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2022, Vol. 2 | View Pulse in your browser

Mois de la Francophonie is an occasion to celebrate and highlight the importance of Francophone culture in our region. Living and working in the National Capital Region provides our members with the unique opportunity to share ideas and collaborate in both of Canada’s official languages. Our success as a department is intimately linked to our values of diversity and inclusion, and advancing medical education by continuing to provide learning, teaching, and research opportunities in French is essential. For the past 30 years, Dr. Lyne Pitre has not only been teaching medicine in French to residents and colleagues but has been a fervent advocate for practising family medicine and treating French-speaking patients at l’Hôpital Montfort. The DFM’s very own Dr. Maddie Venables (Ph.D., Academic Research Advisor and Senior Research Associate) is also a proud francophone who has made her mark by being part of and leading many critical initiatives such as the Family Medicine Resident Scholarly Project (FMRSP) and Family Medicine Grand Rounds (FMGR). In 2021, her team won the DFM’s Dragons’ Den Clinic of the Future contest and is working with a local software company to develop the continuity health attachment technology (CHAT) app to connect unattached patients with primary care providers. This issue also includes a piece on French humour. While many of us haven’t had the opportunity to catch a comedy show in person due to pandemic restrictions, these comedians will be sure to make you laugh in the comfort of your home.

1) DFM Dragons' Den Clinic Goes Green

Did you know that Canadians use one million pounds' worth of single-use masks every week during the pandemic – the weight of three blue whales, the world's largest marine mammal? Do you have any ideas on how to reduce, reuse and recycle PPE? Submit your final proposal for the DFM's Dragons' Den Clinic Goes Green contest by 11:59 pm on April 8, 2022. This year we've partnered with earthday.org, and the winning team will be awarded a cash prize of $5,000 + and receive publication financial support.

2) Nominations for DFM Awards

The Department of Family Medicine is proud to recognize the achievements of our faculty members and administrative support staff. Please nominate your fellow colleagues and help celebrate the accomplishments of our members. To learn more about the process or for any questions, please contact the Faculty Affairs Coordinator. The deadline is April 8, 2022. See nominations form.

3) Needs Assessment Survey for Ambulatory Women’s Health Procedures

Dr. Parisa Rezaiefar invites you to complete an online survey to help understand the types of ambulatory women’s health procedures academic family physicians perform and the barriers, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic they encounter when providing these procedures. Your participation involves completing the survey, which takes approximately 10 minutes. Everyone who completes the survey can opt in to enter a draw to win three $300 Amazon gift cards. Read more.

4) Rheumatoid Arthritis in Canadian Primary Care Study

The Ottawa Practice Enhancement Network (OPEN) is involved in a national qualitative study examining Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) care needs of Canadians aged 18+ to inform primary care delivery. The study team would like to conduct interviews with adults diagnosed with RA within the last 5 years and we are requesting assistance from your clinic to recruit eligible participants. Your practice involvement is limited to 1) identifying patients with RA, and 2) requesting permission from these patients to be contacted by the research team. Participating practices will be compensated $200 for their work and patients will be compensated $50 for their time. For more information, please contact Dr. Sharon Koehn at skoehn@ualberta.ca.

5) Quality Improvement Course Encore

Due to popular demand, the Essentials for Practice Improvement course offered by the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine and the Office of Continuing Professional Development, in partnership with OPEN and OntarioMD, has added a new Cohort for family physicians and specialists. Spaces are limited for Cohort 2B (April 13, May 11, June 22, 2022). Register today to avoid disappointment!

6) DFM Research Workshops

Are you interested in building your scholarly and research skills? What about learning elements of project management and research ethics board processes? The DFM is organizing a series of workshops targeting different aspects of scholarship starting this month. Join like-minded people interested in building their skills. The sessions are open to all including faculty members, physicians, residents, staff and others outside the department, invite your colleagues! Read more. Register now!

7) EDI Engagement Survey, Faculty of Medicine

The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) recently sent an EDI Engagement Survey to the Faculty of Medicine community, which includes our students, trainees, faculty and staff. This email was sent via Pulse 360 and will appear in your email as an external email from Research@pulseprogram.com. We appreciate your feedback and encourage you to complete the survey as soon as possible. The collection and analysis of the information provided will assist the EDI Office to identify gaps and strengths within our Faculty of Medicine and to develop specific goals and an action plan to create and sustain a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion across the Faculty. If you did not receive the survey, please contact us at edifom@uottawa.ca.