CHS Community Profile: Tim Konoval
26 June 2024
How do you describe your work to those who don’t work in your field?
As academic teaching staff in the College of Health Sciences, I lead all shared academic initiatives that cut through the health science faculties. These initiatives involve (re)developing new courses and programs, facilitating and teaching interdisciplinary courses, and supporting other academic initiatives. My aim in all areas is to facilitate opportunities for health science students to learn together.
A great example of this is the interprofessional education strategy delivered by the College of Health Sciences. In interprofessional education, students from two or more health professions learn about a variety of topics, such as harm reduction or disaster management, with the intention of increasing collaboration across disciplines for better patient care.
I am currently developing a new first-year interdisciplinary health course that will have University of Alberta students challenge their understanding of what health is (and can be) at local, national and international levels. This course will cover emerging social and technological innovations in health while also tackling some of the challenges to our health system, such as climate change, mental health and addictions, from multiple perspectives. I’m excited about this course as it is going to provide students with an overview of the many career possibilities in the health system. It’s called Your Future in Health: Pathways and Possibilities and will be available in Winter 2025…so stay tuned!
What are some challenges you want to solve through your work?
It’s becoming increasingly clear that so many health problems are avoided when health-care professionals communicate and collaborate with one another. To this end, I aspire to help health professionals learn outside of their discipline and to get comfortable working collaboratively. I’m definitely influenced by my background in kinesiology and sport as I have had the privilege to not only work with a number of successful teams but to also witness the benefits associated with interdisciplinarity.
While I have always loved teaching, developing the next generation of health science professionals is challenging in today’s world! Preparing students for careers that will support the health system of the future is critical. I hope to help prepare students for this through the up-and-coming bachelor of health sciences program, which will introduce students to traditional health-care professions as well as careers in health technology, planetary health, health system improvement and more!
What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?
When I am not writing course content or teaching, you can find me volunteering at a flower and alpaca farm just south of Sherwood Park. Well, it’s our family business, so I guess it’s not technically “volunteering!” It’s called Blooms on 7 Flower Farm — check it out HERE. We’re gearing up for a summer of u-pick flowers and alpaca picnics so if you’re looking for a great summer activity, look no further!