Why Education Scholarship
According to the Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME), "Education Scholarship is an umbrella term which can encompass 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".
The OES mandate and strategic goals
The Office of Education Scholarship was established in 2012 to support capacity building for DFCM faculty and staff in the area of education scholarship across the DFCM.
Our mandate is two-fold: to coordinate and support education scholarship activities, and to advance education scholarship across the DFCM’s programs.
We work with individuals, leaders, programs and teaching sites to help you take a question through the scholarly process to a stage where the results of your work can be shared with a peer group: we can support and help build your own capacity to engage in your everyday work in a scholarly manner.
We are a source of knowledge, guidance and mentorship in scholarly activities related to teaching and education in family medicine. We are helping to increase the volume, capability and quality of the projects produced, thus building educational scholarship capacity at the start of a physician's family medicine training.
The key OES strategic goals are as follows:
- To develop a community of practice
- To build education scholarship capacity,
- To enable a departmental culture of recognition and support through valuing and investing in education scholarship activities.
Contacts
Office of Education Scholarship Leadership and Scientists
Dr. Risa Freeman, MD, MEd.
Vice-Chair Education and Director, Office of Education Scholarship
Please contact through the Office of Education Scholarship at 416-946-7070
r.freeman@utoronto.ca
Dr. Risa Freeman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, and a Clinician Educator Researcher at the The Wilson Centre. She is a staff physician at North York General Hospital. Her community-based clinical practice is affiliated with North York General Hospital. She teaches at the undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development levels in her clinical office and at the University of Toronto. Dr. Freeman's academic and scholarly work has focused on four main areas: medical education curricula and planning; student and faculty learning strategies; evaluation and assessment; and faculty development.
Dr. Cynthia Whitehead, MD, CCFP, FCFP, PhD
Office of Education Scholarship Consultant
Please contact through Jim Szabo at 416-323-6400 x 3019
cynthia.whitehead@utoronto.ca
Dr. Cynthia Whitehead is an Associate Professor and the former Vice-Chair, Education in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto and an Education Scientist at the Wilson Centre. She is currently the Vice-President, Education at Women's College Hospital and Director of the Wilson Centre. She completed a Master’s in Health Professions Teaching and Education in 2008 and a PhD in 2011. In addition to her clinical work as an academic family physician, she is involved in teaching, curriculum design, faculty development and health professions education research. Her research focuses on critical discourse analysis of various aspects of health professions education. Some particular areas of interest include primary care education, outcomes-based education, interprofessional education and the history of medical education.
Dr. Nicole Woods, PhD
Education Evaluation Scientist
nikki.woods@utoronto.ca
Dr. Mahan Kulasegaram, PhD
Education Scientist
mahan.kulasegaram@utoronto.ca
Dr. Sarah Wright, PhD
Education Scientist
sarah.wright@utoronto.ca
Designated Education Scholarship Program Leads
Viola Antao, MD, CCFP, MHSc, FCFP
Professional Development - Education Scholarship Coordinator
(416) 978-2870, viola.antao@gmail.com
Dr. Viola Antao is an Assistant Professor and Clinician Educator in the DFCM and joined the OES in 2012. Viola is responsible for enhancing the scholarly capacity and productivity in the area of professional development for our department. She is a founding member of the Professional Development Committee and as the ongoing Professional Development representative for Women’s College Hospital; Dr. Antao brings to this position expertise in professional development at both the departmental and local program level. She has been a key creator of the award winning Basics Program for New Faculty, and has presented her work on the evaluation of this program at national and international meetings. In her role as an educational research scholar, Dr. Antao is currently examining the educational training and roles of academic non-physician health care professionals in Family Medicine teaching.
Melissa Nutik, MD, CCFP, FCFP, MEd
Undergraduate Education Scholarship Lead
(416) 978-1896, mnutik@mtsinai.on.ca
Dr. Melissa Nutik is an Assistant Professor and Clinician Educator in the Department of Family & Community Medicine. She joined the OES in 2013 as the Undergraduate Education Scholarship Lead. She has been a member of the Undergraduate Education Committee of the Department of Family and Community Medicine since 2004 in a variety of different roles. She is a staff physician at Mount Sinai hospital where she teaches learners of all levels. Her special research interests are in the area of clinical and communication skills and evaluation.
Milena Forte, MD, CCFP
Postgraduate Education Scholarship Lead
mforte@mtsinai.on.ca
Dr. Milena Forte is an Assistant Professor and Clinician Educator in the Department of Family & Community Medicine and joined the OES in 2015 as the Postgraduate Education Scholarship Lead. She is a family physician at Mount Sinai Hospital and the DFCM's Maternity Care Lead.
Office of Education Scholarship Staff
Rachel Ellis
Education Scholarship Coordinator
(416) 946-7070, dfcm.edscholarship@utoronto.ca