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Norman Education Research Day 2025
Highlights
On Wednesday, June 4, students, faculty and researchers came together to celebrate the history and future of health professions education research at Norman Education Research Day.
This one-day event takes place in-person in early June, and is an opportunity to hear from scholars in health professions education research around topics in assessment, equity, diversity and inclusion, health education policy, and more!
Dr. Aliki Thomas from McGill University explored the challenges and barriers to interprofessional collaboration in health education and practice.
A panel featuring Dr. Ruth Hannon, Dr. Cathy Risdon and Dr. Karim Vellani will share diverse, real-world perspectives on how interprofessionalism can be advanced through shared understanding, trust, and collaborative practice.
The presentation and panel were recorded and will be made available on the MERIT YouTube channel in the coming months.
In the meantime, check out some of the highlights above and visit the NERD webpage to learn more!
We welcome you to connect with other professionals who, like you, share a passion to create a brighter world for health professionals and address emerging issues within health professions education. The abstract submission portal for NERD 2026 and registration to attend will be made available in the early new year.
We look forward to seeing you at next year’s research day!
Did you know?
NERD is named after one of McMaster’s longstanding faculty, Dr. Geoff Norman. Dr. Norman is a Professor Emeritus, a Scientist at McMaster Education Research, Innovation & Theory (MERIT), and a member of the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact.
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MERIT has been preparing for the upcoming Educational Rounds for the 2025/2026 term. Stay tuned for more information via the MERIT email once it's available! In the meantime, please save the following dates at 5pm EST (subject to change):
2025
September 16
October 21
November 18
2026
January 20
February 17
April 8 |
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MERIT Adjunct Scientist
MERIT welcomes Dr. X. Catherine Tong as the newest adjunct scientist!
Dr. Tong is a family physician practicing emergency and prison health in Kitchener-Waterloo and an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. She earned her MD from the University of Toronto in 2005, followed by residency training in family medicine (2007) and enhanced skills in emergency medicine (2008). At McMaster, she is Program Director of the Royal College Clinician Educator Area of Focused Competence Diploma, which equips and credentials physicians to lead as clinician educators across specialties. As Faculty Development Director for the Department of Family Medicine, she supports over 1,300 affiliated faculty. Her research focuses on innovations that strengthen support for distributed medical education faculty and promote inclusive learning environments.
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Congratulations, Jasmin Dhanoa!
Jasmin has successfully defended her thesis in the McMaster Health Science Education MSc Program! Jasmin’s thesis is titled "Defining Principles of Expert Performance During Medical Procedures: Optimizing Assessment Criteria of Procedural Skills", supervised by Dr. Elif Bilgic.
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Congratulations, Allison Sohanlal & Mohammad Zubairi!
Department of Pediatrics
2025 Winter Education Endowment Fund
The Education Endowment Fund is an annual award that supports faculty and pediatric trainee development, educational research grants, and innovative initiatives.
Allison Sohanlal
Powerful Voices: Student Experiences of the Clinical Internship Matching System in Canada
Mohammad Zubairi
Al-Augmented Decision-Making in Competence Committees for Competency-Based Medical
Education
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Congratulations, Arden Azim!
Department of Medicine Internal Career Awards
W. Watson Buchanan Clinician Educator Award |
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Congratulations, Anthony Sandre!
Department of Medicine Internal Career Awards
AFP Internal Career Clinician Award
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Congratulations, Elif Bilgic & James Leung!
2025 Clinician Educator Program Award
Elif Bilgic
Oustanding Contributions Award
James Leung
Facutly Hot Topics Presentation Award
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2025 Health Professions Educator Award
Ruth Chen
Ruth Chen is the associate dean, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) and an associate professor in the School of Nursing. Currently, she is also the acting director, McMaster Continuing Education (MCE). She is the pathophysiology course lead for the provincial primary health care nurse practitioner program; she teaches in both undergraduate and graduate programs and previously taught in the Health Sciences Education (HSED) MSc program. She is a member of PhD & MSc thesis committees in the FHS and advisor to course-based MSc students. She has held previous leadership roles at McMaster, including assistant dean, Academic Resources; department education coordinator for the School of Nursing; and assistant dean of Faculty Development for the FHS. Ruth completed her bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, her master’s degree at Yale University, and her PhD in Health Research Methodology at McMaster.
The Health Professions Educator Award is designed to encourage and reward the continued excellence of health professions education and scholarship within McMaster University. Nominees will be senior faculty and leaders in their respective educational schools that have made substantial contributions to education in the Faculty of Health Sciences including teaching, mentorship, educational scholarship, or research, throughout their careers. This award is presented at the annual Norman Education Research Day.
Read the article here.
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MERIT Membership
MERIT's community of practice consists of individuals who have a deep interest in advancing health professions education through research and applied science.
Join us in welcoming:
Matheus Costa Bessa (Member)
Zacharie Cloutier (Member)
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Education Innovations Profile
Partnering for Change (P4C) is an evidence-based occupational therapy model that enhances children’s school participation through collaborative, needs-based services. More than 15 years of research has led to an implementation theory explaining how, when, and why P4C works. To support knowledge translation in health professions education, Dr. Wenonah Campbell, Associate Professor, School of Rehabilitation Science, John and Margaret Lillie Chair in Childhood Disability Research and CanChild Scientist, launched p4cguide.com.
This bilingual website showcases this theory and offers implementation tools, training, and multimedia resources to support learning and adoption of P4C. An overview video introduces the platform’s features and educational value.
Access the website here.
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Do you know of an outstanding education innovation that deserves recognition?
MERIT invites you to submit nominations for our Education Innovations Profile!
This new segment will be featured in our monthly newsletter to spotlight educational initiatives in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Here's what we need:
- A concise 100-word description of the innovation.
- 1-3 hyperlinks to relevant websites and/or publications.
- Names and positions of the key team members behind this innovation.
- An image is encouraged but not necessary.
Don't miss this opportunity to share your or someone else's remarkable work with our community!
Submit your nominations to merit@mcmaster.ca
Submissions accepted on a rolling basis.
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In this month's MERIT Video Spotlight, Dr. Constance LeBlanc discuss her journey in educational leadership. The presentation of the 2024 John C. Sibley Award for Excellence in Education for Part Time Faculty is also included in this video.
Click HERE to watch the video
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MERIT is on YouTube! Check out our MERIT Rounds archives, scientist profiles, research day plenaries, and more.
Make sure you subscribe to the MERIT YouTube channel for all things HPE!
Feel free to share with your colleagues!
SUBSCRIBE HERE
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Teacher’s Toolkit for FHS Faculty
NEW free online resource for educators!
Are you looking for expert advice and innovative solutions to enhance your teaching practice? The Teacher's Toolkit for Health Sciences Education is your ultimate resource.
Whether you're a seasoned educator or just starting out, this new online platform offers practical tools to help you succeed and make a lasting impact in the classroom!
Access the Toolkit HERE (MacID required)
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This open-access reading list is designed for clinicians, students and scholars who are interested in learning about the world of health professions education (HPE).
The website has been curated into various topics related to HPE, along with a content experts’ seal of approval.
Do you have a question you want to start exploring? Or are you looking for an article to stimulate a seminar or journal club? We’ve taken out the guess work for you and compiled our favourite resources on our site!
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