The stories you’ll read in this issue of RadyUM highlight some of the remarkable individuals who keep us on the leading edge, the outstanding alumni who continue to bring credit to the U of M, and the projects that demonstrate our constant drive for improvement.
We recently held convocations on the Bannatyne campus for graduates of the Max Rady College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry and School of Dental Hygiene. Holding ceremonies that unite our learners on their “home” campus was requested by the students and is symbolic of a greater evolution.
Over the last five years, as the professional health programs have transitioned from “siloed” guilds into members of one integrated, dualcampus Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, we have seen remarkable growth in collaboration among faculty, staff and learners.
We have also enhanced our students’ experiences on Bannatyne campus to mirror their Fort Garry counterparts by working with central U of M to establish Student Services at Bannatyne Campus, improved dining options, new bike lockup cages to encourage sustainable transportation, and expanded Safe Ride and Safe Walk services. We are currently undertaking a design process to establish a campus daycare.
Last winter, we announced our second annual winners of grants from the Rady Innovation Fund. This fund supports cutting-edge, collaborative research projects that combine the expertise of scientists from various departments and colleges of the Rady Faculty.
Recently, we announced the appointment of Dr. Gayle Halas as the inaugural Rady Chair in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. The role of this newly funded chair is to build upon collaborative relationships between educational and practice systems and thereby promote excellence in patient care, quality and safety.
Collaborative relationships begin with our learners. The Office of Interprofessional Collaboration is spearheading our interprofessional education efforts. Each fall, first-year Rady Faculty students from
across different programs are grouped together in small cohorts for a longitudinal program in which they participate in interprofessional activities and reflections.
After the first intake completed its two-year program last spring, the feedback was extremely positive. One student commented: “I gained a better understanding of care co-ordination and leadership, as well as the importance of collaboration, as each profession has a skill set that contributes to a holistic, quality plan of care.”
This spring, for the third year, 28 students from across the Rady Faculty will travel to health-care practice sites in northern Indigenous communities through the RBC Experiential Learning Travel Initiative. There, they will learn the importance of cultural safety and develop skills in interprofessional collaboration.
The Rady Faculty’s harmonized approach to outreach and diversity includes the establishment of an Office of Community Engagement; a new director of equity, diversity and inclusion; clinical placements and service delivery opportunities for learners across the colleges; and mandatory service learning for medical students.
Our commitment to social accountability includes activities like the Winnipeg Interprofessional Student-Run Health (WISH) Clinic, community and campus-wide flu clinics, Habitat for Humanity builds, the Biomedical Youth Program, Summer Weekend Inner-City Supervised Hoops (SWISH) basketball program, subsidized dental care for adults and children in need, and the School of Dental Hygiene’s Smiles for Miles program.
In closing, I want to congratulate all of our 2019 graduates from across the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and welcome you to our family of health professionals!
I wish you all a safe and relaxing summer.
BRIAN POSTL [MD/76]
Vice-Provost (Health Sciences) & Dean,
Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba