The Health Professions Education Research (HPER) Doctoral Program is now accepting applications for a Sept 2025 start. Application deadline is November 15, 2024
More details on the program and how to apply: https://ihpme.utoronto.ca/programs/health-professions-education-research/
Quick Facts about the HPER Doctoral Program
10 Full-time students
22 Flex-time students
3 Alumni students
HPER Alumni Story
The Health Professions Education Research (HPER) Doctoral Program
The Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration will be offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, at UHN. This doctoral program will take advantage of the unique opportunities and strengths of both IHPME and the Wilson Centre and their highly collaborative and multidisciplinary faculties. The program accepted its first cohort in September 2018.
The core curriculum of this unique doctoral program will focus on the multidisciplinary research needed to advance and transform health professions education and practice and promote creative synergies between theory, practice and diverse methodologies. Students will be encouraged to examine complex problems using multifaceted research approaches and to integrate multi-disciplinary perspectives including biomedical and natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities in their research. They will learn a variety of data gathering and analytics procedures, methodological perspectives and epistemological stances. Comprehensive mentorship, collaboration and multi-professional and interdisciplinary research will be the foundational values of this new doctoral concentration.
The doctoral program will draw students from the health, natural and social sciences and humanities with an interest in health professions education.
Creating a critical mass of graduates with the skills and resources to develop and implement evidence based educational pathways will enhance health professions education and ultimately contribute to quality health care in Canada and beyond.
Program Director: Dr. Maria Mylopoulos
Questions?
For more information on the program visit the University of Toronto Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation page or email ihpme.hper@utoronto.ca.
Current Health Professions Education Research (HPER) Doctoral Program Students
Nicole Bajcar
Nicole Bajcar is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre. She completed her Master of Arts in Applied Disability Studies specializing in Applied Behaviour Analysis at Brock University and a Bachelor of Social Work at Toronto Metropolitan University. Under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Woods, her research aims to explore the best practices to develop adaptive experts to incorporate into e-module training.
Supervisor: Nicole Woods
Laura Brereton
Laura Brereton is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Her doctoral work focuses on the nature of shared decision-making between patients and clinicians, and the ways healthcare relationships are enabled and limited by institutional power structures. She is interested in the potential of reflective writing and other applied humanities to enrich clinical education. Laura previously managed the clinical practice guideline development program and various graduate medical education projects for the National Kidney Foundation in New York City, and worked as a healthcare analyst for RAND Corporation in Cambridge, UK. She has an MSc in public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a certification in narrative medicine from Columbia University. Laura is also the recipient of the Kimel-Schatzky Scholarship at the Wilson Centre for 2021-2024.
Supervisor: Ayelet Kuper
Hei-Ching Kristy Cheung
Hei-Ching Kristy Cheung is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She completed her Master of Science in Clinical Anatomy at the University of Western Ontario and an Honours Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Biomedical Toxicology Majors at the University of Toronto. Under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Woods, her research aims to explore the formation of conceptual understanding in anatomical sciences and identify strategies that better facilitate knowledge integration.
Supervisor: Nicole Woods
Jaimie Coleman
Jaimie Coleman is a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre. She is also an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Physical Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Jaimie is the graduate coordinator for the Physical Therapy program and also teaches the cardiorespiratory content. Jaimie completed a BPHE and MScPT both at the University of Toronto and a Master of Health Management at McMaster University. Under the supervision of Dr. Ryan Brydges, her research aims to better understand mechanisms of effort regulation as students navigate digital learning environments.
Nathan Cupido
Nathan Cupido is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Prior to this, he completed a Master of Science in Health Science Education and an Honours Bachelor of Arts & Science in Arts & Science and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, both at McMaster University. Under the supervision of Dr. Maria Mylopoulos and Dr. Nicole Woods, his research explores how models of expert development can inform the principles of curriculum design to train future health professionals. Nathan is also the recipient of the Currie Fellowship at the Wilson Centre from 2020-2024.
Supervisors: Maria Mylopoulos and Nicole Woods
Naomi Davids-Brumer
Naomi Davids-Brumer is a student in the Health Professions Education Research stream of the PhD program offered via the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) in collaboration with the Wilson Centre. She is also an occupational therapist and also faculty member in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty Medicine, University of Toronto.
Her doctoral research is exploring the phenomenon of student failure in clinical learning settings, with a particular focus on understanding the student experience of struggle and failure on placement. Under the supervision of Dr. Maria Mylopoulos, Naomi is hoping to use this research and adaptive expertise principles to co-design effective remediation approaches with and for struggling learners.
Supervisors: Maria Mylopoulos
Qiuyue Fang
Qiuyue Fang is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Her doctoral research focuses on the artificial intelligence (AI) usage in health professions measurements and assessment, along with big data analytics. She is interested in exploring advanced AI methodologies to enhance accuracy and efficiency in clinical education. Qiuyue previously served as a Test Development Officer at the Health Human Resources Development Center of National Health Commission in China, and also worked as a Research Assistant at the Asia Pacific Action Alliance on Human Resources for Health in Thailand. She completed her Master of Medical Science in Global health from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine in China. Qiuyue is also the recipient of the Currie Fellowship at the Wilson Centre from 2024-2028.
Supervisor: Kulamakan (Mahan) Kulasegaram
Sean Hackett
Sean Hackett is a PhD student affiliated with the Wilson Centre in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral program offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) within the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Alongside his studies, Sean serves as a lead instructor and instructional designer for Advanced Care Paramedics while actively practicing on the frontline. He designed and implemented the Critical Care Paramedic Program for the province of Ontario and consulted on similar programs across Canada. Sean holds a Master of Arts in Education and Technology from Royal Roads University, where he earned the Chancellor’s Medal and was nominated for the Governor General’s Gold Medal. His research focuses on enhancing clinical performance and developing contemporary and workplace-based assessments (WBA).
Supervisor: Walter Tarvares
Massoma Jafari
Massoma Jafari is a research fellow at the Wilson Centre and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Her doctoral studies are in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre. Massoma's research focuses on midwifery education reform in Afghanistan. Under the mentorship of Professor Cynthia Whitehead, she aims to address systemic inequities in health education, particularly for midwives in both public and private sectors, and develop impactful solutions that align with the system's needs.
Massoma is a midwife from Afghanistan who has served as vice president of the Afghan Midwives Association and as an advisor for Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. She was part of the national task force to establish the Afghanistan Midwives and Nurses Council and was involved in revising the community midwifery and nursing education curriculum. With over a decade of experience in Afghanistan's midwifery and maternal and newborn health, she was recognized as a young midwife leader by the International Confederation of Midwives in 2017-2018.
Massoma's journey to Canada began in 2019 when she arrived as an asylum seeker. She started her new life by attending a city adult school, then earned an advanced diploma in project management from George Brown College. She completed a master's degree in global health at McMaster University and worked as a research associate for the Canadian Red Cross. Massoma is passionate about reducing health system inequities in humanitarian and conflict settings and improving access to quality maternal health care for all.
Supervisor: Cynthia Whitehead
Sanne Kaas-Mason
Sanne Kaas-Mason is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Her research interests focus on the spectrum of relatively stable or fluid ways that constellations of collaboration show up across healthcare spaces, and how these impact the delivery of care. This includes interprofessional ways of collaborating. She also explores how entrenched distributions of power, along with siloed understandings of illness and care, might influence collaborative practices of healthcare practitioners. Sanne draws on her academic training as an interprofessional education (IPE) educator and as political scientist to examine the context, underlying structures and lived experience of healthcare practitioners to deepen her understanding of these behaviours. Sanne is also the recipient of the Kimel-Schatzky Scholarship at the Wilson Centre for 2021-2024.
Supervisors: Cynthia Whitehead and Paula Rowland
Justin Lam
Justin Lam is a PhD student in Health Professions Education Research offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation (IHPME) in collaboration with the Wilson Centre at the University of Toronto. He is also a paediatrician and education scientist at the Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre and the University of Western Ontario. Prior to this, he completed a BA in Art History at Stanford University and went on to complete his MD, paediatrics residency, and academic fellowship, at the University of Toronto, where he served as one of the Chief Residents.
His research uses qualitative methods to track hidden curriculum and governmentality effects related to professional identities of trainees and faculty, with an interest in equity issues in clinical and learning environments. His work has been published in Academic Medicine and Medical Education. His aim is to make learning environments more equitable and safe for teachers and learners, with the ultimate goal of contributing to better patient care. His work has been supported by the Vanier scholarship and the Robert Maudsley Fellowship.
Supervisor: Tina Martimianakis
Gianni Lorello
Gianni R. Lorello is an anesthesiologist at University Health Network and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on access to healthcare and social justice within Anesthesiology, and Medicine more broadly. Specifically, he looks at better understanding the norms, expectations, rules, policies, and institutional processes that govern how work is performed and how people interact with the greater societal structures - known as relations of ruling. These ruling relations are found in texts, photographs, policies, regulations, and institutional guidelines which govern people from afar. These practices and texts are not neutral and are oftentimes produced by people in power, thereby reinforcing the interests and ideals of these people in power. Gianni looks at highlighting these ruling relations and how they go unnoticed by understanding the disconnections between lived experiences and these ruling relations, thereby uncovering how institutional power is maintained and reinforced through seemingly ordinary organizational practices and procedures, privileging certain interests while marginalizing others.
Supervisor: Ayelet Kuper
Andrea Pozo-Barruel
Andrea Pozo-Barruel is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She completed a Master of Education at the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science in Human Communication Sciences at the Universidad de las Americas in Mexico. Her research interests focus on how disability is represented in the healthcare context, and how these representations construct the identity of people living with a disability. Currently, Andrea’s doctoral work explores how disability is conceptualized in paediatrics populations within rehabilitation.
Andrea is the recipient of the Kimel-Schatzky Scholarship at the Wilson Centre for 2022-2025.
Supervisors: Paula Rowland. Stella Ng, Maria Mylopoulos
Elisabeth-Abigail Ramdawar
Elisabeth-Abigail Ramdawar is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She completed a Master of Health Sciences, and an Honours Bachelor of Science both at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Elisabeth’s current research interests include exploring socio-political relationships and institutional practices that impact healthcare professional’s wellness.
Supervisor: Tina Martimianakis
Ruby Shanker
Ruby Rajendra Shanker is a PhD student in Health Professions Education Research offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation (IHPME) in collaboration with the Wilson Centre at the University of Toronto. She is also a Clinical & Organizational Ethicist for the University Health Network Toronto Rehab and Women's College Hospital.
Under the supervision of Dr. Tina Martimianakis, her doctoral research draws on critical and interpretive qualitative methodologies to explore the evolution of the role and professional identity of healthcare ethicists within academic hospital environments while negotiating power and resistance for patient care and safety.
Prior to healthcare ethics practice, Ruby was a rural general medicine practitioner with surgical training in India and the Middle East. She brings a kaleidoscope of experiences and identities to her research and practice towards disrupting, transforming, and re-imagining futures for inclusive and affirming healthcare.
Supervisor: Tina Martimianakis
Carson Tipoff
Carson Tipoff is a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre. He completed a Professional Master of Education at Queens University, where he specialized in assessment and organizational leadership. Under the supervision of Dr. Walter Tavares, Carson’s doctoral work focuses on the assessment of teamwork in healthcare education and simulation environments. His research interests involve professional development, assessment, organizational systems, and furthering Paramedic research in the Canadian context. He works clinically as a Primary Care Paramedic for the Region of Peel in Ontario."
Supervisor: Walter Tavares
Tricia Twgood
Tricia Twogood is a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration at the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation (IHPME), in collaboration with the Wilson Centre at the University of Toronto. Prior to this, she completed a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Calgary, a Masters of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Clinical Science in Manipulative Physical Therapy from Western University. Tricia is a practicing Physical Therapist and an Assistant Professor in the Teaching Stream at the Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto.
Tricia’s research aims to broaden the concept of cognitive integration by incorporating a wider range of knowledge types within health professions education. Her goal is to equip health professional learners to become both routine and adaptive experts who are capable of delivering person-centered healthcare.
Supervisors: Maria Mylopoulos and Nicole Woods
Leslie St. Jacques
Leslie St. Jacques is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Leslie is a Canadian certified physician assistant (CC-PA) and a graduate of the inaugural class of the PA Education Program at McMaster University (2010). Her experience as a PA includes cardiovascular surgery ICU and peri-operative neurosurgery. Leslie was the PA discipline Co-Lead and PA Education Lead at the University Health Network from 2019-2022. She served as the first female president of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA) (2019-2021) and is currently their Past President. Prior to becoming a PA, Leslie earned both a Master’s in Environmental Studies (Planning) from York University (1998) and a Master’s in Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University (2004). She has worked as a psychotherapist in adult and children’s mental health in-patient and ambulatory care settings. Her experiences as social worker, a PA, and in leadership roles fuel her scholarly interests. Under the supervision of Dr. Tina Martimianakis, Leslie’s research explores interpersonal aspects of healthcare education and work, professional identity formation and compassion in healthcare provision.
Supervisor: Tina Martimianakis
Erene Stergiopoulos
Erene Stergiopoulos is a PhD student in Health Professions Education Research (HPER) and Clinical Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. She completed her BSc in psychology and MA in history and philosophy of science at the University of Toronto, where she also completed her MD and psychiatry residency. Currently her clinical fellowship focuses on workplace mental health in the Department of Psychiatry. Under the supervision of Dr. Tina Martimianakis since 2016, her research uses qualitative methods to study barriers to physician health disclosure, and experiences of disability across the training trajectory. This work has resulted in publications in Academic Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, and CMAJ. She is currently involved in collaborative efforts to change policy in the US and Canada for medical learners with disabilities, with collaborations in the US, Canada, and New Zealand. She will continue to grow this body of research as a PhD student in HPER, thanks to the Currie Fellowship at the Wilson Centre.
Supervisor: Tina Martmianakis
Conrad Tsang
Conrad Tsang is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research concentration at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. His scholarly interests are in how medical school and residency admissions shape equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the physician workforce. Conrad is the recipient of the Currie Fellowship at the Wilson Centre from 2022-2026.
Clinically, Conrad is a subspecialty resident in Occupational Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is also a staff physician in Public Health & Preventive Medicine and in Family Medicine, having done his previous residencies at UBC. He has been the Chief Resident for all three programs. Conrad completed his BHSc at McMaster University, MD at the University of Alberta, MPH (Quantitative Methods) at Harvard University as a Frank Knox Memorial Fellow, and MSEd (Medical Education) at the University of Pennsylvania as the Lougheed Fellow. His clinical interests are in caring for marginalized workers and health care workers, as well as changing policy to promote their health, safety, and wellness.
Supervisor: Kulamakan (Mahan) Kulasegaram