletter. Please watch out for it. That’s where we’ll be sharing accreditation-related information.

Strategic planning
I’m twelve weeks into my deanship, and I continue to learn the ropes of the role. As mentioned in my last note, I’ll be working on a new strategic plan in partnership with faculty, staff, and students. At the end of October, I’m hosting a one-day retreat for department heads, associate and assistant deans, and representatives from faculty council. From there, I’ll be looking for wide input on our strategic directions.

My goal is to have a new plan in place by spring 2016. Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved.

Alumni gala
I’m really looking forward to seeing old friends, and meeting new ones, at the October 16^th Dalhousie Medical alumni gala at Pier 21. Dr. Tom Marrie will be the guest speaker. If you haven’t already purchased your tickets for the evening, you can get them by visiting Dal’s alumni website. I hope to see you there!

Know Your Dal
Know Your Dal is well underway, and soon the medical school will be taking over Today@Dal. The medical school’s official take-over will happen October 5 – 9. During that time, we’ll step into the spotlight and through a series of activities (online and offline), share the work of faculty and staff with the broader university community. Be sure to watch for our turn in the Know Your Dal campaign.

Be in touch
As I hope you know by now, my door is always open for a chat. Or you can always reach me by email (david.anderson@dal.ca).