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Dalhousie School of Physiotherapy Alumni Prepare for the School’s 50th Anniversary Weekend

October 2015 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Dalhousie School of Physiotherapy. While there’s still months to go until the celebrations, preparations at the School have been underway for almost a year. The 2015 Steering Committee, spearheaded by alumni Sheila Quackenbush and Dan Boland, have been hard at work organizing the activities and celebrations scheduled for October 2-5, 2015.

40 Years of Commitment

Sheila graduated from Dalhousie’s School of Physiotherapy in 1970 (the 6^th graduating class). She went on to work as a physiotherapist for 40 years, working primarily at the IWK in Halifax. While her roles consisted of varying degrees of clinical and administrative duties, and she held a number of management roles, Sheila remained a practicing physiotherapist for the duration of her career. Sheila’s connection to Dal has lasted her entire career through her involvement in the student clinical education program.

Dan graduated from Dal in 1979, a member of the first BSc degree class in Physiotherapy. After graduation, Dan went on to work in the old Halifax Infirmary from 1979-1983. From there, he earned a Master’s degree from the University of Alberta with a focus in musculoskeletal orthopedics. He moved into private practice, working for 31 years before recently retiring. His diverse career provided him with ample opportunities for professional growth.

Planning for a Milestone Celebration

The 50th Anniversary Weekend is not just another milestone. It is the marker of 50 years of development and growth in the field – something worth commemorating and celebrating. Over this time period, the physiotherapy profession has become increasingly innovative.

According to Dan, the field has grown in “scope and level of knowledge, becoming an integral part leader in the health community,” and this anniversary will recognize the “totality of its development.”

These festivities will also serve as a stepping-stone for establishing an alumni association. According to Sheila, the 2015 Steering Committee hopes the celebrations will draw as many alumni as possible and a number of new grads to be a part of the festivities. The goal is to bring people together to celebrate and hopefully inspire both long-term alumni and recent grads to join the new alumni association. “We want to establish a bridge between the grads and alum,” says Sheila.

The Opportunity to Come Together and Give Back

Sheila’s class has regular reunions each year. Her class was quite small, with only 12 graduates but they have remained close friends for over 40 years. “The School gave me the ability to do the job I loved doing for 40 years and this is why I’m working with the school on the 50th anniversary celebrations”.

For Dan, he has seen the field of physiotherapy grow for decades and feels proud of how the profession has developed. He says that he was “very pleased and honored” to be asked to assist with planning for the upcoming anniversary. “The professors at Dal work hard to graduate successful students ready to become successful professionals, and there is the need to give back to the community that’s been so supportive.”

Further, Dan recognizes that alumni have a duty to assist in the development of the profession as a whole, stating that alumni should “embrace the commitment we have to each other and to the betterment of the profession.”

Although the festivities are months away, Dan, Sheila and the committee comprised of faculty, staff and alumni are hard at work planning the multi-day celebration of 50 years of physiotherapy education at Dalhousie. With so much excitement surrounding the event, it already promises to be a celebration to remember.

For more information on the School of Physiotherapy’s 50th Anniversary Weekend, please contact: physiotherapy@dal.ca