Recognizing teaching excellence

A teacher’s influence can make an immense impact on the life of a student.

Medicine students recently honoured some of the teachers who made an impact on their lives at the Teacher Recognition and MMSA Teaching Awards Dinner at the Brodie Atrium.

Now in its fifth year, this annual event, hosted by the College of Medicine and the Manitoba Medical Students’ Association (MMSA), gives University of Manitoba students the opportunity to recognize the outstanding teachers who have made important contributions to their education.

Addressing over 110 faculty members, medical students and residents on hand for the dinner and reception, Dr. Brian Postl, Dean of Medicine, and Vice-Provost (Health Sciences) spoke about the relationship between teachers and students that makes education come alive.

“Serving as faculty members, instructors, preceptors and small group leaders gives you the opportunity to pass along your knowledge and insight to medical students,” Postl said. “Teachers serve students as role models and mentors and we thank them for their many contributions.”

Students echoed that sentiment when presenting the awards to their mentors in medicine.

“Our teachers’ passion for medicine is what motivates and inspires us students,” said Med III student Phoebe Thiessen, one of the organizers and award presenters.

Med IV Adrian Stacy, another student presenter and organizer, used a hockey metaphor to stress how teachers make an impact both inside and outside the classroom.

“We have great role models among our faculty ‘on and off the ice.’ Thank you for being mentors,” Stacy said.

Keynote speaker, P.G. Forest, Ph.D., Director of the John Hopkins Institute for Health and Social Policy delivered a timely speech providing a Canadian perspective on Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

There are elements of the ACA that the Canadian health care system can benefit from, Forest said, including innovation, experimentation, measurement and transparency.

“The ACA has transformed the USA into a huge laboratory for health policy,” he said. “We would be fools not to try to learn from this colossal experiment.”

This year the MMS presented the following awards

Med I 

Innovation: Dr. Davinder Jassal

Innovation: Dr. Adrian Gooi

Mentorship: Dr. Adrian Gooi

Med II

Inspiration: Dr. Keevin Bernstein

Innovation: Dr. Keevin Bernstein

Mentorship: Dr. Bruce Martin

Clerkship

Professionalism – Attending: Dr. Merril Pauls

Patient Advocacy – Attending: Dr. Tse Luk

Clinical Teaching – Attending: Dr. Jeff Hyman

Professionalism – Resident: Dr. Kyle Martin

Patient Advocacy- Resident: Dr. Maria Bronson

Clinical Teaching – Resident: Dr. Imran Ratanshi

Click to view the event program for a complete list of award nominees.

Marshall Wiebe