We are pleased to announce the appointment of Sophie Vaillancourt, MBA, S-LP, to the position of Associate Dean, Faculty Development, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), McGill University, effective September 1. Prof. Vaillancourt replaces Michelle Elizov, MDCM, who has served in this position since May 2020. We take this opportunity to thank Dr. Elizov for her leadership, during which time the Faculty Development Office converted “Your Teaching Journey” to a set of blended modules in English and French, supported the growth of Campus Outaouais through faculty development and, among other achievements, had to switch on a dime to offer novel activities at the start of the pandemic, including “Teaching with Zoom” and “Providing Care and Supervision of Learners Online.”
Prof. Vaillancourt is a graduate of both McGill University, where she obtained her MBA, and Université de Montréal, where she completed a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology. She is currently Assistant Professor (Professional) and Coordinator of Clinical Education in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders (SCSD) at McGill. She is the Clinical Education Team Lead and Chair of the Clinical Education Committee, SCSD, as well as being a member of the Director’s Council.
Prof. Vaillancourt has a long-standing interest in clinical education and has been responsible for the development and presentation of a number of workshops for the FMHS and Faculty Development on subjects such as peer coaching, introduction to student supervision, the teacher-learner relationship and supervising telepractice placements.
From 2015 to 2023, Prof. Vaillancourt participated in the development of a national practicum assessment tool in collaboration with the Canadian Academic Coordinators of Clinical Education group, co-developing the competencies and skills components for the roles of communicator and collaborator.
At the provincial level, she has collaborated with other speech-language pathology and audiology programs in Quebec to create Clinical Educator Online Training for the Ordre des orthophonistes et audiologistes du Québec.
She has also led the creation of several clinical educator online training workshops for the SCSD and its partners, as well as a Phonological Awareness intervention program used by the School’s MScA students and participating kindergarten teachers to teach phonological awareness to kindergarten children. In the community, she has organized speech-language pathology assessment of children in Chisasibi in collaboration with the Cree School Board. She also organized the Early Reading Project in collaboration with Kateri Elementary School in Kahnawake in 2021.
Prof. Vaillancourt is a member of the Alliance of Professional Programs and Faculty Development Office in the FMHS, and was named to the Faculty Honour List for Educational Excellence in 2020.
In her new role as Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Prof. Vaillancourt will oversee the design, delivery and evaluation of faculty development programs and activities for FMHS faculty members. Her responsibilities will include strategic planning, developing and conducting faculty-wide educational initiatives which aim to improve skills in teaching, research and administration. In addition, she will be responsible for delivering specific flagship programs such as the Teaching Journey Program and Leadership Development Program, and providing orientation and career development sessions for faculty members in collaboration with the Academic Affairs Office and the Office of the Dean.
Prof. Vaillancourt will be responsible for conducting regular assessments of the professional development needs of FMHS faculty members and ensure that programs and appropriate educational resources are available for faculty members at Campus Outaouais and across the RUISSS McGill. She will also advise departmental chairs and divisional directors, and directors of the Schools, with regards to faculty development issues and initiatives.
Prof. Vaillancourt will also work with the Assistant Deans, Faculty Development at the Montreal Campus and Campus Outaouais, and other key stakeholders in the FMHS including the Academic Affairs Office. She will build close links with the Continuing Professional Development office, seeking opportunities to efficiently share resources and co-develop programming. She will also represent Faculty Development at various committees and councils including the Deanery Executive, Faculty Leadership Commons, and university committees and external agencies as needed.
Please join us in congratulating Prof. Vaillancourt on her appointment, and wishing her every success in her new role.
Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil
Vice-President (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
and Health Sciences
Christian Pineau, MDCM
Vice-Dean, Academic Affairs