2. The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882
3. PAIRO Awards
PAIRO Residency Program Excellence Award...........................................................................................4
Lois H. Ross Resident Advocate Award.........................................................................................................6
PAIRO Excellence in ClinicalTeaching Awards (CTA)...........................................................................8
PAIROTrust Fund Awards
Citizenship Award for Medical Students......................................................................................................16
ResidentTeaching Awards.....................................................................................................................................24
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4. 4
Residency Program Excellence Award
The PAIRO Residency Program Excellence Award was created in order to recognize those
programs that have consistently provided an exceptionally positive and rewarding experience
to their residents, while producing physicians who are expertly trained to deal with the chal-
lenges in their upcoming careers.
The 2010 Winner is the Internal Medicine Department
at McMaster University.
Residents provided these comments in their nomination submission:
"The internal medicine program at McMaster University places a strong emphasis on
rich educational experiences and intertwines teaching through every facet of the cur-
riculum. Innovative retreats on CanMED roles, "How to be an SMR", “Evidence Based
Medicine”, and "End of Life Care" complements a well designed academic half-day
curriculum. Importantly, informal quality day-to-day teaching runs through the veins of
the program with everything from informal Royal College scenarios to exploration of
landmark literature and quite frankly everything between".
5. "Residents are routinely treated as colleagues and thus work to meet the high expecta-
tions of their mentors. Staff Members routinely go out of their way in staying late to
teach, provide counselling regarding career goals and personal goals without hesitation".
"One of the strongest advocates for resident well-being is Dr. Wasi, our program
director. She genuinely cares for all residents and ensures that they are not only
competent in their medical knowledge but also in maintaining a healthy balance
with their personal life She is certainly my role model and is the main reason why
I came to train at McMaster for IM."
The McMaster Internal Medicine Program website states, "Residents play a pivot-
al role in helping the faculty to continue to improve and vitalize the Program. Their
opinions are highly valued. We depend on resident involvement to keep the Pro-
gram evolving and to maintain high morale and pride amongst all the residents.
The Internal Medicine program at McMaster University has been nominated each
year since 2006 by residents for the PAIRO Program Excellence Award.
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6. Lois H. Ross Resident Advocate Award
The Lois H. Ross Resident Advocate Award is named in honour of a former PAIRO Ex-
ecutive Director who worked tirelessly for many years to improve the lives of residents
in Ontario. This award is given to one individual in the province who has consistently
advocated on behalf of residents and resident issues, within the role of administrator,
teacher or clinician.
The 2010 Winner is:
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7. 7
Dr. Andrée Gruslin,
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Ottawa.
Dr. Andrée Gruslin obtained her medical degree from the University of Ottawa in 1989.
She then interned at the University of Western Ontario and completed her Residency
Training in Obstetrics/Gynecology in Ottawa in 1994. This was followed by Fellow-
ship Training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine in San Diego, California in 1996. She was ap-
pointed as faculty member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1996 and
since then has focused on research while also spending a significant portion of her time
in medical education. Currently, she is the Associate Professor – GFT of Maternal-Fetal
Medicine at the University of Ottawa and is just finishing her five year term as Director
of the Post Graduate residency training Program in OBS-GYN. Her involvement in medi-
cal education has also been significant. She has been a member of the residency training
committee and of the post graduate research committee. She has also been an examiner
at the undergraduate and postgraduate level and also serves as a Royal College Exam-
iner. In 2002, she was appointed as Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship program direc-
tor and therefore chair of the fellowship training committee. Since 2005, she has been the
Director of the OBS-GYN residency training program at the University of Ottawa.
8. 8
Excellence in ClinicalTeaching Awards (CTA)
The objective of the PAIRO Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award is to publicly
acknowledge the essential role that good clinical teachers play in the training
of new physicians. Residents are asked to outline the qualities that make their
nominee an excellent teacher including: positive role modeling, quality of bed-
side teaching, and interest in trainees' personal development and well-being.
PAIRO has presented these awards since 1983 and they are well recognized as
a high standard of achievement.
There are up to seven awards presented yearly: two forToronto (due to its size)
and one for each of the other five Ontario medical schools: University of Ot-
tawa, University of Western Ontario, McMaster University, Queen's University
and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
The 2010 Winners are:
9. McMaster University
James Bain
Division of Plastic Surgery
Dr. James Bain is an Associate Professor with the Department of Surgery, Division
of Plastic Surgery at McMaster University.
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Sante J. (Sam) Fratesi, MD
Division of Vascular Surgery
Dr. Sam Fratesi was born and raised in the city of Sault Ste. Marie. He graduated from
Medical School at the University of Western Ontario in London where he also complet-
ed his general surgery residency. Dr. Fratesi was one of the first to complete a formal
training program in Vascular Surgery at the University of Ottawa. He received a Mas-
ters degree in Medical Education from the University of Dundee, Scotland. Dr. Fratesi’s
major research and teaching focus is on wound care, particularly as it affects the foot in
diabetes. He has been affiliated with NOSM since 2004.
9
10. Queen’s University
Christopher A. Smith, BSc. MBBS FRCPC FACP
Department of Internal Medicine
Dr. Christopher Smith graduated from Medical School at University of London and
worked in the UK for several years before leaving for the United States. He completed
his Residency Training in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago, fol-
lowed by Chief Resident at the same institution. Dr. Smith then went to Cook County
Hospital, a large public hospital in Chicago for a Fellowship in General Internal Medi-
cine before starting there as faculty. He practised for over ten years at County Hospital
where he developed an interest in medical education. Dr. Smith served as Associate
Program Director for eight years before being recruited in 2008 to Queen's University
as the Program Director for the Core Internal Medicine Program.
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11. 11
University of Ottawa
Michael D. O'Connor, MD FRCSC
Department of Ophthalmology
Dr. Michael O’Connor completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees at
Queen’s University before completing his residency training in Ophthalmology in
Ottawa. He went on to do a fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He returned to the University of Ot-
tawa in 2007, where he now divides his time as a pediatric ophthalmologist at the
Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and a comprehensive adult ophthalmolo-
gist at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute. He is deeply involved in both medical
student and resident education, with particular interests in teaching clinical skills
and in using simulation for resident surgical training.
12. 12
University of Toronto
Rob Silver, MD FRCPC FACP
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Dr. Rob Silver is an academic Endocrinologist who is based at the Toronto Western
Hospital division of the University Health Network, an affiliated teaching hospital
of the University of Toronto. He is a Professor of Medicine within the University of
Toronto Department of Medicine. His major academic interest is in education at all
levels, including Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Continuing Medical Education,
with specific interests in methods of evaluation and the creation of new and novel
approaches to interactive learning. Throughout his career, he has served on more
than 20 different medical education committees. Among his estimated 1000 hours
per year of dedicated teaching, his favorite activity over the past 25 years has been
a weekly interactive problem-based learning session with his Endocrinology hous-
estaff entitled “Coffee, Crumpets and Questions”. For his contributions to medical
education, Dr. Silver has been honored with more than 20 teaching awards.
13. University of Toronto
Gyl Midroni, MD, FRCPC
Division of Neurology
Dr. Gyl Midroni graduated from University of Toronto medical school in 1990,
completing his specialty training in Neurology in Toronto in 1994. Following a fel-
lowship at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Midroni returned to St. Michael’s Hospital in 1996
to become director of the department of Clinical Neurophysiology. Since his arrival,
resident education in neurophysiology and neuromuscular disease through a series
of structured electives, didactic lectures and patient-centred teaching activities has
been his primary academic endeavour, with the focus on 1 on 1 or very small group
teaching as the favoured means of imparting the art and science of clinical medi-
cine to the next generation.
13
14. Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry,
University of Western Ontario
Corey C. Moore MD MSc FRCSC FACS
Department of Otolaryngology
Dr. Corey Moore is Associate Professor and Chief of the Division of Facial Plastic and
Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and
the Post Graduate Program Director, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at the
University of Western Ontario. Dr. Moore is also cross-appointed in the departments
of Oncology and Anatomy and Cell Biology. Dr. Moore is the current president of the
Canadian Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
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15. 15
The PAIRO Trust Fund was established in 1985.The mandate of the Trust is to
administer funds for the welfare of internes and residents in the broadest sense
and for the purpose of providing benefits for internes and residents and their
families and beneficiaries.The PAIROTrust Fund supports the Citizenship Awards
for Medical Students as well as the ResidentTeaching Awards.
16. 16
Citizenship Awards for Medical Students
The Citizenship award recognizes medical students who, in addition to maintaining an ade-
quate academic standing, have made a significant contribution towards improving the general
welfare of fellow medical students. Successful candidates have demonstrated creative, inno-
vative leadership in one or more of the areas: curriculum development; student well-being;
faculty liaison; and community involvement.
The Winners for
2011 are:
17. McMaster University
Naheed Dosani
Naheed’s contributions at the national stage led to his invitation as a plenary
speaker at the Canadian Conference on Medical Education. There he utilized his
experiences as a student leader and research findings to inform Canadian medical
school faculty and undergraduate deans about common misconceptions involving
the “Hidden Curriculum” and its impact on medical education outcomes. He has
been instrumental in organizing, developing, creating and implementing many
activities including the implementation of a new communications strategy. Naheed
has contributed to curriculum development and represented the opinions of stu-
dents on various committees and focus groups. He also serves as part of the found-
ing team of Altitude: Healthcare Mentoring, a project of the Ontario Medical Asso-
ciation aimed at empowering students from low social-economic backgrounds and
rural communities to aspire to a career in healthcare.
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18. 18
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Zachary Veitch
Zachary is a third year medical student at NOSM and has been the President of the
NOSM Student Society for the past two years. He has worked hard to create a posi-
tive learning environment for his peers and is always keen to assist other students.
In part his efforts have helped the NOSM Student Society to be the 2011 host of the
Ontario Medical Student Weekend. Zachary has been at the forefront in encourag-
ing his peers to participate in the NOSM experience whether it is through taking
on roles within the Student Society or in participating in interest groups. In this
connection he was the primary organizer of “Music Medicine and Mocha” which
successfully resulted in a donation to the Sudbury Regional Cancer Centre. He has
taken on active roles with the 2009 and 2010 Orientation Weeks, NOSM’s Summer
Science Camp, the Laptop Focus Group, the Mobile Device Collaboration Group
and the Surgical Interest Group.
19. Queen’s University
Vighnesh Bharath
Vighnesh is a third year student who throughout his career at Queen’s has dem-
onstrated an elevated level of leadership and a genuine passion toward student
involvement in medical politics. He has served as a Curriculum Representative,
co-led the Internal Medicine Interest Group and has been nominated to the Profes-
sionalism Committee. Vighnesh was the innovator of many new class initiatives;
one being the creation of a ‘practice exam bank’ created by students for the pur-
pose of review during exam time. He has also been involved in fundraising for the
Queen’s Medicine Team for Run for the Cure and was involved with his class vol-
unteering at Martha’s Table.
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20. University of Toronto
Sagar Dugani
Sagar has a long-standing history of excellence in various domains of student life.
He has developed several community programs and co-founded IMAGINE, Cana-
da's first student-run health clinic with a comprehensive approach to addressing
health needs of marginalized populations. In addition to community outreach,
Sagar has served as Chief Co-Editor of the UTMJ, and currently is the only stu-
dent on the prestigious CMAJ Editorial Board. He also served as Chief Co-Editor
of Toronto Notes 2009 as well as a Reviewer for several international journals.
At the national level, he led a committee that established a Trainee Section in the
journal Clinical and Investigative Medicine and served as a representative on
Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada. Apart from these, Sagar
has been involved in various aspects of student government: he served on the
Academic Appeals Committee at the Faculty of Medicine; Student Affairs Liaison
Team; and currently as MD/PhD Class co-President, forums that allowed for stu-
dent advocacy related to academic fairness, student health and wellbeing, and the
student experience.
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21. 21
University of Toronto
Mathew Leonardi
Mathew has tirelessly served the Faculty as a key student leader, diligently work-
ing as Co-Class President for the past three years. This included a variety of re-
sponsibilities such as coordinating events and administrative meetings, with a
key goal of advocating on behalf of his classmates. He is a very effective and effi-
cient leader and this is why he has been elected and re-elected for this position for
three consecutive years. Over the past year he has worked extensively in the area
of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual health care and medical education. He took
on a lead role co-chairing Diversity in Medicine that included organizing a series
of lunchtime talks focusing on LGBT health issues. Under DIM, Mathew and his
team also established a preclerkship elective entitled the LGBT Health Elective
for first and second year students. Responses from students were outstanding
and they hope to expand upon this elective in the current academic year. Along
with a classmate, he also worked on improving core curriculum in this area and
this effort is ongoing.
22. 22
University of Ottawa
Andrew Boozary
Andrew has demonstrated his commitment to his peers, the faculty and his commu-
nity. His leadership role commenced in his first year when representing his class-
mates, Andrew entered discussions with the administration, resulting in a major
change to the evaluative system at the undergraduate level. Students are now graded
in a Pass/Fail manner, as opposed to Pass/Fail/Honours. In his capacity of Aescu-
lapian Society President, Andrew’s priority is student well being. While addressing
issues ranging from Orientation Week activities to the new Industry Relations Policy,
he goes beyond expectations in representing his peers. Finally, Andrew spearheaded
a community initiative, which is coming to fruition. The MIGHT clinic is a student-
run community health centre serving those without regular access to healthcare.
23. University of Western Ontario
Patricia Uniac
Always unselfishly helping others, Patricia is not only a big sister to a first year stu-
dent; she always spends time driving the carless students around. She fulfills a big
role not only acting as the class’s friend, but also a mom and a sister, addressing
the personal concerns and problems of students. Students feel comfortable in ap-
proaching her, as they know that anything that is discussed will remain confiden-
tial. Needless to say, she is a very active member of the mentorship group project.
Patricia has a very strong interest in the nutrition group as well, teaching other
students how to cook. Patricia also ran study groups in first and third years.
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24. ResidentTeaching Awards
The ResidentTeaching Awards honour residents who have provide outstanding clinical teaching
experiences to junior housestaff and clinical clerks.This award is given to one resident at each
centre with the exception of Toronto which due to its size has two recipients. Each university
nominates and selects its own winner.
The 2011 Winners are:
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25. 25
McMaster University
Jessica Collins, MD
PGY 4, Plastic Surgery
Jessica creates a very friendly atmosphere and makes clerks unafraid of asking any
kind of question. Always smiling and approachable, Jessica frequently took the
time to explain relevant knowledge in a clear and concise manner appropriate to
our level. In one instance, she stayed behind following a long microsurgery pro-
cedure to explain to the clerks watching, the principles of microsurgery and ves-
sel suturing and the relevant information regarding the procedure that was used.
Jessica has been involved in suturing skills course teaching and most recently de-
veloped a senior resident lecture series for junior residents and medical students
leading to a website launch this year. Jessica has also served as a representative to
the Division of Plastic Surgery Education Committee and Department of Surgery
Residency Education Committee, and participates as an interviewer on the CaRMS
Plastic Surgery Residency Admission Committee.
26. 26
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Adam Moir, MD
PGY2, Family Medicine
Adam is the charter class recipient of the NOSM Student Citizenship Award, an
annual award voted on by students that recognized a student on each campus
who has made a positive contribution to the lives of their classmates. He had also
served as a Charter Class member of the Undergraduate Medical Education Com-
mittee with NOSM, helping to debate, reshape and finalize much of the curriculum
for the medical school in its inaugural year. In his first year of residency he served
as resident nominee on the NOSM Board of Directors. This past academic year he
has served as a member of the resident program committee, family medicine aca-
demics committee, conducting monthly resident education committee meetings.
He has worked tirelessly as an advocate for resident interests within both the post-
graduate program and administration.
27. Queen’s University
Russell Lam, MD
PGY 3, Paediatrics
Russell is viewed as a passionate and excellent teacher, who proves to be a role model
to many of his junior colleagues. His teaching and mentoring of junior staff occurs in
formal settings of morning or grand rounds and also informal settings such as while
working alongside each other, after a shift or over lunch. He has been know to go out of
his way during each and every call shift to provide at least one formal teaching session.
Russell also shows great care and concern for the more junior members of his team,
providing much advice and mentorship ranging from such topics as life as a resident,
to research, to strategies for success in the residency matching process. His program
director mentions him as going beyond expectations in formulating written guidelines
for residents.
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28. 28
University of Ottawa
Mark Preston, MD
PGY 5, Urology
While many residents develop the skills and have the innate generosity to become
excellent bedside teachers, Mark has moved way beyond this level during his
residency. He has been most generous with his time throughout the undergradu-
ate medical education curriculum in both skills teaching and OSCE assessments.
Moreover, he has had the vision to help all learners interested in his specialty of
urology by developing a web resource of educational tools as well as a large inter-
active question back for exam preparation for all urology residents. The only re-
ward in that is the satisfaction of helping others and in this, Mark holds true to his
vocation as a physician.
29. University of Toronto
Nikola Grujich, MD
PGY 5, Psychiatry
Nikola is credited with being an outstanding resident teacher, mentor and role model
in the Department of Psychiatry. Last year, he was the recipient of three awards
including the prestigious Department of Psychiatry Resident Teacher of the Year
Award. His teaching skills are natural and innate yet he strives to constantly im-
prove upon his ability. Residents have commended him with having a teaching style
that is engaging, participatory and infectious including having the ability to tailor
questions and subject matter to the different levels of knowledge of his audience.
29
30. University of Toronto
Michel Shamy, MD
PGY 5, Adult Neurology
As the Chief Resident of the Neurology training program at the University of Toron-
to, Michel has shown a profound dedication to resident education and has played
an integral part in improving the academic half-day. He has also revitalized the
curriculum by incorporating resident feedback as well as modifying the formal of
the Internal Medicine in Neurology segment and included new lectures and topics.
Michel is also credited with being an excellent teacher in his own right, giving sev-
eral lectures a year and filling in for other residents. His lectures are always well
received, clear, concise and practical. Noted as an excellent role model and educa-
tor to junior colleagues by his peers, he has inspired medical students to pursue a
career in Neurology.
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31. 31
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, UWO
Leigh Sowerby, MD
PGY 5, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Leigh was thought of as a most deserving candidate for the Resident Teaching
Award at the Schulich School of Medicine. He has won the departmental award
for teaching during his residency and is thought of as being a contender to repeat it
once again. Leigh has proven to be a leader in education and truly enjoys teaching
both medical students and junior residents. He is seen teaching in the operating
room, clinic and in weekly rounds. Leigh is currently in his last year of resident
training at Western and will be off to complete a one year fellowship – all will be
sad to see him go.
