CTV News: Manitoba physician among five Canadians awarded for improving resident wellness

A Rady Faculty of Health Sciences professor and emergency room physician in Winnipeg has been honoured with the Resident Doctors of Canada’s Puddester Award for Resident Wellness.

Dr. Cheryl ffrench is also the director of simulation and program director for the FRCPC-EM Program in the Department of Emergency Medicine in the Max Rady College of Medicine. She was awarded for being a mentor and a leader who is deeply committed to ensuring a positive learning environment and to improving resident education as a whole.

In 2019, in response to the death of a former resident in her training program, Dr. ffrench led the creation of the first all-day Post-Graduate Medical Education Resident retreat, which allowed all resident doctors training at UM to focus on their wellness through workshops and activities. The success of the retreat has resulted in a commitment for it to occur every year.

As reported by CTV News Winnipeg, ffrench said, “My residents came to me and said we need to acknowledge this loss and to acknowledge this resident and what she meant to us on a wider scale. All the residents of the PGME were all impacted by this loss.”