SHS Bulletin
School of Health Studies
May 2016
Beginning our "Summer" Term
The spring term is now officially over and we are into the "summer term". Intercession has begun and we have three course offerings for students (HS 1002A/B - social determinants of health; HS 2300A/B - anatomy; and HS 2250A/B - health promotion).
June is an important month for the School as convocation takes place on Monday June 20th. This is a wonderful time to share in the success of our students and I look forward to seeing many of you at the event (more on this below).
For two of our colleagues, they are winding down their typical academic lives and preparing for sabbatical. Drs. Shauna Burke and Andrew Johnson will begin their one-year sabbatical leaves on July 1st.
I know for many of you, the spring/summer term represents an opportunity to more highly engage with your research programs, collaborators and partners. Also, many of you will be away for research conferences. Let me take this opportunity to wish you the best with your scholarly endeavours and for safe travels to your various destinations.
You will see email requests from the SHS office on events like convocation, course outlines and similar matters that I know you will give your full attention.
This is also a time when many of you take vacation to be with family and friends. Enjoy your time, relax and rejuvenate!
Hail & Health,
Dan Belliveau
June is an important month for the School as convocation takes place on Monday June 20th. This is a wonderful time to share in the success of our students and I look forward to seeing many of you at the event (more on this below).
For two of our colleagues, they are winding down their typical academic lives and preparing for sabbatical. Drs. Shauna Burke and Andrew Johnson will begin their one-year sabbatical leaves on July 1st.
I know for many of you, the spring/summer term represents an opportunity to more highly engage with your research programs, collaborators and partners. Also, many of you will be away for research conferences. Let me take this opportunity to wish you the best with your scholarly endeavours and for safe travels to your various destinations.
You will see email requests from the SHS office on events like convocation, course outlines and similar matters that I know you will give your full attention.
This is also a time when many of you take vacation to be with family and friends. Enjoy your time, relax and rejuvenate!
Hail & Health,
Dan Belliveau
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Research and Scholarly Endeavours
The Issue of Medically Assisted Dying
A newly published article by Dr. Louis Charland cautioning the policies being debated regarding medical assistance in dying (MAID) has caught the attention of the Western News. Louis, an expert in mental health and decision making capacity along with his co-authors Trudo Lemmens (Univ. Toronto) and Kyoko Wada (HRS graduate student) published an article in the Journal of Ethics and Mental Health raising the issue of a person with a mental disorder requesting MAID and whether they are deemed to have the ‘mental capacity’ or ‘mental competence’ to consent to that option. Louis was also invited to offer a submission brief to the House of Commons Joint Committee on Physician Assisted Dying.
History of Emotions
Louis continues to represent our School and Western well as he is presently in Australia in his capacity as International Partner Investigator for the Australian Research Council
Center of Excellence for the History of Emotions. During this trip, Louis will be residing mostly in Perth where he will offer a major talk and workshop. He will also travel to Japan where he will be represent the ARC and Western at the International Congress of Psychology, located in Yokohama. Louis definitely has a busy summer planned!
Center of Excellence for the History of Emotions. During this trip, Louis will be residing mostly in Perth where he will offer a major talk and workshop. He will also travel to Japan where he will be represent the ARC and Western at the International Congress of Psychology, located in Yokohama. Louis definitely has a busy summer planned!
The Gerontological Society of America's Newest Fellow
Congratulations to Dr. Aleksandra Zecevic on being awarded Fellow Status in the Gerontological Society of America, Health Science Section. The GSA is the world's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research education and practice in the field of aging.
Hotline to Protect Sex Workers
Once again, Dr. Treena Orchard has been called upon to weigh in on the issues that directly affect our most vulnerable populations in London. Cited by the London Free Press, Treena expresses her concerns over the City of London's slow reaction to implement a bad-John line, one of the recommendations of an earlier report on the safety of sex workers. Treena is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the area of marginalized populations, in particular those in the sex trade.
No Pain No Gain
Describing the relationship between an athlete and pain, Dr. Natascha Wesch, a limited duties colleagues in our School who teaches Rehabilitation Psychology offers her perspectives as a professional performance psychologist and athlete. Read more about making pain your friend in the recent edition of SportsXpress. Natascha is the founder and owner of Elite Mind Performance.
Our Recent Publications
Charland L, Lemmens T, Wada K. Decision-Making Capacity to Consent to Medical Assistance for Dying persons with Mental Disorders. Journal of Ethics in Mental Health. May 6, 2016.
Valaitis R, MacDonald M, Kothari A, O'Mara L, Regan S, Garcia J, Murray N, Manson H, Peroff-Johnston N, Bursey G, Boyko J. Moving towards a new vision: implementation of a public health policy intervention. BMC Public Health. 2016 May 17;16(1):412.
Crilly RG, Kloseck M, Mequanint S. Hip Fracture Types in Canadian Men and Women Change Differently with Age: A Population-Level Analysis. Clin Med Insights Arthritis Musculoskelet Disord. 2016 May 3;9:75-9.
* My apologies to those whose recent publications I may have overlooked (please send them along!)
Valaitis R, MacDonald M, Kothari A, O'Mara L, Regan S, Garcia J, Murray N, Manson H, Peroff-Johnston N, Bursey G, Boyko J. Moving towards a new vision: implementation of a public health policy intervention. BMC Public Health. 2016 May 17;16(1):412.
Crilly RG, Kloseck M, Mequanint S. Hip Fracture Types in Canadian Men and Women Change Differently with Age: A Population-Level Analysis. Clin Med Insights Arthritis Musculoskelet Disord. 2016 May 3;9:75-9.
* My apologies to those whose recent publications I may have overlooked (please send them along!)
Useful Evidence!
I found an interesting set of reports from an organization called The Alliance for Useful Evidence. From their home page, "the Alliance for Useful Evidence champions the use of evidence in social policy and practice. We are an open–access network of more than 2800 individuals from across government, universities, charities, business and local authorities in the UK and internationally." If you have an interest, take a peek at their recent publications, Using Evidence - What Works and Using Research Evidence.
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GRAC Corner
There is a new poster for your viewing and contemplation outside the main SHS office. Ryan Scott, a student in the HRS program along with his supervisor Dr. Shannon Sibbald and collaborator, Robert Patrella presented their findings on the Hockey Fans in Training program. This is supported by several partner organizations including the London Knights Hockey Club which just won their second Memorial Cup!!! Go Knights Go and of course, Go Ryan Go on your research program.
Continuum of Care - Best Presentation
Congratulations to Dr. Amanda Ali, post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Marita Kloseck for being awarded the best oral presentation "Improving the Osteoarthritis Continuum of Care" at the 2016 Canadian Bone and Joint Conference.
Please send along any updates regarding the efforts of your graduate students, post-doctoral fellows or research associates in promoting research and scholarship. Graduate students, please do not hesitate to do some self-promotion!
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Changing it Up in the Classroom
Teaching and learning is not intended to be a stale, dust-off-your-notes and go into the classroom, kind of activity. I know it is only the end of May and you may not want to be thinking September already! However, if you have considered changing up what you do, here are a couple of potential opportunities.
Active Learning
In a collaborative efforts, the teaching and learning centres at Western and Queen's developed a set of online modules to take you through the benefits of active learning. This module is free to all and is designed to be self-paced. Check out the active learning module which features our own Dr. Aleksandra Zecevic, along with other faculty member including Western's Tom Haffie from Biology.
SCoRe Big in the Classroom
The Teaching Support Centre is offering to assist with the re-development of courses to increase active and blended learning in large courses. Supported Course Redesign is a program that will partner you with the TSC, ITRC and other resources to redesign large enrollment, foundational courses taught at Western. For more information, contact Gavan Watson, Associate Director eLearning at the TSC.
Addressing Student Resilience
The National Academic Advising Association regional conference was held in Toronto in April where Andrea Legato's presentation "The Only Way Out is Through: Conversation to Build Student Resiliency" was selected as the top session. In recognition of her efforts, Andrea has been invited to present her paper at the national conference in Atlanta in October. You can find the abstract of Andrea's talk here (scroll to the second page; session C34). Well done Andrea!
307th Convocation at Western
On Monday June 20 we will celebrate the graduation of our Bachelor of Health Sciences students beginning at 3:00 PM. To acknowledge their efforts, we will have a lunch reception for our students and their families at noon in the Great Hall (Somerville House). This is a great event where we can congratulate our students and meet their families. As those of you who have participated in the past know, we call upon you to help with the awards ceremony. Please consider volunteering when you see the invitation email from Emericks (coming very soon!).
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Saladifying Thursday
Our first totally Saladifying Thursday was a great success and perfect for the wonderful spring weather. Our next Salad Thursday will happen on Thursday June 16th where we will enjoy a couple of fresh salads and great company. Mark your calendars and I'll see you in our Collective Restoration space (ie. lunch room)!
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Keep it Coming!
This newsletter celebrate our successes and represents us all so please send along anything that deserves to be mentioned and/or recognized; be they publications, conference acceptances, new graduate student trainees, media, notes or anything else you would like to share. I hope you find the SHS Bulletin a good reminder of the collective innovation and productivity of our School.
About Us
Email: shsinfo@uwo.ca
Website: http://www.uwo.ca/fhs/shs/
Location: Rm 222 Health Sciences Bldg.
Phone: (519) 661-4119
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Twitter: @Western_SHSinfo