Dr. Stan Kutcher
Monday, October 22
7-9 pm
Admiral Room, Lord Nelson Hotel and Suites
The event is co-sponsored by the School of Health Administration Alumni Association and the Canadian College of Health Leaders, Bluenose Chapter.
The School of Health Administration has had a busy start to the new academic year!
Orientation
Orientation Committee (L-R) - Karla Bray, Bridid O'Riordan, Matt Adams, Alana Rondeau, Erin Christian and Kelsey MacDonald
The Association of Health Administration Students (AHAS) hosted a successful orientation week for the incoming Class of 2014. Students participated in various workshops, Graduate Studies events and social activities. Fall elections are currently underway and students are looking forward to welcoming new members to AHAS and developing a strategic plan to guide their work this year.
First MHA Online Grads
MHA Online Grads (L-R) - Lorianne MacLean, Leanne Smith, Mary-Ann Hiltz, Belinda Barkhouse-Kelly, Melanie Mooney, Jorge Navarro.
On September 6th, a Wine and Cheese Reception was hosted by Dr. Joseph Byrne (Director) to celebrate the upcoming graduation of the first MHA online students. Those in attendance included Professional Advisory Committee members, faculty, staff, graduates and their guests. Congratulations to all!
Welcome!
The School is pleased to welcome two new sessional lecturers – Catherine MacPherson (MHA 2007) and Andrea Scobie (MHA 2008). A big welcome is also extended to Wendy Terris-Klaus who is the DE Coordinator for the 2012-2013 academic year. Wendy was the previous Distribution and Outreach Coordinator for the School of Health Sciences and joined the School of Health Administration on September 4th.
Congratulations to the following Master of Health Services Research (MAHSR) students who recently defended their theses:
Heidi Deal – Safety-NET-Rx: Insights and Lessons Learned from a Pilot Project
Matthew Murphy – Assessing Understanding of the Principles of Evidence-Based Practice and Their Application: A Qualitative Study of Decision Making Among Senior Management in Nova Scotia’s Addiction Services
Margaret Donahue – The Experience of Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease from Patients’ Perspective
Dan Marcil, Noel Pendergast and Dave Wilson (photo Paige Hoveling)
On September 18th, Noel Pendergast (School of Health Sciences) was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal at the AGM of the Nova Scotia Lung Association. Dave Wilson, Nova Scotia Minister of Health and Wellness, presented Noel with the award for his volunteer work in the community promoting lung health. Congratulations to Noel on this accomplishment!
Brushing Up On Mouth Care: The educational video series focusing on personal daily mouth care. This video series was developed by the Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre (AHPRC), Faculty of Dentistry and Capital Health as part of the “Brushing Up On Mouth Care Project” funded by NSHRF. It is on sale now at the Dalhousie University Health Sciences Bookstore for $49.98. The series includes 5 videos: (1) oral care basics, (2) brushing techniques and oral health products, (3) considerations for dementia, (4) considerations for palliative care and (5) oral health assessments. The videos will help care providers improve personal daily mouth care for frail or dependent older adults. To order click on the link
The Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre (AHPRC) and the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation co-hosted a Knowledge Translation (KT) training workshop on Aug 27-28 at Dalhousie University. Forty people from 10 institutions participated in the 2 day workshop.
The highly regarded interactive workshop helped researchers, KT professionals and educators develop their skills and competencies for creating and implementing a KT plan aimed at: improving research impact; promoting research utilization; and ensuring that research findings are used. For more information about the Scientist Knowledge Translation Training Workshop see http://www.sickkids.ca/Learning/AbouttheInstitute/Programs/Knowledge-Translation/Scientist-Knowledge-Translation-Training-Workshop/Scientist-Knowledge-Tranlation-Training-Workshop.html
Thirteen workshop participants were affiliates of the Faculty of Health Professions, including: Sandra Crowell, Meredith Flannery, Susan McWilliam, Mary McNally (AHPRC), Grace Warner and Heidi Lauckner (Occupational Therapy), Susan Hutchinson, Jessie Lee MacIsaac, Terry Murray-Arnold, and Tarra Penney (Health and Human Performance), Anne Mahalik (Health Sciences), Tanis Jurgens, Ingrid Sketris, Anne Marie Whelan (Pharmacy).
Congratulations to Coleen Van Loggerenberg who has been appointed as Office Manager for the School of Nursing. Coleen had previously been Secretary to the Director in the School and Acting Office Manager. Congratulations also go out to Joanne Fenerty who has been appointed as Administrative Officer for the School of Human Communication Disorders. Joanne joined the School as Administrative Secretary and was acting as Administrative Officer before being appointed permanently.
Pat Sullivan
Sandy Rennie
June 30th, 2012 marks the end of the terms for two of our School Directors, Sandy Rennie in the School of Physiotherapy and Pat Sullivan in the School of Nursing. Sandy will be retiring from the University following administrative leave, and Pat will be continuing in Dalhousie at the School following her leave. The past five years have been a time of significant stresses and change, and both Directors have risen admirably to the challenges and left an enduring positive mark on their respective Schools. Please join me in thanking Sandy and Pat for their contributions to this University and in wishing them well in the future. I hope they will stay in touch.
Dr. David Gardner
Congratulations to Dr. David Gardner (College of Pharmacy and Department of Psychiatry) who was awarded the Canadian Pharmacist of the Year Award for 2012 by the Canadian Pharmacists Association. This prestigious award recognizes a pharmacist who demonstrates leadership and exemplifies the evolution of the pharmacy profession toward an expanded role in health care. Dr. Gardner received the award at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Pharmacists Association in Whistler, BC in early June.
Dr. Gardner is acknowledged as a trusted and respected teacher, researcher, clinician and advocate for mental health. He is constantly striving to increase the role pharmacists play in the lives of those with mental illness. He has been an educator and mentor to a wide range of learners and has been awarded six excellence in teaching awards, local and national, since joining Dalhousie University in 1997. Dr. Gardner has been an integral part of the teaching curriculum with both the College of Pharmacy and Department of Psychiatry. In the College of Pharmacy, he is recognized for his passion and consistent excellence in teaching the undergraduate mental health and psychopharmacology content, which includes a contract-based anti-stigma session. Collaborating with colleagues across the country in a randomized trial, this session was recently found to significantly improve negative attitudes and stigma about mental illness by undergraduate students. Dr. Gardner is also recognized as a curriculum innovator with the development, implementation and evaluation of the undergraduate clinical appraisal series of courses. In the Faculty of Medicine, his teaching contributions are similarly highly regarded, among undergraduates and residents alike. Among his professional peers, Dr. Gardner is known as an excellent teacher who has developed and provided numerous local, national and international lectures, courses and workshops.
Dr. Gardner’s publication and research records are extensive and he strives to bring his research and similar pursuits back to key stakeholders in the mental health community. His knowledge and expertise have led to speaking and consultation invitations nationally and internationally. He regularly provides peer reviews of grants and manuscripts and has contributed professional texts and other practice tools. He practices clinically as a consulting pharmacist with the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Unit (NSEPP) and provides other psychopharmacology consults, and in doing so mentors both pharmacy and medical students.
Some of Dr. Gardner’s most important work has been with local and national advocacy and support organizations. For over three years he worked with the Mental Health Commission of Canada in various roles and prior to that he was a member of the Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Initiative for its five year project. Locally, he regularly volunteers his time and support for mental health organizations, including Laing House and the Schizophrenia Society, determined to better the lives of those living with mental illness. “What we have been doing for these people and their families is simply not enough,” he says, acknowledging the serious gaps in care faced by those with mental health issues.
The award, he believes, “is in recognition of the important, but often under-appreciated role that pharmacists play in the area of community mental health.” Congratulations again to Dr. Gardner on his award – a very deserving honour – one he says is the result of “a lot of good fortune, being connected to the right people and having an unexpected, unrelenting passion for what you do.”
Rose Cousins (Photo - Danny Abriel)
Congratulations to Rose Cousins (BScK ’99) whose album “We Have Made a Spark” has been longlisted for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize. Read more about Rose and her work in DalNews.