As I write my last entry for 2013, I am reflecting on all that the Faculty of Medicine has accomplished this “banner” year:

The Med I & II student-hosted Rich Man Poor Man dinner in February raised awareness about world hunger and food security issues. [Mark your calendars, this year’s event takes place Feb. 6, 2014.]

In June we officially launched the Habitat for Humanity build project and with the help of 125 faculty, staff and student volunteers built a house in 10 days!

We headed into August by welcoming 110 exceptional med students (95 per cent Manitobans) and that excitement carried on into September when we greeted 12 new future physician assistants. The entire incoming PA class is from Manitoba, a first for our Faculty.

In October, we learned that our UGME MD program received full accreditation from CACMS and LCME, a great accomplishment of which we can all be proud!

In November, I was humbled to hear from a young woman at our Med in the City Gala who has been so positively impacted by the Biomedical Youth Program. It is one of our faculty’s many outreach programs to under-represented youth that promotes science literacy and careers in the health professions.

Just as the year started to wind down, we held the Habitat dedication ceremony. I had the pleasure of meeting Leah and two of her children as we presented them with keys to their new home. The family was thrilled and grateful. Leah is looking forward to waking up in her new house on Christmas morning- the first home she’s ever owned.

It was heartening when a beaming, six-year-old Madison darted from room-to-room taking it all in… we know the benefits of safe and affordable housing. I have no doubt that by addressing one of the social determinants of health, we have helped shape a brighter future for this family. Brother Eric, 10, also at the ceremony, was anxious to know which of the five bedrooms was his – a space he could finally call his own.

Thank you to all faculty, staff and learners for all of your contributions to our successes in 2013. I know as a Faculty, we have made positive changes in our community from giving a single mom and her five children a house they will call home to reaching out to inner-city youth through basketball and Biomedical Youth Program activities to achieving our education and research missions.

I wish you a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2014.

What is your most memorable moment from 2013?