Dear faculty, staff and graduate students,
As we enter mid-summer, I hope that you are all planning, or are in the process of, taking time off work to replenish your energy reserves. As we transition back to campus over the fall months, I sense cautious optimism and excitement among members of the University of Waterloo community for opportunities to greet and meet each other in person.
I find myself reflecting on some interesting experiences since we went online 16 months ago. I realize that sometimes there are gaps in my relationship experiences, like the time I was invited to a baby shower but felt I had missed out on the changes leading up to the celebration. People have been going through life changes during these months, but we don't always know because we don’t see each other outside of meetings. There are people I meet with regularly, yet have never seen in person. Likewise, when I return to campus, I will have to remind myself that certain absent individuals have transitioned to other jobs.
In-person interactions really add a necessary balance to our sense of community and well-being. I look forward to seeing more of you in the fall. Meanwhile, my wish is for each of you to carve out some time during the summer months for self-care, to spend time with the ones you love, and to do the things that nourish your spirit.
Enjoy the summer,
Lili Liu
This month I Events I Tips and reminders
THIS MONTH
Plinio Morita receives Early Researcher Award
Plinio Morita (School of Public Health Sciences) was one of 53 Ontario researchers to receive an Early Researcher Award, which provides funding to new researchers working at publicly funded Ontario research institutions to build a research team. Morita will research climate change and its cascading effects on human health by mobilizing Internet of Things (IoT) data to improve the responsiveness of public health agencies in Ontario and Mongolia.
Healthy Cities training platform receives funding
Sharon Kirkpatrick (School of Public Health Sciences) is part of a team, with Dawn Parker in Environment and collaborators from nine other institutions, that received funding for a Healthy Cities training platform from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The Implementing Smart Cities Interventions to Build Healthy Cities (SMART) platform will engage trainees in implementation science, with a focus on the central place of food in healthy cities.
Ron McCarville retiring in August
The affable Ron McCarville (Recreation and Leisure Studies) will be retiring this August after 32 years with the University. He is known as an entertaining and dynamic instructor and has received several teaching awards throughout his career. He has also been a fixture at recruitment events throughout the years, and has provided service in many other ways. Thank you, and all the best, Ron!
Ellen MacEachen to receive honorary doctorate
Mid Sweden University will be awarding Ellen MacEachen (School of Public Health Sciences) with an honorary doctorate this October. She is being recognized for “outstanding contributions in research as well as in education related to, for example. the complex relationships between individuals' health and well-being and the broader context of the working life and societal welfare.” Congratulations , Ellen!
Help track alumni volunteer hours
Have Health alumni contributed their time or talents to any of your initiatives? The Health Advancement team would like to track these contributions for each alumnus. Submit any meaningful volunteer hours completed by Health alumni using this Volunteer Tracking form. For more information, please contact our Alumni Advancement Officer, Jenn Bentley.
Advancement is hiring
Please share with your networks: A job posting will go up on August 4 to hire an Advancement Coordinator to cover a secondment. The position will start as soon as possible and finish on February 4, 2022, and is open to internal and external candidates. For more information, please contact the Faculty's Director of Advancement, Sherri Sutherland.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please note that all in-person events have been cancelled or postponed until further notice.
Anti-racism book club: August 17
The next session of Waterloo's anti-racism book club features the book "21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality" by Bob Joseph. It starts at noon and will be facilitated by Jean Becker. Please register on the Anti-racism Book Club web page.
TIPS AND REMINDERS
Resources from the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE)
The Faculty of Health Fall Prep recording is now available; check it out for best practices on remote teaching. The CTE has also developed a new tip sheet on resilient course design, which focuses on how to design courses that help students and instructors pivot between online and in-person teaching and learning. Finally, the Keep Learning team has developed tips and scenarios for teaching “held-with” courses (courses that are taught concurrently online and in-person). Details are available on Keep Learning’s fall 2021 landing page.
Have you taken the Equity Survey?
Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to fill out Waterloo’s Equity Survey. For those who have not yet participated, a reminder was sent to your @UWaterloo email the week of July 12. The survey will help identify equity gaps in programs, services and policies to better meet the needs of equity-deserving students and employees. Please look for it in your inbox or email equitysurvey@uwaterloo.ca for an alternate format.
Do you have a news item to share? Please email it to Eugenia Xenos Anderson.