Response to the SPH External Review Report by Faculty of the School of
Public Health
Contents:
Executive Summary
Preamble
1. Vision for the School of Public Health
2. Measuring the School’s effectiveness
2.1 Graduate programs and enrollment
2.2 Education
2.3 Research
2.4 Unique research and programmatic themes.
2.5 Establishing of a sustainable resource base
2.6 Achieving accreditation
3. Summary and Conclusion
Appendices
April 23rd, 2015
SPH Faculty Response
Executive Summary
In responding to the External Review Committee Report, we refer to the provisions detailed in
the founding document “School of Public Health - Proposal to University Council 9 May 2007”:
“The creation of a School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan has the
potential to create a national and international centre of excellence in
interdisciplinary education and research ---“
The original vision was to create a School of Public Health (SPH) that enhanced the University’s
goal of increasing the number of graduate students, was inter-disciplinary, was based on
collaborations among faculty and with government and non-governmental agencies, and made
local, national and international contributions to public health research and education. In this
2007 proposal to council, several measures for evaluating the School’s effectiveness were
proposed. We have used these measures as a framework for our response, which includes a selfevaluation of the School’s performance over the review period.
SPH has developed several programmatic themes that are unique: Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics (V&I), Veterinary Public Health, Agricultural, Rural Public Health and
Advanced Quantitative Epidemiology. In terms of graduate programs, the SPH has developed 6
new programs – the course-based MPH, MSc in Biostatistics, PhD in Biostatistics, PhD in
Epidemiology, MSc in V&I, and PhD in V&I. Enrollment for the 2014-15 academic year stands
at 190 students (151 in the course-based MPH program and 39 students in theses-based
programs). The proportion of international students in the School’s MPH program is currently
32.75%, which is within the University’s target of 35%. The majority of the MPH students
(67%) are Canadian nationals, who have a first degree from other Canadian universities.
The School currently has a complement of 13 full-time faculty, 6 joint faculty, 17
Associate members, and 2 research chairs. The original proposal anticipated that additional
resources would be available from the merger of SPH and the Department of Community Health
and Epidemiology, as well as the addition of faculty from other academic units within the
University. In spite of the promised resources not materializing, our small faculty complement
has made great strides towards fulfilling the originally proposed vision for the SPH.
SPH Faculty is actively engaged in scholarly work: locally, nationally and internationally.
Over the review period, SPH faculty have collaborated with an extensive number of academic
units on campus and a multitude of governmental, non-government, public health and other
agencies and stakeholder organizations, locally, nationally and internationally. These
collaborations have resulted in over 300 peer-reviewed publications and numerous technical
reports and presentations. These collaborations have also been effectively incorporated into our
graduate student training. They are used to provide a broad education and an aptitude and skills
for learning that serve our students throughout their lengthy working careers. The SPH offers
several courses that utilize experts from various public health disciplines as guest lecturers and
that require students to complete projects within community organizations. One such course is
the practicum taken by every MPH student. The practicum is the centerpiece of an MPH
student’s educational experience and is viewed as an advantage to attending the SPH.
Research productivity can be readily measured by the grants held, papers published and
training of highly qualified personnel. By these measures, the School has performed reasonably
well compared to other units across campus. Over the review period, SPH faculty has been
productive. The V & I program received over 7.5 million in funding and its faculty have
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SPH Faculty Response
published 80 peer-reviewed publications. Another SPH faculty member is involved with triCouncil funded research involving water issues and Aboriginal communities. Another primary
SPH faculty member has received five CIHR grants to study the organization of care for heart
and stroke patients from acute stages to follow-up care in the community. A faculty member who
works in the area of psychiatry and public health research also has received significant triCouncil funding. Several SPH faculty members are part of the One Health Initiative. As the SPH
moves forward, we anticipate much growth in research given the high proportion of early-career
faculty within the School.
It is important to note that the proposal to Council stipulated accreditation by the Council of
Education on Public Health (CEPH), USA, but this requires a faculty complement of 25 full-time
faculty, which is almost double the current 13 full-time faculty members in the SPH. If implemented,
the external reviewers’ overarching recommendation #1 (to “[i]ntegrate Community Health and
Epidemiology into the School of Public Health”) would allow the possibility of CEPH
Accreditation. One major accomplishment of the School is achieving the accreditation of our
MPH program by the European-based Agency for Public Health Education Association (APHEA).
The MPH Program in the School was the first to receive accreditation by APHEA outside of the
European Region.
By most measures outlined in 2007 proposal to Council, the School has made great progress
towards the realization of the original vision for the SPH. The SPH has performed reasonably well in
spite of significantly limited resources. SPH faculty is steadfast in its commitment to bringing
this vision to fruition.
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SPH Faculty Response
Preamble
In responding to the External Review Committee Report we thought it appropriate to organize
our response in terms the original vision for the School of Public Health at the University of
Saskatchewan and the criteria originally proposed to measure the effectiveness of the School in
achieving the vision. The original vision statement and measures of effectiveness are clearly
detailed in the founding document on the School titled “ School of Public Health - Proposal to
University Council 9 May 2007”.
But, before we continue with this avenue of our response, we would like to make three remarks
regarding specific points from the External Review Committee Report.
The External Review Committee notes that the School did not prepare a self-study document or
documentation on the current vision and mission of the School. We would like to note the School
was informed that review process would need to be completed within a very short time period
and hence there was no time for the SPH to complete a self-study or prepare much
documentation. The external reviewers’ comment on the lack of a self-study document suggested
to us that the external reviewers did not have access to adequate information with which to
evaluate the performance of the School.
It is not clear to us why the reviewers did not use (or comment on the appropriateness of) the
“measures of effectiveness” as outlined in the 2007 proposal to Council.
Finally we would like to note that in judging the extent to which the School fulfilled the original
vision set for the School, one needs to take into account that the School has operated with very
limited resources. The External Review Committee repeatedly recognized this scarcity of
resources, as they bluntly put it:
“Beyond a smile and a handshake, it is clear that for the School to have gotten off to a good
start, some major realignment and reallocation of resources would have been required at the
outset. This did not happen: the School was never able to acquire the human and financial
resources needed to meet its objectives.”(p10)
With these remarks in mind, we now proceed with our response, guided by the criteria originally
proposed to measure the effectiveness of the SPH.
1. Vision for the School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan
The original founding 2007 document for the School of Public Health starts with the following
statement (emphasis added):
“The creation of a School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan has the
potential to create a national and international centre of excellence in interdisciplinary
education and research in several clearly identifiable areas: 1) Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics, 2) Veterinary public health, 3.) Agricultural and rural public health,
4) Aboriginal peoples’ health, and 5) Socio-behavioral health. No other university centres
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SPH Faculty Response
in Canada have such an alignment of academic strengths in these areas as the University
of Saskatchewan.”(p3)
That vision statement then goes on to state:
” The School of Public Health will increase the size and scope of graduate education on
campus. The development of six new graduate programs in public health and vaccinology
and immunotherapeutics will increase student numbers threefold between 2007 and
2011.” (p3)
The proposal then goes on to project that:
”… by 2011 (60 MPH, 40 MSc, 40 PhD, 20 MSc Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics, 20 PhD Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics. Community
Medicine Residents in the School may number six and Postdoctoral fellows 20.” (p4)
It is also worth pointing out that the original document states that:
“The present course-based Masters degree in Public Health (MPH) is the
foundational program of the School.” (p4)
The original vision was to create a SPH that supported the University’s goal of increasing the
number of graduate students, especially international ones, that was inter-disciplinary and based
on collaborations among faculty and with government and non-governmental agencies, and that
made local, national and international contributions to public health research and education.
Clearly the original vision was for a large school as a national and international centre of
excellence. Quite clearly, it was never envisaged as a small, local school catering to only the
needs of the local community.
Students come to our programs for a variety of reasons – national and international students may
want to get better training and public health jobs in their province or country of origin. Not all
students will wind up in narrowly defined ‘public health’ jobs. Some may go on to administrative
jobs with health-related institutions or to further training public in public health or medicine. We
see the market for our students, as not doubt the rest of the University does, as at least national
but also international.
As a University academic unit we provide a broad education and an aptitude and skills for
learning that serve our students throughout their lengthy work career (one in which they may
have several jobs) not just training for a specific job.
The Faculty of the School of Public Health fully supports the original vision of the School as a
national and international Centre of excellence and is working towards fully realizing this
objective.
2. Measuring the School’s effectiveness
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SPH Faculty Response
In Section 4.7 on pages 11 & 12, the 2007 founding document for the School outlines the criteria
by which the effectiveness of the School in fulfilling its mandate should be measured:
“The School of Public Health will be measured by the effectiveness in meeting its stated
goals. Such measures will include the:
• Development and success of its unique research and programmatic themes
• Growth in the size and excellence of population and public health research
• Growth in its graduate programs and graduate student enrolment
• Growth and richness of its interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and research
• Establishment of strong, mutually beneficial linkages between the School and the
Colleges on campus
• Establishment of strong linkages with communities, health regions, public health
agencies and other academic institutions
• Creation of an exciting, cohesive and collegial academic community
• Establishment of a sustainable resource base
• Achievement of accreditation”
We will deal with these criteria of effectiveness under the following headings and in the
following order: 1) graduate programs and enrollment, 2) education and teaching, 3) research,
4) unique research and programmatic themes, 5) resource base, 6) accreditation.
2.1
Graduate programs and enrollment - Growth in graduate programs, graduate
student enrolment and composition of the student body
As envisaged in its original founding document, rapid growth was mandated from the inception
of the School. There was also a demand for increased enrollment arising from the University’s
desire to increase graduate enrollment, in general, and international student enrollment, in
particular. It was suggested that by 2011 the School have 6 graduate programs and an enrollment
of some 200 students.
Programs. The School has developed 6 new graduate programs – the course-based MPH, MSc in
Biostatistics, PhD in Biostatistics, PhD in Epidemiology, MSc in Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics (V&I), and PhD in V&I. All these programs are up and running and have
produced graduates.
Enrollment. The total number of graduate students currently in the School is 190. In the 2014-15
academic year the SPH has 66 students enrolled in the first year and 85 enrolled in the 2nd year
of the Masters of Public Health (MPH). There are 39 students in theses based programs (5 in the
MSc and 2 in PhD program in Biostatistics, 11 in the PhD program in Epidemiology, and 6 in
MSc and 15 in PhD in the V&I program). More applicants have been accepted for the theses
based program for the 2015-16 academic year: the numbers in these programs are increasing.
On page 4 of the proposal to Council it was projected that by 2011, there would be a total of 180
masters and PhD students (plus 20 postdoctoral fellows) in all SPH programs. Thus, the School
has met and exceeded the expectation on enrollment. It is worth noting that the MPH program
has grown faster than projected primarily because it is a course-based professional program that
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SPH Faculty Response
requires fewer resources compared to thesis programs. Not surprisingly, the enrollment in the
thesis-based programs was slower than the targeted growth largely because of limited resources.
Composition of the School’s student body
One of the successes of the SPH that receives limited attention in the Review is the quality and
diversity of the students.
International students. The University’s stated priority has been to increase the number of
foreign students in its student body both at the undergraduate and graduate level. The proportion
of international students in the School’s MPH program has generally been around that of the
University’s target of 35%. It is currently 32.75%.
Canadian nationals. What is to be noted and is unique in terms of graduate programs at the U of
S is the very large number of national students in the School who have a first degree from other
Canadian universities. Some 67% of students in the current 2015 MPH program are Canadian
(national) students who received their first degree from other Canadian universities.
•
•
•
Currently, there are 151 MPH students enrolled in the MPH program, which includes the
online and on campus students.
The majority of MPH students have undergraduate degrees from U of Toronto, UBC, U
of Calgary and U of Alberta. There are 16 students with undergraduate degrees from the
U of S and 4 from the U of Regina enrolled in the program.
There are 67.25% Canadian students and 32.75% International students among our MPH
student population.
Where we have lagged in enrollment is the size of our theses-based programs. As noted
previously this is largely a function of limited resources, especially a low faculty complement.
2.2
Education - Growth and richness of interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and
involvement in, and linkages to, the wider community
Class projects, the Practicum, and Student involvement in the Community –
In order to provide a broad education and an aptitude and skills for learning that serve our
students throughout their lengthy working careers, the SPH courses: PUBH 803 (Health
Promotion), PUBH 807 (Health Program Planning and Evaluation), and PUBH 992 (The
Practicum) require every student in these courses to complete a project within a community
organization. For example projects have been completed with (but not limited to) SWITCH, the
Avenue Community Centre, the Saskatoon Food Bank, and the Heart & Stroke Association. To
further enhance the educational experiences of our students, the SPH courses PUBH 804
(Foundations in Public Health), PUBH 806 (Public Health Pathology), and PUBH 840
(Interdisciplinary Public Health Practice) include guest lecturers from different health science
units and community agencies.
The practicum is a climatic point in the MPH students’ educational experiences and one that
students often see as an advantage to attending the SPH. The practicum is also an example of the
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SPH Faculty Response
collaboration with other university departments, schools and faculties and engagement with the
local, national and international health care communities.
MPH practicums are hosted through supervisors in (but not limited to) the Western College of
Veterinary Medicine, the Colleges of Arts & Science, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, and
Pharmacy & Nutrition, and the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS). The majority
of our MPH students complete their practicums at locations external to the University of
Saskatchewan. The tables in Appendix 1 summarize the number of MPH practicum placements
internationally and within the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and
Canada. In addition, our MPH students work with different governmental public health
organizations. In addition, our MPH students have completed practicums with (but not limited
to) the Ministries of Health in Saskatchewan and Ontario, Saskatchewan Ministry of
Environment, the BC CDC, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, and the Public Health Agency of
Canada. An expectation for each MPH practicum is that through the application of his/her public
health knowledge, a practicum student is expected to create a product that is beneficial for the
host agency.
The aim of the School is to find a balance between the local/provincial experiences and the
national/international ones since our students pursue a wide variety of career opportunities,
including administrative jobs with health related institutions and further training in public health
or medicine.
Faculty – interdisciplinarity and involvement in the wider academic and health community
By its very nature Public Health is a collaborative interdisciplinary enterprise. Engagement of the
SPH within the University and with its external stakeholders extend well beyond the partnerships
and collaborations associated with our MPH program. The primary SPH faculty comes from a
variety of backgrounds including Veterinary Medicine, History, the School of Public Policy and
Nursing. Joint faculty of the SPH, whose primary appointment is elsewhere, comes from
Sociology, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine and Medicine.
The School of Public Health faculty is actively engaged in the academic programs and the
education and training of graduates from other academic units within the University. Over the
period of the review, SPH faculty members were members of the advisory committees of
graduate students in VIDO, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, the Colleges of Arts &
Science, Engineering, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy & Nutrition, the Schools of
Environment and Sustainability and Physical Therapy, and the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate
School of Public Policy. In addition, students from these Colleges and Schools have taken SPH
courses (including but not limited to VAC 801.1, PUBH 803, PUBH 805, PUBH 808, PUBH
807, PUBH 810, PUBH 842, PUBH 843, PUBH 844, PUBH 846, PUBH 847, PUBH 861 and
PUBH 867) to fulfill their degree requirements.
SPH Faculty is actively engaged in scholarly work with partners at all four levels of health.
These collaborations have resulted in SPH faculty supervising several undergraduate, MSc, PhD
and PDF students and being members on the graduate student advisory committees for several
MSc and PhD students. Additionally, these collaborations have resulted in over 300 peerreviewed publications and SPH faculty working in projects associated with research grants that
total more than $35,000,000. We wish to point out that what follows is only a brief synopsis of
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SPH Faculty Response
the collaborations that have taken place over the review period (see tables in Appendices 2 & 3
for a more detailed account).
Locally:
Over the period of the Review, SPH faculty has collaborated with several units on campus,
including: the Departments of Biochemistry, Computer Science, Geography, Large Animal
Clinical Sciences, Microbiology and Immunology, and Psychiatry; the Colleges of Agriculture
and Bioresources, Dentistry, Engineering, Kinesiology, Law, Nursing, and Pharmacy and
Nutrition; Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM); and the Schools of Environment
and Sustainability, Physical Therapy, and Public Policy.
SPH faculty has also collaborated with the many agencies, including: Global Gathering Place,
the Saskatchewan Ministries of Advanced Education, Education, and Health, Saskatchewan
Cancer Agency, Saskatchewan Association for Betterment of Addiction Services, Saskatchewan
Health Quality Council, Saskatchewan Intercultural Association, Saskatchewan Population
Health Council, Saskatchewan Research Data Centre, Saskatchewan SPCA, various health
regions in Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Food Bank, Saskatoon Public and Catholic School Boards,
Saskatoon Open Door Society, and Wanuskewin Heritage Centre.
Nationally:
Over the period of the Review, SPH faculty have collaborated with people from organizations
located across Canada; for instance: AAFC-Quebec, Carleton University, McGill University,
McMaster University, Mount Royal University, Ryerson University and the Universities of
Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Guelph, Ottawa, Waterloo, and Winnipeg; and the following
agencies: Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture, Canadian Centre on Substance
Abuse, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Canadian Sociological Association, Native
American and Indigenous Studies Association, Addictions Research Centre for Correctional
Service Canada, the Tamil Health Association, and the Vancouver School Board.
Internationally:
Over the period of the Review, SPH faculty has had collaborations with people from the
following countries: Belgium, Brazil, China, Estonia, Iran, India, Japan, Pakistan, Switzerland,
and USA.
SPH have also been involved in several community outreach projects. The UofS Flow Cytometry
Group, headed by a SPH faculty member, engages in the training and support of faculty, students,
and partners from industry interested in the use of flow cytometry as a research tool. A faculty
member is Academic Director, Saskatchewan Research Data Centre, a joint Statistics Canada UofS multi-disciplinary research facility. Another SPH faculty member is collaborating with
CERC Howard Wheater to develop a community-based participatory lake management
framework for Lake Diefenbaker. A PhD student from SENS is conducting the work. SPH
students are also involved in the LINK project in NUTR 310, where students are linked to
newcomer families for assignments and activities with regards to cultural competency.
For a more detailed, but not exhaustive, list of SPH faculty partnerships with organizations at all
four levels, refer to the tables in Appendix 3.
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2.3
Research – Growth and richness of interdisciplinary research excellence in
population health and linkages to in the academic and health communities
The amount of research done at the SPH and the inter-disciplinary collaborations is quite
extensive and it is difficult to fully document given the short time available to prepare this
document. For example, the list of tri-Council funded and peer-reviewed research is extensive;
hence the projects listed below are merely examples. Over the review period, three SPH faculty
members in the V&I program received over 7.5 million dollars in total funding and its faculty
have published 80 peer-reviewed publications. Another primary faculty member within the SPH,
is involved with tri-Council funded and peer-reviewed research involving water issues and
Aboriginal communities. One of many partnerships of this faculty member is the Safe Water and
Health Research Team, an interdisciplinary team of researchers as well as government and
Aboriginal organizations who are funded by CIHR and the Saskatchewan Health Research
Foundation. Another SPH primary faculty member has received five CIHR grants and one
NSERC grant over the review period. A faculty member who works in the area of psychiatry and
public health research also received significant tri-Council funding. There are several research
focused faculty in the School, who are part of the One Health Initiative, and who have funding
from and are currently working in other areas of public health; these faculty are from the
Behavioural Sciences, Infectious Disease and Surveillance, Water and Health, and Zoonosis. The
tables in Appendix 4 provides an overview of the research productivity of SPH faculty.
The list of university inter-disciplinary research collaborations is long. Some examples include
collaboration with Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy & Nutrition, and
VIDO. Equally long is the list of collaborations with Government agencies, health districts and
NGOS. A detailed, but not exhaustive, list of these collaborations can be found in the table in
Appendix 3.
A final issue that needs to be addressed is the extent to which the SPH has fulfilled its mandate
to develop expertise in Vaccinology and immunotherapeutics, Veterinary Public Health,
Agricultural and Rural Public Health, Aboriginal People’s Health and Socio-behavioural Health.
With respect to V&I, it has been successful in attracting significant research funding, providing
HQP training, and Patents (see Appendix 4). The research, teaching and university and other
collaborations in Veterinary Public Health have been extensive. Significant research,
collaboration and outreach have occurred in the area of rural Public Health. There is also a
significant amount of work done in the areas of Aboriginal People’s Health and Sociobehavioural Health.
The tables in Appendices 2 & 3 respectively provide a summary of the number of collaborations
and examples of agencies involved in the work summarized throughout this section.
2.4
Development and success of unique research and programmatic themes.
The School has developed and provides education and research in several areas that are unique to
the School and exist only in the School: namely in Public Health, Vaccinology and
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SPH Faculty Response
Immunotherapeutics, in Biostatistics, and advanced quantitative Epidemiology. The School
offers both graduate degrees in these unique areas. SPH faculty receives funding, conducts
research, and publishes in these areas.
SPH faculty has also made significant contribution to University’s “One Health” Signature area
of excellence and in the shared areas of Veterinary Public Health and Health Care Management.
2.5
Establishing a sustainable resource base
The School currently has a complement of 13 primary faculty (includes an executive director and
two 0.5 FTE), 6 joint faculty and additional Associate and adjunct members.
The School has a Canada Research Chair in mucosal Vaccinology and a Chair in Substance
Abuse shared with the Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences. The School
had a Centennial Chair but the funds for that Chair were reallocated when the occupant left to
take a full professor and unit head position at the University of Manitoba.
In the original proposal for the School, it was anticipated that resources would be merged in
creating the School, particularly the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology (CH &
E) as well the addition of faculty from other academic units from within the University.
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons (some of which have been highlighted in the external
review report), the integration of CH&E into the SPH never materialized. Consequently the SPH
did not have access to the resources that the 2007 founding document stated would be necessary
for the SPH to achieve its original vision.
Despite the lack of adequate resources, the School’s faculty has performed exceptionally well
fulfilling the program objectives and meeting the originally proposed vision for the School.
2.6
Achieving accreditation
Accreditation, specifically CEPH accreditation (the US-based Council for Education in Public
Health) that the original Proposal saw as an objective for the School, was seen as a long-term
objective. As written in the original proposal:
“… it is proposed that the School be structured so as to be eligible in 10 years time for
accreditation by CEPH.” (p12)
As the External Review Report notes with respect to:
“… CEPH accreditation, the School’s aspiration appeared doomed from the beginning. Thus,
although the vision and mission point clearly to establishment of an independent School,
requisite resources to do this in a way that would meet the standards of accreditation were not
provided at any point in the School’s development.”(p.8)
One of CEPH’s major accreditation criteria require Schools of Public Health to have at least 25
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SPH Faculty Response
primary full-time faculty in 5 specific public health areas of competence. It was anticipated that
the merger with CH&E would provide the faculty complement required for accreditation by
CEPH. CEPH accreditation requires at least 25 full time faculty members (5 in each of the core
disciplines of public health). Without the originally proposed integration of CH&E into the SPH,
it was virtually impossible to grow from 13 faculty to 25, thus making it impossible for the
School to achieve one of its major objectives: accreditation by CEPH. For this reason we
pursued alternative avenues of accreditation. In order to provide students and their supporters
with some guarantee of educational quality, we sought and successfully achieved accreditation
with the European-based Agency for Public Health Education Association (APHEA) in 2014. As the
External Review Report rightly notes:
“Accreditation of the MPH program by the Europe based accrediting agency (APHEA) is an
important accomplishment.” (p.7)
3. Summary and Conclusion
The above documentation shows that the faculty of the School has made significant progress in
meeting, if not exceeding, most measures of effectiveness laid out in the original 2007 founding
document for the School in spite of significantly limited resources. We have developed unique
research and program themes. There has been growth in population and public health research.
The School’s student enrollment has grown. Its student body is diverse. Interdisciplinarity has
taken root and is thriving. There are established and productive linkages between the Schools
and other academic units on campus and with other academic institutions and public health
organizations, provincially, nationally and internationally. Even though CEPH accreditation was
not achieved we have achieved APHEA accreditation.
If one considers the big picture, the SPH has made significant progress in achieving the lofty
goals articulated in the 2007 document. While the reviewers point out shortcomings of which
the faculty are aware and are working towards addressing, the SPH has established a reputation
for its collaborative and interdisciplinary work within the University community and beyond at
the local, provincial, national, and international levels. This work consists of teaching and
training graduate students, conducting research, working with community partners, community
engagement activities, securing funding, and engaging in applied public health research. We
have graduated over 230 students who have gone on to work within the public health community
(see Appendix 5 for examples).
The SPH faculty unanimously supports the vision of an inter-disciplinary, collaborative SPH, as
envisioned in the 2007 document approved by Council and the faculty is committed to bringing
this vision to fruition. While the SPH has created much momentum in realizing this ambitious
vision, in order to fully attain the goals in the original proposal, we recognize that we need the
support of the University. We believe that amalgamating with other units with similar interests
will be instrumental in ensuring that the original vision is fully realized and hopefully exceeded.
We are committed to moving forward as partners in Health as originally envisaged in the 2007
proposal to the university community.
Thus we, as Faculty of the School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan wish to
restate our strong support for the recommendation #1 (“Integrate Community Health and
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SPH Faculty Response
Epidemiology into the School of Public Health”) of the External Review Report and go forward
as partners in further developing the dynamic School of Public Health as originally envisaged in
the 2007 Proposal to the University community.
Submitted by *
(Alphabetical list of faculty supporting the document)
Dr. Lalita Bharadwaj
Dr. Yelena Bird
Dr. Carl D’Arcy
Dr. Marwa Farag
Dr. Cindy Feng
Dr. Daniel Fuller
Dr. Philip Griebel
Dr. Rein Lepnurm
Dr. Janice MacKinnon
Dr. John Moraros
Dr. George Mutwiri
Dr. Suresh Tikoo
Dr. Michael Szafron
Dr. Hassan Vatanparast
Dr. Cheryl Waldner
Dated; May 1, 2015
Saskatoon
* The response to the external review report of the School of Public Health represents views of the SPH
faculty. The response does not necessarily reflect the views of the interim executive director.
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Appendix 1 - Practicum locations
The following table summarizes the number of MPH practicum placements internationally and
within the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Canada.
Year 2012 2013 2014 Within the UofS 4 18 15 Within Saskatoon (outside the UofS) 19 22 23 Provincially (Outside the UofS) 13 14 7 Nationally (Outside the Province) Internationally 8 5 14 4 15 4 In addition, our MPH students work with different governmental public health organizations. In
addition to the practicums summarized in the table below, our MPH students have completed
practicums with (but not limited to) the Ministries of Health in Saskatchewan and Ontario, SK
Ministry of Environment, the BC CDC, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, and the Public Health
Agency of Canada.
Year 2012 2013 2014 May 1st, 2015
SHR 6 9 12 Canadian SK Health Regions Health Regions (excluding SHR) (Outside SK) Health Canada 5 0 4 6 5 8 2 7 2 WHO 4 2 2 14
Appendix 2 – Numerical Summary of SPH Faculty Collaborations
Name Within the Within the Health Sciences UofS (Outside Within SPH (Outside the of the Health SPH) Sciences) Lalita Bharadwaj Yelena Bird Robert Buckingham (Executive Director 2009-­‐14) Marwa Farag (appointed July 2010) Cindy Xin Feng (appointed July 2012) Philip Griebel Rein Lepnurm Janice MacKinnon John Moraros George Mutwiri Michael Szafron (appointed July 2012) Suresh Tikoo Carl D'Arcy Colleen Dell Tasha Epp Emily Jenkins Hassanali Vatanparast Cheryl Waldner -­‐ -­‐ 2 -­‐ 5 1 3 4 3 -­‐ 2 3 5 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ 3 5 Primary Faculty -­‐ -­‐ 2 1 -­‐ -­‐ 4 1 1 1 2 -­‐ 3 2 -­‐ -­‐ 2 1 4 2 1 4 -­‐ -­‐ Joint Faculty 4 -­‐ 1 -­‐ 6 4 2 -­‐ 1 -­‐ 3 5 Provincially (Outside the UofS) Nationally (Outside the Province) Internationally -­‐ 7 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ 1 -­‐ -­‐ 5 -­‐ 1 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ 1 5 4 17 1 2 -­‐ -­‐ 2 -­‐ 1 1 3 3 3 4 3 1 2 -­‐ 1 -­‐ 5 5 -­‐ 6 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ 7 4 -­‐ 1 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ 7 -­‐ SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 3 – Examples of SPH Faculty Partnerships
Name Within the UofS Within Health (Outside of the Within Sciences Health Sciences) Saskatoon Provincially (Outside the UofS) Nationally (Outside the Province) Internationally -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ Brandeis University, Nigeria Population Council Primary Faculty Lalita Bharadwaj Yelena Bird Robert Buckingham -­‐ -­‐ College of College of Arts Pharmacy and and Sciences Nutrition; College of Medicine -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan, Lung Association of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, Saskatoon Health Region, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, Saskatchewan Advocate for Children and Youth, Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health (SWITCH) -­‐ CH&E; Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy & Nutrition College of Medicine; WCVM College of Medicine: Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology; VIDO; WCVM Johnson-­‐Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ (Executive Director 2009-­‐14) Marwa Farag (appointed July 2010)(appointed July 2010) Cindy Xin Feng (appointed July 2012) Philip Griebel May 1st, 2015
Mathematics & Statistics Department of Computer Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources Saskatoon -­‐ Health Region -­‐ Saskatchewan Cancer Agency BC Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Universities of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, and Guelph; AAFC-­‐
Quebec Beijing Center of Disease Control NICER: India; University of Leige: Belgium; Merck Animal Health: USA 16
SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 3 continued Name Within the UofS Within Health (Outside of the Within Sciences Health Sciences) Saskatoon Provincially (Outside the UofS) Nationally (Outside the Province) Internationally New York Educational Society, Estonian College of Health Executives, Estonian Medical Journal Primary Faculty Rein Lepnurm Janice MacKinnon John Moraros Colleges of Medicine (Neurology, Cardiology & Psychiatry), Nursing, and Pharmacy & Nutrition -­‐ Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy & Nutrition; Departments of Economics, Political Studies, and Sociology -­‐ -­‐ Queen's University, Dalhousie University, St. Francis Xavier University, Capital District Health Authority -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ Canada West Foundation; Capital Health Authority; CD Howe Institute; Centre for Inter-­‐University Research and Analysis of Organizations; Forum of the Federation; Health Council of Canada; Institutes for Public Administration in Canada and Research on Public Policy; Fraser Institute; Government of Canada: Department of Finance; John Deutsch Institute; Macdonald-­‐Laurier Institute; Public Policy Forum; Trudeau Foundation; Universities of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Prince Edward Island, and Toronto; Queen’s University Canadian Society of Epidemiology and Biostatistics College of Arts and Sciences Saskatoon Health Region Heart and Stroke Foundation of SK, Lung Association of SK, Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, Metis Nation of SK American Enterprise Institute, Washington D.C.; University of Warsaw; Canada-­‐UK Colloquium -­‐ -­‐ May 1st, 2015
17
SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 3 continued Name Within Health Sciences Within the UofS (Outside of the Health Sciences) Within Saskatoon Provincially (Outside the UofS) Nationally (Outside the Province) Internationally Primary Faculty George College of Mutwiri Medicine; Pharmacy & Nutrition; VIDO; WCVM Michael Colleges of Szafron Kinesiology, (appointed Nursing, and July 2012) Pharmacy & Nutrition Suresh College of Tikoo Medicine; VIDO; WCVM -­‐ Division of Biomedical Engineering, Mathematics & Statistics -­‐ Saskatoon Health Region -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ Saskatchewan Cancer Agency -­‐ Universities of Alberta and Guelph -­‐ Canadian Food Inspection Agency; Public Health Agency of Canada; Saskatchewan Research Council; Saskatchewan Health Regions; Animal Health Industry Nelson Mandela University: Tanzania; University of Nairobi: Kenya; Washington State University: USA; Bayer Animal Health: Germany San Francisco State University, University of California-­‐Davies: USA; Saitama University: Japan -­‐ May 1st, 2015
18
SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 3 continued Name Within Health Sciences Within the UofS (Outside of the Health Sciences) Within Saskatoon Carl Department of Psychology, Mental Health & D'Arcy Psychiatry, Computer Science Addictions CCHSA, College of services (SHR); Public Health Nursing Department (SHR) Colleen WCVM Dell Tasha Epp Indigenous Saskatoon Peoples Health Health Region Research Centre; Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science; Student and Enrollment Services Division College of Department of Nursing; WCVM Geography Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Provincially (Outside the UofS) Joint Faculty Mental Health Services Saskatchewan Health Ministries of Health and Justice; Residential Family Addiction Treatment Program for Saskatchewan; SIAST; Saskatchewan Prevention Institute; University of Regina -­‐ Nationally (Outside the Province) Internationally Canadian Research Data Centres Network (CRDCN); Universities of McGill, Ottawa, Calgary, McMaster, and Waterloo School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China Carleton and Mount Royal National Institute Universities; Canadian Centre on on Drug Abuse: Policy Alternatives; Canadian USA Centre on Substance Abuse; Canadian FASD Research Network; Correctional Service Canada; Health Canada; National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation; National Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research; Integrated Treatment for Pregnant and Parenting Women with Addictions; University of British Columbia -­‐ -­‐ May 1st, 2015
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SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 3 continued Within the UofS Within Health (Outside of the Sciences Health Sciences) Name Provincially (Outside Nationally (Outside the UofS) the Province) Within Saskatoon Internationally Joint Faculty Emily -­‐ -­‐ Jenkins Hassanali Colleges of Anthropology; Vatanparast Dentistry, Computer Kinesiology, Science; Medicine, Sociology Nursing, and Pharmacy & Nutrition; School of Physical Therapy -­‐ Open Door Society; Saskatchewan Intercultural Association; International Women of Saskatoon; Health Region; Francophone HealthCare Network; Catholic and Public School Boards; CHEP -­‐ U of Regina: Universities of Kinesiology and Faculty British Columbia, of Social Work; Regina Calgary, Guelph, Open Door Society; Ottawa, and Ministry of Health; Toronto; Ryerson Ministry of Advanced University; Education; Regina McMaster University Community Clinic Cheryl Waldner Colleges of Medicine and Nursing; VIDO; WCVM May 1st, 2015
College of Law; Toxicology Centre; SENS; Computer Science; School of Public Policy; College of Agriculture and Bioresources -­‐ Saskatoon Health Regina Qu’Appelle Region; Health Quality Health Authority; Council Saskatchewan Health; Saskatchewan Water Agency; Saskatchewan Environment -­‐ UAE University, UAE; Mashhad University of Medical Science, Mashhad, Iran; Agha khan University, Pakistan; Bern University, Switzerland; Flinders University in Australia, Adelaide; Australian National University; Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina Public Health Agency of Canada; Canadian Food Inspection Agency; UPEI; Universities of Alberta, Calgary, and Guelph; Alberta Agriculture -­‐ 20
SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 4 - A Summary of SPH Research Productivity and HQP Training
Name Number of Number Number of Students Student Advisory Number of Grants of Patents Supervised Committees Publications Research/Work Program Areas Research $ Primary Faculty Lalita Bharadwaj Environmental Health, Aboriginal Peoples Water Security/MPH Yelena Bird Health Promotion; MPH; Environmental Health; Epidemiology Robert Buckingham -­‐ (Executive Director 2009-­‐14) Health Economics/MPH Marwa Farag (appointed July 2010) $1,150,000 10 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ 9 $374,000 6 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ 7 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ $1,221,966 5 -­‐ 3 PhD $75,000 1 (PI) 1 (co-­‐PI) 21 (PI & co-­‐PI) -­‐ 2 MSc 2 2 Undergraduate; -­‐ 3 MSc; 2 PhD; 2 PDF 4 PhD 2 MSc Cindy Xin Feng Statistics/Biostatistics Philip Griebel Mucosal Immunity, Vaccine $3,834,000 Development and Delivery, Gut Microbiome/ V & I Rein Lepnurm Evaluating Quality of Health Services by Patients, Nurses & Physicians (appointed July 2012) $595,599 5 -­‐ 1 MSc; 11 PhD; External Examiner for 1 MSc 1 MSc; 2 PhD 5 30 42 12 * Presented in this table are the five-­‐year cumulative amounts for research dollars, grants, patents, students, and publications for the period January 2010 – December 2014. May 1st, 2015
21
SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 4 continued Name Research/Work Program Areas Number of Number of Number of Students Grants Patents Supervised Research $ Student Advisory Committees Number of Publications -­‐ -­‐ 5 20 -­‐ 20 Primary Faculty Janice MacKinnon John Moraros George Mutwiri Health Policy Social Epidemiology; Health Disparities; Aboriginal Health Vaccine Research and & Development/ V & I Michael Szafron Mathematical biology; modeling; Biostatistics, Public (appointed July Health/Biostatistics, MPH, 2012) Epidemiology Suresh Tikoo Vaccinology/ V & I -­‐ $1,428,000 8 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ 1 MA $1,142,000 5 (PI & co-­‐PI) 2 2 MSc; 2 PhD; 2 PDF $20,000 2 (PI) $262,100 4 (co-­‐I) -­‐ 2 Undergraduate; 1 3 MSc; 1 MN; MSc; 2 PhD 4 PhD -­‐ $2,860,6000 17 (PI 11 2 MSc; 6 PhD -­‐ & co-­‐PI) * Presented in this table are the five-­‐year cumulative amounts for research dollars, grants, patents, students, and publications for the period January 2010 – December 2014. 6 18 May 1st, 2015
22
SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 4 continued Name Carl D'Arcy Tasha Epp Emily Jenkins Hassanali Vatanparast Cheryl Waldner Research/Work Program Areas -­‐ Research $ Number of Students Supervised -­‐ 7 PhD; 2 PDF; 3 visiting graduate student scholars 12 (PI) -­‐ 2 PhD; 2 MSc 9 -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ 1 6 MSc; 6 PhD; 5 MSc; 6 1 PDF PhD; External Examiner for 2 MSc 2 MSc; 6 PhD; 10 MSc; 10 1 PDF PhD; External Examiner for 5 MSc and 2 PhD Joint Faculty $343,372 (PI); -­‐ $15,234,852 (co-­‐PI & co-­‐I) Epidemiology of Zoonotic diseases; dog population and dog bite prevention in First Nations communities -­‐ $454,300 Nutritional Epidemiology, Access to care and chronic disease $3,457,644 -­‐ 19 (PI) 12 (co-­‐PI) Drinking water and health/ Epidemiology $2, 852,512 18 -­‐ Student Number Advisory of Committees Publications Number of Patents Number of Grants 4 PhD; External Examiner for 2 PhD; Chair of 4 PhD committees -­‐ 40 19 -­‐ 24 48 * Presented in this table are the five-­‐year cumulative amounts for research dollars, grants, patents, students, and publications for the period January 2010 – December 2014. May 1st, 2015
23
SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 5 – Examples of Employment Positions Held by SPH Graduates
Name Anne Neufeld Simon Karpaj Rob Weiler Abraham Ali Sarafa (TJ) Tijani Bolaji Daniel Adeniji Anyanwu Marcellinus Tolu Sajobi Sakshi Kapoor Himanshu Tiwari Sameer Bajaj Rahwa Osman Meaghan Friesen Usman Aslam Eleonora Pandovska Pelivanova Stephanie Ortynsky Satya Chaitanya Challa Eisha Grant Tolu Oyewumi Narender Singh Patrick Ling Sameena Vadivelu Teju Bababunmi Sujani Sivanantharajah May 1st, 2015
Employment Position Provost and Vice President, Academic at Saskatchewan Polytechnic Deputy Medical Health Officer, Saskatoon Health Region Vice President, Practitioner Staff Affairs , Saskatoon Health Region Assistant professor, Hawassa University Regional Infection Control Practitioner at Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region Research Analyst at Government of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Accreditation Specialist at Saskatoon Health Region Assistant Professor at Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary; Calgary, Alberta, Canada Evaluation Analyst, Holy Cross Site, Calgary, Alberta Health Services System Transformation Leader at Indiana University Health; Carmel, Indiana Research Associate at Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary; Calgary, Alberta, Canada Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization/ International Vaccine Center; Saskatchewan, Canada Travel Registered Nurse at Solutions Staffing; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Senior Manager, Prevention & Cancer Control at Cancer Care Ontario; Toronto, Canada Area Researcher at Mercuri Research Group, University of Saskatchewan, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada PHD Graduate Student at Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program, School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan Research Assistant at University of Saskatchewan Medical-­‐Technical Support Officer-­‐MoH Uganda at Clinton Health Access; Initiative, Uganda NIH Funded Multicenter Study: Randomized Order Safety Trial Evaluating Resident Schedules (ROSTERS) at Children's Hospital Colorado; Greater Denver Area , USA Researcher at Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary; Calgary, Alberta, Canada Family/Sports Physician, Interventional MSK ultrasound, Avant Sports Medicine; Saskatchewan, Canada Program Evaluator at Middlesex London Health Unit; Toronto, Canada Director, Community Health Development and Health Promotion at Keewatin Yatthe Regional Health Authority; Buffalo Narrows; Saskatchewan, Canada Epidemiologist, Outbreak Management Division at Public Health Agency of Canada; Toronto, Canada 24
SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 5 continued
Name Tarun Sachdeva Xue Yao Samuel Alara Hua Li Kelechi Eguzo Xinya Lu Abimbola Sajobi Maclean Danso Divya Kothari Madhura Kulkarni Thilina Bandara Stanley Enebeli Donna Smith Joseph Ayeni Namneet Sandhu Tyronne Kowalski Udoka Okpalauwaekwe Baiye Orock Muhammad Khan Akwasi Owusu-­‐Kyem Naina Baidya Carl Swanson Newaz Ahmed May 1st, 2015
Employment Position Health Promotion Facilitator at Alberta Health Services, Canada Statistical Analyst / Programmer at Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Canada Kaizen (Lean Management) Specialist at Keewatin Yatthe Health Region; Saskatchewan, Canada Lecturer, College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan Medical Officer, Nigerian Christian Hospital, Nigeria Research Analyst at Saskatchewan Health Quality Council; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada LPN at Bethany Care Society, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Special Care Program Manager at Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health Services; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Documentation Specialist, Genzyme, Greater Boston Area , USA Speech Production and Bulbar Function Lab Manager at University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Toronto, Ontario, Canada PhD Student -­‐ Community and Population Health Sciences at University of Saskatchewan Manager -­‐ Support Services at Saskatoon Health Region Dietetic Intern at Aramark; Toronto, Ontario, Canada Research Scientist/Health and Safety Specialist/Patient safety and Quality Improvement Specialist at University of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Intern at Health Canada, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch; Surrey, British Columbia, Canada Safety Officer, Department of Transport Canada; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Research Assistant at First Nations Water Quality Project, University of Saskatchewan Registered Nurse at Lakeridge Health; Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Data Extraction Analyst at Canadian Center for Health and Safety in Agriculture; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Research/Analyst at University of Saskatchewan Dolphin Dental at Dolphin Dental; Toronto, Ontario, Canada Regional Manager -­‐ Communicable Disease Control at Island Health -­‐ Vancouver Island Health Authority; Toronto, Ontario, Canada Research Associate-­‐Surveillance at Alberta Cancer Prevention Legacy Fund – ACPLF; Calgary, Alberta, Canada 25
SPH Faculty Response
Appendix 5 continued
Name Keisha Sharp Ethan Chu Naveed Noor Adegboyega Lawal Sarah Younus Lauren Stahl Shirley Sarfo Olawale Salaam Carolyn Cyr Anna-­‐Maria Thompson Thepikaa Varatharajan Sakshi Kapoor Patricia De Ciman Graham Addley Ore Adamson Dinah Bear Naser Al-­‐Khatib May 1st, 2015
Employment Position Think Tank Coordinator at Upstream: Institute for a Healthy Society; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Continuing Care Assistant at Saskatoon Convalescent Home Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at The Network for Consumer Protection, Canada PhD Student & Research Assistant at University of Saskatchewan Evaluation Assistant at The University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Community Tobacco Coordinator at Prince Albert Grand Council, Canada Pharmacy Assistant at Rexall; Nepean, Ontario, Canada Clinical Research Associate at University of Saskatchewan Regional eHealth Nurse Advisor at Health Canada FNIHB-­‐SK; Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Pharmacist, Canada Safeway Pharmacy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada UOIT-­‐CMCC Centre for the Study of Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation; Markham, Ontario, Canada Research Associate at University of Calgary; Calgary, Alberta, Canada Network Facilitator at REALM Foundation Inc.; Saskatchewan, Canada Director Communications, Development and Alumni Relations Saskatchewan, Canada Economist / Research Analyst; Saskatchewan, Canada Faculty, Grant MacEwan University, Co-­‐Owner, Awakening Venus, Owner, Bear Hands Holistic Care & Consultation Inc. Project Management, Pharmaceuticals; Toronto, Canada 26