School of Health Administration News and Events

October 25, 2012 dkilpatr Leave a Comment

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.

AHAS Makes an Impact

April 18, 2012 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

AHAS recently hosted an appreciation event for faculty and staff to thank them for their support throughout the year. (Photo: Sida Wu)

The Association of Health Administration Students (AHAS) was honoured to be nominated as one of three best department societies at the first annual Dalhousie Student Impact Awards. The award is presented to the departmental society ratified with the DSU that has demonstrated the highest level of consistency in event planning and delivery, high participation and attendance of their membership, and sets an example for other student societies. AHAS is a relatively small society, and was thrilled to be nominated in recognition of:

A visioning exercise that guided activities throughout the year, the introduction of a committee structure which enabled a great amount of accountability and activity, and advocacy for new initatives.
Activities such as hosting a successful bake sale to raise money for charity, facilitating informative lunch-and-learn sessions, coordinating events with the Alumni Association and the Canadian College of Health Leaders, participating in Trick-or-Eat and developing community partnerships.

AHAS has evolved from a small association to a power house group, setting the bar high for future years and developing a solid example. Congratulations AHAS!

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

April 13, 2012 dkilpatr Leave a Comment

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.

Student Congratulations – Mohammed Al-hamdani

January 17, 2012 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

: Dr. Chris Simms (left) congratulates Mohammed on his achievement.

Congratulations to Mohammed Al-hamdani, a recent graduate of the Master of Health Administration program. Mohammed entered the 2011 American Academy for Medical Administrators’ (AAMA’s) student paper award competition with students competing from at least 70 universities in North America. His outstanding tobacco litigation review, “Health Care Cost Recovery: Lessons for Canada from the U.S. Litigation Experiences” was one of the top five papers in the competition and he was the only applicant from Canada to receive an honourable mention – the other four students were enrolled in American universities. The review has been published by the AAMA, and Mohammed has been invited to present the topic at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health in Toronto.

Mohammed’s work has also been recognized in the past – his thesis on the plain packaging of cigarettes (completed under the supervision of Dr. Chris Simms) is listed as one of the resources on the Physicians for a Smoke Free Canada website. He also won national and international awards and scholarships during his time at Dalhousie. Mohammed describes tobacco control as his passion, and credits the support and resources offered by Dalhousie and the School of Health Administration for his achievements.

Health Adminstration Students support Feed Nova Scotia

January 17, 2012 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

: MHA students (L-R): Brigid O'Riordan, Ashley Ryer and Laura Jewell

The Association of Health Administration Students (AHAS) hosted two bake sales in December with all the money raised going to Feed Nova Scotia’s Feed a Family Program. The total raised was much more than anticipated, and as a result, AHAS was able to support six families this holiday season.

AHAS would like to thank everyone who supported their efforts and helped to provide for families in need.

SHA Alumni host CHE Preparatory Workshop

November 22, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

On October 26, the Alumni Association of the School of Health Administration hosted a very successful CHE Preparatory Workshop at Capital Health. The workshop was facilitated by Pat Lee, CEO, Pictou County Health Authority; Catherine MacPherson, CCHL President (MHA 2007); and Reece Bearnes, Alumni President (MHA 2010). Members unable to attend the onsite session could participate through WebEx, which was a great addition to the session. The Alumni Association will be offering the CHE Workshop as one of their annual events.

Association of Health Administration Students host Professional Development Week

November 22, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

The Association of Health Administration Students (AHAS), in partnership with the School and Alumni Association, presented Professional Development Week – November 14th – 18th, 2011.

Events included:

A screening of CBC’s “Staying Alive – An inside look at insite injection centres.” The viewing was followed by a discussion session surrounding the issues raised in the film;
“Bad Decision Making: The Ultimate Inefficiency” lecture was presented by Dr. Joe Byrne, Director. The presentation highlighted essential mistakes to avoid, including miscalculating risk and cause, under-estimating the psychology of conformity and information bias, and overestimating public knowledge.
“Diversity and Inclusive Language for Health Administrators Workshop” with Lyndsay Anderson, Residency Life Manager. The workshop addressed what kinds of diversity exist, how people may be unintentionally (or intentionally) excluded or discriminated against, how to use inclusive or inoffensive language, and what to do when you see people acting or speaking inappropriately.
On Friday, a potluck lunch was held with all monies raised going to Feed Nova Scotia’s Adopt-a-Family.

Congratulations to AHAS on a week well done!

Excellence in Health Series – Dr. Pat Croskerry

November 22, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

: Dr. Pat Croskerry

The School of Health Administration Alumni Association is pleased to present “Quality and Patient Safety: How Doctors Think (And How Sometimes They Don’t)” by Dr. Pat Croskerry, Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and Division of Medical Education, as part of their “Excellence in Health” speaker series. The event is taking place on Thursday, December 1st from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Regency Ballroom in the Lord Nelson Hotel. All are welcome.

SHA Year-End Banquet

April 28, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

SHA Graduates and students - Back Row (L-R) - Kim Munroe, Victoria Case, Lynn Lowe, Kim Vaulkhard, Miguel Cortel, Ben Ridout, Susan Sobey, Dorothy Wang, Omar Bawhab. Front Row (L-R) - Christine Le, Nicole Colyer, Shawn Chhabra, Laura Oxenham.

Faculty, staff, students and friends attended the School of Health Administration’s 29th year end banquet and Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 8th. This year’s theme was the “Health Administration Academy Awards” with Master of Ceremonies duties performed by former MHA graduates Reece Bearnes (CDHA Health Administration Fellow) and Barbara Hall (VP Centred Care, Capital Health). The keynote speaker was Dr. Doug MacMillan, Professor of Paediatrics at Dalhousie University.

Award recipients included:

Benjamin Ridout – Robert Wood Johnson Award, CCHL Bluenose Chapter Award and Health Association Nova Scotia Award;
Miguel Cortel – Alan D. Thomson Award and Ruderman Award;
Shawn Chhabra – Alumni Award, AHAS Award and Nestman Prize for Accounting;
Laura Oxenham – KP Richard Award and Dr. Thomas Rathwell Award;
Alyson Lamb – Glen Moore Memorial Award (given to a first year student in the MHA Program).

Congratulations to all award winners and graduates!

SHA Supports Milk Tickets Program

March 15, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

Shawn Chhabra (AHAS President), Jane Moloney (NECHC), Ben Ridout (MHA, 2nd year), Alexandra Hill-Mann (MHA, 1st year).

The students and faculty of the Masters of Health Administration program have raised $400 for the North End Community Health Centre (NECHC) in order to provide them with much needed funding for their “Milk Tickets” program. The NECHC had recently lost funding for their initative, aimed at providing subsidized milk vouchers to new and expecting mothers. The $400 will provide much needed relief, but more help and contributions are always needed. If you would like to contribute, cheques can be mailed directly to the NECHC, or contact Jane Moloney for further information.

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