A message from Gerry Cooper, Associate Dean
Welcome back from what I hope was a nice summer break. A special welcome to our newest students – the Medicine Class of 2018.
Orientation Week 2014 is just concluding and our annual Windsor Program Meet and Greet event was a huge success, I hope all our faculty, staff and students are ready for another exciting and productive academic year!
With the academic year getting underway, there is concern about a possible labour dispute at the University of Windsor campus. We hope that the interested parties will reach a negotiated settlement, however should a strike occur, rest assured that plans are in place to ensure you will carry on with your classes uninterrupted.
As the Windsor Program continues to grow, we continue to work to serve our learners. With the Learner Equity & Wellness (LEW) Office, we welcome Ms. Stephanie Coccimiglio as our new LEW Coordinator. Stephanie began in this role on August 18. Her position has been created as part of an evolving process of program improvement and our ongoing determination to provide our students with the best possible experience.
Other staffing updates include the hiring of Dr. George Kim as Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s new Assistant Dean, Rural & Regional Community Engagement and Dr. Richard Cherry as the School’s new Associate Dean, Continuing Professional Development. You will no doubt have a chance to meet these leaders in the next year either through your own studies or at School events.
Schulich Medicine is preparing for the accreditation site visit in April 2015. When the previous accreditation occurred, the Windsor Program had just launched, so this time the accreditors will be examining our processes with a much greater attention to detail. I would like to thank the team leading the accreditation preparation efforts and the Windsor Program members of the Institutional Self Study Task Force (ISSTF), including Dr. Sharon Burey, Ms. Anna Farias, Dr. Andrew Petrakos, Dr. Wassim Saad, Ms. Nicole Sbrocca and Dr. Catherine Yanchula.
As the accreditation site visit approaches, the Windsor Program community can expect to hear more about additional preparatory steps, such as mock interviews and FAQs. I encourage everyone to spend some time reviewing the accreditation standards that we will report on, available online here. Should you have any questions, please feel free to connect with me. This is a very important process and it is up to all our faculty, staff and students to be informed about how the various components of our School fit together within undergraduate medical education. Please also take a few minutes to read the article in the newsletter about the Mock Accreditation taking place in early January 2015.
I hope that everyone has an enjoyable year.
Regards,
Gerry Cooper
Associate Dean
