Read the latest Faculty update directly from the Executive Leadership Team.
Dear colleagues,
I hope you enjoyed a refreshing holiday season and that 2019 has gotten off to a good start! In our ongoing efforts to share information about your Faculty, below are the latest quarterly highlights from your Executive Leadership Team (ELT).
ELT Highlights: Oct.–Dec. 2018
- Consultation and Town Halls: In November and January ELT hosted a series of town halls to welcome and debrief your feedback on a number of important topics relevant to the future of our Faculty. We sought your comments by email and in person on 1) the Faculty’s Action Plan (focusing on Education, Research, Internationalization/Global Health, and Francophonie), and 2) the Internationalization and Global Health (IGH) Committee Task Force Report. We also updated you in the town halls on actions surrounding engagement, diversity and inclusion, and wellness. ELT thanks you for all your input!
- MA in Public Health: The ELT has approved the School of Epidemiology and Public Health’s proposal for a Master’s in Public Health. Pending requisite approvals by the University, the first cohort could be admitted as early as September 2020.
- FoM Gala and Homecoming: After a two-year hiatus, in 2019 the Faculty will again hold a gala in conjunction with our Homecoming. More details will follow in due course, but please mark your calendars for October 5th – it’s bound to be a fun event!
- FoM Prizes and Awards Page: Dr. Chris Kennedy, Interim Director of Awards and Prizes for Excellence in Education and Research, updated ELT on how investigators, research teams and educators are assisted in identifying relevant awards and prizes, preparing applications and coordinating nominations with key stakeholders within and external to the University. I encourage you to access our list of upcoming opportunities, and view our past award recipients.
- Research Day 2019: Under the supervision of Drs. Ruth Slack, Alain Stintzi and Melissa Forgie, a student-driven Research Day is being planned for next fall. Stay tuned for more details in due course.
- Leadership Retreat: As was done last year, the Faculty’s leadership (department chairs with the ELT) will be having a retreat this winter to discuss future strategic directions of the Faculty and review in detail the feedback received on the Action Plan and task force on IGH. This two-day retreat will also provide an opportunity to reflect on the Faculty’s vision and mission statements, which have not been reviewed in more than a decade, and initiate discussion and planning on risk management.
- Wellness Office: In October, I, together with several FoM leaders, attended an insightful faculty retreat on wellness. With the departure of Dr. Caroline Gerin-Lajoie as director of wellness at the FoM, ELT has decided to elevate this position to that of an assistant dean, underscoring the importance of wellness at the Faculty, especially as we embark on refreshing the wellness strategic plan. We wish Dr. Gerin-Lajoie very well in her new role as vice-president of physician health and wellness at the Canadian Medical Association, and look forward to announcing her successor in the new year.
- Accreditation Management: The ELT wishes to create a more continuous accreditation overview process for our six unique accreditation cycles. As such, it is exploring the development of an office which would be responsible for project management of accreditation processes, with the aim of offshoot benefits for the quality and program development aspects of our educational offerings.
- Collaboration with Kuwait: The ELT is considering expanding its longstanding collaboration between Kuwait and PGME, to include other undergraduate and graduate programs. What these partnerships could look like is currently being explored.
- Leadership Announcements: I am pleased to announce the following two extensions:
- Dr. Philip Wells, chair and chief of the Department of Medicine, through to June 30, 2021
- Dr. Paul Hendry, vice-dean of Continuing Professional Development, through to June 30, 2020
In addition, at the senior leadership level, the Faculty is/will be recruiting three vice-deans (Research and Innovation, Francophone Affairs and Faculty Affairs) as well as 3 chairs (BMI, Family Medicine and Ophthalmology).
We’re Listening…
Do you have feedback to help improve your Faculty of Medicine? You can reach out to me and the Executive Leadership Team any time by emailing us at [email protected] or by calling ext. 8117.
Bernard Jasmin, PhD
Dean and Professor, Faculty of Medicine
University of Ottawa
