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Check out Clinical Currents - a new DoM podcast!
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Join us in congratulating department members Cynthia Kendell and Drs. Marina Farid, Melissa Andrew, Ashley Sutherland, Kerri Purdy, and Stacey Williams – as well as our Quality Improvement funding winners – on their recent accomplishments, awards, and appointments
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Learn about the new, national Cell Therapy Beyond Hematologic Malignancies Committee led by Dr. Mahmoud Elsawy
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Read the latest news articles featuring DoM members — including one from The New Yorker!
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Learn about ACHIEVE, one of the largest dialysis trials worldwide with Canada's national lead, Dr. Karthik Tennankore
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Mark your calendars for Research Evening and more updates from our Research Committee
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Read about Respirology's growing wellness pathway thanks to the lung transplant program
- A big welcome to our new team members (and a correction from our last issue)
| | The "Short" Report from Dr. Christine Short | | |
Hello everyone,
Happy September! I hope you had some time over the summer to recharge and enjoy a change of pace with family, friends, or just some quiet time.
With the new academic year now underway, I’m excited for all we will accomplish together in the months ahead, and I want to again welcome to all of our new residents in our core internal medicine and subspecialty programs! I hope you will find the Department of Medicine a warm and welcoming place that provides you with a rich and safe environment to learn and grow in.
This fall, we’ll be inviting all department members to take part in shaping the renewal of our strategic plan, Forward Together. Over the coming months, you’ll have opportunities to share your insights through team conversations, one-on-one interviews, and open houses. Save-the-dates for the open houses have already gone out, and more details will follow in upcoming issues of our newsletter. Your voices will be vital to ensuring the refreshed plan reflects the strengths, challenges, and aspirations of our community.
At the same time, we are also working on our 2024-2025 Annual Report. Thank you to everyone who has contributed stories, highlights, and photos so far – your input is helping us showcase the depth and breadth of work across the department. We look forward to sharing the finished report with you soon.
This edition of the newsletter also brings exciting news: the launch of Clinical Currents, our new professional development podcast! This is the latest addition to our CPD offerings and reflects our commitment to medical education and to meeting people where they are – providing learning opportunities in the formats and settings that work best for them. Big thanks to our hosts Drs. Meredith Chiasson and Peter Gregory, the Dal MedIT team, and Candice Albright, our Communications Advisor, for their time and dedication in bringing this to life.
September also calls us to reflect on the meaning and importance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On September 30, we honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, as well as the Survivors, their families, and communities. It is a time for reflection, education, and action. For us in healthcare, it is also a reminder of our responsibility to provide equitable, culturally safe care and to address the systemic barriers Indigenous peoples continue to face. Reconciliation is about remembering the past and working together to transform the future.
To end on a lighter note, you'll notice I've included a photo from my summer in place of my usual headshot: me enjoying a bright summer day at Vandal Doughnuts with my family. I’d love to see your favourite summer snapshots too! Please send along one of your recent summer or vacation photos to Candice at candice.albright@nshealth.ca. We’ll feature a collection in October’s newsletter.
For now, I hope you enjoy this edition. Please continue to share your stories, highlights, and ideas for future editions – we love hearing from you.
Warmly,
Christine
Christine Short, MD, FRCP(C), FACP
Professor & Head/Chief, Department of Medicine
Dalhousie University / Central Zone, Nova Scotia Health
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National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
On September 30, we honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — a time to reflect on the harmful legacy of residential schools, honour the children who never returned home, listen to Survivors and their families, and commit to ongoing learning and action toward reconciliation.
Wearing orange on this day is a simple but powerful act of solidarity. We encourage all members of our community to wear orange on September 30 as a visible commitment to reconciliation and to creating a healthcare system where all can belong and thrive.
Learn more at National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - Canada.ca
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Gender Equality Week
The fourth week of September is Gender Equality Week in Canada, a time to highlight progress made to advance gender equality, celebrate women’s achievements, and reaffirm Canada’s commitment to closing persistent gender gaps that hold too many back.
Show your support by taking the Gender-based Anaylisis Plus (GBA+) online course, designed to help ensure policies and programs work for everyone, regardless of gender or other identity factors such as age, race, religion, ethnicity, geography, and ability.
Learn more at Gender Equality Week - Canada.ca.
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Ongoing Dates to Know
While we would like to recognize all dates, weeks, and months that are important for our wider community, our selections are only a fraction of the many that are deserving of our attention and acknowledgement.
To stay up to date, we encourage you to review the following calendars regularly:
If you have suggestions for particular dates you'd like us to mention, let us know! Email Candice at candice.albright@nshealth.ca with your ideas.
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New! Clinical Currents - A Department of Medicine Podcast
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Tune in to the DoM's Newest Continuing Professional Development Offering
We are thrilled to launch the latest evolution in the Department of Medicine's suite of CPD offerings! Hosted by Dr. Meredith Chiasson and Dr. Peter Gregory, Clinical Currents is a professional development podcast created for internal medicine physicians of all subspecialties across the Maritimes.
Through interviews, case-based discussions, and storytelling, episodes explore the latest research, educational practices, clinical insights, and quality initiatives shaping internal medicine in our region and beyond. Each episode can be claimed for 0.5 hours of Section 2 credit through the Royal College’s Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program.
New episodes will be released monthly, offering accessible, relevant conversations to support your growth as both a clinician and educator.
Visit our website at Clinical Currents Podcast - Department of Medicine - Dalhousie University to learn more, and click here to hear our pilot episode!
| | Please join us in congratulating the following members on their recent awards, appointments, and exciting opportunities – just a few among the many who are meaningfully contributing to the Department of Medicine and Canadian healthcare. | | Dr. Marihan Farid (pictured right) and colleagues. | | |
Dr. Marihan Farid Nominated for a 2025 Royal College/JGME Top Resident Research Award
Dr. Marihan Farid, a PGY2 resident in the Core IM program, has been selected as one of five nominees for the 2025 Royal College/JGME Top Resident Research Award at the International Conference on Residency Education (ICRE).
Her project, "Behind the Shield: Grief and the Emotional Armour among Medical Residents," is the only medical education-focused research among this year’s nominees — making this recognition especially exciting. Dr. Farid will present her work during the Top Resident Research Paper session at ICRE on October 31, 2025, and we wish her the very best at the conference! Congratulations, Dr. Farid.
👉 Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter, where we’ll be profiling Dr. Farid and her important work on disability awareness in healthcare education. In the meantime, we encourage you to explore her publication Am I Ableist?
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Dr. Melissa Andrew Appointed as the Kathryn Allen Weldon Chair in Alzheimer Research
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Melissa Andrew has been appointed the Kathryn Allen Weldon Chair in Alzheimer Research for a five-year term, effective July 1, 2025.
A Professor of Medicine in Geriatric Medicine, Dr. Andrew is internationally recognized for her work on frailty, social vulnerability, and dementia. She has led major studies through the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging and the Canadian Immunization Research Network, and has received multiple national awards.
In her new role, she will advance innovative research, partnerships, and education to improve the understanding, treatment, and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Congratulations, Dr. Andrew!
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Cynthia Kendell, PhD, Awarded CIHR Project Grant
We are proud to share that Cynthia Kendell, Implementation Scientist with the Department of Medicine, has been awarded a CIHR Spring 2025 Project Grant for her project "Lung Cancer in Nova Scotia: Examining Equitable Access to Care During the Peri-Diagnostic Timeframe."
Project Grants support innovative and impactful health research across all disciplines, from discovery to application. Cynthia’s work will shed important light on equity in access to lung cancer care here in Nova Scotia.
Congratulations, Cynthia, on this outstanding achievement!
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Dr. Ashley Sutherland Awarded CDA Early Career Volunteer Award
The Canadian Dermatology Association has awarded Dr. Ashley Sutherland, Program Director of Dermatology at Dalhousie University, the Early Career Volunteer Award.
Since completing her residency in 2019, she has made a remarkable impact through leadership, mentorship, and innovative educational initiatives within the CDA and beyond.
Congratulations, Dr. Sutherland! Learn more about Dr. Sutherland's contributions here.
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Dr. Kerri Purdy Awarded CDA Award of Merit
The Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) has presented this year’s Award of Merit to Dr. Kerri Purdy, Associate Professor of Medicine and Division Head of Dermatology & Cutaneous Science at Dalhousie University.
Presented annually, this award recognizes a CDA member who has demonstrated outstanding contributions to the Canadian Dermatology Association.
Congratulations, Dr. Purdy! Learn more about Dr. Purdy’s contributions here.
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Dr. Stacey Williams Named Skilled Clinician I Unit Head
We’re delighted to share that Dr. Stacey Williams has been appointed Unit Head for Skilled Clinician I in Dalhousie’s Undergraduate Medical Education program, effective June 1, 2025. A Gastroenterologist in our Division of Digestive Care and Endoscopy, Dr. Williams is also Program Director for the Adult Gastroenterology Training Program and has been deeply involved in UGME as a tutor, lecturer, and former component head.
In her new role, Dr. Williams will guide the delivery of first-year clinical skills education, helping students build strong foundations in communication, professionalism, and patient-centered care.
Congratulations, Dr. Williams!
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🎉 2025 Quality Improvement Funding Winners
The Department of Medicine’s Quality Improvement and Safety Committee has awarded funding to support projects that will improve patient care, safety, and education. Congratulations to this year’s recipients:
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Dr. Lana Tennenhouse – "Hybrid Universal and Risk-Based Hospital Admission Screening for Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales in Halifax: A Quality Improvement Initiative" ($5,000)
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Dr. Lee Kirby – "Effect of reducing wheelchair provision time for hospital inpatients on their lengths of stay and costs of hospitalization: a randomized controlled trial" ($5,000)
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Dr. Nabha Shetty – "Nudging inpatients toward healthier plant-forward meals" ($5,000)
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Dr. Setareh Lahsaee – "Learning Neurology Through Real-Life Clinical Presentations: Evaluating and improving Dalhousie neurology curriculum" ($5,000)
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Dr. Glenn Patriquin – "Validating a laboratory-based detection method for Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE)" ($4,000)
👏 Kudos to all for leading the way in advancing quality improvement across our department!
| | New National Committee Led by Dr. Mahmoud Elsawy | | |
DoM expertise at the forefront of national innovation in emerging cell therapies
We’re proud to share that Dr. Mahmoud Elsawy, from the Division of Hematology, has been appointed Chair of a new national committee under Cell Therapy and Transplant Canada (CTTC): the Cell Therapy Beyond Hematologic Malignancies Committee.
Proposed by Dr. Elsawy, this initiative will advance the development and application of cell therapy in non-malignant and non-hematologic indications – including autoimmune diseases, solid tumors, and other emerging areas.
The committee will unite experts across cell therapy, rheumatology, neurology, medical oncology, and other specialties to drive research and innovation, align resources, support development of national standards, education opportunities, and advocate for equitable access for patients to help shape the future of the field in Canada.
Membership requires active CTTC affiliation, but the Board welcomes subject matter experts in these specialties who are not CTTC members to participate as guest members in their areas of expertise. Interested? Please reach out to Dr. Elsawy (mahmoud.elsawy@nshealth.ca).
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Spotlight on Dr. Shelly McNeil in doctorsNS Magazine
The July/August issue of doctorsNS features our Division of Infectious Diseases Head, Dr. Shelly McNeil, as the new President of Doctors Nova Scotia.
Dr. McNeil is profiled throughout the magazine, including a cover story, "A Life in Service," highlighting her career and dedication to advancing health care. This issue also recaps the annual conference where she was officially installed as President and showcases her contributions in the “STATistics” segment.
Read the full issue here: doctorsNS-July-August2025 by doctorsNS - Flipsnack
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A breakthrough for arthritis research in Atlantic Canada
From the QEII Foundation, published August 27:
"For the six million Canadians living with arthritis, including more than one in five Nova Scotians, the condition is far more than occasional aches and pains. It’s a chronic disease with life-altering impacts, from debilitating symptoms and mobility issues to reduced quality of life.
But now, in a historic first for the region, a new endowed research chair is taking aim at arthritis and related diseases — with a goal of bringing fresh momentum, new discoveries and hope to patients and families."
Read the full article here: A breakthrough for arthritis research in Atlantic Canada | QEII Foundation
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Heart of Health: Linda Armstrong’s passion for geriatric nursing care
From Nova Scotia Health, published August 5:
"Linda Armstrong’s journey in nursing began at the Camp Hill Hospital in Halifax, which sparked a lifelong commitment to geriatric care.
Throughout her career, Linda explored various areas of nursing—from acute care, ambulatory care, research, family medicine and home care in both Nova Scotia and Ontario. But her heart always led her back to geriatric nursing."
Read the full article here: Heart of Health: Linda Armstrong’s passion for geriatric nursing care | Nova Scotia Health
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Profile: Congratulations to Making Waves recipient, Dr. Amanda Vinson
From Nova Scotia Health, published July 16:
"While the Research, Innovation and Discovery team at Nova Scotia Health celebrates all of this year’s Making Waves award recipients, we would like to specifically recognize those within our research and innovation community.
Dr. Amanda Vinson, a kidney transplant clinician-researcher, received the Early Career/ Emerging Researcher Award.'"
Read the full profile here: Congratulations to Making Waves recipient, Dr. Amanda Vinson | Nova Scotia Health
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Can A.I. Find Cures for Untreatable Diseases—Using Drugs We Already Have?
From the New Yorker, published July 15:
"A few weeks ago, I sat in on a meeting at which Every Cure employees discussed the drug-disease pairs that the MATRIX had deemed worthwhile . . . A physician named Elliott Sharp, with neat brown hair and red-rimmed glasses, presented a summary of Rosai-Dorfman disease, or R.D.D., a rare and little-understood condition that can lead to enlarged lymph nodes and serious skin problems, such as nodules and ulcerations. A doctor named Luke Chen, in Canada, had used a cancer drug called lenalidomide to treat some of his patients with the disease, Sharp said, and had suggested it to Every Cure. The medication scored highly in the A.I. model—in the top 0.3 per cent of all drug-disease matches—and ranked twenty-third on the A.I.’s list of possible treatments for R.D.D."
Read the full article here: Can A.I. Find Cures for Untreatable Diseases—Using Drugs We Already Have? | The New Yorker
| | Highlighting ACHIEVE: A Landmark Dialysis Trial | | |
Save the Date: Research Evening 2025
Mark your calendars! The Department of Medicine’s annual Research Evening will take place on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, from 6-9 p.m. at the Prince George Hotel.
This event brings our research community together to celebrate excellence in research, showcase innovative projects from across the department, and recognize outstanding contributions through the Research Excellence Awards. Join us for an inspiring evening of presentations, recognition, and connection.
Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks! We look forward to seeing you there.
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Call for Nominations: Department of Medicine Research Awards
Do you know a colleague whose research deserves recognition? Nominations are now open for the 2025 Department of Medicine Research Awards:
The deadline for nominations is October 15, 2025.
Submissions must be sent electronically from an nshealth.ca email to Simrat.Singh@nshealth.ca (please note: do not use DoMResearch@nshealth.ca).
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Research Reminder
Dalhousie is a member of the Canadian Research Knowledge Network. Look up what journals have Open Access Publishing Fees covered through the network here:
https://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/open-access
| | | Respirology's Growing Wellness Pathway | |
The Lung Transplant Program is transforming access and outcomes in Nova Scotia
The lung transplant program in Nova Scotia, under the leadership of the Division of Respirology’s Dr. Meredith Chiasson since 2011, has undergone significant advancements, transforming patient care and paving the way for future growth. Since the program was first established, the number of patients under its care has surged from just 20 to approximately 80, thanks to a streamlined pathway for assessing candidates for surgery.
Read the full story today on page 25 of our most recent annual report!
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July
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Correction: Dr. Alexander Pupek joined the Division of Infectious Diseases effective July 1
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Dr. Grace Park has joined the DGH Digestive Care group effective July 1, 2025
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Dr. Terry Chisholm has joined the Division of Geriatric Medicine in a locum from August 5, 2025, to June 30, 2026
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September
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Dr. Oliver Neal joined the Division of Neurology in a locum from Sept 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026
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Dr. Josh Bowdridge joins the DGH GIM group on Sept 1
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Dr. Ellen MacDonald joins the Division of Rheumatology effective Sept 17
| | Latest Learing Opportunities | |
Geri-A-Tricks Geriatrics Conference, Sept. 19 in Truro
The Northern Zone Seniors’ Clinic is bringing back its popular geriatrics conference with Geri-A-Tricks Revival on Thursday, Sept. 19 at the Inn on Prince Hotel & Conference Centre in Truro.
This full-day event features expert speakers and panel discussions on topics including behavioural and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD), fall prevention, decision-making capacity, and the dignity of risk in older adults. Health professionals working with older adults in a community setting are encouraged to attend.
To register, scan the QR code above or visit: Geri-A-Tricks Revival Eventbrite
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Care By Design Long-Term Care Conference, October 24
The annual Care by Design Conference returns on October 24, 2025! Join colleagues for a full day of interdisciplinary learning on long-term care — covering new standards, clinical guidelines, and emerging trends in aging and wellness.
This year’s highlights include music therapy, delirium recognition, MAiD in LTC, exercise and frailty, goals of care, plus breakout sessions on medical management, sexual behaviours in dementia, and more.
Stay tuned for registration details!
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DoM Suggestion Box
Have any suggestions for the department? Leave them anonymously here:
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DoM Research
https://sites.google.com/view/domresearch
The page was initially developed for the resident group, but it’s also useful to faculty and their research teams. DoM Research wants to ensure that the link is easily accessible to anyone in the department.
| | Mental Health & Well-Being | | When you take care of yourself, you take care of others. | | |
We Teach, Research, and Serve our patients on Mi’kmaw territory, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. The people of the Mi’kmaw Nation have lived on this territory for millennia, and we acknowledge them as the past, present, and future caretakers of this land. We are all Treaty people.
We recognize that African Nova Scotians are a distinct people whose histories, legacies, and contributions have enriched that part of Mi’kma’ki known as Nova Scotia for over 400 years.
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