1. New dean chosen for FoMD

2. Mentorship Services Alberta

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Dr. Philip Baker of Manchester, U.K., will join the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry as the new Dean, effective July 1, 2009. Dr. Baker is the director of the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, and professor of maternal and fetal health at the University of Manchester.

All faculty members and staff are invited to meet Dr. Baker at two town-hall meetings which will be held in April. If you have any questions or concerns you would like him to address at the meetings, please email them in advance to askthenewdean@med.ualberta.ca.

Details of the town-hall meetings are as follows:

Monday, April 20, 2009
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Jean Hamilton Conference Centre
Royal Alexandra Hospital

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Bernard Snell Hall
WC Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre

For more information on Dr. Baker, read this Express News story.

The Faculty has partnered with University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine, Alberta Health and Wellness, Alberta Health Services and industry to develop Mentorship Services Alberta, a province-wide initiative to improve health care for Albertans by enhancing physician training, recruitment and retention.

Mentorship Services Alberta will facilitate and encourage long-term relationships between individual doctors and mentor-colleagues. It will focus on recruiting and retaining local and international medical graduates in rural communities, and on encouraging the adoption of minimally invasive surgical techniques.

International medical graduates will receive ongoing support to help them navigate our health-care system and understand cultural norms, in the hope that this one-on-one support will make the province an attractive place to practise medicine.

The initiative will also enhance the already highly successful Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC) program by providing mentorship services to preceptors supervising medical students in rural health-care settings, with an aim to attracting more young physicians to rural communities.

In addition, Mentorship Services Alberta will promote the adoption of advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques by providing surgeons the means to practise and fine-tune new skills with the support of experienced mentor-colleagues.

"Mentorship Services Alberta will facilitate the development of long-term supportive relationships between Alberta physicians, connecting the right people at the right time so that we can share and build our skills, and ultimately provide enhanced health care to Albertans," says Dr. Chris de Gara, Associate Dean, Continuous Professional Learning.

A two-year feasibility project has been completed, funded by Alberta Advanced Education and Technology. Following approval from the Mentorship Services Alberta steering committee, it will be submitted to Alberta Health and Wellness.