York University, the Michener Institute and Toronto’s Alpha Health Group are elated after a July 9 signing of agreements with India’s Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RHUS) and Rajasthan’s health ministry to develop state-of-the-art lab facilities which will be used for teaching and research, wrote The Toronto Sun July 16.
The agreement between York and RUHS encourages joint projects and an exchange of faculty, students and staff between the two institutions for at least five years.
Harvey Skinner, dean of York University’s Faculty of Health, went to Jaipur, India, in January. He met with Dr. Joseph Kurian, president of Alpha Health Group, who joined him for a series of discussions with Rajasthan University and the Rajasthan health ministry.
Skinner called the agreement “really fantastic for York and also for partnering with the Michener Institute. One of the goals of our Faculty is the global outreach, global initiative with some key countries of the world and India is right up at the top of my list.”
Sheila Embleton, vice-president academic at York, and Kurian, were members of Premier Dalton McGuinty’s business delegation to India in January 2007.
One of the goals of York’s Faculty of Health is to increase the professional standards and international accreditation in lab technology and medicine. “We want to help build international management leadership training and, in addition, we have initial discussions to focus in the areas of nursing,” Skinner said.
Embleton said, “there are several advantages” for York. “We will be involved in some of the training aspects, building capacity for health-care workers but it is also for us to send some of our students (to Rajasthan) for international placements and international experience.”
Singer, songwriter alumna returns home for performance
Budding Canadian singer-songwriter Shannon Rose (BA ‘05) is coming home to Pembroke for a performance, wrote the Pembroke Daily Observer July 16. Currently based in Ottawa, Rose has been performing her indie folk-pop material for the past year with The Thorns. When she performs at Café Ole on July 19 at 8pm, with her husband Steve Matylewicz and Dave Norris, it will be the first time she has played live in Pembroke.