Nominated by his colleagues, Prof. Gomez-Garibello was recognized for his renowned expertise and contributions to health sciences education within the Faculty and beyond.
Carlos Gomez-Garibello, PhD, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE) Research and Scholarship Catalyst Award.
The award recognizes IHSE members who have shown a commitment to catalyzing, supporting and facilitating research and scholarship in health sciences education.
Prof. Gomez-Garibello is an Associate Professor in the IHSE and an Associate Member of the Department of Surgery. He currently serves as Faculty Lead for Assessment in Postgraduate Medical Education at McGill, where he provides crucial support to residency programs in advancing their assessment practices.
He was presented with the accolade at the Richard and Sylvia Cruess Symposium on Scholarship in Health Sciences Education, which took place on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
“[Prof. Gomez-Garibello] weaves together rich theoretical knowledge, deep methodological expertise, commitment and passion for high quality education, and the ability to roll up his sleeves to bring these skills to bear on big important questions in health sciences education,” said Meredith Young, Associate Director (Research) at the IHSE. “His nomination package makes the breadth of his impact clear – from a range of PGME educational programs to national certification to locally-relevant solution-oriented educational innovations.”
“He is deeply deserving of this award, and this recognition of his contributions to health sciences education within the Faculty, the university, and beyond.”
On receiving the award, Prof. Gomez-Garibello said: “I feel really humbled to have been nominated by my peers, and that the award was supported by some really kind and generous letters from esteemed colleagues I have had the privilege of collaborating with.”
He added that he felt honoured to receive the award during this particular year, which marks both his 10th year at the IHSE and the Institute’s 50th anniversary.
“From the first day I joined the IHSE, I felt so fortunate to work with so many bright, amazing minds. They are not just excellent in terms of their expertise in different fields of health professions education, but they are also extremely good human beings who have always been really invested in my professional development and have been generous enough to engage in many interesting conversations.”
He also thanked all members of the IHSE, its current and previous leadership and the Institute’s administrative team.
Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, Director of the IHSE, said: “Carlos brings a rare combination of scholarly approaches to educational practice, methodological rigor and collaborative generosity to his work. His contributions have advanced assessment in postgraduate medical education and deeply enriched our broader research culture at the IHSE. Carlos exemplifies the spirit of the Catalyst Award – supporting others, asking important questions and doing so with insight and care.”
Scholarly approach and generosity of spirit
Nominating Prof. Gomez-Garibello, Maryam Wagner, MEd, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Sciences Education and Educational Lead, Health Professions Schools, wrote: “[Prof. Gomez-Garibello’s] work is highly lauded, in part because he adopts a scholarly approach to each task/activity incorporating relevant theories and/or frameworks. Thus, his work serves a capacity-building function for his colleagues, bringing rigour and systematicity to the projects, and equally importantly, bridging the gap between research and practice.”
She also highlighted Prof. Gomez-Garibello’s “generosity of spirit and collegiality”.
“He never says ‘no’ to a request, and approaches every interaction with kindness. His feedback is always substantive and supportive, whether for a student’s course-based paper or in response to a research presentation.”
Melina Vassiliou, MD, MEd, Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery, Vice-Chair (Education) and Adair Family Chair Surgical Education, praised Prof. Gomez-Garibello’s “dedication to mentoring and advising trainees”.
“Thanks to his expertise in assessment and psychometrics, these learners have successfully implemented robust research methodologies, presented at conferences, and prepared manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications,” she added.
In her nomination letter, Natalie Buu, MDCM, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia and Associate Member of the IHSE, recalled her work with Prof. Gomez-Garibello on improving faculty assessments in postgraduate medical education (PGME).
“His workshops at PGME retreats for program directors inspired clinical educators like me to strive to improve clinical education and their approach for our residents,” she wrote. “Furthermore, he was generous with his time to work with us individually to improve and to innovate within our programs
For Prof. Gomez-Garibello, being a catalyst means having “the disposition to contribute to different projects, but at the same time, the disposition to learn from the people we collaborate with.”
He added that participating and consulting in diverse health professions education projects has allowed him to expand and refine his understandings and perspectives on education in general. He pointed out that he has “learned so much from every project I have embarked on, with faculty, residents, medical students and other health professionals”.
Congratulations, Dr. Gomez-Garibello!
