2 weeks in Canada and the USA

Earlier this month I spent 2 weeks in Canada and the USA. It was a packed trip, literally flying from 1 end of each country to the other. I want to thank all the SOM and UQ staff involved in making the trip work perfectly. In Canada I hosted Alumni events in Vancouver and Toronto; attended the Canadian Medical Deans meeting in Newfoundland and visited Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia; spent time with our great agents (OzTrekk); and met workforce agencies. Most importantly I secured partnership agreements with Memorial University of Newfoundland, Dalhousie University, Northern Ontario School of Medicine and the University of British Columbia, which will allow our Canadian students to do 8 week elective exchanges. This, I believe, is just the start of developing strong pathways for return to home for Canadians that want this. From the literally freezing weather of St Johns in Newfoundland, I flew to New Orleans where I spent 2 days with our Executive Dean (Professor Nick Fisk) and our Vice Chancellor (Professor Paul Greenfield). For both it was their first time at the Ochsner Clinical School and they were very impressed! We had 2 very busy days visiting Ochsner facilities and very senior Louisiana state government leaders. I also visited the North Shore teaching sites that we are developing – they are simply stunning, and I know that the educational experience our students will experience at Ochsner will be first rate.

David