Reimagining Health for All, Ahead of Tomorrow

Strategic Plan 2023 | Cumming School of Medicine

Message from the dean

We are pleased to present the 2023 Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) strategic plan. This plan is the result of a year-long engagement process facilitated by J5 Design and led by CSM vice-dean Dr. Bev Adams, MD, on behalf of the school’s senior leadership team. The plan was assembled based on the feedback and iterative input from our working and advisory groups, more than 100 consultative meetings and school wide surveys. We are incredibly grateful to all those who participated.

The previous CSM strategic plan (2015-2022) was built on the foundation of precision medicine and our three pillars of people, platforms and partnerships. These principles remain embedded in the 2023 plan.

The CSM has been an important catalyst for the University of Calgary being recognized as a top 5 research intensive university. This is the base upon which the plan builds. The strong discovery and transdisciplinary academic work of our seven research institutes underpins what we do.

Our educators have established innovative programming for our learners. We are proud of the excellence in our academic core and the impact created with our community partners. The 2023 Strategic Plan will provide the roadmap that takes us to the next level over the next decade and more.

Universities and faculties of medicine have contributed to the structural inequities that have existed in our society for far too long. As articulated in our responsibility statement (view here), we must make strong commitments to eliminate these barriers -- creating an environment where all people are included, valued and feel a strong sense of belonging.

This will take time and we must continue to earn the trust of our learners, faculty and staff. Real change is possible and will be achieved by action and resolve. We will develop an anti-racist/anti-oppressive environment and advance Truth and Reconciliation with our Indigenous leaders. I am deeply committed to equity as a core principle, as is the leadership team. This mindset will allow us to move to a true non-hierarchical collaboration across our school and beyond.

Dr. Todd Anderson Dean, Cumming School of Medicine (CSM)

The core of the plan revolves around six strategic priorities. These should not be thought of as silos. The people and work in these areas will be overlapping and transdisciplinary. Cross-cutting themes will pull these all together. The priorities span the important work our members are doing in discovery science and translational medicine, educational innovation, transformation in the learning health system, health equity and Indigenous health.

We have purposefully put people at the center of our plan. Our near-term goal is that we are identified as the medical faculty that provides the best experience in Canada for our learners, faculty and professional staff and the diverse communities and people with whom we work.

We are committed to creating a people first strategy to elevate and recognize our members for all they do to contribute to the success of the CSM. Just as important to our mission are the people we work with outside of the school, our community partners, patients, the broader research community, Alberta Health Services, other UCalgary faculties, provincial and federal government partners, our funders, the City of Calgary, rural Albertans and our Indigenous communities. Our role is to collaborate, co-create and solve mutually important problems. That is the privilege and responsibility that we have been entrusted with and which we can achieve through outstanding academic work and social equity.

Our long-term goal (2040) is to lead — to be the medical school of choice for new learners, faculty and staff. We will provide the best opportunities for all locally and will have expanded global reach. If we attract and retain the best people, then amazing things will happen. An audacious goal needs to start at some point. This is that time. We are deeply committed to Reimagining Health for All: Ahead of Tomorrow. We invite you to join us on our journey.

Todd Anderson
Dean, Cumming School of Medicine
On behalf of the Dean’s Executive Committee

How we got here | Statement of Accountability | Our Priorities
Education and Research Excellence | 7 Year Goals | 15 Year Goals

To date, we have heard from more than 2,500 people through ongoing engagement opportunities.
The engagement process was facilitated by J5 Design and the CSM senior leadership team.
A Working Group of individuals was brought together to provide strategic direction.
Advisory Groups included Black Health, Clinical, EDIA, Education, Indigenous people, Learners,
MaPS/AUPE, Research, Imagine Citizens, Patient and Community Engagement Research
(PaCER), Social Accountability/Planetary Health, Community Groups and others.
Small group workshops led by J5 took place and an online feedback form was available for
those who could not attend workshops in person.

For more info on how we got here, visit CSM Strategic Planning, Developing a living strategy

_{This plan is a living document and will change based on ongoing engagement.}

We are

a compassionate, curious and creative team of educators, learners, scientists, clinicians and professional staff.

We are

dedicated to generating diverse knowledge that cultivates local impact and carries global relevance.

We drive

positive change in health equity and social accountability through discovery, inclusive excellence and continuous learning.

In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, the Cumming School of Medicine acknowledges that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Treaty 7 Region in southern Alberta and the City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta (districts 5 and 6). We recognize the Indigenous people who for generations have been the traditional keepers of these lands. We acknowledge health and educational disparity, and we commit to responding to the Calls to Action detailed within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s report.

This plan is one part of our promise to bring about transformative change in medical education, clinical practice, biomedical and health outcomes research.

We acknowledge past and present harms and the need for truth seeking before progress. Medicine has long been marred by a culture of systemic injustices, perpetuating disparities in health care. We recognize the importance of combatting such injustices through self-reflection and by fostering diversity. We also acknowledge the fragile nature of our planet and the importance of adapting for a changing climate.

We embrace the challenges ahead with courage and strive for excellence with knowledge that this work is never finished.

A commitment to…

Inclusive excellence
Indigenous ways of knowing, being, doing and connecting
Anti-racism and anti-oppression
Equity, diversity and accessibility
Wellness
Innovation and entrepreneurial thinking
Inclusive governance

…across everything we do.

We will engage through responsive leadership and building connections

In November 2023, the Cumming School of Medicine released Reimagining Health for All, Ahead of Tomorrow,
our new strategic plan detailing our six priorities for the future.

As implementation of the plan gains momentum underway,
we want your input on how you see yourself in its implementation and your ideas for strengthening our plan moving forward.

We’ve said from the start that the plan is iterative and we expect the plan to evolve to make improvements to it along the journey over time. Let’s do this together.

We are a research intensive medical school that fosters creative scholarship and critical thinking for better health in our community. The Cumming School of Medicine is a national leader in educational experience, biomedical and health outcomes research.

Our education programs	Our research institutes:
Bachelor of Health Sciences	Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute: Strategic Plan
Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation	Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute: Strategic Plan
Undergraduate Medical Education	Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases: Strategic Plan
Graduate Science Education	Hotchkiss Brain Institute: Strategic Plan
Postgraduate Medical Education	Libin Cardiovascular Institute: Strategic Plan
Continuing Medical Education & Professional Development	McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health: Strategic Plan
Office of Health and Medical Education Scholarship	O’Brien Institute for Public Health: Strategic Plan