The inaugural Richard and Sylvia Cruess Symposium on Scholarship in Health Sciences Education: Insights and Innovations, hosted at the McGill Faculty Club and Conference Centre, was attended by over 125 faculty members, scholars and learners from McGill and beyond.
On Tuesday, May 14, 2024, the Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE) welcomed over 125 attendees to its inaugural Richard and Sylvia Cruess Symposium on Scholarship in Health Sciences Education: Insights and Innovations.
Faculty members, scholars and learners from McGill and beyond presented their interdisciplinary education research abstracts in the field throughout the one-day event, which took place during the IHSE’s annual PhD week.
Among the 55 abstracts presented at the McGill Faculty Club and Conference Centre were papers by medical students, residents and other health professions learners, including 12 PhD students and two postdoctoral fellows studying at the IHSE.
Outlining the purpose of the day, Linda Snell, MD, MHPE, Professor of Medicine and Health Sciences Education at McGill University and Symposium Chair, said: “We are here to share the latest research in health sciences education, and we want to enhance our knowledge and change our practice.”
“We can also help to build our community and facilitate collaboration amongst educators, scholars and practitioners.”
Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, Director of the IHSE, added: “We are incredibly proud and excited about the work of faculty members, colleagues, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduate students that will be presented across this day. Each presentation represents a step forward in our collective vision to advance health sciences education and practice.”
In her opening remarks, Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil, Vice-President (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, said: “Since its beginning in 1975, originally as the Centre for Medical Education and now as the Institute of Health Sciences Education, this group has helped to transform a rapidly growing field.”
“The evolution that I’m really pleased by is that it has taken up a position as an Institute, as a hub to bring people together across the whole Faculty and outside the Faculty.”
Spirit of collaboration, innovation and collegiality
The symposium began with an opening plenary, presented by Tina Martimianakis, PhD, Professor and Director of Medical Education Scholarship in the Department of Paediatrics, and Scientist and Associate Director, Collaborations and Partnerships in the Wilson Centre, Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. In her address, Professor Martimianakis’ highlighted how socio-cultural and discursive forces shape the professional identities of health professions, setting the tone for important conversations that permeated the day.
Oral and poster presentations occurred in concurrent sessions across the day, where emerging and established scholars shared their education research, innovations and work in progress and engaged in dialogue with colleagues.
During the second plenary session, three student teams from both Montreal and Campus Outaouais presented their promising health sciences education innovations to a ‘Dragon’s Den’-inspired panel of experts in the field, including:
- Farhan Bhanji, MD, Vice-Dean, Education at McGill’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Associate Member at the IHSE
- Carlos Gomez-Garibello, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Faculty Member at the IHSE
- Jeffrey Wiseman, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Sciences Education, and Faculty Member at the IHSE
- Meredith Young, PhD, Associate Director, Research, and Associate Professor at the IHSE
Prof. Martimianakis also chaired a closing plenary, titled ‘The Future of Health Sciences Education Scholarship’, with Robert Sternszus, MDCM, MA(Ed), Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Faculty Member at the IHSE, Tim Dubé, PhD, Associate Professor at the Université de Sherbrooke, and Lia Sanzone, N, BScN., M.Sc.(A), M.Sc.Adm. (Cert.), Associate Professor at the Ingram School of Nursing.
Reflecting on the day, Prof. Kinsella said: “I am inspired by the spirit of collaboration, innovation and collegiality that has defined the symposium.”
“Together, we can continue to push the boundaries of knowledge, nurture the next generation of leaders and build inclusive communities that promote excellence in health sciences education and practice.”
Recognizing the impact of the Cruesses
As the symposium concluded, Prof. Kinsella paid tribute to the enduring legacy and impact of Richard Cruess, MD, Professor Emeritus of Surgery and Medical Education, and former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, and his late wife Sylvia Robinson Cruess, MD, Professor Emerita of Medicine and Health Sciences Education.
In their honour, she also announced the Drs. Richard and Sylvia Cruess Legacy Fund, which will support the IHSE’s work in research and scholarship, education and capacity building, and community outreach and engagement.
Prof. Kinsella also presented Dr. Richard Cruess with a painting of Lady Meredith House, home to the Institute of Health Sciences Education and a place where he continues to share insights, advice and guidance with the next generation of scholars in the field.
Accepting the painting, Dr. Cruess shared his “admiration” and “total gratitude” for the symposium and the decades-long connection that he and Dr. Sylvia Cruess have had with the Centre for Medical Education and the IHSE.
“What all of you want to do is to make health sciences education better,” he told attendees. “I’m so grateful that you have welcomed us, cherished us and taught us.”
He also expressed his belief that the field could help navigate various changes and challenges in health: from the impacts of artificial intelligence to the need to ensure professionalism values the role of the healer.
“While we are right to be worried, we can also have confidence that this wonderful discipline of health sciences education will help us solve some of those problems,” he said.
The IHSE gratefully acknowledges its donors, sponsors and partners for their generous support for the symposium, as well as the symposium team for their work to envision and deliver this inaugural symposium event.
Check out our photo gallery (click on any of the photos to view as a slideshow). Photos by Owen Egan and Joni Dufour.
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- From left to right | De gauche à droite: Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, Yvonne Steinert, Richard Cruess, Linda Snell, Donald Boudreau
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