Alumni Weekend

Alumni Week(end)

September 27 - October 2, 2021

The tradition of Alumni Weekend is returning this fall — albeit in a mostly digital format.  The good news is, you can celebrate with us wherever you are!

For a full week, you can access exclusive digital content straight to your device. You’ll find an exciting lineup of live virtual lectures, tours and more! Get your full fix of campus, all from the comfort of your couch.

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Alumni Weekend 2021 Featured Events

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Precision Health in Action: Making Medicine Work for You

Hosted by the Alumni Association, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, the Faculty of Public Health and the Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.

September 28, 2021
7 - 8:15 p.m.

The newest frontier in health care is all about precision: diagnoses, treatments and preventive measures tailored towards a patient’s biological and environmental makeup instead of the traditional “one-size-fits all” approach. It could mean learning you have a chronic or rare disease with one simple test or being prescribed a medication that’s more effective and has fewer side effects, all because it was made with your genetics in mind. 

The University of Alberta is home to world-leading experts developing precision-health approaches to diagnosing and treating conditions such as cancer, diabetes and mental illness. On Sept. 28, five researchers and clinicians will discuss how their work is already benefiting the health of patients and communities and what new treatments we can anticipate in the near future. 

Register

HSERC door

Virtual tour of the Health Sciences Education and Research Commons

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a doctor? To give CPR or to shock a heart back to life? The Health Sciences Education and Research Commons (HSERC) in the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy houses 1,400 m2 of flexible space designed to support health sciences education and research. Equipped like a functional hospital ward, this space offers students and medical professionals the opportunity to practice their skills, take important medical exams, and update their medical knowledge - all with the aim of producing confident and capable graduates. Take a tour of the HSERC space and watch as real-life medical residents learn in true to life simulations, take their medical exams, and explore housing options of the future in the Smart Condo.

Tours will be available here on demand starting Sept. 27, 2021. 

Recordings from Alumni Weekend 2020

Pandemic Perspectives – What we’ve learned from COVID-19

Hosted by the Alumni Association, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, the Faculty of Nursing and the Faculty of Public Health.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the U of A’s world-class researchers and scholars have been actively engaged in efforts to limit the spread of the virus, help local and global communities and find a cure. Watch as a panel of U of A experts—from a variety of disciplines—as they discuss the lessons we’ve learned from COVID-19, why the U of A is uniquely equipped to respond to the pandemic, and how our knowledge is helping reimagine systems, structures and policies for a better, healthier future.

Textbooks to Extended Reality: How medical education is transforming the next generation

Hosted by the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

 
Forget iPads and SmartBoards; imagine learning how to dissect a body in virtual reality, or projecting molecules on your living room wall from your phone. New extended reality technologies have fundamentally transformed health-care education, which in turn has transformed health-care outcomes. Even in a global pandemic, these technologies have ensured that students continue to receive the best education experiences possible. Join the team from Educational Innovation & Academic Technologies at the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry as they discuss how technologies are creating new opportunities for students, the possibilities for improving patient outcomes, and a few of the constraints around integrating leading edge technologies to train the next generation of healthcare professionals.