Dear colleagues,
Happy New Year! On behalf of your Executive Leadership Team, we wish you a joyous and health-filled 2023.
This fall I had the pleasure of seeing my term as Dean renewed for another five years, from 2023 to 2028. I am so proud of what the Faculty team has accomplished to date and look forward to the exciting work ahead.
Below you will find 2022’s final instalment of key updates.
Executive Leadership Team (ELT) Highlights: September – December 2022
2022 Annual Progress Report and Mid-cycle Refresh of the Blueprint: This fall ELT members submitted their strategic updates to the Strategic Planning and Implementation Team, resulting in the Faculty’s 2022 Annual Progress Report of our Strategic Plan, Leading Innovation for a Healthier World. Additionally, ELT is working closely with members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Faculty Council to finalize updating the Blueprint.
Homecoming: ELT was proud to oversee the events for Homecoming 2022 (Welcome Reception Sept. 30 and Alumni and Friends Brunch, Oct. 2), and the Faculty of Medicine Awards and Recognition Gala (Oct. 1). The weekend saw the bestowing of the Faculty Member Awards of Excellence and the Alumni Awards of Distinction. These awards complimented the Research Day awards, which were handed out a week prior. It was gratifying to celebrate our successes in-person after a 3-year pandemic hiatus.
Staff Appreciation Week: ELT supported again this year a series of events to recognize and thank staff for their excellent work. Taking place from December 12-16, staff were able to play bingo, watch a movie, get a Beaver Tail, or go ice skating at TD Place. Due to inclement weather and concern for staff health and safety, the luncheon was postponed to January 26, 2023, at which time the Support Staff Awards of Excellence winners, as well as years of service recipients, will be recognized.
Ottawa Academic Health Network: We continue to forge ahead with leadership from affiliated health science centres and the Faculty of Health Sciences on the creation of the Ottawa Academic Health Network. These discussions are timely and align well with discussions on a new affiliation agreement. You can get a flavor for the potential importance and relevance of this partnership in this video.
CityStudio Ottawa: Dr. Claire Kendall, Associate Dean, Social Accountability, updated ELT on the November 7th CityStudio partnership launch between the Faculty of Medicine (FoM), uOttawa and the City of Ottawa, aimed at improving our citizens’ health and well-being. The worldwide initiative allows our faculty and students to co-create solutions with City staff and the Ottawa community for a more inclusive, sustainable and healthy city.
Partnership with National Colleges:
This fall the FoM signed a health research and education Agreement with the Royal College (RCPSC). The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will provide faculty and staff expertise and time to develop strategies, implement action plans and measure results in areas such as: planetary health; international collaborations; medical leadership training; social accountability; health care provider wellness; evaluation of Continuing Professional Development (CPD); and Competence by Design (CBD). The agreement runs from November 1, 2022, until the end of 2024, with the possibility of extension.
Also this fall, our Faculty finalized a first-in-Canada MOU with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). Signed on September 8 at Roger Guindon Hall, the agreement gives the Faculty’s Department of Family Medicine access to the CFPC Besrour Centre’s many international collaborators, and facilitates the sharing of global scale expertise and resources on education and research training.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): Dr. Ewurabena Simpson, Assistant Dean, EDI, presented the results from phase 1 of the EDI Office’s EDI Action Plan for 2022-2025, which included the AAMC DICE (an environmental scan of EDI resources and infrastructure within the FoM) and the EDI Engagement Survey. Common strengths and areas for improvement were shared with the ELT and next steps include the dissemination of survey results and incorporation of the findings into recommendations for the FOM EDI Action Plan.
Community of Support: Dr. Sharon Whiting, Vice-Dean, Faculty Affairs, asked ELT to approve a MOU with University of Toronto Temerty FoM’s Office of Access and Outreach. The Community of Support initiative provides learners from underrepresented communities with longitudinal support for medical school (for example, admissions and application support, opportunities to develop CanMEDS competencies etc.). ELT supported joining the collaboration.
Planetary Health Council: Dr. Mark Walker, Vice-Dean, Internationalization and Global Health, presented the Terms of Reference for the proposed Planetary Health Council. Led by a Director of Planetary Health, the Council will facilitate knowledge exchange, cooperation, and new opportunities across the FoM and affiliated academic health sciences centres related to our collective planetary health activities, education, research, and community engagement. This followed a presentation to the affiliate CEO group, which was well received. ELT and faculty council approved of the document.
Internationalization: ELT approved a partnership proposal with the University of Cambridge’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences. The collaboration will focus on developing new treatments for incurable neurological and related disorders and aligns with several elements of our strategic plan.
Global Health: Dr. Manisha Kulkarni, Assistant Dean Global Health, updated ELT on progress in our partnership with the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo) in Tanzania. She referred specifically to October’s delegation visit, and the development of a 5-year action plan focused on improving healthcare access and health equity for local populations, especially women, in the Kilimanjaro Region, through bi-directional exchanges and activities related to clinical and public health education, research and capacity strengthening. She outlined how the partnership benefits the FoM, for example by responding to high student demand for global health training and experiential learning opportunities.
uOttawa International: Two Directors from the uOInternational Office, Connell Monette (Global Partnerships) and Amy Arnold (International experience), informed ELT of their office’s mission, objectives and various roles. One of their priorities is working with faculties to develop strategic partnerships, offer students international experiences, and help them and the university be more competitive on a global scale. ELT shared information about our work in international and global health.
PGME Accreditation: Dr. Lorne Wiesenfeld, Vice-Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME), shared findings from PGME’s Preparatory External Accreditation Review, which took place at the end of September 2022. The exercise, which highlighted some strengths and areas for improvement, was in preparation for the regular PGME accreditation review which will be held in 2024.
uOttawa Digital Strategy: Dr. Kevin Kee, Senior Advisor to the uO President, Digital Strategy and Learning Innovation, spoke to ELT and sought feedback about using emerging technologies to improve the campus experience, and building ecosystems to better serve learners. Some of his goals include establishing uOttawa as a leader in digital transformation in the areas of teaching, research, knowledge mobilization and lifelong learning. ELT underlined the importance of considering professional learning in this area.
Skip-a-level: Going forward, I will be meeting informally with Assistant Deans to discuss progress in their areas of work. In the vein of continued transparency and collaboration, the ELT were supportive of this idea.
Budget: Given the on-going financial challenges, ELT is regularly discussing the budget situation to keep a close eye on expenditures and to also create new streams of revenues.
Staying Connected…
ELT wants to hear from you. Get in touch anytime by emailing [email protected] (or by calling ext. 8117).
Bernard Jasmin, PhD
Dean and Professor, Faculty of Medicine
University of Ottawa
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