Return to campus

Students, trainees, faculty and staff,

It has been great to see the campus environment at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) coming alive again as members of our community gradually return to campus. This month, employees who play an essential role in supporting in-person instruction have made the transition back to campus.

With the current levels of COVID-19 in the province and our highly vaccinated campus community, we now have an opportunity to shift from remote to in-person work. All employees, including faculty, staff and senior leaders, are asked to work on campus full-time starting April 4.  

As previously communicated by the university, this transition back to campus will serve as a pilot period to help inform a long-term approach to hybrid work. During this time of in-person attendance, we ask that teams use this opportunity to re-examine their unit’s needs and processes in detail.

While we have successfully adapted to working remotely during the pandemic and recognize that it has improved workflow in many cases, we are also aware of instances where operational efficiency and team collaboration has been negatively affected. We aim to reach a more optimal level of operations where the needs of everyone at the CSM are met to the greatest degree possible during this unique time.  

Please work with your managers and colleagues to consider a range of factors – such as access to campus resources, workspace requirements as well as client and employee experience – to develop an actionable hybrid work plan. Consultations with managers will begin in late spring to review work plans.

In the meantime, as we transition to working on campus, I would like to remind our community that mandatory masking remains in effect on campus until the end of winter term on April 29. Isolation is still required for people who have COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive. Health practices such as regular handwashing and disinfecting should also continue. As always, we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will respond to shifting conditions as necessary.

I would like to express my gratitude to all CSM employees for the dedication and flexibility you have shown as we navigate changing guidelines and approaches. I look forward to seeing collaboration on campus again and commit to maintaining communications to provide more details as they become available.

Sincerely,

Jon Meddings, MD
Dean, Cumming School of Medicine