Happy New Year!
A new academic year has always seemed to me to be more of a “new beginnings” time of year than the first of January, bringing with it a greater sense of excitement and anticipation (and nervousness). A new academic year also brings many new undergraduate and graduate students into our Faculty. Our Faculty’s orientation events will go a long way to making these students feel welcome, and all of us can support and reinforce those efforts throughout the year.
You have likely seen further notices about UWaterloo’s strategic planning process, and about many opportunities for consultation. I would like to draw your attention to a consultation event specifically for those in AHS, to be held on October 10, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. (location TBA). I would encourage all of you to mark that date in your calendars, and take advantage of that opportunity to help chart the course for the future of our University and our Faculty.
Paul
Paul Stolee, PhD
Professor and Interim Dean
Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
Highlights I Events I Nominations and more
Some highlights from this month
Gender Equity Research Grant winners named
Several AHS faculty members received 2018 Gender Equity Research Grants from the Equity Office. Congratulations to:
- Karla Boluk for Back to work: Exploring the experiences of pre-tenured women negotiating the transition to and from maternity leave;
- Corey Johnson for Creating and improving Trans affirming health resources in the Waterloo Region;
- John Mielke for How might gender, work strain, and perceived social support interact to affect the way that stress 'gets under the skin' of professors at the University of Waterloo.
The grants of up to $10,000 support research that addresses gender equity, especially as it advances Waterloo’s three IMPACT 10x10x10 commitments or demonstrates relevance to the University.
Two AHS projects receive LITE Seed Grants
AHS faculty and grad students received two of the five Learning Innovation and Teaching Enhancement (LITE) Seed Grants this term: Corey Johnson and Luc Cousineau for Creating immersive assignments for deeper learning around diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice in leisure, and Elena Nieterman and Christine Sheppard for Life stories of older adults: Learning aging through research and reflection. Funded by the Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic, and the Centre for Teaching Excellence, the grants of up to $5,000 have been awarded since 2012 to instructors and staff investigating innovative approaches to enhancing teaching and fostering deep student learning at Waterloo. In addition to Seed Grants, the LITE program offers Full Grants of up to $30,000 for large-scale investigations. The next deadline is October 1.
Innovation Showcase features AHS faculty
The Canadian Frailty Network, funded by the Networks of Centres of Excellence program, recognized faculty members and Schlegel Research Chairs Heather Keller and George Heckman as being among Canada's top 30 innovators in a competition titled Frailty Matters. Keller and Heckman will present their projects: Integrated Nutrition Pathway for Acute Care and Enhancing Knowledge for Interprofessional Care in Heart Failure, respectively, at the Frailty Matters Innovation Showcase on September 20.
MAREP moves to the Research Institute for Aging
This fall, the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP) will move its home base from AHS to the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA). The move will allow for more interdisciplinary research and support for MAREP’s key projects, including the successful LIVING the Dementia Journey program. MAREP has been improving dementia care practices in Canada and around the world through research and education since 1993. The Faculty would like to acknowledge Lisa Loiselle for her leadership and dedication to MAREP. She is helping ensure a smooth transition over the coming weeks, and we wish her all the best in her future pursuits. For more information, please see the MAREP news announcement.
Recruitment season kicks off with OUF
A big thank you to all the faculty, staff and students who have signed on to volunteer at the Ontario Universities' Fair (OUF). This three-day event marks the unofficial start of the year's undergraduate recruitment efforts, with all 21 Ontario universities presenting their programs at Toronto's Metro Convention Centre on September 28-30. If you have friends in the GTA with Grade 12 students, suggest they visit the Waterloo booth as they consider their options.
How to support students in distress
As a new group of students joins our community, this is a good time to check out a resource provided by Campus Wellness. Supporting Our Students is a guide with tips on how to recognize, respond to, and refer students in distress, as well as contact information for referral agencies both on and off campus. The guide is available as online PDFs, or you can request a print copy.
2020-2025 Strategic Plan development
The University is developing a new strategic plan that will define Waterloo’s priorities, goals, and objectives for 2020-2025. In September, the Consultation Phase will begin in earnest; this phase will confirm a vision and values statement and gather input and feedback on what we need to achieve by 2025, including what success looks like. A Faculty-specific consultation is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 10 and all members of the AHS community will be invited to attend. In the meantime, please review the issue papers and other evidence and sign up for any of the issue papers' consultation sessions.
Upcoming events
Orientation week: September 2-8
First-year students move in on September 2 and 3, followed by Orientation programming until Saturday, September 8. AHS is expecting approximately 600 of our first-years to attend Orientation programming. If you see them on campus, feel free to stop and say hi! Any interested staff or faculty member can view the Orientation schedule on Open Portal; use the "First Year" menu to choose AHS for Faculty-specific activities. Or, if you have any questions, please contact Becca Lintaman.
AHS HeForShe meeting: September 7
If you have ideas for new HeForShe initiatives, please bring them along to the next meeting at noon, September 7, in AHS 2677, or join one of the current working groups. All faculty, staff and students, and newcomers are welcome. If you have any questions, contact Corey Johnson.
Reunion 2018: September 22
It's almost here! Visit the Reunion website to reserve a spot in the Fun Run (the longest-running Reunion tradition), the VIP tent at the Warriors football game and more!
Hallman Lecture on Love and Sex: September 27
Professor Justin Garcia of Indiana University examines romantic and sexual attitudes and behaviours of single adults in the digital age in this Hallman talk titled Love and Sex in the Digital Age. A reception will follow. Please register in advance for the lecture.
Write for The Conversation: September 27
There is still time to register for a session on how to write for The Conversation Canada, a platform for academics to write thought-provoking, informative pieces in their area of expertise that is shared with Canadian Press news outlets across the country. Editor Scott White will be on campus September 27 from 1-3 p.m. to speak with current researchers and academics. Please register for a spot with Pamela Smyth, university media relations manager.
Nominations, awards and more
HeForShe writing contest opens
The third annual HeForShe writing contest is soliciting stories, real and imagined, about building a better and more equitable world, from all members of the community. A $500 prize will be awarded for the top submission in each category: poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction. The contest will close on October 1. Selected submissions will also be included in a special UWaterloo anthology on gender equity that will be published on March 8 (International Women’s Day). For more information, please visit the HeForShe website.
New subscribers to Dean's Update
Department administrators are asked to let Eugenia Xenos Anderson know of any new faculty, staff, or graduate students who would be interested in receiving this monthly update. Likewise, if there are faculty, staff and grad students who have moved on, please let her know and she will remove them from the mailing list. Thank you!