Endowed Academic Chairs
BMO Financial Group Chair
in Health Professions Research
at University Health Network
Cynthia Whitehead MD PhD
As holder of the BMO Financial Group Chair in Health Professions Research at University Health Network Chair my priority is to build capacity in health professions education research.An important aspect of this is to support the next generation of researchers, who come from diverse fields to become part of our community. We are enriched by engaging with graduate students and colleagues from different disciplinary perspectives, contexts and cultures. As Chair, my goal is to help expand the horizons and deepen understanding of our field. This will allow us collectively to explore complex issues in health professions education. By learning and working together, we will find creative ways to improve and enrich the education of future health care professionals.
The Richard and Elizabeth Currie Chair
in Health Professions Education Research
at University Health Network
Nicole Woods PhD
The Richard and Elizabeth Currie Chair in Health Professions Education Research supports our ongoing work on integration, discovery and innovation. I recognize the vital role that knowledge drawn from the social and behavioural sciences can play in advancing healthcare education. As Chairholder, my goal is to actively engage multi-disciplinary teams of graduate students, scientists and clinicians in theoretically grounded research and education innovation. We are exploring new forms of foundational knowledge that can be integrated to improve care. We are also identifying teaching approaches that support learning and expert development. Collectively, we aim to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and education practice.
Read the Department of Family and Community’s interview with Dr. Woods: Fortifying the foundation of health professions education.
Research Associate
The Richard and Elizabeth Currie Chair
in Health Professions Education Research
at University Health Network
Ellena Andoniou PhD
Dr Ellena Andoniou joins us from Western University, bringing more than 15 years’ experience working in Canadian and international roles at the intersection of global health, development, equity and women's issues. Most recently, as a Research Associate in One Health, she has been exploring community health worker's experiences as agents of behaviour change in the context of human and zoonotic tuberculosis in Kenya. Prior to this, she was the Program Manager for a health systems project aimed at improving maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in Rwanda and Burundi funded by Global Affairs Canada. Her expertise in and strong passion for global health began with a research and service-learning program that partners with women’s groups in East Africa to introduce probiotic yogurt to help address the health, social, and economic impacts of HIV/AIDS.
Ellena brings over a decade of field work expertise in research, managing projects and working with grassroots organizations in Canada, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, and Uganda, focusing on HIV/AIDS, nutrition, MNCH, women’s empowerment and health equity. She brings extensive first-hand experience from her research and professional collaborations working closely with community members, NGOs, academic, health-care and research institutions.
Karolinska Institutet Prize For Research In Medical Education
Prize recipient 2016
PROFESSOR BRIAN HODGES
Professor Hodges, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, Canada, will receive the award and a prize amount of €50,000 at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on 13 October.
This international prize is awarded for outstanding research in medical education.
The purpose of the prize is to recognise and stimulate high-quality research in the field and to promote long-term improvements of educational practices in medical training. ”Medical” includes all education and training for any health science profession. The prize is made possible through financial support from the Gunnar Höglund and Anna-Stina Malmborg Foundation. It is currently awarded every second year.
“This year’s prize winner was an easy choice, as Professor Hodges’ research is of such outstanding significance, quality and originality. It has led to changes in practice and has had an impact on medical education. Professor Hodges has embraced both quantitative and best-practice qualitative methodologies. The outcomes of the research are well recognised as a substantial contribution to the medical education literature,” says Professor Sari Ponzer, Chair of the Prize Committee. Professor Hodges has since the early 1990s advocated a closer examination of the role that medical education plays in society. His research focuses on the nature of competence, how it has been constructed in different historical periods, across different countries and cultures, and how it is assessed using a range of assessment tools and systems.
He has successfully advocated including simulations and assessment of mental health and communication skills in examinations for medical students and residents and for other health professionals. This is now standard practice in his native Canada and many other countries. “When I was in medical school, all exams were written or oral; there were few simulations as part of the examination process. Today, the use of simulated patients is widespread internationally, and has changed the way that medical students are assessed. In a perfect world, health professionals would go back every year of their career to engage in challenging simulations to test their clinical and communication skills. That’s what I’m currently working on,” says Professor Hodges. “Our research team was the first in the world to experiment with the validity of complex communication and mental health simulations. I’m proud that these types of simulations are now part of the medical examination process, in combination with physical assessment. This is important, as we often need to deal with patients or family members who are anxious or emotionally distressed in a hospital environment. It is important to have the chance to practice in a safe environment before, for example, dealing with relatives of a dying patient or a patient who is angry or confused.
I’m glad there is more focus on these types of teaching and assessment these days.” Professor Hodges continues: “Communication is key for health professionals, both between patient/physician and between colleagues in the medical community. Caring and compassion are the foundation of our profession. I would also like to see a more team-based approach, as medicine is all about teamwork for safer practice. Team-based simulations should be part of all medical environments in the same way as other sectors including airlines, nuclear power and others where it’s essential to work together in unison, train together to help minimise risks.”
Professor Brian Hodges is awarded the 2016 Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education. His research has led to changes in educational practice, both scientific and practical, in the training of health professionals around the world. As an example, simulations and assessment of patients’ mental health and students’ communication skills are now included in medical examinations in many countries.
Wilson Centre Investigator Award In Indigenous Medical Education At University Health Network
Lisa Richardson MD MA FRCPC
Associate Dean, Inclusion & Diversity, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Lisa is a Wilson Centre Researcher, clinician educator in the University of Toronto's Division of General Internal Medicine, and practices at the University Health Network. Her academic interest lies in the integration of postcolonial, indigenous and feminist perspectives into medical education. She is Faculty co-Lead in Indigenous Medical Education for the University of Toronto's medical school and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine.
She is a 2014-2016 AMS Phoenix Fellow for her work related to the creation and integration of cultural safety teaching into the medical school curriculum. She is an active member of the Indigenous Physicians’ Association of Canada and is on the planning committee for the annual Indigenous Health Conference. She is also a member of the University of Toronto’s Steering Committee whose role is to advise the University about how to implement the Calls to Action from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.