Happy anniversary! It’s been 10 years since we ushered in the integrated faculty of health sciences at the University of Manitoba.
We created a single faculty encompassing the colleges of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and rehabilitation sciences.
Brian Postl [MD/76] led this complex undertaking and was appointed the inaugural dean of the new Faculty of Health Sciences and vice-provost (health sciences) in 2014.
The key goals of the merger were to break down silos between the health professions, facilitate interprofessional education and collaboration among learners, enhance multidisciplinary research and competitiveness, and speak as a unified voice to the provincial government.
The faculty, renamed the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences in 2016, is currently educating about 3,500 students and accounts for about 25 per cent of the entire university budget. We are expanding our programs as we work with the province to address health workforce needs.
Looking back over the past 10 years, I want to share some significant highlights:
Sara Israels [MD/79], former vice-dean, academic affairs, took on the substantial task of making promotion and tenure guidelines consistent across all five colleges.
Jacquie Ripat [BMROT/92, M.Sc./98, PhD/11], current vice-dean, academic affairs, leads the administration of The Winnipeg Foundation Martha Donovan Women’s Leadership Development Awards. To date, 48 women faculty members, trainees and students have received these impactful awards (see page 7).
Lanette Siragusa [BN/95, MN/08], vice-dean, education, oversees the placement of Rady first-year students into multidisciplinary cohorts as part of the interprofessional collaborative care curriculum. The clinical learning and simulation program, also vital to preparing students for team-based practice, is expanding to include virtual reality (read more on page 16).
Hope Anderson [B.Sc.(Hons.)/92, PhD/97], vice-dean, graduate and postdoctoral studies, has led initiatives that include awarding 85 Rady Faculty graduate studentships over the past three years. These scholarships are valued at $19,000 per year for master’s students and $24,000 per year for doctoral students.
Marcia Anderson [MD/02], vice-dean, Indigenous health, social justice and anti-racism, has a leadership portfolio that includes Ongomiizwin, the Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing.
During the pandemic, Ongomiizwin – Health Services (OHS), led by executive director Melanie MacKinnon [BN/96], co-ordinated the Rapid Response health-care teams that were efficiently deployed to First Nations to manage COVID-19 outbreaks.
OHS was later asked by the federal government to co-lead the COVID-19 vaccination rollout to all 63 Manitoba First Nations – a testament to the strong collaborative relationships OHS has with First Nations communities.
Dr. Jude Uzonna, vice-dean, research, leads the Rady Faculty research enterprise, which brought in more than $110 million in support last year. We hold 26 prestigious Canada Research Chairs, 12 endowed professorships, 21 endowed research chairs and one term chair.
Two funds have advanced cutting-edge, collaborative research. The Rady Innovation Fund allocated $1 million over three years, supporting 10 projects. It was made possible by the gift of $30 million by philanthropists Ernest Rady [B.Comm/58, LLB/62, LLD/15] and his wife Evelyn [BA/60, BSW/61, MSW/67].
The Winnipeg Foundation Innovation Fund, also totalling $1 million, was launched in 2019 to seed innovative, interdisciplinary Rady Faculty research. To date, eight projects have been funded.
We have accomplished so much as a unified team. I can’t wait to see what the next decade brings!
Peter Nickerson [B.Sc.(Med.)/86, MD/86]
Vice-Provost (Health Sciences) & Dean,
Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba