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.

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.

New Position for Dr. Patricia Conrad

October 21, 2011 dkilpatr Leave a Comment

Dr. Patricia Conrad has been hired as the Executive Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Boards Association. She will be assuming the responsibilities for this position on November 23, 2011. The association is a federation of publicly-funded health boards. It provides selected services to support the delivery of high quality health and community services in all regions of Newfoundland and Labrador. Dr. Conrad is currently a sessional lecturer in the MHA program and previous Site Coordinator for the ARTC program. Contratulations on your new position Pat!

Research Congratulations – Dr. Grace Johnston

September 23, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Dr. Grace Johnston (Health Administration) and her co-principal investigator, Robin Urquhart (Cancer Care Nova Scotia) on receiving a $57,475 Breast Cancer Society of Canada/QEII Foundation Award for Breast Cancer Research, through the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute for their project “Supportive Care for Women with Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC-SC).”

Over the next ten years, more than 3,000 women living with advanced breast cancer willl need supportive care. Using a participatory action research process, the project will bring together a group of innovative, young researchers with experienced cancer researchers to communicate and collaborate on their research to improve supportive care for women with advanced breast cancer. The impact of this research is expected to include: new insights and interventions by cancer patient navigators who screen for distress; a framework for guidelines for pain and other symptom control using medications; development of a study of physical activity; greater understanding of factors that influence the likelihood of receving supportive cancer care including the impact of having diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease, living in a rural area, minority culture status, and socio-demographic factors; data to demonstrate the importance of listening to the views of next of kin; and an analysis of the type and extent of costs of supportive cancer care.

The team of co-investigators include Judith Fisher (Pharmacy), David Haardt (Health Administration), Janice Howes (Psychiatry), Melanie Keats (Health and Human Performance), Jennifer Payne (Diagnostic Radiology and Community Health and Epidemiology), Fred Burge (Family Medicine), Geoff Porter (Surger), Daniel Rayson (Medicine) and Tallal Younis (Medicine).

GANS Honours Kim Munroe

September 21, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

Kim Munroe receives her award from Heather Praught of GANS

The Gerentology Association of Nova Scotia (GANS), established in 1977, is a multi-disciplinary voluntary association of individuals, families and organizations with an interest in aging. Each year GANS recognizes a student enrolled in a Nova Scotia post-secondary institution who achieves excellence in the study of the field of aging. This year’s recipient is Health Services Manager Kim Munroe (MHA 2011).

Welcome – Dr. Allan Kellehear

September 20, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

Dr. Allan Kellehear

The School of Health Administration is pleased to welcome Dr. Allan Kellehear (BA, PhD, AcSS). Allan was formerly Professor of Palliative Care at LaTrobe University in Australia (1998 – 2006) and Professor of Sociology at the University of Bath in England (2006 – 2011). During these times he was also the 2003-04 Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at the University of Tokyo in Japan, and then the 2009 William J. Clinton Distinguished Lecturer at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas, USA. He is an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences in the United Kingdom and is contributing to professional development for the new postgraduate public health program within the School. Welcome, Allan!

CDHA Health Administration Fellowship

June 20, 2011 Trudi Smith 1 Comment

Reece Bearnes and Christel Mueller

On June 15th, a reception was held to celebrate the graduation of Reece Bearnes (MHA 2010) from the CDHA Health Administration Fellowship. The fellowship is designed to provide outstanding graduates of the Masters of Health Administration Program
advanced post-graduate training in complex health systems – including finance, operations, leadership and governance.

Reece is the inaugural recipient of this fellowship, and said of his experience, “I feel honoured to have been CDHA’s inaugural Health Administration Fellow; this program is truly world leading and one of a kind. Having the unique opportunity to be mentored by the country’s greatest transformational health care leaders was inspiring! This experience has positively impacted me and I will be forever changed by it.” CDHA has similar praise for Reece, “We chose Reece as the first candidate because he had an enthusiasm for learning and mentoring;” said Barbara Hall, VP of People Care, “He’s very goal driven and we knew he would help us further define and grow the fellowship in its inaugural year.”

Christel Mueller (MHA 2010) will be the second fellowship recipient. Congratulations to both Christel and Reece on their achievement. To learn more, read the DalNews story.

Archives for School of Health Administration