Hi everyone,

Hope this newsletter finds you all well. We continue to navigate our way through our new world living with COVID. We are seeing increased activity in the province and I think this reminds us how important it is to continue to model for those around us the best practices for infection prevention and control. This week new recommendations for non-medical masks came out (see below) and it is important to continue to communicate that we continue to recommend against non-essential travel to promote infection containment.

This is a busy month in the department for academic activities. The R4 subspecialty match was yesterday. Congratulations to all of our Core Internal Medicine residents. I hope you have all found a good fit for your ongoing education and professional development and I look forward to working with those of you who are staying on in our Dalhousie sub-specialty programs. DoM Research Day and Research Evening for 2020 are being presented virtually over the next week. Tuesday’s presentations were excellent and we have a great interactive site to view posters on. Thank you to Heather Fraser for the amazing work she has done to make this happen. Part two is next Tuesday during our Grand Rounds slot and I hope to see you all there. To be added to the Grand Rounds distribution list, please contact mary.synette@nshealth.ca. Medicine Matters, our departmental CPD event is being presented virtually on November 13th. This year, as always, promises to be a fantastic event. Please register here if you are interested in attending.

One of the most important things we all need in order to grow and improve is feedback. With the launch of our strategic plan we are now looking for feedback on the plan itself and the strategic planning process. It is really important for us to hear back from all department members as we begin implementation. I hope you will take some time to read the new plan and fill out our feedback survey. Also, our Dean, department member and colleague, Dr. Anderson, is heading into his review and Dal’s Provost Office is asking us for feedback for the Decanal Review survey (see below). I encourage everyone to participate in this important process.

A decanal review is currently underway for Dean Anderson.

Members of the Faculty of Medicine are invited to submit feedback by November 9, 2020.

How?

Dr. Teresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, is recommending that non-medical masks now have 3 layers of protection due to the evolving research of masks.

View our Strategic Plan - Forward Together 2020/2024

NS post-secondary institutions (eg. Dalhousie) resume welcoming international students to their institutions on November 3.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada maintains the list of designated learning institutions approved by their province or territory to receive international students.

Read full news release - novascotia.ca

October 27, 2020

Friday, November 13

8:25 am - 4:30 pm

Virtual via Zoom

Leading Recovery from COVID-19

- Dr. Tom Marrie

Be it resolved that all physicians should have social media accounts for public education and advocacy

- Dr. Lisa Barrett

- Dr. Christine Dipchand

- Dr. Shelly McNeil

- Dr. Geoff Williams

- Dr. Christine Short (moderator)

November 3 & 10: Podium presentations 8 - 9:30 am

November 3 – 10: Poster presentations & more

DoM Research Day Agenda [PDF - 210 kB]

We hope to see you there!

Please participate in a short survey about your experience managing diabetic ketoacidosis in Central Zone.

To improve quality as we revise the way that we manage this condition.

< 5 mins, voluntary & confidential

Intended for nurses, physicians (including residents) who manage DKA in Central Zone

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Barna Tugwell, MD, FRCPC

Associate Professor

Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine

Dalhousie University

Dr. Brendan Carr, Nova Scotia Health President & CEO, addresses every member of Nova Scotia Health in this fall message.

Video uploaded: October 15, 2020

Episode 1 (25 mins)

- with Dr. Todd Hatchette, Chief of Medical Microbiology for Nova Scotia Health, Central Zone

Episode 2 (27 mins)

- with Shauna Thompson, Senior Director of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine for Nova Scotia Health

Colon Cancer home screening kits resume after a temporary suspension due to COVID-19.

“Thanks to the combined efforts of Cancer Care Program leaders and the provincial endoscopy team, Nova Scotians who were waiting for a program screening colonoscopy have either had one or have an appointment for one. As a result, we are in a good position to resume mailing out home screening kits," said Dr. Don MacIntosh, medical director, Colon Cancer Prevention Program.

Since the screening program was introduced in 2009, program screening colonoscopies have identified more than 11,000 Nova Scotians with a cancer or pre-cancer.

Currently, 34% of home screening kits are completed. Dr. MacIntosh encourages Nova Scotians to take the test when it comes in the mail.

Excerpts from Nova Scotia Health release

October 14, 2020

Nova Scotia Health’s annual Flu Campaign for health care workers, physicians, learners and volunteers is underway. Book your flu shot - http://intra.nshealth.ca/stoptheflu

Websites enable communication. A multi-year project to deliver a new dal.ca is in progress. Answer 10 simple questions to help shape the future of dal.ca. https://surveys.dal.ca/opinio/s?s=57888

Learn more: https://www.dal.ca/about-dal/web-project.html

The Healthy Populations Journal (HPJ) is a multi-faculty, student led, open access, peer-reviewed journal housed at the Healthy Populations Institute (HPI) at Dalhousie University.

Population health is thinking beyond the health of an individual and looking at the health outcomes of a whole community.