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Essence Course
The Essence of Education Scholarship | Idea to Dissemination
Essence is a longitudinal faculty development course by the Office of Education Scholarship (OES) at the Department of Family & Community Medicine (DFCM) for physicians and other health professionals that is designed to develop knowledge and skills in education scholarship.
Through a series of workshops and mentoring initiatives spanning one academic year, participants will be supported through the design and execution of a scholarly project of their own choosing. Essence is led by experts in the research field. Participants receive personalized consultations from researchers, including OES faculty and OES Education Scientists from DFCM.
Schedule and format: October 7, 2025 - May 12, 2026, hybrid delivery (see below for detailed course schedule)
Course applications are now open. Spots are limited. Register today.
What Is Education Scholarship?
Education scholarship is an umbrella term which encompasses both research and innovation in health professions education. Quality in education scholarship is attained through work that is peer-reviewed, publicly disseminated and provides a platform that others can build on.
Description & Requirements
- No cost for DFCM faculty and North York General Hospital staff and physicians.
- Participants will have the opportunity to develop and work through an education project of their own choosing– from idea to dissemination (class presentation).
- Core topics build on the knowledge and skills required to complete a scholarly project.
- Hybrid model with monthly virtual or in-person workshops.
- The Zoom platform and a learning management system are used to deliver synchronous and asynchronous course content to accommodate different learner styles.
- In between workshops, participants will complete specific tasks related to their project and participate in personalized consultations with an Education Scientist and a Clinician from the Office of Education Scholarship at the DFCM.
- Participants are expected to attend all the workshops and complete the course work.
- Family physicians can apply for Mainpro credits.
Course Goals
- Develop basic competencies in the area of education scholarship.
- Produce, advance and complete your own scholarly project by the end of the course.
- Join a community of practice of participants and support each others' roles as educators.
- Utilize dedicated time to work and reflect on one’s project while receiving expert guidance.
Course Schedule
*8 sessions held in a hybrid format
| Date | Topic | Format |
|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2025 | Clear Goals | In person |
| November 11, 2025 | Adequate preparation | Virtual |
| December 9, 2025 | Program Evaluation | In person |
| January 13, 2026 | Methods 1 - Qualitative | Virtual |
| February 10, 2026 | Methods 2 - Quantitative | Virtual |
| March 24, 2026 | Dissemination 1 | Virtual |
| April 14, 2026 | Dissemination 2 | Virtual |
| May 12, 2026 | Final Presentations | In person |
Testimonial
“I attended the program a few years ago and found it impactful, full of informative speakers who are easily approachable, providing a very supportive environment to assist you in creating a question determining the appropriate process with the assistance of scientists, providing a brief synopsis of your project for your fellow attendees while having fun.”
- Donna Vlahos
Previous Info Session Recordings
We invite you to watch the previous info session (30 minutes) held on September 30, 2024, if you would like to get a better sense of the course prior to the new session.
Contact Us
Questions? Contact the Essence Course Co-Directors:
Dr. Risa Bordman, Associate Professor & OES Faculty Development Program Lead, DFCM, risa.bordman@utoronto.ca
Dr. Gurpreet Mand, Assistant Professor, DFCM, gurpreet.mand@utoronto.ca