Dean’s Corner: August 2022
Dean’s Message: August 2022
15 years ago, the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto received a new name and a new opportunity to enhance its reputation as one of the leading Schools of Nursing in the world. To commemorate this milestone anniversary of our official naming, we asked Mr. Lawrence Bloomberg to reflect on the past 15 years since his pivotal gift, and our Faculty’s ongoing achievements in research and continuing education. You can read his full interview here.
With the ongoing challenges facing our nursing workforce and health care teams, I along with many of you, am pleased to see the appointment of a provincial Chief Nurse of Professional Practice and Assistant Deputy Minister. It is even more significant that this individual is none other than our own alumna and adjunct faculty member Dr. Karima Velji, who began her term officially on August 2, 2022.
Having received both her Masters and PhD from Bloomberg Nursing at U of T, Dr. Velji continues to have a presence in our faculty as an adjunct lecturer and guest speaker for our graduate programs. Throughout her career, Dr. Velji has been a champion for social justice around the world and believes strongly that our current nursing workforce, one of the most highly educated in history, has the capacity to lead the change we need to move our health system forward. Our feature story this month includes an interview with Dr. Velji where she shares highlights from her previous executive roles, her ideas for solution driven change in health care, and how her time at Bloomberg Nursing helped influence her affinity for leadership.
Building opportunities for our students to excel in leadership as alumni is one of the many ways Bloomberg Nursing is creating enhanced leadership capacity in our health system too. It has been one year since the Faculty launched its first Alumni-Graduate Student Mentorship Program, and it has continued to be a resounding success, with mentors and mentees alike sharing how their career journey has been shaped by the support of this program. This month I invite you to read about Anika Andal and Farah Khan’s unique mentorship relationship that has proved equally life changing for both parties.
As we prepare to welcome students back in person for the start of the academic year and orientation planning is well underway, I remind our students to stay informed on the latest policies around COVID19, including vaccination requirements for clinical placements by visiting our website. I look forward to seeing you all in person soon. Until then, stay safe and enjoy these last few weeks of summer.
Stay well.
Sincerely,
Linda Johnston PhD FEANS FCAHS FAAN
Dean and Professor
Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing