Dalhousie’s Division of Geriatric Medicine is internationally recognized for its work on Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, frailty, and the care of older adults. Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, one of Dalhousie’s leading figures in the field, co-developed the Clinical Frailty Scale, which has been adopted by clinicians and health systems around the world. That is not a small thing. That is a flagpole. The same is true in oncology. Dalhousie’s Division of Medical Oncology works through the Atlantic Clinical Cancer Research Unit, which oversees 30 to 50 clinical trials at any given time across disease sites, giving Nova Scotian patients access to treatments that would otherwise not be available to them. Dalhousie participates in national and international cancer research networks, including the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group. Its Department of Urology is doing innovative work on early detection, biomarkers, new surgical techniques, and emerging therapies. That is not just a service line. That is an economic and academic development opportunity. Then there is the IWK. The IWK Health Centre is not merely a beloved local institution. Its Eye Clinic is recognized internationally for excellence in pediatric ophthalmology. Its Centre for Pediatric Pain Research has long been considered among the world leaders in the field. The IWK holds ChildKind International certification for its institutional commitment to preventing and treating pain in children. And its 2024 accreditation report noted that the IWK was the best in Canada for timely research ethics processing regarding pediatric cancer trials. Several years ago, Nova Scotia lost a world- class shoulder surgeon. He did not leave because Nova Scotia lacked need. He did not leave because his skill was unimportant. He left because his excellence was not rewarded in a meaningful way. That should trouble us. When a province loses a specialist like that, it does not simply lose one doctor. It loses
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argument, a place where everyone lines up to demand more money from the same strained pot. But what if Nova Scotia stopped treating healthcare only as a cost centre and started treating it as one of the great economic, academic, and social opportunities of the next generation? What if we planted our flag? Nova Scotia is already one of Canada’s oldest provinces. Statistics Canada reported that 22.6% of Nova Scotia’s population was 65 or older as of July 1, 2025, compared with 18.9% in Ontario, 15.5% in Alberta, and 20.5% in British Columbia. The Province has previously projected that nearly one-quarter of Nova Scotians will be 65 or older by 2032. That is usually framed as a warning. It should also be framed as a strategy. An aging province needs more than beds, waitlists, and emergency patches. It needs advanced geriatric medicine, dementia care, frailty research, home-care innovation, oncology excellence, specialist recruitment, rural delivery models, and a serious plan to train the next generation of healthcare workers here — not elsewhere, here. The truth is, Nova Scotia already has the beginnings of this story.
If Nova Scotia wants excellence, it has to create a system where excellence can afford to stay.
HEALTH & WELLNESS • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE 157
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