It has been a busy spring and summer for the Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit. In May, the entire development committee met in Moncton for daylong meetings. It was the first face-to-face meeting of the whole team, giving everyone the opportunity to put faces to names and generally get to know one another. The main objective of the meeting was to outline the governance of the MSSU going forward. After valuable input from all attendees and excellent guidance from Nancy Carter of the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, the committee structure was set and elements for the Terms of Reference put in place.
A short time later in early June, a presentation was given to update the community on the latest developments of the Unit. The question and answer session was well-attended in Halifax with participation from linked-in sites across Nova Scotia as well as New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. MSSU team members described how the initiative came together, outlined the vision for the Unit, provided information on how the community can get involved and presented examples of MSSU projects which are under development.
Throughout the summer months, more pieces were put in place as details of the Terms of Reference for each committee were laid out. The team also put forth the process for populating committees. This is an important task as the three MSSU advisory committees consisting of the data, scientific and training will be the engine which drives the Unit. Details needed to launch the MSSU website were put in place while work began on a research project which will illustrate valuable contribution the MSSU will provide in improving health care across the Maritime provinces. While it’s been a busy year, it’s clear there is still a lot of work moving forward but with a strong team and tremendous leadership, the MSSU will successfully meet the challenges ahead.