Faculty Engagement

SFU sought to deliver a new approach to medical education in British Columbia, with a proposed medical program that would include a three-way partnership with the First Nations Health Authority and Fraser Health Authority to guide the vision and leverage expertise. This was seen as an opportunity to train physicians differently — with a focus on community-embedded, socially accountable and culturally relevant health care.

The Centre for Dialogue worked with SFU Office of the Vice-President External Relations and Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic to design and deliver community workshops, webinars and information sessions, as well as develop an associated engagement strategy. The engagement brought together key partners, community members, university students, faculty and staff to discuss needs, opportunities and challenges related to the establishment of the new medical school.

Information sessions gave faculty, staff and students opportunities to hear more about SFU’s plans, ask questions and offer input to inform early planning and guide subsequent engagement. A program design and principles session gathered insights from Indigenous and non-Indigenous primary care practitioners, academics and public health educators. 

The work continued in 2023, with the Centre supporting a series of further information sessions and engagements with SFU faculty, staff and students. These included a research-focused session with faculty and graduate students, an Indigenous-focused session, and a session focused on creating space and building pride in Surrey. A university-wide survey also provided an opportunity for the SFU community to share further feedback and explore how the SFU community could benefit from and be involved with the new medical school.

“SFU: What’s Next?” was a cross-university initiative focused on engaging with the SFU community to gather information on its diverse needs and preferences and to help shape SFU’s long-term vision, purpose, priorities and commitments.

As part of the initiative, SFU Office of the President and Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic partnered with the Centre for Dialogue to better engage with students and hear their perspectives through the “SFU: What’s Next” Student Survey.

The survey was shared with students through direct emails, outreach to student groups and organizations, promotion on posters and televisions in high-traffic areas on campus, and in-person promotion at popular on-campus events.

Building on input received from the broader SFU community throughout previous phases of “What’s Next,” including the input of students, the survey provided an opportunity for students to elaborate on issues that were important to them. 

The survey focused on five key areas: educational quality, the student experience, the quality of campuses and facilities, student influence, and visions for the future. It was also designed to be constructive, providing an opportunity for students to identify potential areas where SFU could improve moving forward.

Students were asked to rate and provide ideas for improving educational quality, the student experience, and the quality of campuses and facilities. They were also asked whether they wanted to be included in decision-making at the university and, if so, their preferred degree of involvement. The survey provided a structured way for students to contribute their perspectives to conversations about SFU’s future.

The Centre for Dialogue worked in partnership with the SFU School of Mechatronics Systems Engineering to provide workshop facilitation assistance for a project focused on defining a research agenda and strategy for future health technology research and innovation.

The objectives were to define research priorities and targets, identify current and emerging technologies, establish strategies for health technology research at all stages of technology development from concept through clinical trials, highlight areas for biggest impact and “quick wins,” match available technologies with clear clinical needs, surface funding opportunities, and bring together research teams to address these challenges.

To garner input from a wide range of stakeholders, the project included a series of six workshops focused on health technology opportunities and challenges. Participants included patient-partners and their families, clinicians and healthcare personnel, health technology industry professionals, researchers, health administrators and policymakers, and Indigenous Elders.

The sessions employed structured brainstorming and storytelling techniques to identify disease-specific needs and overarching themes in health technology. Following each workshop, a white paper summarizing the key findings and potential solutions was developed and shared with participants. 

The process culminated in a larger, half-day co-creation workshop at SFU’s Surrey campus. The final session brought together insights and expertise from the previous workshops to formulate a comprehensive approach to the identified health technology challenges.