Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 2011/2012

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry

DARE TO DISCOVER Academic Plan Submission

2007/2008 to 2011/2012

May 31, 2006 (updated) Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012

Table of Contents Page

Executive Summary 3

I. Introduction 9 Overview of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry 9 Our strategic planning process 10 Aligning with the ‘Dare to Discover’ Strategic Priorities 10 Core Purpose of the FOMD 10 Core Values of the FOMD 11 Envisioned Future 11

II. Strategic Influences: Forces and Sources of Change 12 Education 13 Research 13 Community Services: Health Care Delivery 14

III. Planning Assumptions 14

IV. Recognized Areas of Excellence: Our Six Key Strategic Initiative Areas 15 1. Education 15 2. Research 28 3. Community Service 32 4. Our People 34 5. Our Partnerships 37 6. Our Governance 40

V. Resource Plan 40

VI. Appendices A. Strategic Research Priorities of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry B. Overview of the Alberta Diabetes Institute C. Overview of the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute D. Overview of the Alberta Transplant Institute E. Proposal for an Institute of Biomedical Engineering F. Overview of Digestive Health Centre for Colon Cancer G. Proposal for Laboratory Alberta

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry exemplifies the University’s exceptional academic and service environment with its entrusted mission to bring new knowledge and treatments from science and medicine into the community for the benefit of patients, families, and society as a whole. Indeed, our stated core purpose as a Faculty is “to promote health through innovative leadership in research, education and service”, the accent being on innovation and leadership in each of these areas. Building on the four cornerstones of the University of Alberta, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry will apply its well-established values for continued success. This Executive Summary highlights our key strategic initiatives in each of the four cornerstones that will anchor our leadership position and maximize our positive influence on the health and well-being of the public we serve. Details of these initiatives are expanded upon in the remainder of this document.

CORNERSTONE 1: TALENTED PEOPLE (TP)

Overview: Our health science programs leading to the MD, DDS, BSc in Medical Laboratory Science, and Diploma in Dental Hygiene are all limited enrollment programs that primarily admit Alberta residents to prepare for health science careers that serve the needs of Albertans. These students are among the best students available in Canada. In addition, we have programs that prepare foreign medical and dental graduates for practice in Canada (TP-1)

We also attract outstanding graduate students and residents from the other provinces and from many foreign countries. We are increasing our graduate student enrollment by 12 percent each year for the next five years and during this past year we accepted 629 students (an increase of 129 students compared to last year). We continue to actively pursue initiatives that foster a dynamic learning environment and these are detailed in other parts of the document. (TP-1; TP-2)

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry is developing a professional and academic reputation that is supported by both the success of our graduates in Canada and internationally, and by the success of our research endeavors in attracting funding, e.g., $143 million in 2005, making it possible for us to attract some of the best postdoctoral fellows, researchers and visiting faculty available in academics today. (TP-3)

We are currently improving access for rural and Aboriginal students by increasing the number of dedicated provincially funded positions for medical students in these two groups. Beginning in the fall 2006, we will add five dedicated aboriginal/rural first year positions in medicine and two in dentistry in each of the next four years. The MD program is the most successful in Canada in training Aboriginal physicians. The role of the FOMD at the college and high school levels should be discussed. (TP-4)

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) 4/3/2018 3 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012

We have identified a variety of action plans directed at achieving the recruitment and retention of outstanding academic staff, and considerable progress is being made. For example, financial commitments for a number of endowed chairs have been obtained, and recruitment will begin in 2006. As a successful research-based faculty, the intellectual climate in the FOMD has been very favorable, and is becoming increasingly so as we continue to add significant numbers of new graduate students and establish new award programs recognizing both faculty and student achievements. While our start-up funding is generally good, it is not always competitive with other major Canadian universities and requires bolstering. (TP-5)

The FOMD has fostered a culture of excellence that is exemplified by its quality of research and the level of funding this research has attracted, as well as by the excellent performance of our students on national examinations. However, as detailed in our strategic plan, we have developed significant action planning in our "people strategy" to take the Faculty to even higher levels of excellence. Of particular note is the FOMD’s Faculty Evaluation Committee (FEC) process which is very effective at appropriately recognizing and rewarding leadership and outstanding accomplishments, and is now being used within other parts of the University as a model for how the process can work well. (TP-6)

The FOMD places an emphasis on global education in its education strategic priority. We have also put in place an Assistant Dean for Global Health, and we have an Associate Dean for Equity and Faculty Development already in place. Both the medical and dental programs have culturally and gender balanced student bodies, and both programs have successfully sought additional provincial funding to increase dedicated class positions for both aboriginal and rural students (see above). (TP-7)

Key Strategic Initiatives:  Recruit the best and most appropriate students to our health sciences programs through the use of not only academic standing data, but also the use of data that reflects on personal attributes that relate to patient and teamwork relationship skills and values, e.g., multi mini-interview and emotional intelligence data.  Create programs that enhance the rural and global educational, clinical practice and research opportunities for our students and residents.  Develop a broad-based program that creates advantages for our researchers in becoming more successful and competitive in obtaining research funding. For example, identify and direct new and emerging research and funding opportunities to an individual PI or groups of PIs, and/or facilitate bringing together PIs to develop NET or Team grant initiatives by forming local funded team grant competitions.  Create a comprehensive program to proactively celebrate the achievements of our faculty and trainees, e.g., such as through our recently established “MedStar” awards for outstanding graduate publications.  Create a new comprehensive program for faculty development. This will involve the recruitment of an Education PhD to co-ordinate faculty development efforts between Continuous Professional Learning, Post-Graduate Medical Education,

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 4 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012

Division of Studies in Medical Education, Research Office and within his/her portfolio such as promotions workshops and mentorship programs.

CORNERSTONE 2: LEARNING, DISCOVERY, AND CITIZENSHIP (LDC)

Overview: The FOMD strategic plan articulates exciting curriculum directions focused on an inquiry-based active education model. This model is small group intensive and often case-based, a phenomenal way to excite students and maximally engage them in their learning. However, it is faculty intensive, and thus an expensive way to educate. Funding for the appropriate teaching staff will have to increase significantly to fully implement the new curriculum. The FOMD's extensive community-based education is instrumental in the development of the students' sense of social responsibility, particularly when this education occurs in the inner city and rural remote sites where there is a shortage of health manpower. The student organized and run inner-city health clinic SHINE, a new program in the Arts and Humanities, student summer research opportunities, a history of medicine program and the student associations offer service, educational and social opportunities that all support this important aspiration. (LDC-1)

The FOMD has a variety of mentorship and peer-based activities available to its students that creates a student culture that allows all students to participate in activities of their choice. Retention and graduation rates are, and have always been, close to 100 percent. The professional students in the FOMD are among the highest achieving students within the University. However, the stresses of very intensive programs are substantial, and the Faculty thus continuously searches for ways to reduce barriers to learning and to enhance a positive, supportive culture for learning and social interaction. The deans and program directors meet regularly with student leaders to discuss how their various programs are functioning, as well as how we can create more student- centered effectiveness. (LDC-2)

The FOMD has developed a comprehensive FEC process and other Faculties are now using our FEC process as a model. In addition, the FOMD's success in very competitive grant processes reflects well on the quality of our overall research endeavors. However, it is clear, as indicated in our strategic plan that we do need to develop our expertise much further in the area of multidisciplinary research, particularly CIHR pillars III and IV. This has become a major priority for the FOMD that will necessitate the hiring of additional researchers to bolster our research expertise in this arena if we are to realize our full potential. (LDC-3)

While we currently put considerable energy into increasing our profile of discovery and scholarship, a key focus of the FOMD strategic plan is increasing the celebration and communication of our achievements at all levels, but particularly to "engage our partners, stakeholders and government at all levels to make our research more visible and valued by them." Achievements in the area of health have tremendous potential in improving and extending life. The U of A contributes substantially to the health and

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 5 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 well-being of both Albertans and those outside of the province, and we could do much more to increase our profile. (LDC-4)

While the FOMD has a number of national and international collaborations in place, we have identified in our strategic plan an important action step aimed at developing research partnerships and networks, not only within the FOMD, and across Faculties, disciplines and sectors, but also across Alberta, Canada and beyond. (LDC-5)

The new FOMD strategic plan directly addresses many aspects regarding inspiring students, faculty and staff to leadership development and societal responsibility. For example, we train people in leadership and educational skills, routinely conduct educational experiences that help develop a sense of social responsibility in our students, and develop programs in such areas as the arts and humanities which help to develop individuals who are well-rounded in all aspects of societal living. However, our perspective is that we can always do this better, and thus we continuously seek new opportunities to strengthen this direction within the FOMD. (LDC-7)

Key Strategic Initiatives:  Respond to recommendations of the 2006 MD Accreditation Report so as to continue to build the strength of this highly regarded program.  Continue the successful development of the inquiry-based, active education model MD/DDS curricula that are currently well into implementation phases. These curricula make extensive use of problem- and case-based small group learning, objective structured clinical examinations and the other active learning models that truly engage students in their learning process.  Implement the FOMD’s new FEC guidelines that have adopted effective clinical and didactic teaching, and educational innovation and research, as a fully recognized and supported track through the FOMD academic ranks.  Develop, with the Alberta Medical Association, a clinical teaching re-imbursement plan for the FOMD clinical teachers who are currently largely  Continue the rebuilding of the DDS program, particularly focusing on the new curriculum model and on the building of research capacity.  Work with the Alberta government in developing and implementing a comprehensive funding plan for dental and dental hygiene education.  Develop the newly reorganized Division of Continuous Professional Learning into a health sciences education and educational research program, based on the concepts of adult and life-long learning that is uniquely effective among North American academic health centers.  Significantly expand our graduate and post-graduate programs.  Establish the first School of Podiatry in Canada.  Develop the multifaceted rural health initiative as a unique strength of the FOMD to more fully serve the healthcare needs of all Albertans.  Establish a clinical psychology program within the next five years.  Continue the development/implementation of the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, the Alberta Transplant Institute, the Alberta Diabetes Institute, the

Institute for Biomedical Design, and the Alberta Centre for Prion and Protein Folding Diseases as research and patient care strengths of the FOMD.  Develop the Women and Children's Research Institute, a research program in Regenerative Medicine, an Institute of Biomedical Engineering, primary care research, and nanomedicine research.  Develop the Bioinformatics program to support research requirements in advanced data management and analysis.  Develop and implement Laboratory Alberta.

CORNERSTONE 3: CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

Overview: The FOMD has built an extensive array of partnerships over the years that increase its effectiveness in research, education and service. However, it is clear today that the most successful organizations will be those that become masters at developing trans- organizational partnerships and effective working relationships. This ever increasing emphasis on the multidisciplinary, multi-organizational team approach is a direction the FOMD is well-poised to exploit, and welcomes the opportunity to build even more effective broad-based strategic connections.

Key Strategic Initiatives:  Continue to work with the Faculty of Arts and Science to grow our programs in the history of medicine and medical humanities.  Work with the Faculty of Education in developing a Master's in Medical Education, as well as a research program in medical education.  Continue to work with the Faculty of Engineering to develop the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and NINT.  Develop a joint research chair in pain medicine with the Faculty of Rehabilitation.  Pursue a partnership with the Faculty of Nursing in the area of Continuous Professional Learning, and develop a series of joint research projects.  Develop joint projects in the clinical arena, e.g., in nutrition, with the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition.  Work with Faculty of Native Studies to develop an elective program in traditional healing.  Increase the academic profile of the Sports Medicine Clinic which is shared with the Faculty of Physical Education and the Faculty of Rehabilitation.  Create a partnership with the Faculty of Science in multiple areas (e.g., proteomics, genomics).  Continue to grow the very positive collaborative working relationships with the University of Calgary that we have recently been developing.  Continue to work with the Government of Alberta on key advisory committees, and continually apprise them of the FOMD's initiatives, progress, successes and needs as the comprehensive academic health center in Alberta.

 Continue to enhance our partnership with Capital Health, one of our closest allies, on a variety of fronts from biomedical research to patient care to education of Alberta's healthcare workforce.  Revitalize our partnership with alumni and communicate key messages to the public through an effective new communications strategy.

CORNERSTONE 4: ORGANIZATION AND SUPPORT (OS)

Overview: The FOMD has recently raised significant funding for a number of endowed chairs. Our goal is to have in excess of 20 endowed chairs fully funded over the next three years. Such endowed chairs expand our senior research capabilities far beyond what can be supported through normal operating funds, and these individuals are incredibly helpful in getting young faculty on track toward productive research careers. (OS-1)

While the endowed chairs help immensely in enabling us to provide the best education and to support world-class research, it is clear that the progressive educational model and the research goals we have articulated in our strategic plan can only be realized with the infusion of significant new operating funds. For example, we are currently short staffed for small group teaching, and the funding in Alberta for graduate students precludes the substantial increases in graduate student numbers that both the Faculty and the University believe is necessary for a research-intensive university. (OS-2)

Key Strategic Initiatives:  Continue to pursue funding to establish additional endowed research chairs.  Develop effective programs in career planning and leadership development to address such priorities as effective succession planning, and enhancing the capacity of faculty and key administrators to deal successfully with increasing organizational complexity.  Secure funding to complete the two Discovery Centre/HRIF buildings for both research purposes and to meet the educational space requirements for increased FOMD enrollments.  Plan the Edmonton Clinic so as to maximize its ability to enhance education, research and patient care, particularly from a multidisciplinary perspective.  Improve the governance structure within the FOMD to better coordinate the departments, divisions, institutes, centres, and research groups, and to create a strengthened performance management focus.

I. INTRODUCTION

Overview of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry is a large Faculty composed of 21 departments (one department of which is the School of Dentistry), 10 divisions, 13 Research Groups and 27 Centres and Institutes (combined), 601 full-time and 1,458 part-time faculty members. We employ 985 support staff and each year we generate more than $140 million dollars in research funding. In partnership with Capital Health, we provide primary, secondary and tertiary care to the people of Northern Alberta, and for some services we are the referral centre for all of Western Canada.

Currently we enroll 128 medical students each year. This will increase by 5 positions each year for the next 4 years to reach a total of 148. Enrollment in the dental school will increase from 32 per year to 40 over the next four years. Enrollment in the dental hygiene program will remain stable at 40 and enrollment in the medical laboratory science program will be approximately 25 students per year. We have 656 residents and 46 clinical fellows in 54 Royal College or College of Family Medicine approved programs.

In addition to health sciences students we also teach a large number of undergraduate Faculty of Science students. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of these students who enroll in courses offered by our division of anatomy and departments of biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and to a lesser extent cell biology. We also teach a large number of graduate students - 628 per year. This is the 5thhighest total for a Faculty at our University. In addition we have recently undergone accreditation of our residency and undergraduate programs by external agencies.

Over the past two years our Faculty has undergone enormous changes with a new Dean, Vice Dean, Associate Deans of Research, Undergraduate Education, and Continuous Professional Learning, as well as Rural and Regional Health and Global Health which are two new portfolios. In addition, we also have four new departmental chairs, and a new Executive Director.

This is probably the most exciting and most challenging time in the history of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry We are undergoing unparalleled expansion of our physical facilities: two research buildings – Discovery Centre East and West - with space for 100 new wet laboratory researchers, the Ledcor-Zeidler building for Medical Education and Gastroenterology, the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute (Capital Health), and The Edmonton Clinic and UofA Health Academy, a joint project of University of Alberta and Capital Health (CH). There is new investment in research: $500 million has been added to the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation has provided funding for six major projects and we are currently in competition for six others. The Research Hospital Fund and the Alberta Prion Initiative are just some examples.

There is a new spirit of collaboration between the University and Capital Health. The Boards of these two organizations have joined forces to develop a vision and invest in Health Research. Five major projects are under consideration. There is also wonderful cooperation and collaboration amongst the Health Sciences Faculties under the leadership of Vice Provost Jane Drummond. Provincial Government Programs such as the Fund for the Future and increased investment in post-secondary education enable us to “Dare to Discover”.

Our strategic planning process

Two years ago we began strategic planning for the Faculty and we have integrated the results of that planning process into this report. We have used a whole-systems approach that has facilitated input at all levels of faculty, staff and students within the FOMD, as well as key individuals and organizations external to the Faculty. It is a continuous process that constantly adjusts to our environment, allowing us to capitalize on opportunities and effectively manage challenges. The Faculty has identified a set of core values that define the principles that guide us, a core purpose that very simply conveys what we are about, and a set of future propositions that define what we will look like at our best.

The strategic initiatives described in this report are designed to maximize innovation and rapid progress during this time of unparalleled opportunity for those who are willing to think boldly. These initiatives are designed to make even stronger our leadership position in education and to enhance the learning experiences of our students and residents, to continue to enhance our existing areas of strength in research and to build new areas of strength that will round-out our impressive research portfolio, and to better serve our patients, more fully develop our people and key partnerships, and more effectively use our governance structure to both engage people and optimize our productivity and use of resources.

Aligning with the University of Alberta ‘Dare to Discover’ Vision Document

The University’s vision to build one of the world's great universities for the public good is anchored by the following four cornerstones: Talented People; Learning, Discovery, and Citizenship; Connecting Communities; Transformative Organization and Support. The FOMD’s four-year academic plan aligns with the University’s plan to achieve greatness and incorporates, at many levels, these four founding cornerstones and their corresponding aspirations. Please refer to the Executive Summary that outlines the relationship of the FOMD’s academic plan with the University’s ‘Dare to Discover’ vision.

Core Purpose of the FOMD

“To promote health through innovative leadership in research, education and service.”

Core Values of the FOMD

To achieve the core purpose and vision of the FOMD, we value:  Scholarship  Leadership  Excellence in the Context of Social Responsibility and Accountability  Honesty and Integrity  People First  Collective Success Supporting Individual Excellence

Envisioned Future

The Faculty’s envisioned future is reflected in six key strategic initiatives based around three core functions of education, research and service to the community (which includes medical services and improving the health system).

1. Education: To provide the best environment for continuous learning and inquiry—a model for the future! To accomplish this initiative we will need to provide the required resources and structures, enhance scholarship in education, utilize new technologies in education and ensure that the curriculum continues to meet societal needs. The highly successful aboriginal educational program will be expanded. We will increase our education presence in the international arena by attracting bright students from abroad and taking our knowledge abroad as opportunities arise.

2. Research: Optimization of health through scholarship and leadership in our fundamental and applied research programs. Our goals in relation to this initiative will be to increase our research funding from its current level of $144 million to $250 million by 2011. We will be able to accomplish this target only with the completion of the new Discovery Centre; attracting and retaining the best researchers, working in conjunction with the Capital Health and promoting the full spectrum of health research.

3. Community Service (Health Care): To create, in partnership with the Capital Health, an environment whereby health services delivery and the academic functions of teaching and research are optimized and of highest quality. Key to achieving this objective are the establishment of clearly defined principles, accountabilities; the expansion of the alternate relationship plans and continued mutual support between the Capital Health and University in serving the community i.e. iCARE and Health Informatics are two areas in which we have partnered with CH.

The above noted three core functions are supported by three faculty-wide enabling initiatives:

4. Our People: Building and strengthening the essential foundation of our success. Over the past five years we have recruited 112 Faculty members, spread relatively equally between a research orientation and a clinical/teaching orientation. We will continue to work on meeting our research, teaching and clinical service delivery

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 11 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 targets in collaboration with our partners. Initiatives include the expansion of our career development, continuous professional learning, mentoring and recognition programs. Increasing our administrative and infrastructure support is also key.

5. Partnerships: Building strategic partnerships and maximizing effective advocacy. Our operations are contingent on the ongoing development and nurturing of a number of key partnerships: Capital Health, the Government of Alberta, the University of Calgary, our alumni and the community. Increased emphasis, however, will be placed on working together to build programs that cross Faculty lines.

6. Governance: Enhancing our capacity for strategic leadership, management and faculty engagement and to maximize and efficiently utilize resources to achieve our vision. Governance is an area to which we will work on during the academic year July 2006 – June 2007. The proliferation of Institutes and research groups has occurred with little coordination in the area of governance. The allocation of resources (departments/centers) i.e. research overheads and the overall accountability and coordination are key issues we will address. The need to strengthen our performance management focus in the areas of succession planning and career development will also be an important initiative.

II. STRATEGIC INFLUENCES: FORCES AND SOURCES OF CHANGE

Health is central to the economic, social and cultural well-being of a society. Hence, the Faculty is impacted by most of what happens in our society. The larger forces are technology, demographics, the health workforce marketplace, fundamental research and its application to patients and the economic opportunities of biotechnologies. Therefore, it is imperative for us to continue to have international recognition and market. Faculty recruitment and retention has been greatly facilitated in the clinical departments which have Alternative Relationship Plans in place – General Medicine, Pediatrics and now Family Medicine. Offering competitive salaries to attract top academic clinicians remains a major concern if we are to be competitive with respect to salary in the national and international markets. Our ability to offer competitive research start-up packages is a major challenge for both the clinical and basic science recruits. This funding issue must be dealt with if we are to be successful in recruiting the best.

There is a growing shortage of physicians in the country. The Canadian Institute for Health Information’s 2001 Health Care in Canada report states that the number of physicians decreased during the period between 1989 and 1998. In comparison to others, Canada now ranks second lowest among OECD countries, next to the United Kingdom, in respect to the ratio of physicians to population. Enrollment to medical schools has increased slightly during the past two years but with the length of time required to graduate physicians, the health system and current physicians will be under tremendous pressures. The lifestyles of physicians are changing with greater quest for family and leisure time. The resultant impact is less time for meeting the needs of patients and less time by voluntary teachers, who provide a significant amount of teaching of the medical curriculum. This is of immense concern to the Faculty as we will not be able to meet the curriculum requirements if the voluntary staff withdraw their

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 12 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 services. Discussions are underway with AMA and Alberta Health and Wellness on developing a compensation grid to recognize the academic contributions of the part- time unpaid clinicians.

Health care costs have been rising above the rate of inflation, although relatively stable with respect to GDP; the concerns being raised allude to the fact that the health system cannot continue to function in its present structure. Change to the system may impact upon the functions of the Faculty.

This is the age of accountability as evidenced in the business world by the conviction of the Enron leaders, and by the increased attention upon value for money in the health system, return on investment from research investment and the focus on improving healthcare quality and ensuring patient safety. These factors motivate us towards self- improvement and also offer us numerous opportunities.

Some specific forces are outlined below:

Education:  Greater emphasis on health care teams as opposed to individual physicians.  Greater emphasis on CanMEDS 2000 identified competencies for specialist physicians (medical specialist/clinical decision-maker, communicator, collaborator, manager, health advocate, scholar, and professional).  Greater emphasis on social responsibility of medical schools.  Increased medical school enrolment; development of physician workforce strategies.  Requirement for additional space for teaching.  Greater emphasis on training of graduate students and post doctoral fellows.  Increased emphasis on new technologies.  Changing demographics of student population (increased female/male ratio and increased number of students from culturally diverse backgrounds).  Increased population use of alternative health care.  Increased availability of health information (Internet).

Research:  New and broader mandate of Canadian Institutes of Health Research emphasis on four pillars (biomedical, clinical, health outcomes and population health) and their emphasis on funding group collaborations.  Increased funding from federal sources for research to position Canada from 16th to 5th place by 2010 with respect to spending on research as compared to OECD countries. o CIHR: from the current $650 million to $ 1 billion by 2010. o Canadian Foundation for Innovation: $2 billion (40% for infrastructure). o Canada Research Chairs (CRC - 2000): approximately 50 for health sciences at the University of Alberta. o Genome Canada - $ 300 million.

o Canadian Health Services Research Foundation o Nanotechnology o Canadian Patient Safety Institute

 Provincial Initiatives for Health Research o Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research ( AHFMR) o Alberta Ingenuity Fund. o Health Quality Council of Alberta o Innovation and Science: Alberta Life Sciences Strategy and ASRIP.  Space Issues: without additional space it is impossible to access the above noted opportunities. Hence, the completion of the Discovery Centre and its fit-up is critical.

Community Services: Health Care Delivery:  Numerous commissions and studies are being completed to address major issues in Health care delivery. Their recommendations could have significant positive or negative impact on Academic Health Centres. Themes arising from the studies are: o More accountability is required. The quality of health care provided needs to be measured to ensure that the remedies are, in fact, producing the best results possible. o The system needs to bring the various health care practitioners together in a more organized manner. Increased and more effective interdisciplinary approaches to health care delivery are emphasized. o More efficient and effective utilization of health care funds is required. o Increased emphasis on privatization of health care delivery. For example Bill 11 permits contracting out of health care delivery by Regional Health Authorities. This can affect programs and hence the education and research functions (i.e. ophthalmology). o Increasing expectations of services by the population (i.e. organ transplants, bypass surgery, joint replacements, colonoscopies, CAT and PET scans; etc.). o Aging population, which will result in greater demand and utilization of health services. o Effect of Human Genome Project: the ethical and legal issues associated with the genomic area.

III. PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS

1. The Discovery Centre (East and West Buildings) will be completed by 2008 with Phase II fit up by 2009/2010. 2. Alternate Relationship Plans for clinical departments will continue to be supported and expanded. 3. With respect to funds spent on research, federal government initiative will continue to move Canada from 16th to 5th place in OECD countries by 2010.

4. Provincial government will implement its “Life Sciences Strategy”. 5. CH/University initiative for the Edmonton Clinic will continue to be of high priority. 6. Governance of Academic Health Centres will be addressed (Auditor General Reports 1999, 2001). 7. The Mazankowski Heart Institute will be completed by September 2007. 8. Workforce and funding issues will be addressed.

IV. RECOGNIZED AREAS OF EXCELLANCE: OUR 6 KEY STRATEGIC INITIATIVE AREAS

1. EDUCATION: TO PROVIDE THE BEST ENVIRONMENT FOR CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND INQUIRY—A MODEL FOR THE FUTURE!

Our education programs are updated continuously to ensure that they address societal needs. Our graduates will have the expertise required to treat patients with compassion and with the highest ethical standards. The new curriculum introduced in 1998 recognizes that physicians in the future will work in multidisciplinary teams to promote and restore health and well-being and develop the skills to work effectively in this environment. They will treat their team members with respect, have an inquiring attitude, be committed to maintaining professional competence and optimize the utilization of health care resources. The new curriculum also incorporates small group, self-directed and case-based learning.

Over the past years, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry has become internationally recognized for its research and its students have done very well on national exams. In addition, two professors have received Canada’s top teaching prize for university professors – the 3M Teaching Award. Seven professors have received the University’s top teaching award: the Rutherford Award for Undergraduate Teaching.

The following are highlights of our educational initiatives which support A) Talented People and B) Learning, Discovery and Citizenship cornerstones.

Undergraduate Medical Education

Based on common external benchmarks, our undergraduate MD program is consistently in the top rank of the 17 Canadian faculties of medicine. Nonetheless there is considerable room for curriculum renewal and new directions identified as a result of our recent accreditation process.

Accreditation Recommendations

The Faculty and the MD program have recently been through an external accreditation process conducted by a conjoint Canadian/U.S. board (the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools, and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education). This process involved a self-study, the compilation of an extensive database of educational

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 15 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 and institutional standards, and a site visit. The self-study and the site visit led to our identifying a number of opportunities for strengthening our curriculum.

Clinical education is identified as an area of top priority. Clinical training is concentrated in the third and fourth years of the MD program (which is usually called the clinical clerkship). Our goals for the clerkship include:

 improving the environment for clinical education, probably through the development of structured Clinical Teaching Units (CTUs) at one or more of our community sites.  developing residents as teachers and assessors of medical students.  providing better support for part-time (volunteer) faculty.  ensuring students have adequate and consistent clinical experiences and competencies, through an on-line tracking system.  developing simulations as a means of learning procedural competencies, and acquiring inter-professional team skills.

Support for this may in part be available from existing funds, in particular from the Alternate Relationship Plans of the larger departments. However, support for our part- time faculty, who are at present largely uncompensated, is a major concern identified during the accreditation process. Clinical education is currently under funded, and this situation may worsen with increased strain on clinical resources.

In addition, we are committed to improving the curriculum in the pre-clinical years of the MD program (Years 1 and 2). We aim to:

 develop more uniformity and centralized governance over the preclinical courses  expand the clinical skills program, currently running in Year 2, into the second half of Year 1.  enhance e-learning through support for a faculty instructional technology group. This will require new ongoing funding to meet the needs of the curriculum.

Finally, although our students are successful in obtaining their choice of postgraduate training (with 98% success in the first round of the 2006 residency match), a concern is that there is a shift away from generalism, and away from Family Medicine in particular. Although this is a nationwide problem, we have taken a number of steps to increase the visibility of Family Medicine in the undergraduate curriculum. We also aim to extend this through initiatives like the rural integrated clerkship (see below).

Recruiting the Best: the MD Admissions Program

Capacity

The 2006 entry cohort attracted over 1100 applications for 133 positions. We hope to identify the best applicants, not only on the basis of academic ability, but also on

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 16 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 personal attributes and other factors which may identify candidates who can best meet the health care needs of Alberta.

Through the provincial Access program, we will be able to increase our admissions from 128 in 2005 (125 + 3 designated Aboriginal positions) to 148 in 2009. The new positions will be divided between positions for qualified Aboriginal candidates, and Albertans or rural origin. The rationale is that there is a marked shortage of physicians in rural Canada in comparison with urban centres, and the strongest predictor of return to rural practice is a candidate’s rural origin. In the case of the Aboriginal positions, our program leads the country, with 37 graduates to 2005. Our Aboriginal graduates have different practice demographics from the regular admissions pool, since the majority of them choose a career in Family Practice, and most practice in communities with an Aboriginal population concentration. These are all indicators of the success of the program.

Nonetheless the increased admissions will put a serious strain on existing and future resources which will peak in 2011. This was noted as a concern at the accreditation site visit. As a matter of top priority, we need preclinical lecture theaters with increased capacity by August 2007. In 2008, we will need additional resources for clinical teaching. The rural integrated clerkship may provide some increased capacity, or alternatively we may need to develop new clinical teaching sites and clinical preceptors.

Admissions protocol

Our current admissions protocol is a composite assessment based on academics, an external test (the Medical College Admission Test), personal attributes, references, and the results of an interview. These factors and their weighting are reviewed frequently, and we plan a thorough review of the admissions process over the next year. For example, one approach may be to introduce a standardized interview format (the ‘Multiple Mini-Interview or MMI) which has been used in preliminary testing in three Canadian faculties. This can probably be accommodated within existing resources, but will nonetheless be more labor-intensive than our current practice, since it will rely on a number of trained standardized interviewers who will have to be relieved of their other duties for the interview week.

Research

Opportunities for student research were specifically identified as one of our areas of strength at the recent accreditation site visit. The faculty has the largest summer student research program in Canada, with 194 students from this and other faculties. About 50% of our summer students are supported by AHFMR, with additional funding coming from the CIHR; the Northern Alberta Clinical Trials & Research Centre; faculty endowments; and operating grants. This year, special one-time funding was received from the Provost & Vice-President Academic.

About 25% of undergraduates in the MD program undertake the Special Training in Research option through their summer research. This proportion has been constant for the last five years, but it is a threefold increase from 2000 and earlier, when about 10% of students were in this program. With the projected 15% increase in enrollment in the MD program over the next four years, we anticipate a corresponding increase in demand for undergraduate research training.

A smaller number of highly selected students motivated towards medical research choose to do a combined MD/PhD program lasting approximately eight years. There are currently 16 students in this program. Students are supported by external studentships from AHFMR, NSERC and CIHR, as well as other provincial and national agencies. This program has also seen a marked increase in enrollment over the past six years.

Extracurricular Activities

Our students have many opportunities to be involved in extracurricular activities which strengthen and enhance the formal program, and our intention is to support these. These include:  the University of Alberta Health Sciences Journal  the Medicine and Humanities program  SHINE (a community clinic targeting the needs of inner-city youth)  Butt Out (a smoking prevention program in the schools)  Safe Sex education for junior high school students  the Medical Ambassadors program, which provides support and information to potential applicants and candidates  the Courtyard Choir and other musical activities  the Skin Cancer Prevention Program (counseling elementary students)

This list is by no means exhaustive. The students are also involved in a considerable number of fundraising and community activities.

Global Health

We need to enhance the opportunities for students to undertake electives in developing countries as part of the Global Health Program. At present this is a weakness in our program which we need to address. Dr. Geoff Taylor has recently been engaged as the Assistant Dean Global Health. Additional funding is required to support program administration and fund development. At maturity this program will have scholarships to support at least 20 students per year for electives in developing countries. An endowed chair in Global Health would allow us to recruit a faculty member who would devote all of his/her time to this endeavor – preferably 3 to 6 months in a developing country each year.

Rural Integrated Clerkship

To increase the profile of rural and community practice, we are in the early stages of developing a Year 3 clerkship track in which students will spend 32 weeks based in a family practice in a small community. The aim is that this integrated community clerkship will provide exposure to the major specialty areas (surgery, obstetrics, etc.) but through a community and generalist context. This will not replace the traditional Year 3 clerkship, but will provide an option for students who may have a talent for community or rural practice.

We hope to have this available in 2007, subject to our ability to obtain resources, develop sites and faculty, and meet university requirements. This is expected to address at least three of our problems, including clinical teaching capacity, a declining interest in generalism, and a lack of longitudinal community-focused practice in our curriculum. This will nonetheless require ongoing resources to develop and maintain the program.

Student Fees/Scholarship Fund

Among the many challenges facing medical and dental students is the high cost of education. Approximately one-third of the medical students will be graduating with debt loads in excess of $100,000. The dental students, with even higher tuition rates, have heavier debt loads upon graduation. These high debt loads raise two concerns: 1) the potential influence on career choice e.g. remaining in city centres as sub specialists; and 2) the potential for self-selection for a medical/dental career and the fear that students who are economically disadvantaged will not even choose these careers due to its high cost.

The Faculty has initiated two studies to determine the impact of differential tuition rates on medical students and medical school applicants. A Faculty goal is to increase our scholarship fund to $5 million over the next five years.

Dental Education

Our Department of Dentistry has produced the top graduate in dentistry in Canada in 5 of the last 10 years. This distinction is called the Eaton Award and is determined at the national level by the Dentistry Canada Fund.

The current provincial funding mechanisms for both undergraduate dental and dental hygiene education are threatening the viability of these programs. Since the 1990’s when the Faculty of Dentistry was threatened with closure, provincial funding has been very inadequate. No ministry takes responsibility for rational funding of dental and dental hygiene education, and the departmental budget is no longer sustainable. The merger with medicine has worked very well, the class sizes will begin to increase this September in dentistry, the Alberta Dental Association and College has given funding to make possible, with matching funds, two endowed research chairs, and the students we attract are superb. We need to work with the government on a comprehensive, base-

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 19 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 funding plan for dental and dental hygiene education to ensure the future viability and continued success of these excellent programs.

It is a unique situation in North America to have endowed chairs funded by a dental association, and this is a huge advantage for the Department of Dentistry. Discussions with the Alberta Dental Association and College have indicated that they intend to continue raising such funds into the future. This will strengthen the department significantly, particularly with regard to our research capacity.

The dentistry satellite clinics in the remote north, staffed by students and instructors, have been instrumental in delivering dental care to the underserved in these regions for decades. In addition, the clinical learning experiences for our students have been superb. We have both unmet needs for dental care in these areas and unused clinical capacity at these sites, and could expand our services if extra funding to cover expenses were made available through Alberta Health and Wellness. We proposed this to the ministry last year, but no program expansion was being funded at that time. We need to once again seek funding for expansion of services for this important program.

The dental school will undergo its accreditation review in 2007/08.

Dental Hygiene Program

The University of Alberta Dental Hygiene Program is on route to becoming the best dental hygiene program in Canada. In 2000, the Dental Hygiene Program celebrated the implementation of a Bachelor of Science (Dental Hygiene Specialization) degree and a post-diploma degree completion program. The Program has always attracted outstanding students and as the program has added the degree programs, we believe this further enhanced recruitment of quality students.

Needs for preventive health care services, such as dental hygiene services, are increasing and this is translating into a demand for an increased number of graduates. The Program continues to request an additional 10 students to increase the number of students admitted per year to 50 students.

As health care delivery is changing to a more interdisciplinary, community-based approach, there is a need to review and re-structure the curriculum to be more responsive to these changes. A one-time ACCESS grant from Alberta Learning and funding from the Alberta Dental Hygienists’ Association have provided the opportunity to further develop the two degree streams of the program. The Program is in the process of modifying classroom degree-completion courses to distance delivery methods and will soon be in a position to pursue articulation agreements with colleges to facilitate access to the degree completion program for their students. In general, more curriculum restructuring is needed to create increased opportunities for students to be involved in other community initiatives and interdisciplinary experiences.

There are no existing dental hygiene graduate programs in Canada. The University of Alberta is well positioned to develop and offer the first Master’s degree for Dental Hygiene in this country. This could attract outstanding graduate students from across Canada and internationally, leading to the development of a Centre for Excellence in Dental Hygiene Research. This, in turn, could serve to attract outstanding dental hygiene faculty and researchers, as well as to develop collaborations with other departments at the University of Alberta for interdisciplinary research.

Medical Laboratory Science

The Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology has undergone a number of strategic planning sessions. Firstly, the Division of Medical Laboratory Sciences is developing a Masters’ Degree in Pathology Assisting. This would be a two-year course based degree, leading to a position as a Pathology Assistant. This would only be the second such program in the country but would be the largest and arguably the most sophisticated. Secondly, with the transfer of three scientists from the Department of Public Health Sciences, the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology is proposing the creation of a Division of Analytical Environmental Toxicology. This unit would be multidisciplinary including members from within the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at large. This unit would be focused on developing novel and innovative approaches to measuring environmental toxins and their effects on human health. And lastly, we are developing a training program for clinical microbiologists. This would be a post PhD program and would create an important niche for individuals interested in developing expertise in medical microbiology.

Undergraduate Science Students

Our educational programs continue to provide a wide variety of service courses to the Faculties of Science, Pharmacy, Nursing, Rehabilitation Medicine, Medicine and Physical Education and Recreation. Several of our basic science departments have major undergraduate programs as part of Bachelors’ degrees in the Faculty of Science (Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology and Medical Microbiology and Immunology - a new program this year).

Over the last several years the departments of Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Pharmacology and Physiology have seen significant enrolment increases in their undergraduate specialization and honours programs. This is above any increases in teaching loads related to the medical and dental curricula or the service teaching related to pharmacy, dental hygiene or rehabilitation medicine. At the same time almost all of the recent faculty recruitment to these departments has been achieved through the use of external soft funding, which has significant restrictions on teaching loads.

Thus, overall we have identified three key issues which are based upon current and future teaching stresses, as well as significant teaching innovations:

Additional Faculty:

Over the last few years Biochemistry and Pharmacology have significantly revamped their 200 and 300 level courses to improve their programs offered through the Faculty of Science. In both cases this has involved the introduction of several new courses and resulted in a significant increase in enrolment. Currently, Physiology has waiting lists for its 200 level courses and needs to add not only additional sections to these courses, but would like to develop 300 level courses to bridge the existing gap between the second year and the subsequent 400 level courses. All of these developments have already increased total teaching loads and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Thus, each of the four basic science departments is going to require the equivalent of, at least, one additional FTE position dedicated to teaching.

Laboratory Teaching:

The majority of the honours and specialization programs which are offered by our basic science departments have significant laboratory course components which are essential to the training of scientists in these fields. However, these have either been significantly scaled back or have been financed through the departments’ research endeavors. This is not appropriate and must be rectified. Each department needs a budget line dedicated to laboratory teaching which would be applied to either the formal laboratories which we run, or for research allowances to cover consumable costs incurred by individual research labs to train undergraduates. In addition, we are in desperate need of a single semester lab course dedicated to basic molecular techniques. This would need dedicated space and full time technician, supplies and some basic equipment. There equivalent courses offered in the Faculty of Science but they are oversubscribed and we cannot require our students to take them.

Development and Establishment of Informatics Training: Several of our departments are proposing to establish exciting new courses in bioinformatics, DNA arrays, protein and macromolecules modeling, integrative biology/ physiology/ pharmacology, neurophysiology etc. Some American universities have already established “system biology’ programs which focus in these areas and we wish to build such critical capacity here at the U of A. In the first instance, this would require the construction of a new computer laboratory within the Faculty (in MSB). We propose 30 workstations with licensed software installed and the appropriate IT support.

Post graduate Medical Education

The faculty has 51 accredited Royal College programs and 3 accredited Family Medicine programs leading to required certification for specialist or family medicine licensure. These programs underwent accreditation review by the Royal College and the College of Family Physicians of Canada in early 2005. Graduates of these programs readily find positions in Alberta or other provinces in Canada and help fulfill the much needed physician supply of the nation.

Since 2001, the Faculty has been an active partner with the University of Calgary in the Alberta International Medical Graduate Program (AIMG). This program assesses the readiness of Albertan international medical graduates for residency training in Family Medicine and a restricted number of specialties and helps address physician workforce shortages and restricted opportunities for immigrant physicians in Alberta.

An increase in the number of Ministry-funded postgraduate training positions (to keep pace with the expansion of graduating medical student numbers) is occurring at the same time as a further expansion of AIMG, and requests from regional health authorities for practice-readiness assessments of immigrant physicians. This places increased pressure on our residency programs to recruit new clinical teachers to meet these demands. In some residency programs, this has lead to the creation of teaching sites in regional and rural centres outside of the Edmonton area – a trend that appears likely to continue and indeed expand.

There are currently 656 residents registered in our 54 residency programs and an additional 68 clinical fellows undertaking postgraduate medical training in programs that are not formally accredited. The number of Ministry-funded residency positions is projected to increase by 11% by 2009/10 academic year.

Evaluation of the competencies of our trainees has become much more valid and intensive over the past few years with an increased emphasis on competencies beyond the medical expert role. Efforts to develop the skills or our clinical teachers in teaching and evaluating communication, collaboration, managerial and advocacy competencies to meet accreditation standards will need appropriate focus and resourcing.

Graduate Education

We have a very active graduate education program, with graduate students in all 21 departments. There were 629 graduate students enrolled in these programs during the last academic year. We plan to increase this number to 699 by 2008/09. However by then Public Health Sciences, now a stand alone Faculty will have their own graduate program. Currently there are 142 students in PHS. We have reviewed the academic plan from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and we will use this as a guide for our Graduate Education Program.

Continuous Professional Learning

The Division of Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) [formally Continuing Medical Education] underwent this name change to properly reflect that our Faculty is made up of more than just physicians but multiple allied health professionals; including Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy and Occupational & Physiotherapy. The word learning was adopted to better reflect adult and life long concepts rather than the more time limited impression that the word education may convey. With a staff of 14, the Division provides 125 courses a year to 3,500 physicians, 45% of whom are from rural Alberta. Currently, it is

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 23 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 a million dollar a year cost recovery unit hoping to obtain additional infrastructure support in order to broaden its vision.

Traditional and evidence-based CME has generally failed to achieve its promised success. In large part this is due to the reality, that while course-based programs are popular, they do not translate into significantly improving patient outcomes. There is an urgent need to incorporate modern adult learning principles; such as: “just in time”, “just for you”, “work place” and “ask the expert” learning.

Our faculty is extremely rich in intellectual resources that could help to implement this vision of the integration of health care with learning. Using digital technology to aid real time mentoring programs, bioinformatics and the ‘information highway’ to provide immediate access to literature and patient information, simulators and simulation models to improve interdisciplinary patient care teams and patient safety.

The recent recruitment of a PhD Educator from the Faculty of Education with a cross appointment to the Division of Studies in Medical Education will assist in raising the Division’s research profile and ensure that no CPL learning intervention is delivered without pre and post patient outcome measures. Our core business of providing excellent courses will continue and expand into new areas involving dentistry and pharmacy as well as hospitalists and will include topics such as physician/patient interaction and communication. We will continue to work closely with colleges and licensing authorities to ensure that healthcare professionals meet, if not exceed, the standards required for their continued competent practice.

Finally, in an effort in order to inform the public and improve our faculty’s image, we will establish a “Mini Medical School” program for the public to better inform them of who we are and what we do as a Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.

Division of Studies in Medical Education Research in Medical Education

The FMOD is in the process of developing a much stronger profile of research in Medical Education. The Division of Studies in Medical Education (DSME) has been conducting research in this area since 1991 with some success – at an International Conference on Medical Education in New York City held in May 2006, which is probably the most important international conference in this field, there were seven papers/workshops from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, and members of the Division have published in “Medical Education”, “Medical Teacher”, “Teaching and Learning in Medicine” and “Academic Medicine”. Scholarship in education has been recognized by the Faculty as an appropriate activity and one which deserves recognition and reward. There is no doubt, however, that if we wish to become internationally recognized leaders in this field, we need to do more. Because DSME now has sufficient space for additional activities in this area, and because there have been some new appointments of individuals with expertise in education, there is an opportunity to make a substantial advance in the area of research in medical education

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 24 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 over the next few years. This will be greatly assisted by some new and promising interactions with the Faculty of Education.

We have had plans for a Masters Degree in Health Sciences Education for some time, but until recently these have proved to be impossible to implement. DSME is a unit which has the obligation to raise more than half its budget by entrepreneurial activities and which has only one full time member of the academic staff and his major role is in fund raising. More recently however, an educator has been appointed to the Division of Continuous Professional Learning, who will be cross-appointed to DSME and who has invaluable expertise in program evaluation. There are further plans for recruitment of a similar individual in the Department of Medicine, and a realistic possibility of recruiting an individual to DSME who will provide client service and thus release the staff member that we have for additional academic activities. We envisage a pilot MSc program that will be developed from within the existing postgraduate research program in the Department of Medicine, which will start within two years. Ultimately the plans are for an interprofessional program with input and registration from all Health Sciences disciplines leading to a Masters degree in Health Sciences Education. The broad plans are for a program that can be taken either entirely residentially, or with the possibility of a partial distance-learning component. For this to occur, additional recruitment to the area will be necessary.

Career Development

A newly-formed committee on Faculty Development will oversee the entire range of activities in this area. The part of career development that involves the improvement of education and educational scholarship is conducted mostly by the Division of Studies in Medical Education (DSME).

Most people recruited to the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry have had negligible exposure to the principles of instruction, despite their undoubted expertise as scientists or clinicians. So that these individuals can start to become effective instructors and educational scholars, DSME provides 2-day basic workshops on instructional techniques. These are offered to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, residents and fellows, as well as to members of the academic staff. We have recommended for some time that attendance at these workshops be mandatory for new members of the academic staff unless they have prior training in instructional techniques, although this recommendation has not yet been implemented. The workshops have a “microteaching” component, provide information about both large-group and small- group teaching, and result in a significant increase in student ratings of the instructor (see Pandachuck, K., Harley, D and Cook, D.A. (2004) Effectiveness of a Brief Workshop Designed to Improve Teaching Performance at the University of Alberta. Academic Medicine 79: 798-804)

In addition, DSME offers a variety of workshops/seminars on other aspects, including preparation of teaching dossiers, effective PowerPoint presentations, educational scholarship, setting useful examinations, giving effective seminars and rounds, making

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 25 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 presentations at scientific and medical meetings, facilitation of small-group and problem-based learning tutorials and so on. Because the primary role of the Division is to foster education and educational scholarship, we provide such advice and instruction in a timely fashion at the request of those who need the assistance. Such presentations have been given at rural sites, as well as to other Faculties and, through University Teaching Services, to the University at large. DSME has a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with University Teaching Services.

It should also be mentioned that members of the Division have some international presence in this area. Members of the Division have presented seminars and workshops on instructional matters in the United States, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Brunei, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan, with additional activities planned for Luxemburg and Pakistan.

A more comprehensive program of instruction is probably needed. Making it mandatory that it some training in teaching be required for all members of the academic staff would be a useful first step. Some Residency Training Programs have already made this a requirement.

School of Podiatry

There are no schools of Podiatry in Canada. There are currently 50 trained podiatrists practicing in the province of Alberta and about 250 in Canada. Alberta’s podiatrists serve a population of 3.2 million, making for a ratio of 1.56 podiatrists per 100,000 persons in Alberta. The Canadian ratio is .78 per 100,000. We have been working with the Alberta Association of Podiatrists to develop a business plan for a School of Podiatry. We propose 25 students per year for a 4 year program. The first two years will be almost the same as for the first two years of medical school, essentially following the same model as we have in place for dentistry. This venture will require new funding from the Provincial Government.

Rural Health Initiative

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry is involved in several initiatives in rural health and has made a significant commitment to increasing the presence and relevance of rural health in the programs and activities of the Faculty. The hiring of Dr. Jill Konkin as Associate Dean, Rural and Regional Health, underscores the increasing importance that the Faculty places in rural health issues.

The Faculty will continue the programs already in place including one month rural family medicine clerkship rotations, the Rural Alberta North family medicine residency program, extended skills training programs, rural faculty development, collaborative programs such as SLICK (Screening for Limbs, I-Eyes, Cardiovascular and Kidney) which targets rural Aboriginal communities and studies such as DOVE (Diabetes Outreach Van Enhancement). In addition, we are excited about developing a more robust and innovative program that will be better integrated into the Faculty and which

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 26 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 will be build in collaboration with rural communities, rural health regions and rural peoples.

Some of the new initiatives in rural health will include:  The Integrated Community Clerkship, an eight month clerkship option for undergraduate medical students in which they would spend most of their 3 rd year in designated rural communities.  The Institute for Rural Health which, through rural community-Faculty collaboration, will develop a coordinated rural relevant research program, will support and enhance interdisciplinary education of health professionals in and for rural communities, will develop rural ready programs for improving health outcomes of rural residents, will increase the awareness, understanding and respect for rural health issues among all health care providers, regional health authorities, government agencies and governments.  Community consultations: The Faculty will embark on a series of workshops in rural communities to build the relationships and understanding to improve the Faculty’s ability to respond to rural needs and to develop new avenues for rural input into Faculty activities and programs.  Increasing the rural rotations options for dental and dental hygiene students.  The Department of Medicine is designing a regional/rural residency option called the Master Clinician program with the objective of increasing the number of general internists with an interest in practicing outside the two metropolitan areas of Alberta.  Other Departments, most notably Psychiatry, are working to increase the number of rural/regional rotations available for their residents.  To develop rural academic teaching units and rural academic career tracks for rural faculty.

Health Psychology Doctoral Program

Efforts to contain costs in the delivery of health care have prompted new directions within health care delivery systems. These include:

1. a shift of focus to primary care 2. an increased focus on preventative care and a recognition of the importance of lifestyle factors in health 3. the development of service delivery models emphasizing the management of chronic disease 4. an emphasis on collaborative care and interdisciplinary team approaches to health care 5. evidenced-based care and accountability

This shift to integrated primary care combines medical and behavioral care to treat health problems affected by stress, poor health management, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and psychological disorders.

The Faculty would like to take a leadership role in the delivery of integrated care and develop a doctoral program in Health Psychology. The program would have a core curriculum in psychology with sufficient breadth to provide education and training in general health while maintaining a strong research and basic science base. Graduates from the program would have skills in promoting and supporting behavior change associated with illness prevention and health promotion, and the management of pain, stress, and chronic illness in addition to the traditional areas of psychological assessment and psychotherapy. The program would initially enroll 4 to 5 graduate students per year and require 3 new faculty members with administrative support. With a focus on interdisciplinary training and collaboration, the program would enrich the academic environment not only for learners in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, but for all health science faculties.

Arts and Humanities in Health and Medicine Program

Officially launched in early May 2006, the vision of the program is to engender a balance of science, the arts and humanities, with the aim of fostering the development of well-rounded, health professionals who are skilled, caring, reflexive and compassionate practitioners, and extend and enrich learning experiences of students and faculty interested in intersections between the arts, humanities and health. The program will provide an umbrella structure to promote collaboration, recognition and growth, to 1) strengthen and extend educational opportunities, 2) develop resources to support initiatives in this area, 3) provide linkages with other related initiatives within the faculty, university, and community, 4) promote and enhance visibility of the university’s strengths in this area, and 5) undertake a focused program of research and inquiry. Early activities are focused on developing curricular resources, introducing educational electives, organizing public lectures and events, among other activities.

2. RESEARCH: OPTIMIZATION OF HEALTH THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP AND LEADERSHIP IN OUR FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED RESEARCH PROGRAMS

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry health research enterprise encompass the areas of biomedical/translational research, technological advances, and population health and societal issues. The following constitute but a few examples of such contributions in these areas:  Biomedical/Translational contributions: Development of the ‘Edmonton Protocol’; development of anti-Hepatitis treatments; and development of nucleoside based cancer therapy.  Technological advances: NMR spectroscopy; X-ray crystallography; Neuro- prosthesis-“Walk-Aid”; Imaging (PET and MRI); and Nanotechnology-based cancer diagnostics.  Population Health and Social issues: Environmental safety: Walkerton (Hrudey); Health law and Ethics (Caufield); and Accident prevention advocacy (Francecutti).

Our Research Strengths

We plan to continue building on areas of identified strength and established excellence but also invest in identifying and developing research capacity in new emerging disciplines. Our current and future research priorities are to a large extent mirrored in previous and current Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) initiatives, but also in our research groups, centres and institutes.

Current areas of research strength include:

1. Inflammation and Immunity: includes the CFI groups on Viral Hepatitis (Tyrrell), Alberta Virology Research Institute (Evans), Gastrointestinal Inflammatory diseases (Fedorak), Pulmonary Group (Moqbel) 2. Membranes and Proteins: includes the CFI groups IBD and CyberCell (Ellison and Weiner), Membrane Group (Young), Prion and Protein Folding (Rachubinski and Westaway), NMR (Sykes), Alberta Synchrotron (James). 3. Diabetes: ADI (Rajotte) and CFI by Clandinin 4. Cardiovascular Medicine: includes MAHI and CFI groups: ABACUS (Archer), CV Translation Group (Lopaschuk); EPICORE (Tsuyuki); VIGOUR (Armstrong); Lipid Research Group (Vance). 5. Transplant and “omics” includes CFI groups: ATI (Halloran), as well as components of IBD, CEIIGER, and Pulmonary Medicine; as well as the Genome Canada Project in Transplantation (Halloran) 6. Neuroscience and Mental Health includes CFI group Project to Restore Movement (Stein); Neurochemical Research Unit (Baker); Stroke (Shuaib), Neurodegeneration, Mutiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy 7. Women and Children’s Health includes WCHRI (Klassen, Davidge, Faught), Perinatal Research Centre (Olson) 8. Environment and Public Health: CFI by Cherry, involvement of Le et al. in Schindler CFI. 9. Clinical Trials and Health Outcomes; iCARE, NACTRC, Laboratory Alberta (emerging) 10.Social Determinants of Health- Centre for Aging (Strain), History of Medicine, Arts and Humanities 11.Cancer Research

Core Technologies and Platforms

In order to maintain and sustain the research excellence that we have developed, we have in parallel established technology platforms that enable us to maintain a competitive edge at a national and international level. The following identify some of our core enabling technologies:

1. Imaging: CFI groups on MRI (Allen, Fallone), PET (MacEwen) , also components embedded in other CFI groups 2. “Omics”: Genomics, Proteomics and Metabolomics 3. Clinical Trials: NACTRC, iCARE and CCI (Oncology) 4. Animal Facilities: Transgenic facility, large Animal Facility, BSL 2 and 3.

A major challenge facing FOMD is to enable our researchers maintain their position at the vanguard of the research enterprise by continuing to provide state-of-the-art facilities and equipment over the long term. Research space, equipment (upgrade, upkeep and sustainability) and highly qualified personnel (HQP, FSOs, Research Associates and technicians) are identified as cornerstones of the FOMD strategy in meeting this challenge. In order to address the issue of research space, two health research facilities (the “Discovery Centre” – East and West buildings) are being completed which will provide research space for 6 CFI already funded and allow for growth of newer initiatives that are embedded in our current CFI applications. The buildings scheduled for completion in 2007 (Discovery Centre / HRIF East) and 2008 (Discovery Centre / HRIF West). A critical factor upon which the completion of these facilities is dependent is a current request to the Provincial Government for $150 million. The availability of approximately 500,000 sq. ft. of additional research space will place the University of Alberta amongst the very top research institutions in North America and serve as a magnet to attract the best and brightest scientists to Alberta. In collaboration with the other Alberta Universities, the U of A and the FOMD have been exploring with Alberta Innovation and Science the possibility of creating a funding mechanism to allow for maintenance and sustainability of equipment, and the retention of HQPs over the long term. Availability of infrastructure and the expertise to run it would advantage our entire health research program. Further considerations of the implications of consolidating the University’s animal care facilities, is also required.

Future Directions

The modern transdisciplinary research initiatives at the national and international levels compel us to further integrate Physical Sciences (and Engineering) and the Social Sciences (and Humanities) into our future research agenda. At the University of Alberta, the National Institute for Nanotechnology, the recently announced Machine Learning Centre, and the Centre for Carbohydrate Research allow significant opportunities to develop new initiatives in the areas of Regenerative Medicine, Bioinformatics, and Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Development. On the other hand, opportunities exist for cross-pillar collaborations with the Centre for Aging and the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre to develop new initiatives in areas of Social Sciences and Humanities related research pertaining to Aging and Bioethics. A School of Public Health meshes well with a strong national commitment (through the CIHR Institutes) to develop research capacity for Canada in the pillars of population health and health systems delivery research.

Some examples of our future directions include: 1. Institute of Biomedical Engineering (A joint initiative between the University of Alberta and Capital Health to capitalize on existing strengths in health research, engineering and nanotechnology to develop a pan-Alberta, “one-stop” institute dedicated to cutting-edge research and multi-disciplinary training in biomedical engineering (biosensors, implantable devices, nanofabrication of diagnostic tools).

2. Regenerative Medicine (Cell and Tissue Repair, Stem Cell research, Tissue Engineering, Xenostransplantation) (Aimed at building research capacity in an important area with ramifications for treatment of cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, skin and cartilage repair. Also meshes with National (CIHR) strategic investment in this area) 3. Alberta Centre for Prion and Protein Folding Diseases (Institutional response to the BSE crisis, the impending Chronic Wasting Disease (of Elk and Deer) epidemic and human conditions that pose significant public health concern. Centre will study prions in the broader context of misfolded proteins that give rise to diverse health conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Cystic fibrosis, Diabetes) 4. Primary Care Research (An understudied and important emerging research area to determine best practices in common health problems in primary care practice- i.e. approach to frailty and falls in the elderly, management of back pain and impact of wait times to see GPs, specialists). 5. Education Research ( New initiative in conjunction with the faculty of arts to develop integrate arts and humanities to health research- History of medicine an example- see “Humanities in Medicine” above) 6. Laboratory Alberta concept ( Innovative and mega project serving to built on the concept of turning the Province of Alberta into a living laboratory to study important health issues- Data Warehouse, Bio-Bank, Clinical trials, Assessment of Health Outcomes/Quality assurance form the foundation pillars for this enterprise)

Research Partnerships

The FOMD has a tradition of close collaboration with several partners including Capital Health, AHFMR and with various CIHR branches and programs. We have begun to collaborate with the Capital Health in developing a strategic plan to ensure success at future competitions for the Research Hospital Fund (RHF). In addition, there is considerable scope and potential to partner with non-governmental organizations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. In our province, non-governmental agencies (NGOs) such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta and the Diabetes Foundation have played an active role in establishing Chairs and supporting discipline- specific programs within the Faculty. However, there is considerable scope and potential to bring on-side other NGOs such as the Alberta Lung Society, Alzheimer Society of Alberta, Parkinson’s Society, the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta and the Society for the Retired and Semi-Retired, to name but a few.

We envision the NGOs to play an important role in partnering with the Faculty on Training and New Emerging Teams funding initiatives of the CIHR and to help establish endowed Chairs in specific Health disciplines. We foresee great potential and value in partnership and collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary (and the appropriate Regional Health Authorities) for pan-Alberta funding initiatives such as the recently established Alberta Centre for Prion and Protein Folding diseases, The

Alberta Mental Health Research Fund, Systems Biology and Informatics initiatives and mega-projects such as “Laboratory Alberta”.

Please refer to Appendix A for highlights on other key strategic research initiatives in the FOMD, as well as Appendix B: Overview of the Alberta Diabetes Institute; Appendix C: Overview of the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute; Appendix D: Overview of the Alberta Transplant Institute; Appendix E: Proposal for an Institute of Biomedical Engineering; Appendix F: Overview of Digestive Health Center for Colon Cancer; and Appendix G: Proposal for Laboratory Alberta

3. COMMUNITY SERVICE (HEALTH CARE): TO CREATE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CAPITAL HEALTH, AN ENVIRONMENT WHEREBY HEALTH SERVICES DELIVERY AND THE ACADEMIC FUNCTIONS OF TEACHING AND RESEARCH ARE OPTIMIZED AND OF HIGHEST QUALITY.

The Faculty, working with the Capital Health, is recognized nationally and internationally for the delivery of high quality health services. Edmonton is the primary referral center for over two million people in northern Alberta, northern British Columbia and the Northwest Territories Capital Health was rated the number one health region in Canada for 5 straight years by McLeans magazine. Capital Health is a large integrated health region, including not only acute care but chronic care, home care and public health. It presents many opportunities for the Faculty to engage in community service and research. A particular new opportunity where the Faculty is playing a key role is in primary care reform with the development of primary care networks. An example of the effectiveness of our joint programs is in pediatric cardiac surgery, where faculty members working with Capital Health have produced the best outcomes in North America. We are the referral center for western Canada for Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

Most of our community services are in health care delivery. These services are delivered in partnership with the Capital Health. Almost all tertiary and quaternary health care services (i.e. organ transplantation, adult and pediatric cardiovascular surgery, adult and pediatric cancer care, etc.) are delivered by the members of the Faculty. Attracting “top notch clinicians” to our region requires a good working relationship between the Faculty and the CH. Several of these programs are recognized internationally for their quality and their leadership.

Two new programs with major service components have been developed by Capital Health and the Faculty working together. Weightwise is the Capital Health weight management program, spanning the continuum from urban planning, through medical and nutritional assessment to bariatric surgery. The Centre for the Advancement of Minimally Invasive Surgery (CAMIS) is an innovative surgical program to perform and study minimal access surgery.

Other key initiatives include:

Health Informatics Program

In conjunction with Capital Health we have established a chair in Health Informatics: Following the appointment of Dr. Nicola Shaw as the first endowed Research Chair in Health Informatics, the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry sees Health Informatics as an emerging discipline within the faculty. The University of Alberta is only the second Canadian University to establish a Chair in this field (being preceded by the University of Waterloo) and one of very few appointments established internationally (e.g. City University, London; University of Auckland, New Zealand; The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, USA amongst others). Dr. Shaw’s appointment is unique in that it is a joint appointment between the Department of Medicine and Capital Health. As such, she will facilitate the growth of Health Informatics as an academic discipline with an applied research focus. Additional staff and faculty are being recruited to work with her in this endeavor. The Electronic Health Record and the proposed Laboratory Alberta vide infra make this a program which will be one of the key elements in our future. Initial plans for the development of Health Informatics are as follows:

Collaboration & Partnership: A proposal for a cross-faculty Health Informatics Research Group will be developed and submitted to the Vice-President (Research) during the second half of 2006. Support for this has been obtained from the Department of Medicine, Department of Dentistry & Dental Hygiene (Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry); the Department of Nursing (Faculty of Nursing) and the Department of Computer Science (Faculty of Science). This Research Group will foster collaboration and leverage existing interest in the field found throughout the university.

Academic Program: A full academic program in Health Informatics will be initiated. This will commence with a doctoral program co-coordinated within the Department of Medicine’s existing program before developing as an independent program in its own right with the support of Graduate Studies. In parallel with the doctoral program, an undergraduate program will be developed. This will be developed in collaboration with NAIT, who are currently developing a Health Informatics Diploma; and the University of Victoria who co-ordinate the Canadian distributed MSc Health Informatics program. Also, in parallel, provision for continuing professional education in the field of health informatics will be developed. This is being initiated with a three day ‘boot camp’ being held in Edmonton on the 1st-3rd November 2006 co-hosted by the University of Waterloo, University of Alberta, Capital Health and NAIT. This continuing development will be further developed into an ongoing program of bi-monthly seminars and workshops accredited for CPD. Dr. Hayward is also establishing a Health Informatics component within the Medical & Dentistry undergraduate program which will round off this academic program into a comprehensive, integrated approach.

Research: Through the intrinsic collaboration with Capital Health, and building on our experience in this area, the University of Alberta will position itself as an international Centre of Excellence in the evaluation of Electronic Medical Records and Electronic Health Records. Initial discussions are underway with Canada Health Infoway regarding their need to support an extensive benefits evaluation of their iEHR program. Capital

Health’s need to understand the impact of their investments in this area integrates well with the national mandate and interest in leveraging the national and local needs is high. Additionally, all aspects of Health Informatics research will be supported through the establishment of the Health Informatics Research Group and collaborative projects developed as the community of researchers are facilitated through the program of bi- monthly seminars and workshops mentioned previously.

Digestive Health Centre for Colon Cancer Prevention

Colorectal cancer develops slowly over a long period of time, usually starting out as a small grape-size growth called a "polyp" on the inner wall of the large intestine, colon and or rectum. Before polyps develop into cancers, screening tests can be used to detect them and allow them to be removed before cancer ever develops.

According to Canadian Cancer Society estimates, approximately 18,000 Canadians in 2003 will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and 8,300 will die of it, making it the third most common cause of death by cancer for both men and women across Canada. Colorectal cancers kill more people than AIDS and breast cancer combined. The good news is most of these deaths can be prevented using available screening tests (i.e. colonoscopy) and treatments for the disease.

The practice of Gastroenterology is at a crossroads in Alberta. Demand for colonoscopic services has outstripped supply. Perhaps most importantly, recent estimates by the Canadian Cancer Society have shown that fewer than 20% of those who should be screened for colon cancer are being screened.

We have a solution. The Capital Health Region has expressed an interest in working together with local partners to develop community-based colonoscopy facilities and services that will meet both today's colon cancer screening needs - and tomorrow's.

We thus propose that the University of Alberta's Division of Gastroenterology in the Faculty of Medicine, and the Capital Health (CH) Region work together to create The Digestive Health Centre for Colon Cancer (DHCCC). This partnership would represent a unique opportunity to build on their existing strengths to achieve a truly 'win-win' solution. Appendix E outlines further background on this initiative.

4. OUR PEOPLE: BUILDING AND STRENGTHENING THE ESSENTIAL FOUNDATION OF OUR SUCCESS.

Research

Our Faculty of researchers constitutes one of our greatest resources. Over the past 5 years we have recruited 112 Faculty members, over half of whom have a significant (>40%) commitment to research. In the next 5 years we plan to recruit an additional 100 Faculty, many of them in key areas that we have identified as our future priorities (see above). We plan to use AHFMR as a vehicle to continue our recruitment of basic and

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 34 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 clinical health researchers. We have raised funds for 14 endowed Chairs in the FOMD over the past two years and plan to raise an additional 7 over the next three years. We currently have ~650 graduate students in the FOMD and 180 summer students per year. The Office of Research in the FOMD has two major objectives for our people strategy:

How do we advantage our researchers to become more successful and competitive?

We plan to implement a multi-pronged strategy to achieve this goal, the essential elements of which are:

1. Identify and direct new and emerging research opportunities appropriate funding opportunities to an individual Principal Investigator (PI) or groups of PIs. A coordinator is required to facilitate this initiative. 2. Facilitate bringing together PIs to develop a NET or Team grant initiatives and assist in coordinating workshops to achieve this. We will enable this by creating a local /institutional team grants competition which will facilitate the creation of multidisciplinary research groups. Four teams in the strategic areas of research priority will be funded ($100K per year for 3 years) to allow development and maturation of meaningful collaborations and training clusters that will advantage our researchers when they apply for national and international awards. 3. Provision of grant writing services particularly to our new recruits applying for funding (personnel awards, operating grants) for the first time and those entering the first renewal of their grants. This service will also be available to groups of researchers applying for CFI, RHF and other collaborative grants (Team or NET grants). 4. Facilitate in the internal review of proposals in collaboration with individual Departments. 5. Increasing the number of summer and graduate students in our programs. In collaboration with AHFMR, Central Administration of the U of A, Northern Alberta Clinical Trials Centre, and endowments within the FOMD, we have increased this past year recruitment in our summer studentship program by an additional 30 students. Our goal is to increase the number of graduate student positions by approximately 10% per annum. The Access funding provided by the Provincial Government for unfunded graduate student positions has many claims on its application, the most pressing being the debt service on the Discovery Centre. New funding will be required to support the expansion of these programs.

How do we promote and celebrate the achievements of our faculty and trainees?

Our Faculty’s members have achieved local, provincial, national and international recognition for their research achievements. Amongst the highlights are:

 Six recipients in the Faculty of the University’s top research award, the J Gordin Kaplan Award for Excellence in Research.  Two Royal Society of London Fellows.

 Two recipients of the top medical research award for drug discovery in Canada, the Prix Galien Gold Medal.  Four of twenty of Canada’s Howard Hugh’s Scholars  Twelve Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada  Four ASTech Award winners

We will continue to promote and celebrate our Faculty members’ achievements through an organized and pro-active approach by increasing the number and quality of nominations from our Faculty for such awards. Importantly we have begun to recognize and celebrate the achievement of our trainees by creation (in collaboration with Capital Health) of the “MedStar” award which provides a cash prize of $1,000 to a graduate student who has published an outstanding manuscript in the past 12 months. This prize will be awarded every two months and we plan a similar initiative for our postdoctoral fellows.

Faculty Development

Dr. Lil Miedzinski, the first associate Dean of Faculty Development is stepping down after 4 years service to the Faculty. We are now in the process of recruiting a new Associate Dean. We have learned many lessons about Faculty Development over the last 4 years and it is now our intention to recruit an Associate Dean who is a MD with training in education or a PhD in Education. This person will co-ordinate faculty development efforts that occur in CPL, PGME, Division of Studies in Medical Education, Research Office and in addition will spearhead efforts that belong in his/her portfolio such as – promotions workshops; mentorship programs for departments; orientation, leadership training.

The Faculty Evaluation Committee now has new guidelines for promotion, tenure and the assignment of merit increments that recognize accomplishments in the areas of effective clinical and didactic teaching, as well as in the educational innovation and research arena. These new guidelines now need to be implemented and the process fine-tuned to create the reality of a true teaching and educational research track through the academic ranks within the FOMD. The new Associate Dean of Faculty Development will coordinate the implementation of these new guidelines.

Equity

The Office of Equity continues to offer services that support the working and learning environment of the Faculty. These include the facilitation of effective conflict resolution processes, the provision of training and education in communication, problem-solving, professionalism, ethical behavior, and professional resiliency, and participation in policy development involving equity issues. The Office is a venue where faculty, students, and staff can raise concerns safely and obtain guidance and support to address these concerns in a constructive manner. Due to the high demands for service, areas such as

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 36 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 program development, outcome measurement, and research have not been sufficiently developed. To accomplish this, an additional position for the office is required.

5. PARTNERSHIPS: BUILDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND MAXIMIZING EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY.

Other Faculties

As a University we are too often a collection of Faculties. We must work together and build programs that cross Faculty lines. Indeed these lines should be invisible when it comes to academic programs.

Faculty of Arts – We have two shared programs – History of Medicine and Medical Humanities. One of our weaknesses in research is in pillars 3 and 4 of CIHR. Collaboration with members of the Faculty of Arts and with members of other Faculties should be mutually beneficial in this area.

Faculty of Education – we are in the process of reviewing our Division of Studies in Medical Education and we plan to start a Masters in Medical Education. We would like to do this in conjunction with the Faculty of Education. In addition we want to develop an outstanding program of research in medical education. This is a tremendous opportunity for our two faculties to work together.

Faculty of Engineering – the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and NINT should serve to markedly increase the cooperation between our two faculties.

Faculty of Rehabilitation – we have joint appointments in COMPRU and now we are planning a joint research chair in pain medicine. We are pleased to co-operate with the Rehabilitation Institute proposed by this Faculty.

Faculty of Nursing – This should be one of our closest relationships. We have explored a partnership in the area of continuous professional learning but this requires more nurturing for it to become a reality. Opportunities exist for many joint research projects as well as teaching collaborations i.e. simulation initiative, etc.

Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition – we have several joint and cross appointments. Dr. Clandinin and his group will have laboratory space in Discovery Centre East. We should have joint projects in the clinical arena in nutrition, nutricuticals and other areas.

Faculty of Native Studies – we have one of the most successful MD and DDS programs for Aboriginal students. We are planning to have an elective program in traditional healing. A partnership with the Faculty of Native Studies could be very help in making this a successful program.

Faculty of Physical Education – we share the sports medicine clinic with this Faculty and with Faculty of Rehabilitation. This is a program that we need to increase its academic profile. Recruitment is currently underway for a director of this clinic.

Faculty of Science – We would like to develop multiple collaborations with the Faculty of Science. It is to the advantage of both Faculties to work together on both big and small projects. We will need to work closely together on the genomics program. Another key joint initiative with this Faculty and the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition is the Prion research initiative.

University of Calgary

For years our relationship with the University of Calgary has been one of competition. It is time for us to collaborate and indeed we have started to do this. The two Deans along with their Executive Directors meet quarterly and this has enabled us to coordinate our approach to government on a number of issues. Regular joint meetings are also now taking place between the Associate Deans Rural Affairs. The Associate Dean Clinical Affairs at the University of Alberta has also established a good working relationship with his counterpart at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine.

Government of Alberta

Good relationships with Alberta Ministries of Health and Wellness; Higher Education; Innovation and Science; and Infrastructure are key to our success. Ministers, Deputies and Assistant Deputies in these departments need to understand our Faculty. We have participated actively with them on key advisory committees such as the Third Way Advisory Committee and the Health Research Strategy Committee.

Capital Health

This is one of our closest partnerships. We have enhanced this partnership by having the VP Academic Affairs CH as an Associate Dean for the Faculty. In addition, we have quarterly meetings with the leadership in both organizations. The VP Medical Affairs CH and COO of the University of Alberta Hospital sit on Dean’s Executive Committee. We are also represented on each others search and selection committees. The Faculty also has 4 representatives on the Capital Health regional recruitment committee to promote joint workforce planning. A Joint Faculty-Capital Health Council meets monthly to discuss strategic initiatives and major issues. Capital Health has joined us in co- sponsoring the Faculty’s new graduate student research prize, the Medstar award as well as the undergraduate operated SHINE clinic in the inner city.

We have embarked on a new era in this partnership with 50/50 sharing of salaries and benefits of joint clinical appointments and developing joint research enterprises. These enterprises include iCARE, the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, the Alberta Transplant Institute and the Alberta Diabetes Institute. Jointly we have created the endowed Chair of Health Informatics Research and many more are planned.

Alberta Cancer Board

The Alberta Cancer Board is another key partnership. The Department of Oncology, having been established in 1993 in partnership with the Alberta Cancer Board (ACB), has enhanced and strengthened academic activities in cancer. The Department is hosted by the Cross Cancer Institute (CCI) and is comprised of seven academic divisions. The University provides operating support to the Department of Oncology for the office of the Chair and salaries for six academic positions out of a total of 86 full-time members (60 academic-track and 26 clinical-track). There are a number of recent developments at the CCI and ACB including leadership changes, the introduction of several high-technology facilities supporting research expansion, space expansion and additional Provincial initiatives supporting cancer research.

Alumni

The Faculty’s relationship with our alumni has withered over the last number of years. With the hiring of a new Director of Development and Alumni Affairs a new plan has been developed to increase the quantity and quality of experiences for interested alumni. The primary goal of the 2006/2007 Alumni Affairs plan is to provide a number of opportunities for alumni to visit the Faculty, and/or meet the Dean and appropriate Faculty members. The Faculty recognizes the importance of building meaningful relationships with our alumni. The arrival of a new President and Dean, construction of three new buildings and an expanded undergraduate medical and dental program offers an exciting opportunity to reconnect and deepen the relationship with those closest to the Faculty: the alumni. Four objectives have been set for the 2006/2007 fiscal year to move forward with an effective alumni affairs program for the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry:

1. Encourage more alumni to return and see the tremendous changes taking place on campus. 2. Better inform our alumni about the significant changes occurring at the campus and within the medical and dental programs. 3. Connecting University of Alberta medical alumni to our current students. 4. Put staff resources in place to support our alumni outreach activities.

Public

It is critical that we communicate our key messages to the public and to our partners, and co-ordinate this communication with that of the University at large. With that in mind, we are developing a new communications strategy, to be coordinated by an Office of External Affairs. We have created the Faculty Visiting Program to engage targeted public groups and to bring them to the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry to tour research and teaching facilities of interest to them. We are able to offer a wide variety of such tours and accommodate almost any specific interest. Our effort is directed at groups in the wider community in Edmonton and Northern Alberta, including: influential business people from the Downtown Business Association and the Edmonton Economic

Development Corporation, disease-based societies, service clubs, rural physicians and politicians, high school science teachers, and parents of our medical and dental students. It is anticipated that such a program of outreach will not only inform the public, but will bring unexpected benefit to the Faculty and to the University as a whole.

6. GOVERNANCE: ENHANCING OUR CAPACITY FOR STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND FACULTY ENGAGEMENT AND TO MAXIMIZE AND EFFICIENTLY UTILIZE RESOURCES TO ACHIEVE OUR VISION.

There is a specific need within the Faculty for a program designed to nurture leadership and administrative skills. As we examine the demographics of key academic and administrative positions we see the need to address succession issues. The complexity and volume of work has increased considerably over the years with little expansion of resources at the mid to senior administrative levels. These leaves the Faculty exposed to major disruptions on departure of key staff and little capacity to adequately accommodate major new initiatives.

This will require an investment in new resources supported by a more faculty-wide or even university-wide approach to career planning and leadership development. Cross training in various roles, departments and even faculties should be encouraged and rewarded. It is our intention to enhance our performance management systems to reflect the need for career planning and staff development skills and we look forward to continued collaboration with central administration on this initiative.

V. RESOURCE PLAN

Recruitment

Multi-year recruitment plans have been submitted by the majority of the Faculty’s departments. These requests are significant in terms of salary funding, space and infrastructure support. Our strategic planning process will focus on prioritizing these resource requests and determining funding plans to further the initiatives identified and support current initiatives.

Fundraising Campaign Goals

The following are the Faculty’s fundraising campaign goals as agreed to at the outset of Campaign 2008:  Capital: Discovery Centre East and West $30 million, and Ledcor/Zeidler $3 million  Scholarships: $5 million  Teaching and Research Endowments: $12 million

Funding Academic Medicine

The funding of academic medicine is complex. The Office of the Auditor General, in its 1998/99 Report contained two recommendation and considerable discussion of academic medicine.

Recommendation No. 18 [1] It is recommended that the full scope and magnitude of academic health activities and the consequences for accountability of the academic health centres be acknowledged by those responsible for managing and funding those activities.

Recommendation No. 19 [2] It is recommended that the entity or entities responsible for academic health and their mandates, roles, and accountabilities be clearly defined and, on this basis, the appropriate organization and governance structure be established.

The Faculty is currently participating in addressing these recommendations in collaboration with its academic health partners (Alberta Advanced Education, Alberta Health and Wellness, Alberta Innovation & Science, University of Calgary, Alberta Cancer Board, Calgary Health Region and Capital Health). Our objective is to identify the sources and uses of funds, demonstrate the funding gaps experienced in fulfilling our mandate and formulate a new funding model for academic medicine.

[1] 1998/99 Annual Report of the Auditor General of Alberta, p.91

[2] 1998/99 Annual Report of the Auditor General of Alberta, p.93

VI. APPENDICES

A. Strategic Research Priorities of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry B. Overview of the Alberta Diabetes Institute C. Overview of the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute D. Overview of the Alberta Transplant Institute E. Proposal for an Institute of Biomedical Engineering F. Overview of Digestive Health Center for Colon Cancer G. Proposal for Laboratory Alberta

APPENDIX A: STRATEGIC RESEARCH INITIATIVES IN THE FOMD

Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute (MAHI) In partnership with Capital Health, we have recruited a research director for MAHI. The University, Capital Health and the Faculty have partnered on the funding to hire the research director and support his program in cardiovascular research. This funding has been reflected in our resource plan attached. Also, more information about the MAHI is provided in Appendix C.

Alberta Transplant Institute This is another effort were we are partnering with Capital Health. Dr. Phil Halloran is supported by Genome Canada, the Faculty, Alberta Innovation and Science, and several industry partners (Roche Molecular System, Roche Pharma). He is also the Principal Investigator on a CFI application which is currently undergoing adjudication. Resources required to support this initiative total are reflected in our resource plan. Also, more information about the ATI is provided in Appendix D.

Alberta Diabetes Institute The Alberta Diabetes Institute (ADI), located in Discovery Centre East, is due to open in September 2007. We have had an Executive Director in place for about one year and are currently recruiting a Scientific Director. One of the issues for this and other institutes is how we sustain them. In particular, we need policies whereby research overhead funds generated by members of the institute can revert to the institute, regardless of the faculty to which they belong. More information about the ADI is provided in Appendix B.

Institute of Biomedical Design Several years ago the Institute of Biomedical Design (IBD) began as a multi-faculty initiative. Since then however the Faculty of Science has started its own proteomic program. The VP Research is about to initiate a review of IBD. We would like to see this as Faculty of Medicine program and begin revitalizing it.

Regenerative Medicine A number of our faculty members are involved in stem cell research. Under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Lakey, a strategic plan is being prepared to guide our efforts in this emerging area.

Women and Children’s Research Institute The intent of the Women & Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI) is to provide a research facility to encourage and stimulate health research with the sincere belief that women and children present distinct and unique research challenges. Because, there are substantial emotional, psycho-social, demographic, and economic factors impacting the relevance of research, education, and government action in the promotion of infant, child, youth, and women’s health and wellness, a comprehensive view of children and women’s lives is needed. The provision of a University of Alberta/Capital Health facility specifically designed for interdisciplinary research is requested to address priority areas

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 44 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 into various aspects of women and children’s health. Because women and children are disproportionately affected by some conditions and diseases, public expectations are enormous; with relevance, knowledge transfer, technology transfer, and ethics as criteria of excellence.

Institute of Biomedical Engineering The proposed Institute of Biomedical Engineering will be a world-class facility for the development of biomedical technology. It will be an integrated structure for the diverse individuals and groups who are engaged in biomedical engineering research across the University of Alberta and will include all necessary infrastructure to: undertake prototyping, piloting, preclinical evaluations, regulatory approvals, and clinical evaluations, including a world-class preclinical research centre, a prototyping and manufacturing engineering facility, and a large patient base for clinical trials. Please refer to Appendix E for an overview.

Primary Care Research The Primary Health Care Networks established by the Provincial Government has given us an excellent opportunity to develop a multi-faculty program for primary care research. Planning for this through the Health Sciences Council has already begun.

Alberta Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases (ACPPFD) The Alberta Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases (ACPPFD) consolidates our multidisciplinary, translational and internationally competitive research team and environment for the investigation of prion diseases and other diseases also caused by protein misfolding. The center promotes basic biomedical and applied research and will provide inter-disciplinary training and education of scientists in this very important field of investigation that is a priority for the University of Alberta, the province of Alberta, and for Canada. A CFI application designed to build the BSL2+ facility required for this work is currently under adjudication.

Nanomedicine The National Institute of Nanotechnology (NINT) has just opened on campus. To date we have had little interaction with NINT. However Nanomedicine is likely to be a growth industry in the future. One of our upcoming projects is to develop, in conjunction with NINT, a plan for Nanomedicine. This is a $10 million opportunity.

Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) AHFMR has just announced a program whereby somewhere between 1 and 3 persons will be eligible for $1 million per year for 10 years. Partnering is a requirement. This is an important opportunity for the FOMD to identify and recruit an outstanding scientist who will build upon one of our strategic initiatives.

Bioinformatics Program The relatively new “omics” fields which yield massive amounts of information from micro arrays or from the ability to measure several hundred metabolites in a biological fluid require individuals with a new skill set that of bioinformatics to analyze the data. We

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 45 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 have recruited one such person and are in the process of recruiting another faculty member in conjunction with the Faculty of Science. At that point we will reassess.

Revitalizing Department of Dentistry Research is not an integral part of the Department of Dentistry. This is due in part to the lack of protected time for research and recruitment of faculty with the appropriate training for research. As part of the self study which the Department will engage in, in preparation for accreditation there will be a plan to turn this around. The two research chairs that we have just obtained are a giant step in moving the research agenda in the Department forward.

APPENDIX B: OVERVIEW OF THE ALBERTA DIABETES INSTITUTE

ALBERTA DIABETES INSTITUTE Submission to the Academic Plan Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta

ADI VISION & MISSION The vision of the Alberta Diabetes Institute is to lead the world in curing diabetes. • Through scientific excellence and teamwork, we will discover new methods to prevent, treat, and cure diabetes. These discoveries will be rapidly translated into patient care in our clinics and shared world-wide.

THE FOUR CORNERSTONES OF THE ALBERTA DIABETES INSTITUTE

Universities exist to benefit society. They impart knowledge to educate the young and the not so young. They pursue vital research to discover new knowledge and treatments for the health and well-being of society. They engage in debates on issues that will ensure the growth of our country, the future of our children, and the measured response to many challenges facing the world in which we live. They are repositories of history and culture and art. They hold public trust because they demonstrate public value. They exist to discover, to teach, to lead, and to serve.

The Alberta Diabetes Institute was created within this exceptional academic and service environment with the entrusted mission to bring new knowledge and treatments from science and medicine into the community for the benefit of diabetic patients and their families. Building on the four cornerstones of the University of Alberta and the four pillars of established research as defined by CIHR (biomedical, clinical, health systems and services, and population and public health) the Alberta Diabetes Institute has developed its own strategies for success:

1. TALENTED PEOPLE

o ADI Governance: As the diabetes research arm of the University of Alberta, operating within the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, the governance model of the Alberta Diabetes Institute reports directly through the Executive Director to the Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and also to the Vice-President, Academic Affairs of Capital Health. The Institute is guided by an Advisory Board representing the University of Alberta, Capital Health, the Alberta Diabetes Foundation, the Research Coordinating Committee, and the community.

o ADI Investigators: The Alberta Diabetes Institute brings together more than 40 basic and clinical investigators from four different faculties on campus into one state-of-the-art research facility: Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation and the new School of Public Health. Thus cross-disciplinary team- building opportunities for research, education and mentoring amongst scientists, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and others will be enhanced.

o ADI New Recruitments: In collaboration with academic departments, the ADI has engaged in a number of strategic new recruitments in key areas of diabetes research. Dr. Patrick MacDonald, an accomplished pharmacologist working in cell signaling, begins on June 1, 2006. Drs. Donna Vine and David Wright are new recruits who have joined Agriculture, Food & Nutritional Science. The search for a new ADI Scientific Director is progressing well and will hopefully be confirmed by the end of the summer. Other strategic academic recruitments are pending, especially in the important research area of type 2 diabetes research. The ADI will also be building its core staff team in 2007-2010 to support the administration of the Institute.

2. LEARNING, DISCOVERY AND CITIZENSHIP

o ADI Research Programs: Alberta Diabetes Institute investigators are currently active in basic and clinical islet transplantation, xenotransplantation, stem cells, tissue regeneration, immunology, beta cell signaling, nutrition and metabolism, population health outcomes, exercise physiology, human behavior, legal, ethical and public policy issues. Our best research will again be presented on September 15, 2006 during the 3rd ADI Annual Research Retreat Day which attracts 100+ researchers from across campus.

o ADI Educational Programs: In partnership with the Alberta Diabetes Foundation, a successful Edmonton-based fundraising charity, the Alberta Diabetes Institute offers approximately $200,000 annually in innovative pilot project grants and graduate student awards. The ADI also offers a successful monthly research seminar series, and in 2006 will launch its newsletter, Diabetes Future, its speakers program, Diabetes Debate, and its new website, http://www.med.ualberta/adi/. The Muttart Diabetes Research and Training Centre also offers four annual research studentships and two Dr. Gordon Brown Medical Summer Studentships.

o Future Programs: Once ADI staff and diabetes researchers have re-located into the state-of-the-art research laboratory facility (Discovery Centre / HRIF-East) that will open in the fall of 2007, we will develop our plans for supporting cross- disciplinary collaboration, professional mentorship, community outreach, summer

students, and other initiatives consistent with the Alberta Diabetes Institute’s mandate to foster excellence in research, education, and citizenship.

3. CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

o Strategic Partnerships: The Alberta Diabetes Institute has already begun strategic relationships with Capital Health, the Alberta Diabetes Foundation, and a number of diabetes-related centres and Institutes within the University whose researchers will work with the ADI (Aboriginal Diabetes Research Group, Alberta Institute for Human Nutrition, Alliance for Canadian Health Outcomes and Research in Diabetes, Centre for Health Promotion, Surgical-Medical Research Institute). Other external fundraising partnerships (CDA, JDRF, AHFMR, governments at all levels, etc.) will also be developed.

o Community Outreach: Researchers with the Alberta Diabetes Institute currently participate in community symposia, fundraising events, and other educational initiatives coordinated by the Alberta Diabetes Foundation in the Edmonton area. Diabetes Future, the ADI’s new print and electronic newsletter, will serve as an update of research news and community activities, and the ADI’s website (as part of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry website) will also help to engage and connect the different audiences and communities served by the Institute.

o International Collaboration: The ADI’s new Scientific Committee will be struck in 2007 when the new Scientific Director arrives and will include non-ADI researchers from the University of Alberta and distinguished researchers invited from other universities. The committee will provide an international forum to review the ADI’s scientific plan and to assess its research direction and intellectual contribution in the fight against diabetes.

4. TRANSFORMATIVE ORGANIZATION AND SUPPORT

o Infrastructure support: The ADI Administration has developed new terms of reference, membership criteria and a supportive policy framework for the Advisory Board, the Research Coordinating Committee and the Institute’s membership, communications and financial management activities. Additional infrastructure support for research and educational programs will be developed as the new research facility building prepares to open in 2007.

o Fundraising Support: The $28.5 million dollar CFI grant funding the initial development of the ADI includes a $11.5 million Federal component, approximately 30% of which will allow for the initial hiring of highly skilled individuals to work in the ADI’s core laboratories. Other capital funding sources (e.g., Alberta Institute of Human Nutrition $5 million CFI application, ADF $10 million dollar gift commitment, etc.) are pending. Through our unique partnership with the Alberta Diabetes Foundation, approximately $200,000 is available

annually for innovative pilot projects, and additional support is being sought in this area. Through the generous commitment of the Vice-President (Research), the Dean of Medicine and Dentistry, and several FMOD Chairs, approximately $1 million dollars in start up funding has been made available to the ADI through indirect costs from a major JDRF grant

o Transformational Research Development: The Research Coordinating Committee has identified four broad areas of defined research growth and development during the next four years based on core faculty strengths and expertise and the ADI’s mission:

1. Islet transplantation: Xenotransplantation, stem cells, transplantation without immunosuppression, tolerance induction , and creating new sources of islets 2. Beta Cells: cell signaling, calcium channels, immunology, regeneration of new beta cells 3. Nutrition and metabolism: Diet and vascular health, metabolic change and influence 4. Public health and prevention: Physical activity & behaviorial assessment, population health, Aboriginal health, promotion and prevention, law and public policy issues

Fostering Excellence in a Culture of Transformational Growth

By developing shared equipment and expertise in core laboratories (outlined below), to which ADI member investigators will have access, measurable cost economies and cost recoveries from purchased services will be realized as the Alberta Diabetes Institute develops its operating structure.

HRIF-East ADI Floor PI Labs Filled in PI Labs Filled in Total ADI Floor Level Assignments 2007 (Phase 1) 2008-2011 (Phase 2) Estimate LEVEL 1 ADI Administration 2 ADI Institute staff 5 Administration staff 7 ADI staff ADMINISTRATION ADF Office 6 ADF Foundation staff New Foundation staff (ext.) 6+ ADF Staff LEVEL 1 Exercise Physiology & (Planned for Phase II) 4 INVESTIGATORS (TBD): 4 INVESTIGATORS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & Behavioral Assessment Drs. Bell, Boulé, Rodgers. 1 CORE LAB BEHAVIORAL Laboratories: Physical Marshall (TBD) ASSESSMENT Activity Centre, Faculty of FITNESS ACTIVITY & BA (TBD) Phys. Ed. and Rec. o Physical activity prescription o Exercise testing o Body composition LEVEL 2 1. Centre for Health (Planned for Phase II) 9 INVESTIGATORS: 9 INVESTIGATORS PUBLIC HEALTH AND Promotion (CHP), Drs. Johnson, Toth, Church, 3 CORE LABS PROMOTION, 2. Alliance for Can. Raine, Wild, Majumdar, ABORIGINAL HEALTH, Health Outcomes and Plotnikoff, Willows, McCargar, NUTRITION & Research in Diabetes 3 CORE LABS (CFI 2006): METABOLISM (ACHORD), o Molecular nutrition 3. Aboriginal Diabetes research Res. Group (ADRG), o Nutritional 4. Alberta Inst. of Hum. assessment Nutrition (AIHN) o Food preparation area LEVEL 4 Alberta Institute of Human 3 INVESTIGATORS (2001 CFI) 7 INVESTIGATORS (2006 CFI): 10 INVESTIGATORS NUTRITION & Nutrition (AIHN) Drs. Clandinin, Field, Bell Drs. Ball, Baracos, Casey, METABOLISM Mazurak, Vine, Proctor, Wright.

o Grad lounge & conference room to be completed LEVEL 5 Faculty of Medicine and 6 INVESTIGATORS (2001 CFI): 2 small contract research labs 6 INVESTIGATORS ISLET TRANSPLANT Dentistry Drs. Rajotte, Rayat, Korbutt, available for use 4 CORE LABS HISTOLOGY Anderson, Shapiro, Lakey. 2 SMALL o Large animal islet core CONTRACT LABS o Small animal islet core o Cell immunology core o Histology core LEVEL 6 Faculty of Medicine and 5 INVESTIGATORS: 3 Investigators: 8 INVESTIGATORS IMMUNOLOGY OF Dentistry Drs. West, Elliott, Rabinovitch, [Drs. Gill, Chang, Joseph] 3 CORE LABS DIABETES Light, MacDonald o Grad lounge & conference 1 SHARED CELL SIGNALING 3 CORE LABS: rooms to be completed SUPPORT SPACE MUTTART DRTC o Molecular biology core o Biochemistry core o Muttart core LEVEL 7 Faculty of Medicine and (Phase II) Xenotransplantation/Stem (TBD) TISSUE REGENERATION Dentistry cell/Tissue regeneration (GMP laboratories)

APPENDIX C: OVERVIEW OF THE MAZANKOWSKI ALBERTA HEART INSTITUTE

The Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute (MAHI) is dedicated to developing world- recognized excellence in clinical care, research and education in the areas of heart and stroke disease. MAHI is a partnership between the University of Alberta and Capital Health. One of the goals of MAHI is to coordinate the development of cardiovascular research excellence at the University of Alberta and the greater Edmonton area. The strategic vision of MAHI is to establish this research infrastructure excellence by building on existing clinical and research strengths. This includes the clinical/research programs of pediatric cardiology/cardiac surgery, cardiac transplantation, acute coronary syndromes research, heart failure research, and electrophysiology research. Research expansion in these areas will involve a translational and transdisciplinary approach, in which basic biomedical research, clinical research, population health/outcomes research and health services delivery research will all occur in the identified strategic research areas. The research expansion and development in these areas will occur within the integrated structures of a number of successful research groups at the UofA that have strengths in cardiovascular research. These include the Cardiovascular Research Group (Basic Biomedical and Clinical Trials), the Vascular Biology Research Group (Basic Biomedical), the Lipid and Lipoprotein Research Group (Basic Biomedical), the CIHR Group on “Cardioprotection During and Following Ischemia” (Basic Biomedical and Clinical Trials), the CIHR Group on “Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids” (Basic Biomedical), VIGOUR (Clinical Trials), APPROACH (Population Health), the Centre for Health Evidence (Population Health), the Congenital Heart Program (Population Health/Outcomes), the Cardiology Research Program (Clinical Trials, Population Health/Outcomes), the Cardiac Surgery Program (Clinical Trials, Population Health/Outcomes), the Stroke Research Program (Clinical Trials, Population Health/Outcomes), the Pediatric Thrombosis Group (Population Health/Outcomes), the Perinatal Research Centre (Basic Biomedical, Clinical Trials, Population Health/Outcomes), the Membrane Protein Research Group (Basic Biomedical), the Human Nutrition Research Team (Clinical Trials), EPICORE (Population Health/Outcomes), the In Vivo NMR Imaging Group (Basic Biomedical, Clinical Trials), the Centre for Health Promotion (Population Health/Outcomes), the Cardiac Rehabilitation Group (Population Health/Outcomes), the Royal Alexandra Clinical Trials Program (Clinical Trials), the Grey Nuns/Misericordia Clinical Trials Program (Clinical Trials), and the Integrated Centre for Care Advancements (iCARE) (Population Health/Outcomes). Growth within these Groups/Centres will also be facilitated by development of two successful CFI Infrastructure projects (ABACUS and the Cardiovascular Translational Research Centre).

The Pediatric Cardiology/Cardiac Surgery program is recognized as having one of the best clinical outcomes in North America. A strategic vision is to expand this program such that MAHI is recognized as THE world leader in both clinical care and research in this area. Areas for growth include cardiac catheterization, where exciting developments in interventional catheterization and minimally invasive surgery dictate the need for collaborative teams (cardiology, surgery, radiology) that focus on research into new interventional technologies. MAHI will assume leadership and become the

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 52 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Academic Plan 2007-2008 – 2011/2012 western base for this academic based activity. The existing development of a strong, young, academic group in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Research, creates the opportunity in MAHI to develop a combined catheterization/MRI suite to establish MRI as a clinical and research tool for physiologic assessment. A goal will also develop a research and image transfer group in Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton. Complementing the Pediatric Cardiology/Cardiac Surgery program will be the establishment of a Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research expertise in MAHI. The research expertise in newborn heart and vascular development that currently exists within the Cardiovascular Research Group and the Perinatal Research Centre will complement the expansion of Developmental Biology/Stem Cell research expertise. In addition, as a continuum with heart failure research in the adult, research expertise in the area of adult congenital heart disease will also be developed. This is important since the transition of the pediatric patient with congenital heart disease to adulthood has now resulted in the majority of congenital heart disease being found in the adult patient. The development of the Pediatric Cardiology/Cardiac Surgery Research Program will be facilitated by a close collaboration between MAHI and the Western Canada Child Health Network (WCCHN), in order to achieve improved and world-class outcomes for Western Canada.

Transplantation Research will also be a strategic focus of MAHI, which will include the new UofA focus in the Transplant Immunology Research/Institute. Opportunities exist to build a collaborative, research based network across Western Canada, since the UofA is the largest pediatric and adult clinical heart and heart lung transplant program in Canada. The Transplant Immunology Research/Institute will closely collaborate with the pediatric and adult cardiac surgery transplant groups to facilitate clinical and population health/outcomes research. The expertise in the Cardiovascular Research Group on cardioprotective strategies in the setting of transplant surgery will also be expanded and nurtured.

Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) research/clinical care will be another strategic focus for MAHI. The VIGOUR Clinical Trials Coordinating Centre has a world class reputation in this area. The APPROACH database also has produced important databases on ACS’s in Alberta. VIGOUR and APPROACH will be further developed and expanded within the MAHI Infrastructure. These clinical and population health expertise within VIGOUR and APPROACH will be closely integrated with the basic biomedical and clinical research expertise in cardioprotection of ACS’s that exists within the Cardiovascular Research Group and the CFI Cardiovascular Translational Research Centre.

Heart failure is a major cause of cardiovascular death and disability in Western Society, and patients diagnosed with heart failure have a very poor prognosis. Heart failure research has a strong presence at the UofA, and will be a strategic focus of MAHI. Basic research into the pathophysiology of heart failure will be facilitated in the Cardiovascular Research Group, and integrated with clinical and population health/outcomes research existing with the Heart Failure Clinic, iCARE, the Cardiology Research Program, VIGOUR, EPICORE, APPROACH, and the Rehabilitation Medicine

Research Program. Prevention of heart and stroke disease will also be a strategic focus of MAHI. This will involve the building of research program around Prevention Research to complement the programs presently being initiated that focus on prevention policies around heart and stroke disease. We will also develop research programs involving identification of genes and environmental factors that impact on the development of heart failure. This will be done in coordination with the expertise within the Transplantation Institute.

Development of electrophysiology research is a tremendous opportunity for MAHI. This will integrate the basic and clinical expertise in electrophysiology present in the Cardiovascular Research Group to build a cohesive program with a focus in Basic Research, Clinical Invasive electrophysiology, and Devices (AICD, Pacing, and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy) research. Expansion will also occur for the Pediatric program as a referral based network across Western Canada for invasive electrophysiology. Cardiac Catheterization has undergone exciting developments in interventional catheterization and minimally invasive surgery. This dictates the need for a collaborative team (cardiology, surgery, radiology) to focus on research into new interventional technologies. MAHI will assume leadership and become the western base for this academic based activity. The development of the CFI “ABACUS” imaging centre and research catheterization laboratories will greatly facilitate this strategic initiative.

The strategic research directions of MAHI will be facilitated by the continued development of strong clinical residency programs, strong graduate student programs, and a vibrant Clinical Investigators Training Program. In addition, the presence of four CIHR Strategic Training Programs in Cardiovascular Research (Tomorrows Research Health Care Professionals (TORCH), the Maternal-Fetal-Newborn Health Program, the Stroke, Cardiovascular, Obesity, Lipid, Atherosclerosis Research (SCHOLAR) Program, and the Membrane Proteins and Cardiovascular Disease Program) will help ensure success in achieving our strategic research directions. Support and nurturing of these training programs will be a MAHI priority.

By implementing the strategic research initiatives, it is expected that MAHI will not only be recognized for its research and clinical excellence, but will also have a major impact on decreasing the burden of heart and stroke disease on Albertans and society as a whole.

APPENDIX D: OVERVIEW OF THE ALBERTA TRANSPLANT INSTITUTE

Transplantation is a vital clinical service for many disease states and is also an outstanding area in which to create new general knowledge about organ disease states. By many objective measures, U of A and Capital Health have together created an international center of excellence in organ transplantation. The new “omics” sciences (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) and computational biology and bioinformatics (CBB) have opened an unprecedented – indeed historic – opportunity to understand human diseases. These emerging new technologies will allow us to create new fundamental insights and new diagnostic systems and treatments with the potential to change transplant outcomes and improve patient well-being, and establish commercial applications.

We are responding to this opportunity by establishing the Alberta Transplant Institute (ATI). The ATI will consist of two major components: the Alberta Transplant Applied Genomics Centre (ATAGC) in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, and the Clinical Transplantation Programs (CTP) in Capital Health. The basic research programs in transplantation at the University of Alberta are of international stature and an area of high research priority. We have developed a critical mass of leading investigators in clinical transplantation, basic science, infectious diseases, transplant pathology, and health outcomes. The clinical organ and tissue transplant programs are defining features of this health region and University of Alberta medical school, and one of the programs that sets this centre apart from many other centers in the country, and internationally. The research expertise in transplantation at this University combined with the current capacity in clinical transplantation at the U of A Hospital provides an environment of enquiry and innovation where the “bench-to-bedside” concept of translational research flourishes.

The ATAGC, established in March 2006, focuses on the sciences of immunology, virology, cell biology, aging, response to injury, and experimental transplant models. The ATAGC interfaces with the Capital Health CTP to facilitate patient care, teaching and research, and to obtain access to patient data and samples. The ATAGC and the CTP will be linked organizationally under the umbrella of the ‘ATI’ governance structures (emerging), as well as through a new clinical and basic research information system, including a laboratory information management system (LIMs).

Our approach is to integrate clinical, pathology, and laboratory medicine data with basic biology and mouse models to understand disease processes; to bring this information back to health outcome analysis; to produce new diagnostic approaches to change practice; and to identify new targets for therapeutic intervention. Through our Genome Canada (GC) Project in Transplantation [$12.2M; PI: Phil Halloran] - which focuses on kidney transplants - we have integrated clinical elements with transcriptome (i.e., gene expression) studies to formulate a new understanding of disease mechanisms in kidney and how they relate to clinical presentations and diagnoses. The goal now is to expand our program into other “omics”, and other transplanted organs (liver, lung, and heart), and primary diseases (e.g. kidney disease). The ATI will build upon our ‘Genome

Canada’ genomics-pathology experience, and will continue to develop the computational biology and bioinformatics capability that is required to support these approaches.

Thus the primary scientific and academic goals of the ATI/ATAGC are to: 1. Develop a new understanding of the disease mechanisms that affect organ transplants (kidney, heart, liver) using a combination of technologies and data sets: transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, sophisticated pathology, computational biology, bioinformatics, and clinical data 2. Develop a diagnostic process or product that uses blood and/or biopsy for the detection and monitoring of rejection events 3. Potentially create a service company - a ‘Transcriptome Diagnostics Inc.’ in Edmonton - to provide measurements and interpretations using the new diagnostic products in all organ transplants 4. Extend this unique methodology beyond transplantation and into primary organ diseases 5. Provide a unique and trans-disciplinary training ground for graduate students, academics and other highly qualified personnel.

APPENDIX E: PROPOSAL FOR AN INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

The proposed Institute of Biomedical Engineering will be a world-class facility for the development of biomedical technology. It will be an integrated structure for the diverse individuals and groups who are engaged in biomedical engineering research across the University of Alberta. It will include all necessary infrastructure to undertake prototyping, piloting, preclinical evaluations, regulatory approvals, and clinical evaluations, including a world-class preclinical research centre, a prototyping and manufacturing engineering facility, and a large patient base for clinical trials.

The Institute will enhance the quality of health care by providing Albertans with access to the most recent advances in biomedical engineering. It will foster inventive and innovative individual and interdisciplinary research where members of various specialties interact with one another and with non-biomedical engineers. Through the provision of appropriate infrastructure and expertise it will support the development and commercialization of “smart technologies” for the diagnosis and treatment of disease while serving as a focal point for education and dissemination of biomedical research information. The environment created by the IBME will draw top faculty members and students to the University which will, in turn, provide unrivaled undergraduate teaching and education, and support the development of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in biomedical engineering which is the fastest growing field of engineering in North America. Such an institute will promote collaborative relationships with industry across North America.

The University of Alberta has an extremely strong core of biomedical engineering researchers and many affiliated groups including NINT (National Institute for Nanotechnology), NANUC (National High Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Centre), ACSES (Alberta Centre for Surface Engineering and Science), MMPD (Mathematical Modelling for Pharmaceutical Development), and Medical Physics (Tomotherapy and Positron EmissionTomography), UA In vivo NMR Facility, and the Aerosol Research Laboratory. These various researchers and groups provide significant strength in areas such as Nano and Regenerative Medicine, Micro and Nano Electro Mechanical Systems, Canadian Medical Modeling Institute and Alberta Cancer Diagnostic Consortium. Nano and Regenerative Medicine includes the use of a tissue engineering approach in conjunction with advanced materials to regenerate large areas of skin; nanotechnology to deliver various active agents to specific sites for the regeneration of bone; and use of nanostructured materials to deliver therapeutic agents for dermal/epidermal regeneration. Micro and Nano Electro Mechanical Systems includes surgical microsystems (intelligent micro/nano-invasive and surgical tools), therapeutic micro/nano-systems (health care management systems), and diagnostic micro/nano- systems (biochips and related instrumentation). The Canadian Medical Modeling Institute is involved in the integration of a family of technologies to construct physical models that are used to create new knowledge from a macro to a cellular/molecular level. The Alberta Cancer Diagnostic Consortium is developing lab-on-a-chip devices and handheld tools for rapid, cost-effective, portable, and accurate diagnosis of various forms of cancer.

This Institute will create many opportunities for the University of Alberta and the province. It will make Alberta the preeminent location for biomedical engineering research and development worldwide through a record of significant advances that will improve the quality of patient care and realize cost savings for the health care system. It will dramatically increase the rate that new technologies are carried through the development chain, adding significant value to the research now underway at the University, in Capital Health, in government, and in Alberta and Canada-based industry. The potential commercial value of technology on campus is in the billions of dollars range. It will draw established pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and device-based industries to Alberta to complete research and product testing in a cost effective manner, thus generating a new revenue stream which will be used to expand/renew infrastructure and fund high risk research.

APPENDIX F: OVERVIEW OF DIGESTIVE HEALTH CENTRE FOR COLON CANCER

Colorectal cancer develops slowly over a long period of time, usually starting out as a small grape-size growth called a "polyp" on the inner wall of the large intestine, colon and / or rectum. Over an extended interval of years these polyps can become cancerous and invade the colon wall surrounds blood vessels, and spread to other parts of the body. Before polyps develop into cancers, screening tests can be used to detect them and allow them to be removed before cancer ever develops.

According to Canadian Cancer Society estimates, approximately 18,000 Canadians in 2003 will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and 8,300 will die of it, making it the third most common cause of death by cancer for both men and women across Canada. Colorectal cancers kill more people than AIDS and breast cancer combined.

The good news is most of these deaths can be prevented using available screening tests (i.e. colonoscopy) and treatments for the disease. This is because 90% of colorectal cancers are curable when detected early. In addition, colonoscopy can be used to detect certain pre-cancerous growths in the colon and rectum, allowing them to be removed before they ever develop into cancer, thus reducing the need for invasive and aggressive treatments including surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

Colonoscopy is the most accurate way of screening for colorectal cancer . It involves the use of an endoscope - a tiny camera at the end of a thin tube - to visualize the inside of certain organs, such as the colon. In addition to being highly successful at catching polyps and pre-cancerous growths, polyps can be removed during the procedure, thereby decreasing a patient's chance of subsequently developing colon cancer.

The Challenge

The practice of Gastroenterology is at a crossroads in Alberta. Demand for colonoscopic services has outstripped supply. New technology is redefining the boundaries of colon cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment and, as a consequence, colonoscopy. An aging population is putting increasing pressure on the health system for more and more effective services.

Perhaps most importantly, recent estimates by the Canadian Cancer Society have shown that fewer than 20% of those who should be screened for colon cancer are being screened . In Edmonton, this means that literally thousands of people at risk for colorectal cancer are going unscreened.

THE DIGESTIVE HEALTH CENTER FOR COLON CANCER

We have a solution. The Capital Health Region has expressed an interest in working together with local partners to develop community-based colonoscopy facilities and services that will meet both today's colon cancer screening needs - and tomorrow's.

We thus propose that the University of Alberta's Division of Gastroenterology in the Faculty of Medicine, and the Capital Health (CH) Region work together to create The Digestive Health Centre for Colon Cancer (DHCCC). This partnership would represent a unique opportunity to build on their existing strengths to achieve a truly 'win-win' solution.

Our vision is to create a place where current capabilities merge with future innovations to become a one-of-a-kind facility benefiting Albertans for generations to come.

The DHCCC will provide a comprehensive approach to colorectal cancer. Not only will colonoscopy screening services be available, but clinic and support services will also be offered.

 DHCCC services will be fully integrated with gastroenterology services provided in Capital Health facilities, streamlining service delivery to ensure timely and quality patient care, as well as the effective and efficient use of resources.

 The DHCCC will also investigate applied research interests that show promise in advancing the quality of patient care, and provide educational resources for students, physicians, and members of the general public.

Utilizing physician leadership and professional talent, the DHCCC represents tremendous value. This value will be realized by focusing on the needs of patients using a forward looking service delivery model driven by the best expertise and technology available.

Research in the DHCCC

Colon cancer afflicts 6% of the Canadian population. It is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in Canada. To a large extent this disease is preventable with appropriate screening.

Most colon cancers occur in patients who have no family history. Development of the disease goes through a variety of stages that are well characterized in terms of genetic mutations and the associated, macroscopic alterations. From this work we know that most colon cancers arise from an area of the colon that develops into a polyp from which the cancer subsequently develops.

The key to colon cancer prevention is to identify those people who have polyps and remove these colonoscopically. This aborts the process of cancer development before a cancer even appears.

Critical to this process is a mechanism to identify those people who harbor colonic polyps. This is a difficult task since polyps are almost always asymptomatic. A variety of approaches have been tried. The first was testing stool for occult blood. If positive it was assumed that something in the colon had bled and a colonoscopy was performed.

The problems with this test are many and include the fact that polyps rarely bleed and when they do it is typically intermittent. This makes the test false positive and negative rates of this test very high. Currently, the recommendation for identifying people with polyps is to colonoscopically screen everyone over the age of 50 or those with a family history of polyps or cancer over the age of 40.

Since only 10-20% of these people have significant colonic polyps this means that the majority of screening tests are done in people who gain no direct benefit from the procedure but yet are subjected to the risks inherent in the test. Clearly we could do better by non-invasively identifying those 10-20% who have formed polyps and need them removed. Research by the DHCCC will focus on this problem of identification.

The colon cancer screening center at the DHCCC will be one of, if not the largest in North America.

APPENDIX G: PROPOSAL FOR LABORATORY ALBERTA

Background  Canada spends over 10% of its GDP on health care but derives few direct economic benefits from this investment.  Health costs are climbing at an unsustainable rate, concerns are mounting about the quality of care.  A new visionary approach to health care, research and economic development is needed.  While Alberta is a leader in biomedical research, it lags behind the rest of Canada in clinical, health services and population health research (e.g. Alberta has 10% of Canada’s population but receives only 6% of CIHR funding in these areas).  Alberta is entering a period of unprecedented prosperity and growth, and is ideally placed to lead a visionary approach to health reform

Objectives This proposal outlines a bold plan to create an integrated Alberta health care services-research-industry complex that will:  establish Alberta as a world leader in health research and development,  create a model health care system that is effective, efficient, sustainable, and based on evidence, and  utilize the public investment in health care to generate direct economic benefits for the province and attract investment by industry

Concept The key concept is to construct a single health care delivery-research infrastructure platform that:  brings together and integrates all of Alberta’s health resources to achieve the objectives above, in effect, turning Alberta into a giant health research laboratory,  provides unique opportunities for clinical, health services and population health research,  links biomedical with epidemiologic and clinical data for translational research,  facilitates translation of knowledge into improved health care practices and policies,  attracts talented researchers and grant funding to Alberta,  attracts industry investment to commercialize health research outputs, and  utilize the health systems expertise to generate economic benefits for Alberta

The Plan Laboratory Alberta will comprise 4 linked components:

1. Alberta Data Haven  We propose to create a foundational resource for health research aimed at improving the health and health care for Albertans.

 Alberta is a leader in electronic health records and has excellent health databases.  An Alberta Data Haven will be created as an arms-length entity to house cross- sectoral provincial data from the ministries of health, education, justice, social services, aboriginal services, industry and other relevant portfolios, in separate but linkable form.  Policies and procedures for data linkage and access, and safeguards for privacy and security will be established in conjunction with the Alberta Privacy Commissioner.  Other provinces, including British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, have demonstrated how such databases can be created, managed and used productively.  Estimated cost = to be determined

2. Alberta Clinical Trials Consortium  We propose to create a single world-class facility in Alberta that provides “one- stop” full-service shopping for both industry sponsored and grant funded clinical trials  With over 3 million people, Alberta is large enough to conduct definitive population-based clinical trials, yet small enough for the trials to be manageable and cost-effective.  Clinical trials will be enriched by the Alberta Data Haven  Albertans will benefit from access to participation in leading edge clinical trials, and Alberta will become an international center for clinical trials and industry spin-offs.  Estimated Cost = $2 million per year for 5 years

3. Alberta Healthcare Improvement Inc  This proposal is designed to bring cutting edge quality improvement innovations and efforts directly into the health care system, to improve health outcomes and efficiencies  It is modeled after the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in the US, which provides training and participation in collaborative quality improvement projects for a hefty fee, and Canadian hospitals currently spend millions of dollars annually at IHI  Ironically, Canada has world class quality improvement experts who teach in IHI programs and Canadian hospitals pay IHI to be taught by Canadian experts  AHI will create training programs and quality improvement projects similar to IHI  AHI will research advanced quality improvement methods using the Alberta Data Haven  AHI will market its products internationally, including consulting services that capitalize on Canada’s lead in health systems management and healthcare improvement  This will be achieved through a non-profit entity for domestic consumption and a for-profit corporation for foreign consumption

 Estimated Cost = $9 million (non-profit entity) and $6 million (for-profit corporation)

4. Alberta Biobank  We propose to create a unique population based bank of biological samples for research  There is no equivalent resource in the world that has population based biological samples that can be linked to epidemiologic and health data for research  Alberta Biobank will open tremendous opportunities for basic and applied research aimed at bringing the benefits of biomedical research from the bench to the bedside  It will attract both public and private R&D investment into Alberta for biotechnology, bioinformatics, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical devices and other health industries  Estimated Cost = $60 million one-time cost and $5 million annual cost

Significance & Deliverables  Laboratory Alberta is a unique foundational resource that has no equivalent in the world  Laboratory Alberta will attract leading researchers and industry investment from around the world, and establish Alberta as the world’s leading center for health R&D.  Alberta will be the world leader in healthcare quality and systems improvement, and will derive direct economic benefits from marketing this expertise.  Albertans will benefit from having the best and most cost-effective health care system that is based on evidence.

Submitted to Provost and Vice-President (Academic) May 31, 2006 64