Happy spring! It’s been a very productive and successful academic year as we welcomed 140 MD students last fall, our largest medical school class in UM history. Thank you to everyone for your dedication and hard work as we experience unprecedented growth.
In line with our transformational expansions across undergraduate medical education (UGME) and postgraduate medical education (PGME), our campus master plan features a new building (under construction on McDermot Avenue & Tecumseh Street) that is expected to be completed in 2027. The Dr. Gerald and Reesa Niznick Centre will feature Ongomiizwin-Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, two floors of dental clinics, additional UGME lecture theatres, classrooms and simulation centre, and a day care centre to support students, staff and faculty.
During this academic year, following several retreats and consultations, we also finalized our Max Rady College of Medicine strategic plan for 2024-2029 which aligns with both our Rady Faculty of Health Sciences strategic plan and UM strategic plan MomentUM: Leading Change Together.
The college’s strategic themes are:
- Empowering learners
- Creating knowledge that matters
- Reimagining engagement
The college’s fundamental commitments are:
- Enable well-being and personal advancement
- Foster a vibrant community
- Advance reconciliation for transformative change
I hope you will take time to review our new strategic plan and embrace the strategic priorities identified.
Looking forward, we have potential further expansion of the master of physician assistant studies (MPAS) program in 2027/28. Last year, we doubled our intake in MPAS from 15 to 30 students.
We are in the process of appointing an inaugural dean of the new College of Community and Global Health and I’m excited to see the impact of this sixth college in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences in addressing health inequities, and improving and contributing to public and global health locally and internationally.
As well, we have developed a proposal for a School of Biomedical Sciences within the Max Rady College of Medicine that will bring together the basic science departments. It is currently making its way through the UM approval process.
Our current priorities in the Max Rady College of Medicine include the following:
- Admissions – Refresh non-academic and academic attributes to minimize socio-economic barriers to access;
- UGME – Refresh curriculum, prepare for full accreditation in 2027;
- PGME – Address accreditation gaps identified in 2022, implement PGME expansion by 2025 and develop post-training retention strategies;
- International Medical Graduate program – Implement expansion of one-year family medicine program, create and expand specialty assessment IMG program;
- Continuing Competency & Assessment/Continuing Professional Development – Address 2024 accreditation gaps, support PALS and ATLS program expansion, expand CCA capacity.
- Brandon Satellite – Partner with Prairie Mountain Regional Health Authority and Brandon University to create and expand learner capacity for UGME (years one to four) and PGME.
I wish everyone restful and well-deserved holidays over the summer and look forward to working together in the fall as we embark on achieving our many important goals and priorities.
Dr. Peter Nickerson
Vice-provost (health sciences)
Dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Dean, Max Rady College of Medicine