Overview
The associate provost, health, provides leadership to the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Health Sciences in creating a new standard for interprofessional education, research, and practice in the health sciences. In order to foster collaboration between students, faculty, and researchers across the health disciplines—and to help educate health professionals through a team-centered approach—the associate provost, health, works closely with the Health Sciences Deans Committee (HSDC) and other health science faculty and staff.
The associate provost, health, is responsible for supporting USask's vision to become the university the world needs by fostering excellence in interprofessional practices, interdisciplinary life, and health science discovery and by integrating education, research, policy, and practices to improve health outcomes for the diverse Peoples of Saskatchewan, Canada, and the world.
In addition to the Health Sciences Deans Committee, a number of other committees assist the collaborative efforts required to support important work related to interprofessional education, research, and Indigenization within the health sciences.
Leadership
Interim Associate Provost, Health
Dr. Adam D.G. Baxter-Jones, PhD, joined the University of Saskatchewan (USask) faculty in 2000 and has held a number of leadership roles during his time on campus. These positions include associate dean (2008-10, 2011-12) and acting dean (2010-11) at the College of Kinesiology and interim dean at the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (2013-17). He currently serves the university as the interim associate provost, health, in the USask Health Sciences.
Dr. Baxter-Jones’s program of research concerns the growth and maturation of children pertaining to body composition development in relation to physical activity, sport, and exercise. He is a recipient of the 2024 Society for the Study of Human Biology (SSHB) Tanner Memorial Medal, the 2015 University of Saskatchewan Distinguished Researcher Award and the 2012 Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation Achievement Award.
He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Health’s (CIHR) College of Reviewers and currently the chair on CIHR’s Social & Developmental Aspects of Children’s and Youth’s Health (CHI) committee.
In 2021, Dr. Baxter-Jones was named in a Stanford University report as one of the world’s top 2 per cent most-cited scientists in various disciplines. His research work has been cited approximately 15,000 times across hundreds of papers, including in prestigious journals such as Nature and The Lancet.
Health Sciences Deans Committee
The deans provide administrative leadership for USask Health Sciences educational programming and research.
Committees
Overviews & Contact Information
The purpose of the Health Sciences Deans Committee is to advise the Provost and Vice-President Academic on health science matters that relate to university processes (including but not limited to: the vision and mission, integrated planning, finance, resources, operations, risk management, and outreach and engagement for the health sciences) at the University of Saskatchewan.
The College of Medicine Indigenous Health Committee is comprised of faculty, staff, and community members who are dedicated to Indigenous health. The IHC exists to strengthen culturally-based linkages between Indigenous world views and the medical community.
The Research Advisory Committee (RAC) provides guidance and advice on research issues that arise locally, nationally, and internationally.
The RAC engages in strategic planning to advance health sciences research that aligns with institutional priorities and strengthens partnerships with key stakeholders including health regions, government ministries, funding agencies, and community groups.
Reporting to Health Sciences Research Advisory Committee (RAC), and advisory to the Associate Provost, Health, the Health Sciences Research Cluster Leaders Committee (RCLC) provides guidance and advice on research issues arising from the health sciences research clusters.
The Health Sciences Research Space Governance Committee (RSGC) provides guidance pertaining to research space, research administrative office space, and other research space allocation and usage issues that arise within the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Health Sciences Building.
The RSGC engages in strategic planning to advance health science research that aligns with institutional priorities and strengthens partnerships with key stakeholders.
The Health Sciences Programs Advisory Committee (PAC) provides oversight to educational programs that span departments within the health sciences, including interprofessional education at the University of Saskatchewan.
The PAC is accountable and responsible for the oversight of the identification, prioritization, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of cross-departmental or school health science initiatives and issues that are relevant to the continuum of interprofessional education in the health sciences, and programming that is common to at least two of the participating health science colleges and/or programs.
The Interprofessional Education Curriculum Committee (IPECC) is responsible for the development of a curriculum framework for interprofessional education (IPE) in the health sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. Once a framework is developed and approved by PAC, the IPECC will work with the PAC to implement, evaluate, and maintain the IPE curriculum across disciplines and programs within and across all provincial instructional sites. The Committee will also develop recommendations concerning IPE and related policies and procedures for consideration by the Interprofessional Education Advisory Committee.
Under the leadership of one of the participating program leads, the IPECC will direct the IPE Framework at the University of Saskatchewan, grounded in evidence-informed best practices.