Fall Message from Dr. Ahtsham Niazi, Vice Chair of Education
As we enter fall, it is hard to believe how quickly this year has flown by. Before we know it, it will be time to reflect on our accomplishments in 2024, but I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge what we have done.
This year, our department achieved remarkable milestones, none of which would have been possible without your help and enthusiasm.
These traits were particularly evident during one of the more challenging periods we faced as a department—during the preparation for the external review of the anesthesia residency program by the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians. By now, you know that we successfully had the notice to withdraw accreditation for that program withdrawn. However, I want to highlight some positives from the final report over the summer. These included the diverse and talented faculty and the significant mentorship opportunities that are available to our trainees because of this. Additionally, the report highlighted the excellent work done by many of our educators, namely the program director and assistant program director of the anesthesia residency program, Drs. Eric You-Ten and Joe Fiorellino. The university is always looking for ways to improve our learners’ experience, and we are already working with our partners to ensure a seamless implementation of the new accreditation standards for residency programs, which came into effect on July 1.
There is no way to support our trainees without also supporting our teachers and ensuring that they have the tools they need to be successful. This year’s Faculty Development Day was designed with supporting teachers in mind. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Viren Naik, a world-renowned medical educator who oversees the credentialing of specialist training and the assessment, including examinations, for all medical specialties in Canada. He will deliver key insights about the leadership journey in health care. Other speakers will detail environmental sustainability and EDI implementation in the perioperative setting, as well as coaching and feedback. I encourage all of you to attend this exciting event.
The sessions on coaching and feedback come ahead of the upcoming distribution of LACT forms to those teachers who quality by their site chiefs. We will share more information on that process soon. Please look out for further details in the coming weeks.
We have come a long way and made many strides in the right direction. Our programs continue to expand under the capable hands of our program directors, leaving no doubt that we have some of the best physicians and trainees in the world.
Looking ahead, I am confident that 2025 holds great promise for further growth and collaboration.
