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Meet Angela Day – GHO Program Manager

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By: Kayti Baur, MSc Candidate in Community Health and Epidemiology

The Global Health Office has a new team member – Angela Day! Angela is taking over as our Program Manager for our Education Programs and will be working to strengthen initiatives around global health education.

Angela has a breadth of knowledge and expertise in global and environmental health. Having completed her Masters in International Development here at Dalhousie, she is currently a PhD Candidate in the University of Toronto’s Department of Geography, where she specializes in environment and health. Her research has a distinct focus on health equity, and this is a lens Angela is able to bring from her academic work.

This is not Angela’s first time working in the Global Health Office – several years ago she worked on the first iteration of our online pre-departure program before leaving Halifax for her studies at the University of Toronto. While studying in Toronto she also worked with Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and since being back in Halifax, has been a part-time faculty member at Saint Mary’s University.

Angela sees her role at the GHO as bringing a strong theoretical lens and interdisciplinary pedagogical approach to our education programs. Our education programs currently include a number of initiatives, such as international electives and placements for students across the Faculties of Medicine and Health, and online learning. Angela manages the current programs and aims to increase our offerings and supports for trainings, to round out our educational offerings in this area.

Angela says some of her goals here are to convene an active advisory committee for Global Health Education to strengthen education programs and international partnerships, as well as updating online education opportunities and pre departure trainings. She is excited about the diversity of activities that happen through the GHO since her previous tenure here, and is interested in learning more about our PLANS and indigenous health initiatives under the framework of global health education. Finally, Angela is excited about working with students and exploring innovative ways of teaching and learning – both in person and online – to address global health inequities.

Welcome back Angela!

Welcoming the Global Health Office’s new Program Coordinator, Chris Yeats!

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By: Kayti Baur, MSc Candidate in Community Health and Epidemiology
Chris Yeats, Program Coordinator International Students

Chris Yeats, Program Coordinator International Students

The Global Health Office is happy to introduce our newest staff member, Chris Yeats! Chris is a Program Coordinator  supporting international students as part of our partnership with the International Medical University (IMU).  He will also support a new program that is focusing on strengthening collaborations with Francophone schools, communities and students.  The Global Health Office is excited to have Chris join the team.

A Dalhousie graduate, Chris has significant experience working in administrative positions for over a decade – from academic advising to admissions.  Chris has tried his hand in many roles at university and college. Before coming to work with us, Chris was involved with admissions for the Nova Scotia Community College. He is now pursuing his Master’s in Education at Mount Saint Vincent University alongside his work at the Global Health Office.

As a Program Coordinator, Chris supports inclusive education and educational equality for all students who wish to pursue a medical career at Dalhousie. A key role for his position with the IMU program is to help new students adjust and prepare to join Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine.

Since 1996, Dalhousie University has partnered with the International Medical University (IMU) in Malaysia. Each year, IMU students are eligible to complete their third- and fourth-year clerkships at Dalhousie leading to a Canadian Medical Doctorate degree. This unique partnership builds the educational capacity of IMU and improves the health care in Malaysia and surrounding regions. Learn more about the IMU program here

The students arrive from Malaysia in May to participate in a four month Link program that provides an overview of the curriculum and allows time to get settled into Halifax and the medical school program.  This program offers orientation to the Canadian health care system and training in areas like pediatrics and internal medicine plus four weeks of clinical observership.

The Francophone initiative is a pilot program created in partnership with Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour and Advanced Education and Université Sainte Anne.  The program includes community consultation to build an outreach program and hosts activities to help increase interest in the health profession as a career.

Chris sees his role as creating opportunities to support students to become productive health professionals who are able to give back to their communities.

We are excited to have Chris on our team, and encourage you to reach out for a cup of tea if you have questions about his programs or want to talk about cycling throughout the city

Welcome Chris!

 

Welcome our new PLANS Manager, Sarah Upshaw!

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By: Kayti Baur, MSc Candidate in Community Health and Epidemiology

sarahupshaw

The Global Health Office (GHO) in happy to introduce Sarah Upshaw as the new Program Manager for the Promoting Leadership in health for African Nova Scotians (PLANS) Program!  Sarah brings a robust skill set to the position, having worked as a mental health nurse for many before moving on to Recreation Therapy here at Dalhousie, and finally her Master of Counseling at Acadia University. At Acadia, Sarah was part of an Africentric cohort aimed at increasing the number of African Nova Scotians in the counseling field.  She went on to work in public health as a Youth Health Centre Coordinator before coming to join us here at the GHO.  Having such a diverse background of both study and work, Sarah became keenly aware of the lack of representation of diversity within  health professions, and could clearly see the impact on the populations that were being under served.

Sarah is passionate about the PLANS goals of helping create interest and guide youth through the process of making the transition to post-secondary education and eventually attending school in any medical field. The most common ways this is done is through youth summer camps, mentorship and support opportunities, and financial help through bursaries for entrance exams and conference attendance. Sarah has a personal interest in finding ways to better reach youth living outside HRM, especially in rural areas, to better introduce them to what the PLANS program can offer.

Sarah currently works out of the Global Health Office all week, as well as providing drop-in based mentorship out of the Black Student Advisory Center on Thursdays from 9am-noon.  One of Sarah’s goals for the upcoming year is to expand this drop-in time in a virtual way, hoping to make it easier for youth and young adults to contact her from across the province.

Welcome Sarah!

PLANS seeks to increase representation of African Nova Scotians in the health professions through recruitment and retention, community collaborations and partnerships to improve health outcomes within the African Nova Scotian community. PLANS offers programming, resources, and attends community and school events to provide health career support and preparation. Learn more here!