As part of a series on Dalhousie employees, Angelika Torres – HR/Finance Assistant in the School of Nursing – was profiled by DalNews. Read the complete profile here.
Welcome – Dr. Kathleen MacMillan
Welcome to Dr. Kathleen MacMillan, who recently joined Dalhousie as Director of the School of Nursing. Dr. MacMillan is a graduate of the Toronto East Hospital School of Nursing (diploma) and the University of Toronto (BSc 1980; MA 1983, MSc 1992 and PhD 2005). She has experience in clinical nursing practice, administration, research, education and health policy and is the author of numerous publications and invited presentations. She has been recognized as a distinguished alumna of the Faculty of Nursing at the U of T and received a Centennial Achievement Award from the Canadian Nurses’ Association in 2008. Dr. MacMillan was the first Provincial Chief Nursing Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Health & Long Term Care (1999 – 2001) and Executive Director, Office of Nursing Services for First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada (2001 – 2004). Most recently she was Dean, School of Health Sciences at Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning in Toronto. She holds graduate faculty appointments at both the University of Prince Edward Island and the University of New Brunswick Schools of Nursing. Her research interests are in patient safety, nursing human resources, nursing history and interprofessional collaboration.
Student Congratulations
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.
NSHRF Team Development Award
Congratulations to Dr. Ingrid Waldron (Nursing) who was recently given a Team Development Award from NSHRF’s REDI Program in the amount of $10,000 to conduct research examining the epidemiological and health-related effects of toxic industries proximate to Mi’kmaq and Indigenious Black communities in Nova Scotia. Co-Investigators include Dr. Swarna Weerasinge (Community Health and Epidemiology), Dr. Heather Castleden (Resource and Environmental Studies), Dr Daniel Rainham (Science), Dr. Mikiko Terashima (Science), Dr. Elizabeth McGibbon (St. Francis Xavier) and Dr. Afua Cooper (Sociology and Social Anthropology).
New Administrative Appointments
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.
Director Farewells
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.
Connecting Public Health and Primary Care

Think Tank participants (L-R) - Kristin MacLellan, Ruth Martin-Meisner, Linda Young, Patricia Austin, Ruta Valaitis, Lisa Grandy, Fred Burge, Donna Meagher-Stewart, Paula English. (Photo - Nick Pearce)
As part of the project, “Strengthening Primary Health Care through Primary Health Care and Public Health Collaboration,” Dalhousie recently hosted a Think Tank that brought together more than 65 policy makers, representatives from national and provincial organizations, administrators, educators, researchers, managers and front-line staff from across Nova Scotia. The project is sponsored by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and is led by Ruta Valatis of McMaster University. Donna Meagher-Stewart (Nursing) is Nova Scotia site lead and Ruth Martin-Meisner (Nursing) is a co-investigator on the project. To learn more, read the story in DalNews.
Student Congratulations – Scotia Scholarships
The Scotia Scholarship is a funding opportunity available under the NSHRF Research Trainee Funding Program. It is intended to provide financial support to high caliber trainees engaged in health research related academic study at Nova Scotia universities. The goal of the Scotia Scholarship is to support the development of the next generation of highly qualified health researchers and leaders in the Nova Scotia
The goal of the Scotia Scholarship is to support the development of the next generation of highly qualified health researchers and leaders in the Nova Scotia health research enterprise.
2012-2013 Funded Recipients (Doctorate Level)
Robert J. Allan
Interdisciplinary PhD Program
Faculty of Graduate Studies
Supervisor: Lynne Robinson
Rebecca Earle
School of Nursing
Faculty of Health Professions
Supervisor: Margot Latimer
Annette Elliott Rose
School of Nursing
Faculty of Health Professions
Supervisor: Gail Tomblin Murphy
2012-2013 Funded Recipients (Master Level)
Elizabeth Burrows
School of Health and Human Performance
Faculty of Health Professions
Supervisors: Angela Thompson and Melanie Keats
Jennifer Finbow
School of Human Communication Disorders
Faculty of Health Professions
Supervisor: Rachel Caissie
Tarra Penney
School of Health and Human Performance
Faculty of Health Professions
Supervisor: Sara Kirk
Kendra Read
Applied Human Nutrition
Professional Studies (MSVU)
Supervisors: Patricia Williams and Sara Kirk
Bonita Squires
School of Human Communication Disorders
Faculty of Health Professions
Supervisors: Elizabeth Kay-Raining Bird
Iwona A. Tatarkiewicz
School of Health and Human Performance
Faculty of Health Professions
Supervisor: Susan Hutchinson
Celebrating Teaching and Research Excellence
At the recent Spring Full Faculty Meeting, awards were given to three individuals in recognition of their contributions to teaching and research in the Faculty:
The Faculty of Health Professions Teaching Excellence Award – Dr. Carolyn Campbell – Social Work – this award honours an outstanding teacher who embodies the finest aspects of exemplary teaching. Carolyn has been an exemplary teacher, a leader in the development of the School’s curricula and has published widely in the area of pedagogy. She has been extensively involved in committees at both the School and Faculty level during her career at Dalhousie, and is also involved in community development work.
The Faculty of Health Professions Senior Research Excellence Award – Dr. Gail Tomblin-Murphy – Nursing – this award reccognizes outstanding research that leads to significant progress in the understanding and/or management of a health-related problem, contributions to a health related field and overall excellence. Gail has developed an extensive program of research in the area of Health Human Resources with funding from several national and international agencies. Gail is also the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Health Workforce Planning and Research, Associate Director – Research and International Affairs, School of Nursing.
The Faculty of Health Professions Early Career Research Excellence Award – Dr. Joan Versnel – Occupational Therapy – this award is given to a faculty member who, in the first seven years of their appointment at Dalhousie, has demonstrated outstanding research that leads to significant progress in the understanding and/or management of a health-related problem. Joan’s research focuses on adolescent/young adult self management with particular interest in the learning principles, families interest in the learning principles and how families negotiate self-management responsibilities. Joan is co-principal investigator on the PHAC project “The everyday experience of living with and managing a neurological condition: The LINC Study.”
The Faculty of Health Professions Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Research – Mr. Mark Issa – Pharmacy – this award is to reward excellence in research performed by graduate students within the Faculty of Health Professions. Mark will defend his thesis in the summer of 2012 and will have the distinction of being the first MSc Pharmaceutical Science student to graduate from the College of Pharmacy. Mark received his award at the conclusion of the IHRTP Graduate Research Day from Dr. Anita Unruh who noted that Mark had shown remarkable enthusiasm, ability and initiative throughout the course of his program in Pharmacy.
Shoes for Souls Helps Needy Feet
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: