The AMS Phoenix Project has developed a strategic and operating plan to govern its activities over the next two years (2014-2015). This plan includes priorities, milestones and operational deliverables. The full report of the Strategic Directions & Operating Plan for Years 3 and 4 (2014-15) is available online here. An executive summary of the report is also available here…..
News
Second Cohort of AMS Phoenix Fellows Announced
July 11, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – Associated Medical Services (AMS) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013 AMS Phoenix Fellowship award. The fellowship is a key cornerstone of the AMS Phoenix Project. This is the second year that a small select group of talented health professionals from across Ontario have been granted this prestigious award in recognition of their leadership in advancing compassionate health care.
The six recipients of the 2013 AMS Phoenix Fellowship are:
| Kerry Boyd, MD, FRCPC McMaster University “A Curriculum of Caring” |
| Marion C.E. Briggs, BScPT, MA, DMan Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) “The Social Nature of Practice: A Neglected Conversation in Person-Centred Care and Interprofessional Collaboration” |
| K. Michael Hartwick, MD, FRCPC University of Ottawa “Fostering Rapport and Ethical Therapeutic Relationships in Acute Care” |
| Kathryn Parker, PhD University of Toronto Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital “Compassionate and Relational Approaches to Leading Change and Evaluating Educational Programming within Complex Systems” |
| Trisha Parsons, PhD Queen’s University “The Personal Health Care Story as a Catalyst for Person‐Centered Care”/em> |
| Paula Rowland, PhD University Health Network “Patients as Partners: Exploring the Way Forward” |
The intent of the AMS Phoenix Fellowship is to provide support to individuals to allow them to devote time to engage in leadership activities that will influence how health professionals develop and sustain their communication skills, empathy, and professional values in learning and practice environments. Fellows build capacity in their home institution and across the province to enable more humane and supportive teaching and practice.
“This year’s AMS Phoenix Fellows were selected on the basis of their strong leadership abilities and their potential to build a network of supporters within their regions to advance compassion, empathy and restore the human dimension that lies at the core of what it means to provide good health care. The work undertaken by this year’s Fellows will help to improve teamwork, strengthen interdisciplinary communication and appreciation for the roles and contributions of others” said AMS Phoenix Project Lead, Dr. Brian Hodges. “The success of the AMS Phoenix Project and its fellowship program will mean that five years down the road we will have in place education and practice innovations and new networks of individuals committed to re-centering compassion in health care.”
This year’s fellowship was open to all health professionals involved in education, clinical practice or research. The next round of applications for the AMS Phoenix Fellowship will be announced in January 2014. For additional information about the AMS Phoenix Fellowships visit the AMS website www.theamsphoenix.ca
For further information contact:
Bev Nickoloff,
Project Consultant, The AMS Phoenix Project
416 484 4523
bev.nickoloff@sympatico.ca
“Physicians Humane Caring and Family Caregivers”- Dr Brian Hodges’s one Hour Interview about Phoenix Project on Voice America
VoiceAmerica reports that Family Caregivers Unite! reached an audience of over 425,000 listeners by March 31, 2013, that in March alone it was accessed from 20 countries, and that also in March alone all of its 193 Episodes were accessed in its On-Demand Library. On May 14 2013, Dr Brian Hodges was interviewed for one hour by Voice America about the Phoenix Project, which now lives in the on-demand library.
2013/14 AMS Call to Caring Project Grants Competition
The AMS Phoenix Project is now accepting applications for the 2013/14 AMS Call to Caring Project Grants competition. This initiative is funded by the Associated Medical Services.
This year, the target of the grants is education and practice research and innovation projects that have the potential to re-affirm the importance of compassion in health care. The AMS Phoenix Project is particularly interested in projects that increase our understanding of: the hidden curriculum, transition points in education or practice where compassion/person-centred care is at risk, and effective ways to include patient voices in education and clinical practice.
The competition is open to those actively involved in health professions education or clinical practice, and to exceptional students in health care-related disciplines. The intent of the Project Grants is to facilitate the equivalent of up to $40,000 to support the proposed Project. The AMS Phoenix Project will award up to $20,000 for one year (2013/14). The applicant’s supporting organization (university, college, hospital, employer, other) must match the AMS Phoenix Project funding.
This funding opportunity has a two-stage application process: Stage 1 requires the completion of a Letter of Intent (LOI); Stage 2 requires the completion of a more detailed application upon invitation. Timelines for the competition are as follows:
| KEY DATES | |
| May 2013 | Announcement of AMS Call to Caring Project Grants |
| June 30, 2013 | Deadline for receipt of Stage 1 application |
| July 30, 2013 | Applicants notified about the invitation to advance to Stage 2 |
| Sept. 6, 2013 | Deadline for receipt of Stage 2 application |
| Oct. 1, 2013 | Stage 2 applicants notified of the decision about grant funding |
More information about this competition can be found here. Applicants can goto Stage One Upload page to submit their Stage One LOI. Finalists from Stage One will be required to go to Stage Two Upload page to submit a more detailed proposal of their proposed Project.
For questions about this initiative please contact:
Beverley J. Nickoloff, Consultant, The AMS Phoenix Project
Email: bev.nickoloff@sympatico.ca
Telephone: 416 484 4523
Proceedings arising from the 1st Annual AMS Phoenix Project Workshop – November 29-30, 2012
On November 29-30, 2012, the AMS Phoenix Project held its first annual workshop at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. The workshop –Creating Communities of Caring − brought together individuals who have been most actively engaged in the work of the AMS Phoenix Project including the 2012/13 AMS Phoenix Fellowship and Call to Caring Grant recipients. The workshop provided an opportunity to showcase Year 1 accomplishments of the AMS Phoenix Project, provided a venue for AMS Phoenix Fellow, Grant Recipients and their mentors to share experiences and discuss future priorities for the AMS Phoenix Project.
Dr. Heather Stuart, Bell Canada Mental Health and Anti Stigma Research Chair provided the keynote address: “Stigma in Health Care: Problems and Solutions.” The presentation highlighted the significant stigma experienced by individuals with mental health issues, and challenged those attending to recognize the negative impact of stigma on patient care and the role that healthcare providers play in perpetuating stigma. The workshop proceedings are posted here for review…
Call for Applications for the 2013 AMS Phoenix Fellowship Awards
Applications are now being accepted for the 2013 AMS Phoenix Fellowships.
WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF THIS YEAR’S AMS PHOENIX FELLOWSHIP?
The AMS Phoenix Fellowship is a prestigious award targeted at individuals with strong leadership abilities who are willing and committed to devoting time to further understanding of new approaches to educational and clinical practice to advance humane, compassionate, person-centred care.
This year, awards will be given to individuals with strong leadership qualities who are interested and able to engage in leadership activities that will advance some and/or all of the following four (4) leadership roles: Awareness & Understanding; Change Agent; Catalyst; Network Building. [For further information visit the AMS Phoenix website at www.theamsphoenix.ca
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?
Eligibility for the AMS Phoenix Fellowships is intended to be broad and inclusive. The competition is open to all health professionals who are actively involved in education, clinical practice and/or exceptional students who have demonstrated leadership in making a positive and lasting difference in how health professionals develop and sustain compassion in their work. (maximum length 2 pages), along with a copy of their curriculum vitae (maximum length 5 pages) no later than Friday, March 2, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Finalists will be notified by Friday, March 30, 2012 whether they will be invited to participate in Stage 2 and will be asked to prepare a more detailed description of their proposed Fellowship.
WHAT IS THE AMOUNT OF THE AWARD?
The AMS will provide successful applicants with $25,000 for a one-year period (2013/14). The AMS funds must be matched by the Fellow’s supporting organization (e.g., university, college, hospital, etc.) to guarantee funding for the Fellow’s activities equivalent to $50,000/year.
HOW DO INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS APPLY?
Applications will be evaluated using a two-staged process. For Stage 1, applicants are required to submit a letter of intent (maximum length 3 pages), along with a copy of their curriculum vitae (maximum length 3 pages) no later than March 6, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Finalists will be notified in April 2013 whether they will be invited to participate in Stage 2 and will be asked to prepare a more detailed description of their proposed Fellowship.
HOW DO I LEARN MORE?
Learn more at: www.TheAMSPhoenix.ca
| KEY DATES | |
| March 6, 2013 | Deadline for receipt of Stage 1 materials from applicants |
| April 2013 | Stage 1 applicants notified whether they are invited to participate in Stage 2 |
| May 10, 2013 | Deadline for receipt of Stage 2 materials from applicants |
| July 2013 | Stage 2 applicants notified of the decision re: fellowship funding of the AMS Phoenix Fellowship award |
| September 2013 | Fellowship begins |
Recipients of the 2012/13 AMS Phoenix Project Call to Caring Grants Announced
Associated Medical Services (AMS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012/13 AMS Phoenix Project Call to Caring Grant competition. This year’s awards were given to projects designed to increase understanding of compassionate, person-centered care through narrative approaches and/or to address aspects of the hidden curricula that can work against compassionate care in some learning and practice environments.
The recipients of the 2012/13 AMS Phoenix Project Call to Caring Grants are:
| Carol Fancott, BScPT MSc and G. Ross Baker, PhD University of Toronto “Letting Stories Breathe”: Using Patient Stories for Organizational Learning and Improvement |
|
Cheryl Cline, PhD |
|
Gail Lindsay, RN PhD |
|
Kenneth Locke, MD MSc |
|
Kari Osmar MRT(T) BSc MEd |
|
Michelle Spadoni, RN DNP, Patricia Sevean RN MA (N) EdD, and Karen Poole, RN MA(N) MEd |
|
Joyce Zazulak, MD MSc CCFP FCFP |
The purpose of the AMS Phoenix Project grant competition is to catalyze change in health care and education by making strategic investments that will help to engage educators, nurses and other health professionals, their workplaces and their partners in activities that will enrich understanding about what is needed to balance human compassion and technical expertise. In making their decisions, the review committee considered projects that scored highly on feasibility, potential impact and institutional support as well as the potential of the proposed projects to achieve a balance of professional/disciplinary and regional representation.
The next round of applications for the 2013/14 AMS Phoenix Project Call to Caring Grants will be available online in April 2013. For additional information visit the AMS website www.theamsphoenix.ca
For further information contact:
Beverley Nickoloff
Project Consultant, The AMS Phoenix Project
416 484 4523
First Cohort of AMS Phoenix Fellows Announced
Associated Medical Services (AMS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 AMS Phoenix Fellowship competition.
The 2012 AMS Phoenix Fellowship is a key cornerstone of the AMS Phoenix Project. Launched in June 2011, the AMS Phoenix Project is based on the premise that health professionals provide the best care when they are able to balance human compassion and technical expertise. Over the next few years, AMS will act as a catalyst for change by making strategic investments and working with educators, health professionals, workplaces and other partners to better understand what is needed to support this balance. The AMS Phoenix Fellows will act as champions providing leadership and building capacity to help create more humane and supportive teaching and practice environments.
The 2012 AMS Phoenix Fellows come from six universities across Ontario including McMaster University, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Queen’s University, University of Toronto, University of Ottawa and Western University.
Through their work, the cohort of Fellows will help build a network of supporters within their regions to advance humane, compassionate, person-centred care and to understand and address the hidden curricula that can work against such care, said AMS Phoenix Project Lead, Dr. Brian Hodges.
The next round of applications for the 2013 AMS Phoenix Fellowship will be available online in January 2013.
The 2012 AMS Phoenix Fellows Announcement is available here.
Passing of Dr. B. William Shragge
It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Dr. Bill Shragge. In his role as CEO of AMS Bill spent two years on a tour of medical and nursing schools and organizations in Ontario and Canada that ultimately convinced him of the need to reinvest in the compassionate side of healthcare education. This insight led to several retreats and summits in early 2011 that ultimately gave birth to the AMS Phoenix Project: A Call to Caring. In 2012, Bill appointed Brian Hodges as Lead of the Phoenix Project and watched with pleasure as the project came to life. Today the Phoenix Project is flourishing and just a few weeks ago Bill expressed his immense satisfaction with the enthusiasm with which the project is being received. Bill’s presence will be sorely missed but the Phoenix will continue to rise a testament to the passion and vision of Bill Shragge. Details of Bill’s personal and professional life can be found at www.lifenews.ca/metroland/profile/271136–shragge-dr-b-william.