Message from the Dean

In spite of the continuing global pandemic, 2022 brought many successes. We welcomed students and their energy back to campus, and saw current and pandemic students attend in-person convocation ceremonies, the Spring ceremony being one of the coldest and wettest on record. 

Many of our FHS faculty and students continued to enhance to our understanding of the current pandemic, and we officially opened the inter-disciplinary Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS), with a mandate to consider public health and social impacts of the pandemic measures. We continue to address other health crises, including mental health among children and youth, the opioid epidemic, and climate change, locally, nationally and on the global stage and build our strengths in Indigenous health research. Most notably, the latter brought the Indigenous Healthy Early Life Trajectories program to the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council for an Indigenous-led birth cohort, supported by FHS researchers. Indeed, across the spectrum of research, 2022 was the most successful year for peer-reviewed research funding in FHS history. The research strengths of Drs Winters and Kaida were recognized with membership in the Royal Society of Canada College of New Artists, Scholars and Scientists. 

We coordinated 41 practicums and 205 co-op placements, delivered courses for our graduate and undergraduate students, and opened our new FHS Student Commons to better support our students. I hope you can join me in recognizing the accomplishments highlighted in our Year in Review.