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DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE UPDATE | FEBRUARY 10, 2021
In this update:
The SHORT Report
Welcome & Farewell
Honours & Recognition
Change in Leadership
  • MTU Director
  • Quality Director

Department of Medicine Branding - Logos and E-signatures

Nova Scotia Health Email on iPhone - Step-by-Step Instructions

Proposed Changes to MAiD

Research
  • Transplant Research and Awareness
  • QEII Foundation TRIC Grant Recipients announced January 2021
  • UIMRF Funding Applications approved by DoM Research Committee
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Study
  • E-prescription Research Study

Nova Scotia Health
  • Fireside Chat with Dr. Brendan Carr – Reflections on my first year as CEO
  • 4P Challenge – Let's Audit! Measuring our Adherence

Faculty of Medicine
  • Town Hall: Refresh of Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum
  • Mini Medical School
  • Call for applications - Associate Dean, Research

Upcoming Events
  • February 10-13: Heart Health Summit & Wear Red Canada
  • February 12 & 26: QEII New Generation Project - Open House
  • February 16: Teach the Teachers
  • March 29: Dalhousie University Cardiac Research Day
  • April 26 – 30: DoM Research Week

COVID-19

Quick Reference / Recurring Content
Hi everyone!

I hope this note finds you all well.

Last week was spring and this week we find ourselves back in the throes of winter with our first major winter storm. I hope you all stayed safe. I am grateful for my winter snow tires this week for sure.

Despite the unpredictable weather our COVID epidemiology in the province has been excellent as we continue to be vigilant in our IPAC practices while the vaccine program roles out. I thank you all for your ongoing leadership in this area. The Health Authority has launched the 4P audit challenge to keep us all on our toes and I encourage clinical teams and areas to participate in this - Week 1 Video (Our People) / Week 2 Video - Physical Distancing. One of the shifts in our pandemic planning has been to boost asymptomatic testing. Thank you to Lisa Barrett and her team for the fantastic pop-up clinics that have helped fuel this initiative. The health authority has also launched on-line booking for COVID testing in asymptomatic people. There are several sites where you can have this done. The DGH has an awesome drive through and the set up at the Homburg Centre at Saint Mary’s University is really well run and close to work for any of us to go. I encourage all department members, vaccinated or not, to sign up for asymptomatic testing in February. Snap a selfie while you are there and we can post them!

Feb 13th is Wear Red Day in support of women’s heart health. Kudos to Dr. Sharon Mulvagh (Division of Cardiology) who is a founding member of this important event. Cardiovascular disease is still the number one cause of death in women over any other disease. I can’t believe only a year ago we celebrated this event in person, in a packed, Royal Bank Theatre. This year, COVID tried to stop us but was not successful as organizers have taken the event virtual! Please try to join the Atlantic portion of this event this Saturday at 2:30pm (link to register for Zoom event). Our rehabilitation program for Nova Scotia Health prepared an amazing video for the event. See this link for a sneak preview 2021 Wear Red For Women's Heart Health - "I Am Debbie" - NS Rehabilitation and Arthritis Centre - YouTube (7 minutes).

The Faculty of Medicine has put out their call for applications for this year’s awards and the Nova Scotia Health Making Waves Awards deadline is February 28th. Please take a bit of time to check them out and think about a deserving colleague to nominate. Don’t be modest. If you think you might be deserving reach out to your Division Head, Manager or Me and we will be happy to support an application for you. It is really important to seek recognition for the excellent work you are doing on a daily basis.

Last week, Nova Scotia Health announced the new organization structure for the health authority. In the coming weeks we will work with all of our divisions and programs to understand how we fit into this new structure and how it will help to strengthen the care we give to Nova Scotians.

There are many other great things happening in the Department and around the Faculty and Health Authorities. We have highlighted just a few of them below.

Enjoy the newsletter and don’t hesitate to contact us with stories and items for next month.

Keep well,

Christine


Christine Short, MD, FRCP(C), FACP
Associate Professor & Head/Chief, Department of Medicine
Dalhousie University / Central Zone, Nova Scotia Health
WELCOME & FAREWELL
We welcome the following staff to their new positions:

  • Vickie Sullivan will be Nova Scotia Health’s interim Vice President of Operations for Central Zone effective January 25. Vickie will work closely with her co-lead Dr. Todd Howlett, Executive Medical Director, to provide leadership and support to the Central Zone while the national search for a permanent vice president proceeds. Vickie is an accomplished health leader who has held the role of Executive Director of Operations in the Central Zone since 2015 and has stepped into the vice president role on an interim basis previously. An expression of interest will be issued to fill the Central Zone Executive Director role on an interim basis in the coming days.

  • Manpreet Kaur joined the Division of Geriatric Medicine as Administrative Assistant.

  • Karen Walters is joining the Division of Hematology as Administrative Assistant.

  • Krista Wagner is joining the Division of Palliative Medicine in mid-February.

  • Dr. Chris Lata, Infectious Disease Specialist, from Sydney, NS, has joined the AFP in the Division of Infectious Diseases. He also holds an academic appointment.

  • Dr. Todd Hatchette, has joined the Division of Infectious Diseases, backdated to April 1, 2020. Dr. Hatchette also holds a cross appointment to the Department.

  • Dr. Helmut Hollenhurst is the Interim Senior Director for the Cancer Care Program


We say farewell and best wishes to:

  • Terri Baker, Education Assistant, transitioned from the Division of Geriatric Medicine and to Emergency Medicine in early January.


Our condolences:

  • Our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr. Ryan Clow who passed away suddenly on the weekend. Ryan was the Director of MedIT Enterprise Systems and a well-known, well-liked, and highly respected member of the Dalhousie community.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Honours & Recognition
Acknowledging the strengths and actions of others creates a positive and empowered environment.

Do you know someone that should be nominated for an award?


Have an award that you'd like to include on the list?
CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP
Medical Teaching Unit (MTU) Director
Quality Director
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE BRANDING - LOGOS AND E-SIGNATURES
A reminder we have new branded stationary, PowerPoint and e-signature templates.

These can be found on the DOM shared drive in the folder named:

DoM Logo,Letterhead,e-signature copypaste, PPT NEW 2020
NSHA EMAIL ON iPHONE - STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
PROPOSED CHANGES TO MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING (MAiD)
Proposed changes to Canada’s MAiD legislation
TRANSPLANT RESEARCH AND AWARENESS
RESEARCH
QEII Foundation TRIC Grant Recipients announced January 2021
UIMRF Funding Applications Approved by
DoM Research Committee

The following UIMRF funding applications have been approved by the DoM Research Committee:
Dr. Chris Blanchard, DoM Research – Pilot Funding - "Dyadic Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in SOT Recipients"

Dr. Janet Roberts, Rheumatology – Junior Department Member Funding - “Prospective study of rheumatic immune related adverse events during or following immunotherapy for cancer and the impact of immunotherapy on pre-existing rheumatic disease: Establishing a Prospective Nova Scotia cohort”

Dr. Thomas Brothers, Internal Medicine/CIP – Resident Research Funding - “Implementation and evaluation of a novel, unofficial, trainee-organized hospital addiction medicine consultation service”

Dr. Elizabeth Blundon, Palliative Medicine - Internal Research Fellowship - “Describing aspects of brain function at end of life”

Dr. Erica Kelly, Hematology – Internal Research Fellowship - “Tumor thrombus: A single-centre prospective registry study”

Dr. Alexandra Legge, Rheumatology – External Research Fellowship - “Using administrative health data to construct and validate a frailty index as a measure of susceptibility to adverse outcomes among patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases”

Dr. Mohammad Pulok, Geriatric Medicine – Internal Research Fellowship - “The impact of retirement on health care utilization in Canada: The role of frailty”

Dr. Samuel Searle, Geriatric Medicine – External Research Fellowship - “Prognosticating Adverse Outcomes in Acutely ill Hospitalised Frail Patients”

Dr. Shanna Trenaman, Geriatric Medicine – Internal Research Fellowship - “Uncovering how medication use moderates dementia neuropathology and how to improve medication use among older adults”

Dr. Jasmine Mah, Internal Medicine/CIP – Extended CIP Sponsorship - “Social vulnerability and social admissions in older adults presenting to acute care”
COVID-19 Vaccine Study
E-prescription Research Study
NOVA SCOTIA HEALTH
Fireside chat with Dr. Brendan Carr
– Reflections on my first year as CEO –
On February 3, 2021, IPAC Nova Scotia welcomed Dr. Brendan Carr for a virtual fireside chat covering reflections on his first year as CEO of Nova Scotia Health.

Hosted by:
Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC) Nova Scotia

Moderator:
Paula Gallagher, Atlantic Public Sector Leader, Deloitte

55 minutes
4P Challenge -
Let's Audit! Measuring our Adherence
FACULTY OF MEDICINE
Undergraduate Medical Education
Curriculum Refresh
Mini Medical School 2021
Associate Dean, Research
- Call for Applications -
UPCOMING EVENTS
Heart Health Summit & Wear Red Canada
Atlantic Canada session Saturday, February 13th
2:30 to 4pm


In Halifax, the day has been proclaimed by Mayor Savage as Wear Red Canada Day. Halifax City Hall, Province House, and Alderney Landing will be lit up in red on the evenings of Feb 12 and 13th, as well as many other businesses and locations around town.

QEII New Generation Project
Teach the Teachers
Dalhousie University
Virtual Cardiac Research Day 2021
DoM Research Week - April 26 - 30, 2021
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
(via Zoom)

Tuesday, April 27
8 - 9:30am

AND

Thursday, April 29
12:30 - 3pm
POSTER PRESENTATIONS & MORE

Website available: April 26-30
COVID-19
1
currently in ICU due to COVID-19
As of February 10, 2021

On January 19, a new data dashboard launched. Display includes graphs and tables of COVID-19 data by location (health zone or network), age, gender, hospitalizations and number of tests and vaccine doses.

QUICK REFERENCE /
RECURRING CONTENT

Nova Scotia Health / Dr. Lynn Johnston
Uploaded: March 13, 2020
Video: 10 min

Nova Scotia Health / Dr. Glenn Patriquin
Uploaded: April 3, 2020
Video: 3 min

Canada.ca
Uploaded: June 15, 2020
Video: 1 min 25 seconds

Canada.ca
Uploaded: July 20, 2020
PDF – 8.5" x 14" poster
When you take care of yourself, you take care of others.
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