Awards of Excellence award recipient profiles
Congratulations to the 34 outstanding Awards of Excellence recipients.
Schulich Award of Excellence for Faculty in Distributed Sites
Dr. Amit Bagga
Dr. Amit Bagga is the Chief of Nephrology at Windsor Regional Hospital and a dedicated faculty member with the Schulich Medicine & Dentistry – Windsor Campus. He is also the President of the Essex County Medical Society.
Dr. Bagga has held many academic roles with the Windsor Campus since its inception, and is currently the coordinator for the Year 1 Genitourinary Course and a faculty research mentor for fourth-year students. He manages a large administrative portfolio, while still providing high quality teaching to learners and peers. He consistently goes above and beyond to support the success of the Windsor Campus and its students.
With an approachable demeanour, caring attitude and keen sense of humour, Dr. Bagga is well respected among faculty, learners and administrative staff. He is described as an exceptional lecturer, leader, educator and mentor.
Dr. Rochelle Dworkin
Dr. Rochelle Dworkin is the site coordinator for the Rural – Hanover Program. She has worked tirelessly to establish the core curriculum and rotations for the Hanover site, and is a huge contributor to its ongoing success.
As a family physician and rural generalist, Dr. Dworkin advocates strongly for rural and regional learning experiences believing that distributed education is at the core of producing rural physicians.
Dr. Dworkin serves as a role model for learners and other faculty. She is described as a passionate teacher who is full of knowledge and advice.
Dr. Anna Mayer
Dr. Mayer is an exemplary role model for physician engagement and scholarship. She is an emergency physician and head of medical education with the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) at the Stratford General Hospital site.
She teaches a spectrum of learners, from medical students to senior residents, as well as fellows. Her natural teaching qualities have been consistently recognized by learners as a critical component to the success of distributed education in the Huron-Perth Academy.
Through the creation of a continuing professional development program at HPHA called “Consultant Round Table”, Dr. Mayer has helped improve patient care, increase standardization of care and improve efficiency and service delivery. She brings a high degree of excellence to medical education and provides exemplary clinical leadership, helping her colleagues and learners become better physicians and communicators.
Dr. Shanil Narayan
Since arriving in Stratford, Ontario in 2003, Dr. Shanil Narayan has had a considerable impact on the community. With this award, he is being recognized for his passion for delivering excellent patient care and medical education.
As a general internist, Dr. Narayan has a reputation for being a brilliant clinician and diagnostician. He ensures the patient is at the centre of every clinical encounter, an approach that does not go unnoticed by trainees or patients.
Dr. Narayan is the Regional Academic Director for the Huron-Perth Academy. Through his mentorship in this role, he has helped build a unique culture at Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA). His enthusiasm for teaching and his profession demonstrate why the internal medicine rotation at the Stratford General Hospital site is consistently ranked as one of the best by residents.
He is also actively involved in medical education research, focusing on incorporating information technology with general internal medicine to improve patient care and medical education. This work has led to his role on the Innovation and Technology Task Force with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Dr. Narayan is described as a dear colleague, teacher, mentor and friend.
Schulich Award of Excellence for Faculty Development
Dr. Laura Foxcroft
Dr. Foxcroft’s expert and tireless dedication has translated the mentorship process, and customized and enabled its implementation broadly across Emergency Medicine. She developed educational materials in order to train mentors on the mentorship process with an uptake of more than 70 per cent across the Division.
Dr. Foxcroft also recruited many external faculty members to participate in mentorship committees. The training sessions were a great success, but more importantly every single faculty who wanted one, now has a functional mentorship committee that meets regularly, with a clear framework of purpose and intent to fully support the faculty during their career. The tangible results have included the recognition of individual faculty through awards, teaching, and leadership.
Schulich Excellence in Education Awards for Graduate/Postgraduate
Distinguished Leader
Dr. Janet Martin
As an educator, Dr. Martin is passionate about her subject expertise, the act of teaching, learning from her students, and, above all else, giving students the best learning experience that she can. Her teaching methods revolve around teamwork, self-directed learning, and real-world examples. Dr. Martin is at the forefront of a teaching revolution, promoting pedagogy that is new and dynamic.
Dr. Martin is constantly updating her course material and bringing in new examples to promote real-world application and learning. Her curriculum is always under development, and this past year she formed a curriculum development committee, comprised of current and past students, to help her create a stronger curriculum.
As a mentor, Dr. Martin is compassionate, forthright, and honest. She behaves and conducts herself in a similar manner to the way that she teaches, but on a much more personal level. Dr. Martin cares deeply about the students who she supervises.
Dr. Martin has many research collaborations and is the director of the MEDICI (Medical Evidence, Decision Integrity, Clinical Impact) Centre in Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine. In addition to teaching the Clinical Epidemiology course, she teaches in Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine and maintains strong educational contacts internationally with Oxford University, occasionally teaching short courses or guest lectures.
Leader
Dr. Simon Levin
Dr. Simon Levin is the Program Director for the Postgraduate Medical Education Program in Paediatrics. He is being recognized for his unique and critical contributions to the program, setting up a committee structure that was more responsive to the needs of residents and ensuring that residents had representation on all postgraduate committees.
He has been recognized as an excellent teacher with undergraduate and graduate teaching awards, and has moved teaching away from didactic teaching to a patient-based model.
He is an excellent teacher and role model of the caring and considerate physician.
Dr. Cheryle Séguin
Since arriving at Western in 2009, Dr. Séguin has made outstanding contributions as a thoughtful, creative, and caring research supervisor. She has already successfully graduated one PhD and six MSc students, and currently supervises four PhD and two MSc students. She has also supervised/co-supervised three postdoctoral fellows. Her first postdoctoral trainee, Dr. Hisataka Ii, was attracted to Western from Japan and now holds a faculty appointment in Tokyo, attesting to Dr. Séguin’s growing international reputation and success as a research mentor.
Dr. Séguin has served on 26 graduate thesis advisory committees from six different graduate programs at Western University. She has demonstrated outstanding foresight and leadership when planning and implementing innovative strategies to improve graduate student recruitment and ensuring that training at all levels includes both the scientific and “real-life” skills desired by today’s scholars.
Educator
Dr. Daniel Leger
Dr. Leger is a full-time, clinical academic family physician who provides teaching and leadership in the Family Medicine Postgraduate Program. He has proven himself to be unique with the teaching program because of his innovation and penchant for teaching outside-the-box.
Dr. Leger is known to bring quirky enthusiasm to each of his teaching sessions and has fully embraced his role as the Academic Director of the Postgraduate Program. He and his team have brought high-quality and varied teaching to residents through their half-days and other venues.
One of his most significant contributions is the Family Medicine Guide – an app that allows residents to study on the go. Available in all mobile software platforms, it is a non-profit portable curriculum. He developed the app using his own funding and all proceeds are donated to charities around the world.
Schulich Excellence in Education Awards for Undergraduate Education
Distinguished Leader
Dr. Mark Awuku
Dr. Awuku has distinguished himself as an accomplished teacher, leader, and mentor.
He embodies the tenets of the ideal educator. His calm manner and inviting approach to teaching are consistently cited as excellent by students, colleagues and patients alike.
His profound confidence in the learner’s ability inspires the student to greater heights and calls to his faculty to give more. This level of excellence has earned Dr. Awuku numerous awards and accolades.
He embodies the skills of a statesman, ambassador and cheerleader, and is, in part, responsible for the strong and enthusiastic cadre of faculty at the Windsor Campus.
He is the recipient of the LOM Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, Best Fellow ICU Award, Best Teacher Award from Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s Department of Paediatrics in 2004, and Best Teacher Award for Distributed Education from 2004-2008. He was also awarded the 2005 PAIRO Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award and the 2008 Ontario Medical Association Student Advocate Award. And in 2016 he was named an honorary degree recipient from the University of Windsor.
As outstanding as these awards and recognitions are, they pale in comparison to the legacy and inspiration he has left with all of his students over the years.
Dr. Shannon Venance
Dr. Shannon Venance’s dedication and contributions to Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, nationwide and internationally during the past five years are prodigious. She has been an inspiration to many aspiring clinician educators/teachers, medical students, residents, fellows and other graduate students who have all benefited from her mentorship, vast experience as a teacher, and knowledge in her field.
Dr. Venance has been immersed in UME since 2005. Throughout the years, she has taught a number of undergraduate courses including Patient-Centered Context – Integration and Application, Neuroscience/Eye/Ear Course Clinical Methods for Neurosciences, portfolio mentorship, Neurological Emergencies, Clinical Neuroanatomy and MCCQE Review Sessions.
More than teaching, her commitment to ensuring quality within UME has led to her undertaking numerous administrative and leadership positions at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, which have enabled her to influence the UME vision for the School. These include membership on the UME Curriculum Renewal Executive Committee, Faculty Lead for the CACMS/LCME Accreditation in 2015, MD Accreditation Committee, UME Executive Committee, Director of the UME Curriculum Quality and Effectiveness Committee, and NEE Co-Chair.
Her desire to continually improve medical education has resulted in course innovation, implementation, and transformation management for both students and teachers alike.
Dr. Venance has been previously recognized for her teaching and leadership, receiving the Douglas Bocking Award for Excellence in Medical Teaching; CACE/ECAM Certificate of Merit Award; Elected Hippocratic Council, Honorary President; A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award, American Academy of Neurology; Schulich Undergraduate Award of Excellence in Education Award; Western University Students’ Council Teaching Honour Roll; and the Angelika F. Hahn Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching.
Leader
Dr. Herschel Rosenberg
Dr. Rosenberg has demonstrated an enduring and passionate commitment to teaching undergraduate medical students while dedicating considerable time and effort to quality improvement initiatives for the Doctor of Medicine Program. He is known as one of the Program’s ‘go to’ faculty as a facilitator for small group learning where you will find him listening, probing, gently challenging and stimulating students to think critically, problem solve and seek a deeper understanding of the topic at hand.
He is a devoted advocate for independent learning and application of knowledge. In any given year he can be relied on for PCCIA, Paediatric case-based discussion groups and Portfolio.
Highly regarded by students, his evaluations reflect his enthusiasm and engagement with their learning. In response to student feedback, Dr. Rosenberg has either led or contributed to renewal efforts of undergraduate medicine small group learning throughout the years by integrating essential curricular topics (e.g. Indigenous health, end-of-life/palliative care) and the CanMEDs intrinsic competencies (e.g. Communicator, Collaborator, Scholar, Advocate, Professional) alongside the medical expert disease-related knowledge that students are ‘hungry’ for.
Dr. Rosenberg has been involved with many aspects of the undergraduate curriculum. His most significant role has been as Chair of the Pre-clerkship and Integration Committee, and it has been in this leadership position that he has had the most significant impact on our students and our curriculum.
As Chair of this committee, he has been able to stimulate course coordinators to be innovative in the delivery of their respective courses. He sets a high standard for how the pre-clinical curriculum should be delivered and gets buy-in from others on his committee to continuously look at how to improve on the delivered product. He has ensured that important topics in medicine such as Indigenous health and gender issues are given appropriate time in the curriculum, and that students have a good balance of lectures, small groups, and independent learning.
Dr. Michele Weir
Dr. Weir has had a long, diverse and prolific career as a clinician educator, coming to Schulich Medicine & Dentistry in 2001. Her commitment to her students and breadth of educational experience and effectiveness spans the whole spectrum of a clinical teacher from the clinical setting: at the microscope, in the classroom, and to the areas of trainee supervision, development, mentoring and evaluation, and curriculum and program development.
Dr. Weir teaches in Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) courses as an instructor in clerkship seminars, clinical methods, first-and second-year gynecological pathology and cytopathology lectures. She served as Co-Chair for the Medicine Reproduction course from 2010 to 2013, and completely redesigned this course. Since 2014, Dr. Weir has coordinated the fourth year clinical science elective for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
Dr. Weir has always taken an active role in committee work at the School. She is currently a member of several committees, including the Instructional Design, Curriculum, and Progression & Awards committees for Undergraduate Medical Education. Since April 2016, Dr. Weir has taken on additional leadership roles of Co-chair of the Quality Committee UME and Co-Chair for the Accreditation Committee UME.
Dr. Weir is a unique and gifted teacher and gives generously of her time and busy clinical life to enhance the educational experience of medical students and residents. She is able to understand, in a non-judgmental way, the students’ difficulties and challenges, and to develop a student-centred action plan. Furthermore, she takes it upon herself to monitor their progress and to maximize their opportunities for success. Dr. Weir does all of this in a quiet and humble way, often times invisible to the rest of us, but quite visible to the student in difficulty.
Educator
Dr. Angela Beye
As a lecturer, course manager and past Undergraduate Chair in Physiology and Pharmacology, Dr. Beye demonstrates excellence in undergraduate teaching, student mentoring and educational leadership.
Dr. Beye has the unique ability to connect with students at different stages of education from various different degree programs. For example, she has taught first-year students in Dentistry and Kinesiology, second-year Nursing students (online), second year basic medical science students and third-year physiology and pharmacology students. She employs many innovative approaches to teaching in both the class and laboratory setting. Her lectures are always interactive, fun and engaging. She uses demonstrations, models, cases studies and videos, in addition to elegantly designed and easy to understand PowerPoint presentations.
Her record of success is clearly indicated by her exceptional teaching ratings and glowing student comments, which clearly demonstrates her excellence in undergraduate education. Students love her fun, engaging teaching style, which is reflected in their comments in her teaching evaluations. To be able to do this in a face-to-face course is one thing but it’s a bigger challenge to engage and excite students in an online course. Dr. Beye has done this with superb results.
She has been a true leader to the educational mission of the Department serving as a vital member of the Undergraduate Executive Committee where she has made major contributions to undergraduate curriculum development.
Dr. Beye is a mentor to students and young faculty. She is a tireless, energetic and dynamic teacher who truly cares for her students, who has shown leadership in the areas of curriculum design, mentoring and helping her colleagues become better educators.
Dr. Heidi Haensel
Dr. Haensel is a highly sought after supervisor by students, who is consistently described as enthusiastic and always taking extra time to teach. Her ability to teach difficult topics such as childhood trauma and reporting to CAS, in a manner in which students can relate, is truly commendable.
Dr. Haensel is involved in the curriculum design of the Child and Adolescent Week Medicine course. The week encompasses a significant amount of interdisciplinary teaching, integrating introductory pieces with the development building blocks for the study of psychiatry.
As the Clerkship Coordinator of the Child and Adolescent Division, Dr. Haensel make every efforts to have new faculty involved especially the case-based seminars and clinical supervision.
Dr. Haensel has an openness to teaching and supporting learners. She has shown a commitment to her community beyond her clinical duties and serves as a strong role model for students.
Dr. Charys Martin
Dr. Martin is a well-regarded educator whose passion for anatomy and dedication to teaching directly enhances student experience and learning. As the lead anatomy coordinator for pre clerkship, Dr. Martin is an integral part of the undergraduate medical curriculum, with active involvement in the majority of pre-clerkship courses.
Dr. Martin has dedicated countless hours to the creation of innovative, highly interactive lectures, as well as online modules and assessments. Her approach to teaching focuses on highly applicable concepts, and distilling the basic science of anatomy and embryology down to the most clinically relevant information. This helps students understand the content and its relevance to a variety of medical conditions.
Dr. Martin has also been largely involved with undergraduate curriculum design. She sits on seven different course committees, and is responsible for planning and integrating the anatomy content for these courses. Her knowledge of educational theory and widespread involvement with the curriculum are a significant asset to curriculum planning, and will inevitably shape how the basic sciences are integrated into curriculum renewal.
Dr. Martin’s enthusiasm, approachable nature and great rapport with students dramatically improves the student experience. In recognition for her great contribution to undergraduate medical education, Dr. Martin was awarded with the Hippocratic Council Basic Science Teaching Award in 2016.
Dr. Lisa Shepherd
Dr. Shepherd currently holds the position of Emergency Medicine Undergraduate Coordinator. In this role, she is integral to ensuring that every medical student, as well as visiting medical elective student, receives the best experience and education possible.
Prior to taking this position, Dr. Shepherd was already working to ensure this by collaborating with colleagues to develop a much-needed emergency curriculum. Along with two other emergency physicians, Dr. Shepherd was the recipient of a large ($80,000) Innovation Grant that allowed for the development and implementation of a new Emergency Medicine curriculum that all medical students participate in at the beginning of their Emergency Medicine rotation. The program was well received by the student participants, as well as staff emergency physicians.
Since becoming the Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Shepherd has dedicated a significant amount of time and energy into improving the classroom-based emergency medicine education. She has completely revamped the Emergency Care course, as well as the emergency medicine portions of the Integration and Transition course. This has involved updating resources, as well as class content. It now also includes the use of standardized patients in simulated scenarios.
Dr. Shepherd sits on the MD Curriculum Renewal Committee. This committee is tasked with reviewing and revamping the entire four-year Doctor of Medicine curriculum, but also moving it into Competency-Based Medical Education. This is no small effort and requires the time and dedication of highly motivated educators. She also is a member of the Clerkship and Electives Committee, as well as the Pre-clerkship and Integration Committee. To fully participate in these committees requires both a time and personal commitment that Dr. Shepherd takes seriously.
Dr. Teresa Van Deven
Dr. Van Deven has been appointed in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as an Adjunct Research Professor since 2013. Prior to that appointment, she was appointed for five years as an Assistant Professor with the Department of Medical Imaging where she participated in a number of inter-professional collaboration projects: developing curriculum objectives; revising policies and practices for assessing and evaluating residents; and organizing the integration of the CanMEDS competencies into the curriculum and supporting research.
During her time in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dr. Van Deven has offered educational rounds on various topics including: giving feedback, curriculum planning; peer assessment dialogues, and the role of mentorship. As a member of the Department’s Novel Education Resource Development (NERDs) group, she has worked in collaboration with other department members to support and guide the ‘art of teaching’ for faculty and residents at both practical and theoretical levels.
Dr. Van Deven is a curriculum specialist and assists in liaison between Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Undergraduate Medical Education offices. She also contributes to the advancement of scholarship in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine education. Dr. Van Deven offers research support in journal writing and educational grant proposals for those faculty, students and residents with interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
Dean’s Awards of Excellence for Staff
Spirit Award
Debbie Mayea
Since joining Anatomy and Cell Biology in 2009, Debbie Mayea has displayed tremendous dedication and excellence. Her work ethic is unparalleled and she sets a high bar of expectations for other staff members.
Through her numerous roles within the Department, Debbie serves as the face of Anatomy and Cell Biology, providing outstanding customer service and acting as an ambassador for the Department and the School for internal and external individuals.
She is known as the ‘go-to’ person always there to support any individual, resolve an issue or manage an inquiry. And while she manages the busy administrative aspects of the Department, she brings warmth and personal touches including birthday celebrations and holiday themed treats, which adds to the positive spirit of the Department.
Newcomer Award
Kimberly Trudgeon
Kimberly Trudgeon has been a member of the Department of Oncology since 2013. In her role providing administrative support for the Chair/Chief and Manager of Administration and Finance, Kimberly has established a reputation as a strategic thinker, planner, and superb project manager.
During her short tenure with the Department she has worked on and assisted with the management of several critical projects including the restructuring of the undergraduate medical education oncology program, the strategic plan, and the selection committee for several leadership positions.
Her positive, energetic and conscientious approach to her work and newly established initiatives within the Department are well received and greatly admired by her peers and leaders.
Continuous Excellence
Angela DeCandido
Serving as the Manager of Administration and Finance in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Angela Decandido is known as a highly motivated individual, fully committed to her role in the administration and management of the Department, with strong ethics and professionalism. Her nominators noted that she provides the inner strength to the Department.
She is responsible for overseeing all administrative aspects of the Department including faculty recruitment and retention, promotion and tenure, annual performance evaluations, departmental space upgrades, as well as undergraduate and graduate programs.
In her role, Angela exudes competence in financial planning and in managing the budgetary and human resource needs for the Department and she is meticulous in her attention to detail. In all aspects of the Department’s mission, she demonstrates personal initiative to engage in proactive planning; she is open to feedback and well known for multitasking with grace and good humour.
Known for her superb problem-solving skills, she is a thoughtful performance coach who sets high expectations for herself and others.
Kathy Sadler
Kathy Sadler has served as the Manager of Admissions for Schulich Medicine & Dentistry for the past five years. In this role, Kathy is responsible for policy administration, work flow processes, project and event planning and execution, all of which she addresses in a professional and efficient fashion.
She oversees the School’s White Coat Ceremony, as well as the admissions programs for medicine and dentistry and the day-to-day routine aspects of an admissions program including inquiries, process delivery, policy creation and implementation, committee support and interactive collaboration at the provincial level with other medical schools.
Since joining Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Kathy has developed novel systems to optimize the admissions processes on a daily and annual basis which includes, the dramatic change in the School’s White Coat Ceremony which brought together Schulich Medicine and Dentistry students. She has also become involved in education research, contributing to the overall scholarship of medicine.
Throughout her short tenure with the School, Kathy’s has used highly creative approaches to attaining process improvements during a time of budgetary restraint.
Kathy’s nominators noted her competent, collaborative and level-headed leadership style, which has moved the Admissions Office through a major transition, as well as several new projects.
Team Award
Dawn Bryce and Holly Dupuis
Dawn Bryce and Holly Dupuis are research technicians in the laboratory of Dr. Frank Beier in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. They also provide additional support to the research laboratories of other members of the Skeletal Biology Research Group and beyond.
Dawn and Holly excel at a broad range of technical skills applicable to the research carried out by several faculty members and their trainees at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, and they are extremely generous in sharing these skills with members of other laboratories as needed. They serve as role models and leaders among the research technician community, and set a standard for excellence in performance by research technicians and support staff.
Their ability to work as a team and to get the job done, while maintaining a sense of humour, raises the bar for everyone else and challenges others to do the same.
One of their nominators described them as the heart and soul of the laboratory – showing outstanding mission focus in coordinating every aspect of the labs function, from training of new lab members, preparation of animal protocols, maintenance of mouse colonies, responsibility for safety procedures and protocols, and taking care of purchase orders and finances.
They are in high demand to assist other departments to train others because of their outstanding technical expertise, cooperative style and positive attitude.
Innovation Award
Matt Longstaffe
Matt Longstaffe is the Coordinator of Evaluation, Data and Project Management for Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) and is responsible for overseeing the important evaluations of the program and faculty. He interfaces with more than 10 committees and most recently has had an expansion of his role to include project management for Curricular Renewal and co-lead for Quality Committee and Accreditation Committee, which are two key committees in UME’s continuous quality improvement (CQI) process.
Known for his stellar performance and multiple talents, Matt is committed to innovation in all aspects of his work.
In his role, he has created a living registry for the Quality Committee action templates, which can be tracked for impact, the building of student and program performance scorecards, and the introduction of novel evaluation methods, which improve our systems and practices. This foundational and innovative work will better prepare undergraduate medical education for future curricular changes.
Matt has been a force to be reckoned with for accreditation processes and committees. He has taken the initiative to create a database of accreditation information, as well as an OWL website to support the Committees’ work. His dedication and brilliance have moved the UME program to the forefront nationally, as a model for CQI in UME.
Matt’s enthusiasm for quality improvement and the patience he has with faculty, staff and students new to each process is boundless.
Inspirational Leadership
Betty Holme
Betty Holme joined the leadership team at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry in 2014 as the Director of Organizational Effectiveness. In her short tenure with the School, she has made significant change and inspired others to become involved with the School and the broader community.
A consummate professional in all that she does, Betty is dedicated to establishing strong working relationships and new structures supporting the development of staff leaders. And she is recognized for her establishment and leadership of the School’s Wellness Program, the Emerging Leader’s Program, the transition of staff development from Continuing Professional Development, and as the Chair of the School’s 2017 United Way Campaign.
Betty is friendly, personable, reliable, outgoing and an excellent listener. No matter how busy she is, she takes the time to acknowledge and treat people with respect and fairness – characteristics of an inspirational leader.
Jennifer Parraga
As the Director of Communications and Marketing, Jennifer Parraga is being recognized for her dedication to her team, her initiative in finding creative approaches to her work and her commitment to promoting the School’s brand and image.
Joining the team at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry in 2012, Jennifer took on a growing portfolio that was a key part of the new Strategic Plan for the School. In the past five years, she has built a robust and effective communications program that is seamless across the 21 departments at the School. She developed and led key strategic communications plans for the School including the Distributed Education Strategic Plan, Accreditation and CBME communications.
Two years ago, she took over the School’s events and sponsorship portfolio and has expertly developed and grown the School’s more than 50 events including its three signature events; Leaders in Innovation, the Dean’s Gala and See the Line. Under her leadership and guidance, these three events have continued to flourish and exceed expectations year after year.
As a leader, Jennifer is an inspiration to her team and continues to encourage collaboration and excellence in all that they do. In her role as Director, she has established standardized processes that have improved systems and procedures, and has developed a portfolio-based approach to streamline efficiencies. She has worked tirelessly to build relationships with departments and leaders across the School to raise the profile of the Communications and Marketing team.
Dean’s Awards of Excellence
Lifetime Achievement Awards
Dr. George Klein
A Professor of Medicine, Dr. George Klein is a world leader in the field of cardiac electrophysiology, who served as Chair of the Division of Cardiology for a decade. His research is focused on cardiac arrhythmia with contributions to the natural history of management of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, the operative and ablative management of arrhythmias and the understanding of clinical syncope.
Dr. Klein has built a strong electrophysiology program at Schuich Medicine & Dentistry and established the Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Training Program. He is dedicated to mentoring and training the next generation of physicians, inspiring trainees to understand the human side to medicine.
He is the inventor of the implantable loop recorder, which has become the standard of care for long-term monitoring of patients.
Dr. Moira Stewart
Dr. Moira Stewart is a trailblazer in the field of primary care research, holding the Dr. Brian W Gilbert Tier 1 CRC in Primary Health Care Research from 2003 to 2017. She has an internationally recognized research program and is known worldwide for producing the evidence base to advance patient-centred care.
An accomplished connector of research and policy, Dr. Stewart is a leader of initiatives to develop a next generation of primary health care researchers and leaders for Canada including the national training program in Primary Health care research, TUTOR-PHC, (Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research – Primary Health Care).
Research Awards
Dr. Irene Hramiak
A Professor with the Department of Medicine Dr. Hramiak is the Chair/Chief for the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. She currently serves as the Principal Investigator of the JDRF Ontario Clinical Trial Network, as well as the REMOVAL trail, an international trial that is focused on macrovascular complication in Type 1 diabetes.
Dr. Hramiak is an internationally recognized expert in the field of diabetes research and clinical trials, and is sought after as a local and national site principal investigator for the most important international diabetes-related clinical trials. Findings from her research have translated into better diabetes treatment guidelines and care strategies. She is an outstanding role model for trainees of a successful clinician-scientist and an effective mentor to junior faculty.
Dr. Marco Prado
Dr. Marco Prado is an internationally-renowned researcher focused on the fields of molecular and cellular neurobiology and neurological and psychiatric diseases. He is a world leader in the creation and use of genetically-modified mice in neurobiological research.
Dr. Prado has made important contributions to the areas of neuroscience including Prion-based diseases and Alzheimer’s disease, neurodegeneration and cognitive behaviour.
An international ambassador for research at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, he’s been extensively involved with international meetings and invited lectures and was named Special Visiting Researcher-Science without Borders (Brazilian program) from 2014 to 2017.
Multiple Areas
Dr. Richard Bohay
Dr. Bohay is known for his dedication to Schulich Dentistry, his leadership, his integrity and his ability to make the most difficult projects doable. He currently serves as the Acting Director and Vice Dean of Dentistry – a role he also served from 2011-2012.
His contributions to Dentistry are numerous and include his leadership of the curriculum team, which developed and implemented a new dentistry curriculum. In the past two years, Dr. Bohay has been leading the School through a strategic planning process, the redevelopment of the Dentistry Simulation Laboratory, the operationalization of the Dental Surgical Unit, the implementation of the new digital radiology system and Accreditation.
In addition to his administrative work, Dr. Bohay continues with clinical practice and teaching with continuing dental education.
Junior Faculty
Dr. Brian Allman
Dr. Brian Allman is an Assistant Professor in Anatomy and Cell Biology. He is a systems-level neurophysiologist, whose recent research has focused on basic questions investigating how the cortex integrates information from more than one sense, as well as on clinically-relevant questions as to how the cortex adapts to hearing loss and its perceptual implications.
Dr. Allman has been tremendously successful in establishing himself as a junior researcher and teacher. He is devoted to pursuing excellence in all aspects of academics – research, teaching and mentorship, and service. His passion about his research inspires his trainees, and his mentorship provides them with the skills to become critical thinkers.
Although at an early stage of his career, Dr. Allman has received two USC teaching awards.
Team Award
Centre for Education Research & Innovation (CERI)
The Centre for Education Research & Innovation (CERI) is a Senate-approved research centre at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry focused on health professions education. Their mandate is to create a thriving health professions education research community, a vibrant and interdisciplinary axis for health professions education research, a respect site for health professions education research, and an internationally recognized producer of new knowledge.
It is home to five scientists, three staff and numerous researchers, fellows, students and scholars.
Since its founding in 2009, CERI has built a rigorous, collaborative and enthusiastic culture of scholar inquiry at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. The Centre offers a robust research training community, strong supportive leadership and enthusiasm for collaboration.
In the past few years, it has become known as a world-class site for excellence in education research with an outstanding record of achievement. And it is increasingly become a destination of choice for international scholars.
