Faculty of Health Sciences honours former dean Dr. Chris Hosgood

caroline.zentner — Thu, 02 May 2024 15:43:21 +0000

The Faculty of Health Sciences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has chosen former dean Dr. Chris Hosgood as this year’s recipient of the Friend of Health Sciences Award, an award he instituted during his time as dean.

“We are so pleased to honour Chris with the Friend of Health Sciences Award,” says Dr. Jon Doan, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences. “His hard work, dedication and leadership skills enabled the growth of Health Sciences and the development of unique programming. He has left a significant and invaluable legacy that deserves to be celebrated.”

“I was a little embarrassed when I learned I was to be named this year’s recipient because I was the person who started the award,” says Hosgood. “But I have to be honest — it felt really good because being Dean of Health Sciences was something that meant a great deal to me.”

Hosgood, who was born in the United Kingdom and moved to Canada as a child, joined ULethbridge’s history department in 1988 with a specialty in British history. After teaching for a decade, he moved into the administrative arena and worked as associate dean in the Faculty of Arts & Science. From there, Hosgood was asked to step in as interim dean in the School of Health Sciences and was appointed dean in 2005.

At that time, the School of Health Sciences was focused on the nursing program, which had recently partnered with Lethbridge College on the delivery of the Bachelor of Nursing. The addictions counselling program was a new addition. Under Hosgood’s leadership, the school became the Faculty of Health Sciences and programming expanded to include a Bachelor of Nursing After-Degree program, a Master of Nursing, Public Health, Aboriginal Health, Master of Science, Master of Health Services Management and a PhD in Population Studies in Health. Student enrolment more than doubled and additional faculty members were needed. More recently, the Therapeutic Recreation program was added. The program has proven to be popular and high demand led the Faculty to double the number of online seats in 2023.

“There are all sorts of different ways to be a dean, but for me, it was about talking to people,” he says. “We always had healthy discussions at Faculty Council, which helped bring people together. In Health Sciences, we tried to create a kind of culture where everyone had a say. I think there was an environment where people felt able to speak their minds in a respectful way. I believe very strongly in collegial governance.”

“A great dean stands out as a colleague through a blend of interpersonal skills, collaboration, and positive workplace culture contributions,” says Debra Bardock, Dean, Centre for Health and Wellness at Lethbridge College. “Dr. Chris Hosgood — thank you for being this great dean!”

Hosgood will be honoured at the Friends of Health Sciences Dinner on Thursday, May 23, at 5:30 p.m. in the Science Commons Atrium. Tickets can be purchased online.

Local nursing education program achieves accreditation

caroline.zentner — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 17:12:34 +0000

The Nursing Education in Southwestern Alberta (NESA) program, delivered collaboratively by Lethbridge College and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, has met national standards for nursing schools and obtained accreditation by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN).

The NESA program has always been an approved program at the provincial level. CASN accreditation means the program has met the national standards for nursing programs across Canada.

“We have accreditation for five years, which is fantastic,” says Chris Hosgood, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences. “It absolutely confirms what I’ve always thought, which is that we have a wonderful program with incredibly engaged and dedicated instructors.”

“This accreditation is a result of exceptional collaboration between the two institutions,” says Debra Bardock, dean of Lethbridge College’s Centre for Health and Wellness. “The program is a success due to the commitment, dedication and consistent pursuit of excellence by faculty and staff to support the success of students.”

The designation means the NESA program meets the standards for both curriculum and faculty research. The program offers a united curriculum over four years, with students spending their first two years at the College and their final two years at the U of L.

“The benefit for students is that they have a CASN-accredited program supporting their access into graduate programming in nursing, as well as international nursing opportunities,” says Hosgood, adding that the U of L offers a master of nursing and a doctorate in population studies in health.

“Students also receive life experience that is the best of both worlds,” says Bardock. “They experience both university and college life, and ultimately get to benefit from the success of the high-level collaboration between the two institutions.”

The accreditation process took around three years. The first step was a self-study of the program according to a set of criteria identified by CASN. After the self-report was completed, four external reviewers from other nursing schools in Canada, but outside of Alberta, visited both the U of L and the College.

“The reviewers met with students in the classroom and at their clinical sites, partners in the community, faculty members, and senior administrators at both institutions and in the health system,” says Hosgood.

“The support of our external partners cannot be over-stated,” says Bardock. “Health environments across southern Alberta that provide practice-based opportunities for our students are as invested in their success as we are.”

Programs like NESA, where students spend the first two years at Lethbridge College and the final two years at the U of L, aren’t uncommon. However, the level of collaboration between the College and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is unique, says Hosgood. The collective approach to the program means both sides share knowledge and resources, with a focus on excellence and student success.

The NESA program was launched in 2002 and is celebrating a decade of graduating students in 2016.

UNews - Debra Bardock

Faculty of Health Sciences honours former dean Dr. Chris Hosgood

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