October 2019 Newsletter
Allies in assessment
Who ‘owns’ the responsibility of completing Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) during residency? How do we engage in better feedback in clinical settings? This month, residents and faculty members came together to learn and build understanding at a retreat dedicated to competency-based medical education.
Q&A with Dr. Davy Cheng
In this month’s Q&A, Dr. Cheng provides an update on key initiatives at the School, faculty and leadership recruitment and a few upcoming projects that will involve Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
Construction projects continue as planned
Construction plans for the new BioMedical Research Facility and Robarts Research Institute are moving forward. Discussions for renovations in the Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine seek to maximize space and capitalize on program synergies.
Surgeon General makes historic visit to celebrate military history
Canada’s Surgeon General made an historic visit to Schulich Medicine & Dentistry in October to honour Western’s military medical past and look forward to new partnerships.
Residents take wellness to heart
Drs. Ali Bateman, Ernest Chan and Camilla Stepniak are three Schulich Medicine & Dentistry residents who are developing diverse wellness initiatives for their peers in hopes of reducing burnout and enhancing mental health.
Student leaders take to the airwaves
Increasing transparency, enhancing communication and advocating for their fellow students are top priorities for the School’s student leaders. Allison Dilliott, Todd Kaiway, Jessica Garabon and Rishika Geda shared their thoughts on how they will achieve this and more in a recent podcast.
dentalcorp student lounge opens at Schulich Dentistry
Schulich Dentistry officially opened the dentalcorp student lounge this month, recognizing the company’s $1 million donation in support of ongoing education and training.
Homecoming 2019
The School celebrated 50 years of Clinical Neurological Sciences and welcomed back hundreds of alumni. For our community, Homecoming is also an opportunity to reflect on current issues facing health care in Canada - this year, topics included burnout in medicine and dentistry, and universal pharmacare.
National Media: David Edgell discusses gene editing technology in The New York Times
"CRISPR is the next step in antimicrobial therapy," says David Edgell, PhD. He led a recent study that used gene editing to kill a species of Salmonella, forcing the bacteria to make lethal cuts to its own genome. Via NY Times
Dr. P. Andrea Lum appointed Vice Dean, Faculty Affairs
Dr. P. Andrea Lum was appointed as Vice Dean, Faculty Affairs, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University for a five-year term effective January 1, 2020.
Dr. Sandra Northcott appointed Associate Dean, Learner Equity & Wellness
Dr. Sandra Northcott was appointed as Associate Dean, Learner Equity & Wellness, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University effective December 1, 2019.
Dr. Amardeep Thind re-appointed Director, Schulich Interfaculty Program in Public Health
Dr. Amardeep Thind was re-appointed as Director, Schulich Interfaculty Program in Public Health, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University effective September 1, 2019.
Forging international collaboration in Hong Kong and China
A recent tour through Hong Kong and China by Dr. Davy Cheng, Acting Dean, fostered new and existing partnerships that aim to improve health care abroad and at home.
Celebrating your achievements
Congratulations to Ruth Lanius, Terry Peters, Fred Ross, Kara Ruicci and many others on the recognitions and honours you recently received.
Social Accountability
Using teddy bears as patients, medical and dental students visit kindergarten classrooms across the city to teach children about health and medicine.
Trainee Profile
During her time in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program, Nour Kachouh, MPH’19, was challenged to think critically and reflect on her role as a public health professional.
Training surgeons to manage stress, emotions
Is there a vaccine for stress when performing surgery? A simulation program developed by Dr. Rob Leeper is helping train general surgical residents to effectively manage high-stress, emotional scenarios.
Distributed Education
A study led by Dr. Barry Emara, an Adjunct Professor with the School’s Windsor Campus, supports the efficacy and safety of dropless cataract surgery.
My six-word story
PGY6 Psychiatry resident Dr. Sheena Ghodasara shares the words of wisdom she lives by.
CPD Update
CPD Update: Faculty Development Mini Fellowships provide grants of up to $5,000 to support professional development opportunities for faculty. Apply by November 12- Western named one of fastest-rising institutions for scientific research by Nature index
Your research output has placed Western among the top five fastest-growing institutions in the world. - Ontario Research Fund supports early researchers and infrastructure
The Ontario government announced $2.2 million in support of research at Western University. Recipients include Ilka Heinemann, Susan Huang, Naveen Poonai, Brian Allman, Tim Bussey, Ali Khan and Rithwik Ramachandaran. - NIH grant supports genome editing cancer immunotherapy research
John Ronald, PhD, and his team have received a grant from the National Health Institute to develop tools to better monitor how CRISPR-modified cancer immunotherapies move through a patient's system. - Stipends available for Summer Research Training Program
Clinical and basic science research projects are supported through SRTP. Submit your proposal by December 9 to the School's Research Office. - In the media
Media releases in October focused on a research group's quest to use CRISPR to alter the microbiome and a new study from Adrian Owen's lab that helps better understand consciousness. - United Way campaign kicks off
There are many ways to get involved and show your support for the United Way. Join the purple wave at the StairClimb, Coffee Day, Beach Volleyball Tournament and other events. - Enhance your interdisciplinary skills, expertise and confidence to tackle health care problems
Interdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research – Primary Health Care (TUTOR-PHC) is accepting applications for its one-year program. Get valuable feedback on your primary health care research, gain interdisciplinary team experience, network with other health researchers and more. Apply by December 2. - Social Media Resources
What hashtags should you use on Twitter? How do you share images and links? The School’s Social Media Style Guide provides easy guidelines and recommendations to help you use social media effectively. - Branded Templates
Branded templates are available to help you create professional event and research posters, Power Point presentations and more. Access the templates using your Western username and password. - Events
In Canada, one person dies every five minutes from a heart condition, stroke or vascular cognitive impairment. Scientists at Robarts Research Institute are helping change this outcome. Join us on November 12 to shine a light on a critical area of research. RSVP today.
