catharine.walsh@utoronto.ca

Dr. Walsh’s research focuses on examining factors that influence the acquisition of complex clinical skills, behaviours and attitudes, including methods of optimizing learning within simulation-based environments.  Dr. Walsh also conducts educational measurement research focused on the assessment of competence and performance of health professionals.  Her program of research aims to advance our understanding of (1) how healthcare professionals, from novice to expert, develop and maintain clinical skills necessary for their practice; (2) how to improve education delivery and skills acquisition using technology-enhanced learning modalities such as simulation; and (3) how best to assess learners’ competence.  Taken together, these lines of inquiry inform the ways in which we can enhance the training and assessment of healthcare professionals and ultimately improve patient- and family-centered care.

 Dr. Walsh received her medical degree from the University of Toronto.  After graduation, she pursued residency training in Pediatrics and a fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).  At the same time, she received her Master of Education (Health Professions Education Specialization) from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.  Dr. Walsh then went on to complete her PhD in health professions education through the Institute of Medical Science, in conjunction with research fellowships at the Wilson Centre for research in education and SickKids.  Dr. Walsh is currently a Clinician-Scientist and Staff Pediatric Gastroenterologist in the Department of Paediatrics, an Educational Scientist at the SickKids Learning Institute and a Scientist at the SickKids Research Institute.  She is the recipient of a Career Development Award from the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Training Program and an Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science.