The Faculty of Health Professions is comprised of eight schools, one college, two programs, more than 200 faculty members and 50 staff members. With almost 2,500 students, it boasts the third largest student body at Dalhousie University.
As we move into the 21st century, practitioners now appreciate more than ever the importance of interprofessional collaboration and teamwork to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of practice. Accordingly, the Faculty continues to develop new initiatives that bring together students from the various academic units so they develop the attitudes, values and skills required to work collaboratively and come to understand better the scopes of practice of the various professions represented in the Faculty and how their individual professions fit within the broader health and social services community.
The Faculty of Health Professions was formed in 1961 when the College of Pharmacy and School of Nursing entered into a union with Dalhousie. Electa MacLennan, the first Director of Nursing, had a three-faculty complement, including herself. Gordon Duff was the first Dean of Pharmacy and he had two full-time faculty members, including himself. The faculty had no Dean and reported to President Henry Hicks.
Physiotherapy began at Dalhousie later that year, with Art Shears as the part-time director and one full-time faculty member, Pat Wells. Dr. R.M. MacDonald became the faculty's first Dean — a part-time position.
The fourth unit, the School of Physical Education was established in response to the need to train phys-ed teachers in the region. Al Cole was its first director. Later the school's name changed to reflect its growth in other areas.
The School of Human Communication Disorders entered the faculty in 1976 with Mike Webster as its first full-time director. The School of Health Administration became independent from the School of Public Administration in 1985; Larry Nestman, who had begun the program in 1981, was its founding director.
Then, the long-awaited School of Occupational Therapy was founded in the 1981-82 academic year with Barbara O'Shea as its first director.
One of the newest members of the Faculty of Health Professions is also one of the oldest schools. The Maritime School of Social Work, now called the School of Social Work, was established in 1941 and became associated with Dalhousie in 1969. In 1984-85, it joined the Faculty of Health Professions with Fred Wien as its director.
In 1999, Dalhousie University and the Faculty of Health Professions welcomed a new addition, the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre/Dalhousie University School of Health Sciences with Pam Reid as its first director.
