Congratulations to the Awards of Excellence recipients
We are pleased to announce the 2016 Awards of Excellence award recipients and the recipient of the Dr. John D. Brown Memorial Resident Award.
It is with great pride that we honour these talented and dedicated individuals. We look forward to celebrating each of them at the Celebration of Excellence event, May 19, at the Great Hall.
Purchase your tickets before May 11.
Schulich Excellence in Education Awards for Undergraduate Education
Schulich Educator Awards
Dr. Eric Wong, Family Medicine
Dr. Stephen Lomber, Physiology and Pharmacology
Schulich Excellence in Education Awards for Graduate/Postgraduate Education
Distinguished Leader
Dr. Douglas Ross, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Surgery
Schulich Leader Award
Dr. Chris Watling, Clinical Neurological Sciences
Schulich Educator Awards
Dr. Greta Bauer, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dr. Aaron Ward, Medical Biophysics
Dr. Amardeep Thind, Interfaculty Program in Public Health
Dean’s Awards of Excellence for Faculty
Multiple Areas
Dr. Susanne Schmid, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Research
Dr. Shawn Li, Biochemistry
Dr. Stefan Everling, Physiology and Pharmacology
Junior Faculty
Dr. Anthony Nichols, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Dr. Shawn Whitehead, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Anthony Jevnikar, Department of Medicine
Team Award
UME Accreditation Team
Dr. Shannon Venance
Matthew Longstaffe
Susan Paroutis
Dr. Teresa VanDeven
Matt Wannan
Schulich Award for Excellence for Faculty in Distributed Sites
Dr. Tom Haffner, Internal Medicine, Medicine
Dean's Awards of Excellence for Staff
Becky Bannerman, Undergraduate Medical Education
Cheryl Ewanski, Microbiology and Immunology
Lois Hayter, Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine
Pam Bere, Learner Equity & Wellness
Team Award
Clinical Skills Learning Program Team
Justin Quesnelle, Manager
Jane Graham, Program Coordinator – PCCM
Alison Challis, Program Coordinator – Externals
Stephanie Desarmeau, Administrative Assistant
Dr. John D. Brown Memorial Award
Julie Hukui, Department of Paediatrics
Learn more about the extraordinary contributions of each of the recipients
Schulich Excellence in Education Awards for Undergraduate Education
Schulich Educator Awards
Dr. Eric Wong, Family Medicine
Dr. Wong is described as an outstanding professional, mentor and, most of all, a teacher. Since 2015, he has made outstanding contributions as course chair for the fourth year Integration and Transition course. Through dedicated work, he has also been able to revise and refresh this course. And through his encouragement, he has been able to attract faculty members from Family Medicine to engage in teaching the course.
Dr. Stephen Lomber, Physiology and Pharmacology
Dr. Lomber joined the faculty at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry in 2006. Since then he has shown outstanding commitment and dedication to undergraduate teaching. He has been involved with teaching six courses; engaged with course and curriculum design; and was the undergraduate course coordinator for a newly introduced second-year course. He is known for his fun and innovative approaches in the classroom. He has been on Western’s USC Teaching Honour Roll six times in the past seven years. He participates beyond expectations in the undergraduate curriculum and is an enthusiastic mentor of students and fellows.
Schulich Excellence in Education Awards for Graduate/Postgraduate Education
Distinguished Leader
Dr. Douglas Ross, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery - Department of Surgery
Dr. Ross is a consummate educator who achieves high standards in education from the bedside to the boardroom. He is an outstanding teacher and caring physician who role models ideals in all areas. Dr. Ross has Master’s in Education, has won a number of teaching awards, served at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry as the Residency Program Director for Plastic Surgery, and continues to participate on several School committees in Education. As the Chair of the Division of Plastic Surgery he has remained a strong advocate for education. Nationally, Dr. Ross has served as Chief Examiner for Plastic Surgery for the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada; Chair of the Educational Foundation of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons, and Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Specialty Committee in Plastic Surgery. He has an international role in surgical education, including participating as an external examiner and advisor for the Saudi Arabian Examination Board in Plastic Surgery.
Schulich Leader Award
Dr. Chris Watling, Clinical Neurological Sciences
Dr. Watling is an award winning educator, scholar and leader who has made a major impact locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. He is known for his clear and fluid presentation style. He is the first MD at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry (and one of the first in Canada) to obtain a PhD in Health Sciences education. He was program director in the Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, and since 2010 has been Associate Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. During his leadership he has led a number of major curricular developments within the School such as: Team-Based Learning in Bioethics, and the Transition to Residency (T2R) program. In the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, he is acting Chair, Neurology Specialty Committee, and a member of the Working Group in the Clinician Educator Areas of Focused Competency Program. He is currently leading a new initiative to revitalize Schulich Medicine’s postgraduate assessment practices in light of the Royal College’s new CanMEDS 2015 competency-based expectations.
Schulich Educator Awards
Dr. Greta Bauer, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dr. Bauer is described as a rigorous, caring and creative teacher, and an outstanding leader and scholar. She is a role model for the citizenry the School hopes its students will exhibit in their careers. Further, she has served on, and chaired, the Curriculum Committee for the graduate program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, during which time she completed a full review of the curriculum. And in 2014, she was appointed as the graduate chair for the Department. She has spearheaded major curricular changes that are currently being implemented. She is an actively engaged mentor of graduate students and an exceptional educational leader. As a stellar researcher, she has led or co-led numerous local, provincial and national research projects and she has been repeatedly successful in securing external funding. She has also collaborated with community-based individuals as part of community-based research paradigms.
Dr. Aaron Ward, Medical Biophysics
Dr. Ward joined the Departments of Medical Biophysics and Oncology in 2011 and in a short time has had high impact on the Medical Biophysics graduate program. He has demonstrated excellence as a teacher at the graduate level; outstanding commitment and dedication to graduate education; innovative approaches to teaching and curriculum design; and successful role modeling and mentoring of graduate students. Dr. Ward prepares graduate students to be outstanding teachers and researchers by nurturing a learning culture, by guiding students’ independence and abilities and by making students’ welfare a priority. He is described as a gifted, passionate, inspiring educator and a dedicated, supportive, caring teacher.
Dr. Amardeep Thind, Interfaculty Program in Public Health
Dr. Thind is known for consistently demonstrating a high degree of enthusiasm and creativity in his pedagogical approach. His interactive and innovative teaching motivates students to become active contributors in their own learning. His approach consistently received high praise in course evaluations. Dr. Thind is an outstanding education, curriculum developer, mentor and role model for faculty, staff and students.
Dean’s Awards of Excellence for Faculty
Multiple Areas
Dr. Susanne Schmid, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Dr. Schmid joined the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in 2007. She is a valued and influential scientist in her field of cognitive neuroscience – neurobiology of sensory gating. Her publications are in the mid-high indexed journals, and she publishes an average of three peer-reviewed papers each year. She is the Director of the Neuroscience Graduate Program, and has been credited with revamping the program, attracting more students, and changing a culture that was once seen as divided to one that is engaging and empowers students. She is the Associate Chair of Research for the Department, and in this role has instituted an internal grant review forum for all interested faculty. Dr. Schmid is described an excellent, meticulous, hard-working and responsible investigator; a knowledgeable, methodical, and critical scientist; an excellent mentor and team player, who is approachable, friendly and trust-worthy.
Research
Dr. Shawn Li, Biochemistry
Dr. Li joined the Department of Biochemistry in 2000, as an Assistant Professor. He is described as a truly impressive scientist, mentor and educator. He has been a trailblazer in the implementation of emerging strategies involving proteomics and bioinformatics for the investigation of complex biological processes and regulatory networks underlying cancer. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, with additional manuscripts under editorial consideration. Dr. Li has received national recognition in the form of grants and salary awards from national funding agencies and has been recognized for one of Canada’s Top 10 Achievements in Cancer Research by the Canadian Cancer Society.
Dr. Stefan Everling, Physiology and Pharmacology
Dr. Everling came to Western University in 2000, and had a joint appointment in the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, and Psychology. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2006 and full Professor in 2011. He is also a scientist at Robarts Research Institute. Dr. Everling is described as a world-renowned researcher. He has an impressive track record, and has published 89 peer-reviewed publications with more than 4,100 citations. He is also a superb classroom teacher and has received the University Student’s Council Teaching Honour Roll Award of Excellence for his undergraduate teaching in three separate years. Dr. Everling has made important contributions to neuroscience including his work on cholinergic signaling in working memory.
Junior Faculty
Dr. Anthony Nichols, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Dr. Nichols has been described as the prototype surgeon-scientist. He is a gifted and compassionate surgeon who maintains a comprehensive practice. He is an effective, engaging and passionate educator who has been involved at all levels of medical education and directly involved in the training of residents and fellows. He is among the leading supervisors of student research through the Summer Research Training Program program. He is the director of the Head and Neck Cancer Translational Research Laboratory and, with that, is the co-principal investigator of the world’s first Phase II randomized clinical trial comparing Transoral Robotic Surgery with conventional treatment in the management of oropharyngeal cancer. He is an exemplary role model for other junior faculty members.
Dr. Shawn Whitehead, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Dr. Whitehead was recruited as a tenure-track Assistant Professor, neuroscientist and lipid biochemist to the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in 2013. Since establishing his independent laboratory, he has published 13 papers on the characterization of novel rodent models of brain diseases including stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. He has positioned himself as an emerging leader in neurolipidomics and imaging mass spectrometry. His vibrant and magnetic personality has been instrumental in his ability to recruit outstanding trainees. His current lab includes four PhD and three MSc candidates, and one postdoctoral fellow. Recently, he agreed to take on more teaching, bringing his commitment to six different courses. Dr. Whitehead also serves on numerous student advisory and thesis committees and is a valuable member of the Graduate Affairs Committee, Annual Performance Evaluation Committee, and Appointments Committee, as well as the chair of the Seminar Committee.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Anthony Jevnikar, Medicine
Dr. Jevnikar is a Western University alumnus graduating with honors BSc’76; MSc’77, and MD’81. He is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Surgery. He has published more than 170 papers, and has been the leading force of the Matthew Mailing Research Centre. He has received the Department of Medicine Research Award, the prestigious Kidney Foundation of Canada Excellence in Research Award, and a Candian Institutes of Health Research Chair in Clinical Transplantation. He received a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Society of Transplantation and has taken a leadership role in organizational American Society Transplantation (AST) roles, being the Medical Director of the Multi-Organ Transplant Program. He has served as a member of the AST Committees, including Executive Co-Chair of Annual Meetings, and has served on the AST Board. In 2002, he became president of the Canadian Society of Transplantation. He has trained more than two dozen trainees. He has a passion for teaching which is demonstrated in the time and effort he invests with students, residents and scientist engaged in transplant research. Dr. Jevnikar embodies the excellence achieved by a clinician, a researcher, a teacher and a mentor.
Team Award
UME Accreditation Team
Dr. Shannon Venance
Mr. Matthew Longstaffe
Ms. Susan Paroutis
Dr. Teresa VanDeven
Mr. Matt Wannan
The Undergraduate Medical Education Accreditation team personified many values of the School. Working collaboratively with countless individuals they shared the goal of making the Undergraduate Medical Education program a destination of choice for exceptional education and learning. The overall leader of the team, Dr. Shannon Venance, directed the planning and execution of the project, and undertook a large portion of writing and editing the supporting documents. Meanwhile, Matt Wannan, Matt Longstaffe, Dr. VanDeven and Susan Paroutis were tireless in their pursuit of tight program management and amending or revising content to fit what was required to successfully tell the story of how the School is delivering education. To deliver success required a positive and supportive team spirit while they reached out to, and mentored or monitored, senior leaders to renew and advance the learning model.
Schulich Award for Excellence for Faculty in Distributed Sites
Dr. Tom Haffner, Internal Medicine, Stratford
Dr. Haffner is strongly committed to providing evidence-based education to medical students and residents while simultaneously providing timely care to his patients. He tailors his teaching specifically to each learner’s needs at the beginning of rotations, and is clear about his expectations for each resident’s improvement. He is known to provide strong feedback which in turn improves the clinical skills of learners. He is described as humble, supportive and encouraging with other hospital staff and allied health professionals demonstrating true team-based patient-centred care in his everyday practice.
Dean's Awards of Excellence for Staff
Becky Bannerman, Undergraduate Medical Education
Becky Bannerman is responsible for the coordination of the Undergraduate Clinical Clerkship Program. In this capacity, she is responsible to 171 medical students and 16 clinical departments for all operations pertaining to the Clinical Clerkship Program. She is described as customer-centred, and a creative problem-solver who has successfully demonstrated her ability to address and resolve issues efficiently and effectively.
Cheryl Ewanski, Microbiology and Immunology
Cheryl Ewanski has been a member of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology since 2009, managing the Autoclave Facility. She also assists with the autoclaving facility in Siebens Drake and assists with the preparation of the department’s undergraduate student labs in the Drimmer Facility. She has taken on her role with pride, enthusiasm, friendliness and always with extreme care and diligence. She is mission focused, shows initiative, and is always willing to accommodate special requests without hesitation.
Lois Hayter, Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine
Lois Hayter is the Manager of Administration and Finance for the Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine. Her interpersonal skills and expertise have supported the significant cultural change in the Department during the past 13 years. She is described as the ‘go to’ person in the Department for a myriad of matters that arise, assisting the 82 faculty/consultants, clinical fellows and hospital and university staff.
Pam Bere, Learner Equity & Wellness
As the Manger of the Learner Equity & Wellness Office, Pam Bere is described as a thoughtful, supportive and mature manager who inspires trust in her colleagues. She has superb administrative skills which are matched by her evaluation and triage of students and learners who come to the Office for assistance. She has an excellent working relationship with the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education Offices – a difficult balancing act for those working in trainee support offices.
Team Award
Clinical Skills Learning Program (CSLP) Team
Justin Quesnelle, Manager
Jane Graham, Program Coordinator – Patient-Centred Clinical Methods
Alison Challis, Program Coordinator – Externals
Stephanie Desarmeau, Administrative Assistant
Each year, the CSLP team delivers hundreds of education activities and multiple examinations to trainees and future health care professionals. As a team they place student learning, communication and well-being at the forefront of their activities. They do so in a cooperative manner that fosters strong partnerships across the School and in many other academic and clinical organizations. Their shared passion and positive attitude are two major strengths. It’s clear to all who interact with them that they truly care about the well-being and success of Canada’s future medical and dental professionals.
Dr. John D. Brown Memorial Award
Dr.Julie Hukui, Department of Paediatrics
Dr. Hukui is a fourth-year resident with the Department of Paediatrics. She is described as authentic in her vulnerability as she is confident with her own expertise and that which is most familiar to her. She possesses a unique ability to reach out and comfort patients and families, making herself available to respond to their concerns about clinical matters and providing reassurance around the clinical aspects of patients care and family and broader social concerns. As the resident Administrative Chief, she has dealt with administrative aspects of the program, providing support to residents beyond all expectations. She has demonstrated the ability to assess problems and enact efficient, practical solutions around patient and family care and in resident administration.
