We’ve had a wonderful start to the fall term.
The Rady Faculty of Health Sciences hosted its largest-ever Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast on Sept. 20, with more than 280 UM alumni from many different health professions reuniting on campus.
Medicine alumni from the classes of 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 2000 and 2015 attended the breakfast, reunited with their classmates and participated in campus tours showcasing our state-of-the-art clinical learning and simulation program and the Dr. George Yee Laboratory of Anatomical Sciences.
The Homecoming breakfast is always a highlight of my year and the energy in the room was electric. It was wonderful seeing alumni reconnect with each other and share stories about their time at UM.
On September 25, the Rady Faculty held its first symposium on the recruitment and retention of Indigenous scholars.
This day-long event explored how the Rady Faculty can position itself to successfully recruit and retain Indigenous scholars, a vital step toward advancing reconciliation across our six colleges, including the Max Rady College of Medicine.
Reflecting the fact that about 20 per cent of Manitoba’s population is First Nations, Métis or Inuit, the Rady Faculty’s goal is for 20 per cent of faculty members to be Indigenous. We will soon be hiring Indigenous scholars for a new endowed professorship and chair, both in Indigenous health.
As you aware, with the support of the Government of Manitoba and recognizing the pressing need for more health professionals to serve Manitobans’ needs, our current first-year medical class welcomed 140 students, up from 110 just a few years ago. Our master’s program to train physician assistants has doubled its intake to 30 students per year.
The Max Rady College of Medicine has expanded enrolment as well in postgraduate programs in recent years.
I am pleased to share that 75 per cent of our MD graduating class of 2025 stayed in Manitoba for their residency programs. In July, we filled all 82 seats in family medicine in the first iteration of the CaRMS match. This was a great accomplishment compared to some of our Canadian counterparts.
With our expanded residency spaces, we are now admitting 190 trainees each year into our postgraduate medical education programs (up from 142), providing our UM grads with great and diverse opportunities for continuing their careers right here in the province.
As October comes to an end, I want to thank our faculty and staff across all programs and departments for your hard work in meeting the needs of all learners and trainees at the undergrad and postgrad levels during this period of transformational expansion. We couldn’t do it without your commitment and dedication.
And I want to thank our alumni (including many faculty members) who attended Homecoming events. It is your enthusiasm and support that helps us continue to provide an outstanding education for our students and remain an innovative leader in medical research.
Dr. Peter Nickerson
Vice-provost (health sciences)
Dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Dean, Max Rady College of Medicine