Dal med program launched in N.B.

(Back Row):  Kathryn Hamer Vice-President (UNB Saint John);  Ed Doherty, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; Mike Murphy, Minister of Health. (Front row) John McLaughlin, President of UNB; Shawn Graham Premier of New Brunswick; Harold Cook, Dean of Medicine Dalhousie University. (Mark Hemmings Photo)

Dalhousie University signed an agreement with the New Brunswick government and the University of New Brunswick (UNB) today, officially launching a Dalhousie MD program for the province.

“This is exciting news for Dalhousie, our partners and New Brunswick. As Dalhousie trains more medical doctors for New Brunswick, this program will meet our medical school’s goal of improving the health of our Maritime community,” said Dalhousie President Dr. Tom Traves. “The process leading up to today has been marked by exceptional commitment and partnership among Dalhousie University, the Government of New Brunswick, the University of New Brunswick, and communities around the province.

"We look forward to welcoming our first class of New Brunswick students in 2010.”

“We know there’s a need in New Brunswick and the Maritime region for more medical doctors, and through this new MD program, Dalhousie Medical School will train more doctors for New Brunswick,” said Dr. Harold Cook, Dean of Medicine at Dalhousie University.  Dean Cook explained that today’s announcement caps a long history of Dalhousie undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in New Brunswick.  “A significant proportion of our medical education at both levels is already delivered in the province, so the establishment of a New Brunswick-based MD program is a natural evolution.”

The new enterprise will be an extension of Dalhousie’s current MD program, and will graduate 30 New Brunswickers each year. Dalhousie is responsible for the admissions process, curriculum design and delivery, maintaining program standards, and evaluation processes. The University of New Brunswick in Saint John will manage key components of infrastructure and will share in the provision of student services. The Province of New Brunswick has been instrumental in working with Dalhousie and UNB to develop the contract and has committed funding for the initiative.

“Providing medical students with the opportunity to study in New Brunswick is a high priority for our government,” said New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham.  “We have an agreement today that not only ensures a good investment for the taxpayers of New Brunswick, but also ensures a quality program for the students who will begin their medical training two years from now.”

“This agreement is a solid example of regional co-operation among universities, the provincial government, and the community, with the goal of delivering the best possible outcomes for education, physician recruitment and the people of New Brunswick, said Dr. John McLaughlin, president of UNB. “We look forward to working closely with our partners to move the health agenda forward in New Brunswick.”

A site for the program was secured last week on the UNBSJ campus, adjacent to the Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation. Students will take the first two years of the program in Saint John, and do their clerkship (years three and four) at sites across the province, including regional hospitals in Moncton, Fredericton and the Miramichi.

READ: Teamwork on med school, an editorial in The Chronicle-Herald