The Hub Faculty of Health Disciplines alumni, students and faculty news

Faculty of Health Disciplines alumni, students and faculty news

What’s new? Are you proud of a recent accomplishment or achievement? Have some thoughts or ideas to share with former classmates? Or just want to check in with the gang? Send an e-mail to fhdnews@athabascau.ca and share with the FHD community

Carla Brittos Costa: MN alumna

… graduated in June 2018. She says she will always be grateful to AU, the professors and her teacher, Dr. Gwen Rempel, for the opportunity to learn at her own pace, and to advance her career. She appreciates her husband and their son for being so patient and supportive.

Adrijana D’Silva: MHS alumna

… has had her master’s thesis research on lung cancer published in three prestigious journals: Lung Cancer, Psychooncology and Mental Health and Physical Activity. Her FHD co-authors were Drs. Jeff Vallance and Steven Johnson. Adrijana was awarded the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal in 2017 for being the AU student with the highest graduate-level standing

Several FHD faculty

… collaborated on an opinion piece/rebuttal in University Affairs, responding to a previously published article that questioned the inclusivity of online learning and rehashed old myths and misconceptions. The FHD authors disagreed with this limited perspective and generalizations, citing the realities of online learning at AU.

Dr. Shawn Fraser: professor

… is serving as Interim Dean of AU’s Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Faye Gosnell: MC alumna

… is the Mental Health Coordinator at Athabasca University, a new position that started in April 2018. A Registered Provisional Psychologist in Alberta, she’s working with the AU community to develop and implement a University-wide mental health strategy.

Dr. Paul Jerry and Dr. Terra Murray: professors

… are working alongside FHD Dean Dr. Margaret Edwards as Associate Deans. Paul is Associate Dean, Student Services, and Terra is Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Beth Perry Mahler: professor

… was named as AU’s 2018 recipient for the Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision.

Derek Luk: MN alumnus

… received a CARNA Education Award of Excellence in the spring. Derek, the founder and CEO of Mimentra, uses mobile technology and evidence-based mindfulness programs to help promote mental health. Mimentra is a social enterprise providing accessible and personalized mental health promotion through mobile technology platforms. Read more about Derek on the CARNA website.

Dr. Sharon Moore: professor

… has made a number of presentations: “Conversations and Reflections on Hope in Nursing Education: Why It Matters,” (invited keynote speaker at the Western Northwestern Region Canadian Association Schools of Nursing Nurse Educator Conference, Calgary); “Creating Invitational Classrooms in Online Learning: The Heart and Soul of Teaching” (with Kerry Black, London International Conference on Education , Cambridge University, U.K.); “Coaching Career Transition, Entrepreneur Tradespeople in Teacher Preparation” (with Kerry Black, London International Conference on Education at Cambridge University, U.K.); “Touch Quilts, Dementia and Ethical Challenges” (with Mariko Sakamoto and Carol Henckel, International Institute on Qualitative Methodology Conference, Banff)

Jananee Rasiah PMD: NP alumna; BN Director of Operations

… has been seconded to the position of Director, Patient Engagement Platform, of the Alberta Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Support Unit — known as AbSPORU. The initiative is funded jointly by Alberta Innovates and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to advance patient-centred research. FHD Associate Professor Dr. Virginia Vandall-Walker leads the Patient Engagement Platform, one of seven within AbSPORU.

Mariko Sakamoto: MN alumna

is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of British Columbia and recently had her first solo article, “Nursing knowledge: A middle ground exploration,” published in Nursing Philosophy.

Published:
  • October 1, 2018