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School of Health Administration News and Events

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Professionals awarded the Certificate of Disaster Management, pictured with Dr. Joe Byrne and the Director General of Red Cross Atlantic, Mr. John Byrne.

The School of Health Administration partnered with the Canadian Red Cross to offer a Certificate in Disaster Management. Attendees at the annual Canadian Red Cross Disaster Management Conference (October 3-5 2012) were able to enroll in a three module Certificate Program, specifically designed by the School of Health Administration for the Canadian Red Cross.  The Certificate Program covered such topics as Disaster Management and Psychology of Decision Making, Disaster Management and Torte Law, and Disaster Management and Team Performance. Forty professionals completed the full three-modular program and were presented their certificates at the end of the conference. The highly successful and regarded Canadian Red Cross Disaster Management Conference is attended by hundreds of professionals from a multitude of disciplines including search and rescue, law enforcement, firefighting, paramedics to health and public service administrators from around the world. This year featured delegates from Japan, offering lessons learned from the 2011 earthquake and devastating tsunami in Japan, as well as delegates from Slave Lake, Alberta, offering lessons learned from the destructive 2011 wild fire.

Professional Workshops

This month, the School of Health Administration Alumni Association (SHAAA) is launching a mentorship program for students in the Master of Health Administration program. The mentorship program will see students paired one-on-one with alumni of the School for the duration of their degree completion. “The mentorship program is aimed at connecting School of Health Administration students with Health Leaders involved in all aspects of
healthcare across Canada”, says Reece Bearnes, President, School of Health Administration Alumni Association. “These interactions will create an environment for students to ask questions, and for mentors to share their  experiences working in the profession. It is our hope that the mentorship program can serve as a platform for open and honest discussion about the challenges and rewards of healthcare leadership.” The program will be piloted for the Winter term (January 2013-April 2013), and mentors and students will be asked to meet two or more times during the year at a time that is mutually
convenient. An appreciation event will be held at the end of the school year to give participating mentors and students the opportunity to discuss and provide
input on the program.

 

Student Congratulations

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Congratulations are extended to recent School of Nursing graduate Beth Hudson on receiving the School of Nursing Leadership Award.  Beth will now work toward a career in community health nursing, particularly in Northern Canada, caring for First Nations and Inuit communities.  She has clinical experience in a northern community and has developed a strong attachment to that part of our country.  As a member of the group of “accelerated nursing students” at Dalhousie, she worked very hard to advocate for this small group of 14 students to ensure they were included in social events at the school, and helped with the fundraising for their own graduation banquet which was held on October 6th.  We wish Beth all the best as she starts her career in nursing.

Congratulations are also extended to recent School of Nursing student Juliette Mundra on receiving the IWK Medical, Dental and Scientific Award for Excellence in Children’s Nursing.  Her career will begin with Capital District Health Authority in the Medical-Surgical Intermediate Care Unit.  She hopes to eventually work in perinatal nursing with a Master of Nursing in Midwifery.  All the best to Juliette as she embarks on her new career in nursing.

Dalhousie Student to Run 5K event years after suffering brain injury

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Kendra Gottschall, who recovered from a serious head injury, will run the 5K race in the Blue Nose Marathon this weekend in Halifax. (ADRIEN VECZAN / Staff-Halifax Herald)

 

Kendra Gottschall, MSW and former BSW student is featured in this article on the front page of the Herald, telling her story of brain injury and running this weekend in the Bluenose 5km!

For the full story:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/sports/97271-blue-nose-race-one-more-step-in-life

Kelly Bang Memorial Lecture

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The Raging Grannies singing their special songs

Honoured lecturer Dr. Carole Roy being thanked by Dr. Robin Stadnyk from the School of Occupational Therapy

On Wednesday, May 9, 2012 the School of Occupational Therapy held the annual Kelly Bang Memorial Lecture. The lecture, titled “The Raging Grannies: Engaged, Outspoken and Creative” was given by Dr.  Carole Roy. The audience of nearly 100 was also treated to the creative songs written and performed by the Raging Grannies of Halifax.

Kelly Bang was a nationally known occupational therapist, lecturer, writer, artist, and counselor for survivors of child and sexual abuse. In Nova Scotia she worked with the Inglis Street program of Abbie J. Lane Hospital in Halifax, the Recreation Association for the Disabled in Lunenburg, and Bridgewater’s Ark Industries providing sheltered employment for adults with mental and physical handicaps (as Director from 1980-1988). Kelly was a longtime volunteer at Second Story Women’s Centre, Bridgewater, and in 1989 she founded Nova Functional Assessments and Therapy Services Limited based in Lunenburg. The Kelly Bang Memorial Lecture was established by her family to honour those whose research, practice, teaching, and advocacy advance opportunities for women and other marginalized adults who are learning to live in their communities.

With some of the women who became the first Raging Grannies in Victoria, BC, Carole Roy walked for peace from Victoria to Nanoose Bay. She published the first book on the Raging Grannies to honour their creative activism. She values the long tradition of women’s collective acts of resistance. Carole received a Master in Women’s Studies from York University and a Doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Toronto. She currently teaches in the Department of Adult Education at St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish.

RSF-EARTHSPEAK Mission

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RSF-EARTHSPEAK is a non-profit foundation whose mandate is to work with communities in developing countries to increase services for people with cleft palate. Dr. Elizabeth Kay-Raining Bird (School of Human Communication Disorders) and Cindy Dobbelsteyn (Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres) have been working through EARTHSPEAK with local partners in Portoviejo, Ecuador for 6 years. The local partners include the Department of Special Education, the Department of Health, the Rotary Club, Rostros Felices, the University of San Gregorio, Instituto Nacional de la Ninez y Familia, and the Fundacion Maria Claudia.  Together, these partners provide surgical, speech and language, dental, orthodontal, psychology and ENT/hearing supports to individuals who have cleft palate and their families throughout Manabi Province. Elizabeth and Cindy travel to Ecuador at least once per year. As often as possible, speech-language pathology students from the School of Human Communication Disorders accompany them as part of their clinical externship experiences. This year three students participated in the April mission: Allison Kavanagh, Emily Hastings, and Matthew Cochrane. They were involved in teacher and speech therapist training experiences, a parent training program, assessments of children with cleft palate, and organizational meetings. The students had the opportunity to observe several speech-language pathologists in their work in Ecuador and observe several cleft palate surgeries. The group had the unique opportunity this year to visit the Fundacion el Triangulo while in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. This program provides experiences in the arts to people with Down syndrome.

SWOT Interprofessional Event

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For three years in a row, Drs. Brenda Merritt and Marion Brown from the Schools of Occupational Therapy and Social Work have integrated an interprofessional health education (IPHE) learning assignment into their respective courses.  Within this assignment, groups of occupational therapy and social work students work collaboratively to develop an interprofessional plan to address identified challenges within a particular field of practice (e.g., sex trade workers, newcomers to Canada, older adults with dementia, wheelchair users in Halifax, Africville).  Each interprofessional group works collaboratively to create a poster presentation to communicate profession specific orientations to the field of practice and interprofessional strategies to address identified health challenges encountered by the client population. Additionally, the students share their reflective experiences of working in an interprofessional group.

During the fall of 2011, the student groups had two face-to-face encounters during class time to meet their interprofessional peers, learn about each other’s scope of practice, discuss profession specific analyses, and formalize a client-centered, interprofessional plan to address the identified challenges in
the field of practice.  The assignment culminated with a poster presentation, wherein approximately 18 interprofessional groups of students presented their posters to peers, faculty, and guests. Each year the poster presentation is filled with energy and enthusiasm.

 

 

Shoes for Souls Helps Needy Feet

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The Shoes for Souls campaign sends shoes to communities in Zambia (Photo Daniel Abriel)

After a trip to Kabwe, Zambia, with the charitable organization Hands at Work, Dahousie Nursing student Kyle Warkentin launched his Shoes for Souls campaign.  While in Zambia, he noticed a way that he could make a difference: by focusing on the feet.

Two years ago Shoes for Souls began as a small collection and soon became a large campaign involving the community and a committee of eight volunteers. Arriving at Dalhousie as a nursing student, he continued his work, getting classmates and other Dal students to help out. The result: sending 15,000 shoes to Zambia.

Congratulations to Kyle for doing his part in making such a contribution toward the improvement of everyday living conditions for the people of Zambia.

For the full story see the Dal News article:

http://www.dal.ca/news/2012/04/25/shoes-for-souls.html?utm_source=dalnewsWeekly&utm_medium=email&utm_content=179&utm_campaign=dalnews

 

In Memoriam – Dr. Robert Tonks

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Members of the university community, and in particular members of the
Faculty of Health Professions, were saddened at the recent news of the passing
of Dr. Robert (Bob) Tonks. Dr. Tonks served as Director of the College of
Pharmacy from 1973-1977, and was Dean of the Faculty of Health Professions from
1977-1988.

Please follow the link to see Dr. Tonks obituary:

http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20120421.93292055/BDAStory/BDA/deaths

Categories: FHP

Interprofessional Student Team represents Dalhousie at the National Health Care Team Challenge

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Ian MacIntyre (Dentistry), Laura Jewell (Health Admin.), Alison Taylor (Physiotherapy), Jennifer Egan (Human Communication Disorders), Elycia McKeand (Nursing), Ashley LeClerc (Health Sciences), Lori Walsh (Occupational Therapy)

 

The newly reinstated Dalhousie Health Sciences Students Association executive recently represented Dalhousie University at the National Health Sciences Students Association Conference held in Waterloo, Ontario.  The conference provided the opportunity to hear inspirational and informative speakers, teach delegates how to sustain a council at their university, watch students from the host university perform emergency situation simulations (including a birthing, car fire, ice rescue and smoke inhalation), network with other delegates, and participate in a Health Care Team Challenge, among others.  With regards to the Health Care Team Challenge, the students were given a brief overview of a patient case prior to attending the conference.  At the conference, each team offered their prognosis of the case in a brief five-minute presentation.  Once all teams had presented, the teams were provided with more information about the case and were then required to formulate a treatment plan for the patient.  The Health Care Team Challenge was an excellent interprofessional learning experience.  It gave students an opportunity to further understand the roles of various professions while learning how to collaborate to share knowledge and perspectives on patient care and communicate what they perceive as important in a respectful manner.  The executive is currently developing a proposal to be able to host an internal Dalhousie Health Care Team Challenge in early 2013.


Faculty Congratulations on winning National and Provincial Physiotherapy Awards

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Carolyn King (Assistant Professor) and Alison McDonald (Adjunct Professor-Clinical)

Assistant Professor, Carolyn King and Adjunct Professor (Clinical), Alison McDonald were joint recipients of the 2012 Congress Bursary for Volunteers. This bursary provides funding for Congress attendance for NSPA members who are (or have been) active volunteer contributors to the association. Carolyn and Alison are both long-term volunteers with NSPA, CPA and in the community. The NSPA acknowledges the commitment volunteers make to the association to ensure the viability and profile of the profession.  The Congress Bursary is intended to acknowledge this commitment and contribution to the profession, and reward a volunteer for their sacrifice of time and energy. A bursary of up to $2,000 will be available annually to a volunteer to represent NSPA at Congress.

 

 

Sandy Rennie, Director

Director, Sandy Rennie was announced as the recipient of the 2012 NSPA Award of Excellence. Sandy received the award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the physiotherapy profession in Nova Scotia, as an inspirational role model, teacher, mentor and leader. The NSPA Award of Excellence is given annually to a Nova Scotia Physiotherapist who:

  • is a member in good standing of the NSPA
  • has demonstrated outstanding contributions in one or more of the following areas: administration, clinical practice, education, professional contribution, research

 

 

Carolyn King (Assistant Professor)

Assistant Professor, Carolyn King was also successfully nominated by the NSPA Awards Committee for the CPA Life Membership Award. Carolyn has been an active volunteer, mentor, association promoter and volunteer recruiter extraordinaire throughout her career as a physiotherapist.  She has volunteered nationally and in multiple provinces, has inspired many paediatric physiotherapists, and has a truly infectious enthusiasm for everything CPA. Carolyn will receive her Life Member award at CPA Congress in May 2012, in Saskatoon. The CPA Life Membership Award recognizes physiotherapists who have provided outstanding service of long duration to the profession and the Association.  His/her peers must recognize the individual as having contributed to the profession and the Association through outstanding service. This significant contribution must be demonstrated over at least twenty (20) years of CPA membership and service to the profession and to the Association at a local and/or national level.

Activities that will be considered include:

  • development of means to promote the physical therapy profession nationally
  • leadership which serves to motivate others to become involved in professional activities
  • involvement in raising of the Association within the physical therapy profession

 

Gail Wainwright

 

Gail Wainwright was successfully nominated by the NSPA Awards Committee for the CPA Mentorship Award. Gail’s mentorship of students, clinical instructors, and other Academic Coordinators of Clinical Education across Canada goes well above and beyond her role requirements, earning her the respect and admiration of all with whom she interacts. Her approachable, yet tell-it-like-it-is personality has helped shape the careers of a tremendous number of physiotherapists in Canada. Gail will receive her Mentorship Award at CPA Congress in May. The CPA Mentorship Award recognizes physiotherapists who, through their inspiration and support, are actively engaged in the mentorship of other physiotherapists and act as role models for professionalism and volunteerism.

Members of the profession believe that:

· An individual can provide inspirational mentorship in a variety of ways at any stage of his or her career.

· Physiotherapists who role-model professionalism and volunteerism are often as inspiring to their colleagues and peers as the key leaders of the profession.

· Physiotherapists who mentor colleagues benefit both the individual and the profession.