WELCOME TO THE FALL 2024 ISSUE of the Healthy World Report (formerly Impact Report). Our vision as a Faculty is to be leaders and partners for a healthy and just 21st Century world and our mission is to positively influence health, wellness, and their determinants through leading-edge education, research, and practice. To that end, we are guided by the five strategic directions highlighted in our 2024-28 Strategic Plan Building A Healthy World For All: Advancing Social Justice; Creating opportunities for student engagement and impact; Amplifying research impact; Partnering for positive change; and Seeing, hearing and supporting each other. , we present our progress on our five strategic directions and I’m very pleased with what has been accomplished to date. From the ongoing work to decolonize our curriculum in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Actions, to advance AI research toward a more inclusive metaverse, and a partnership with countries in Africa and Central and South America to improve air and water quality, we’re having an impact both locally and globally. We have developed new programs to help students succeed in their academic careers and faculty members to become effective, and engaged instructors, and I am grateful to the faculty, staff, students, and community partners whose dedication and hard work are advancing our vision and mission.
In addition to reporting on our current initiatives, we are also looking to the future as we progress in our work toward the establishment of York’s new School of Medicine, currently in the accreditation process. The new School will be founded on a patient-centred, community-based approach, to prepare the next generation of primary care physicians to work collaboratively within inter-professional health care teams at diverse learning sites.
I hope you enjoy reading this report. We invite you to join us in our efforts to create a healthy and just 21st Century for all.
Chris Ardern, PhD
Interim Dean, Faculty of Health