Dr. Jon Meddings reappointed dean of the Cumming School of Medicine

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Jon Meddings has been reappointed for a six-year term as dean of the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) effective July 1, 2016.

In March of this year, Meddings indicated his willingness to be considered for reappointment. An Advisory Decanal Review Committee was established to consider Meddings’ performance during his first term as dean and the appropriateness of his reappointment. The committee invited and reviewed commentary from those within the Cumming School of Medicine and from the external community. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide input. The committee also interviewed Dr. Meddings. Following the process, the committee recommended renewal, and President Elizabeth Cannon was pleased to accept that recommendation. 

Meddings received his BMSc and MD from the University of Alberta. During his academic career, he has served as head of the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Calgary, and as chair, Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. He returned to the University of Calgary in 2009, as vice-dean of the Faculty of Medicine, and became dean of the Faculty of Medicine — now the Cumming School of Medicine — in July 2012.

During his first term as dean, Meddings established a highly collaborative process to develop a new strategic plan for the School that supports and aligns with the university’s Eyes High vision. The 2015-2020 strategic plan is built on the pillars of people, platforms and partnerships. A key goal of the plan is for the School to become a national and global leader in Precision Medicine and Precision Public Health. 

As dean, Meddings has placed a major focus on increasing health research capacity — both in terms of recruitment plans for new researchers and developing support programs aimed at improving the success of existing researchers. This commitment to research excellence has yielded substantially improved results in the school’s performance in obtaining Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grants and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grants.

While the Cumming School of Medicine is a major research engine of the university, its primary role is to train physicians, offering students a top-tier medical education. During Meddings’ first term, the School has gone through three successful accreditations: Continuing Medical Education (2014), Post Graduate Medical Education (2015), and Undergraduate Medical Education (2016). The continuous review of educational programming is critical to quality improvement for all medical schools.  Dr. Meddings’ commitment to these rigorous training standards has contributed to successful results in each of these accreditations.

Recognizing the importance of strong community relationships and the need to streamline fundraising initiatives, Meddings worked to combine communications, alumni and fund development under a single governance model. Fundraising efforts have been successful, including the naming of the Cumming School of Medicine in honour of an extraordinary philanthropic gift.

While the Cumming School of Medicine is the second youngest medical school in Canada, Meddings’ ongoing pursuit of excellence has made the University of Calgary a destination for world-class medical practitioners, educators and researchers. By expanding and bolstering critical partnerships with both Alberta Health Services and Alberta Health, Meddings’ efforts have ensured the Cumming School of Medicine is an integral part of the province’s health-care system, and a leader in improving the health outcomes of patients from across Alberta and beyond. 

I would like to thank the members of the Advisory Decanal Review Committee, which I chaired, for their diligent work and contribution to this process. They are: Ed McCauley (Vice-President Research), Tara Beattie (CSM faculty representative), Christopher (Chip) Doig (CSM faculty representative), James Kellner (CSM faculty representative), Gordon Fick (CSM faculty representative), Raylene Reimer (GFC representative), Robert Thompson (GFC representative), Lesley Rigg (decanal representative), Tom Lynch (MaPS representative), Peter Byrne (AUPE representative), Steeven Singh Toor (SU representative), Abu Abdelhafiz (GSA representative), John Baker (Faculty Association representative), Bill Sembo (community representative, Deans’ Advisory Board), Francois Belanger (community representative, Alberta Health Services).

Please join me in congratulating Jon Meddings on his reappointment. 

Dru Marshall

Provost and Vice-President (Academic)