WINTER 2013 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MEDICAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE MAAMATTERS The storied career of DR. JOE GREENBERG CONVOCATION 2013 • THE NEW FACE OF CPD PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE DR. PETER KOPPLIN (1963) Coincidence, connections and campaigns DR. LAURENCE LEE (1976), AN ALUMNUS you may be a bit confused by the plethora from BC, recently sent us a terrific letter. of email and mail requests for donations. He explained that a good number of years Some come directly from us; the MAA is a ago he addressed his son’s Grade 5 class as separate, registered charitable organization part of career day. Fast forward to 2013 from the Faculty. Other email requests and as Laurence is looking at the front come from the Faculty; it promotes the cover of the spring 2013 issue of MAA large U of T “Boundless” fundraising Matters, he recognizes one of those same campaign, supporting student aid, research Grade 5 kids—who is now a U of T senior and infrastructure. The MAA’s mission Meds student. While it would be a stretch focuses on student aid only and keeping to consider that the defining influence on alumni connected. the student’s career choice was Laurence’s As 2013 wanes, I am happy to remind talk, it was still, as Milan Kundera writes, you that you are a graduate of a great medical the “beauty” of coincidence. school and one that is growing even better. PHOTOGRAPHY: KEVIN KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY: Fostering relationships among alumni, I hope that you will continue to support students and the Faculty of Medicine is an the MAA as we continue to support our important part of the MAA mandate. students and alumni. Sharing as much as we do with the Faculty, DEAN’S MESSAGE DR. CATHARINE WHITESIDE (1975) Lifelong learning begins here AS AN ALUMNUS, YOU KNOW THE learning styles and needs. In response to Faculty of Medicine is committed to our alumni, CPD is investing in e-learning, building a culture of lifelong learning. simulation, continuous interprofessional We see this commitment every day in the education and work-based learning. incredible number of alumni who return Under the strong leadership of U of T to the Faculty each year for professional alumnus Dr. Dimitri Anastakis (1988); development. You’ll be proud to know that (see page 3), CPD is ensuring our alumni our Office of Continuing Professional continue to have access to world-class Development (CPD) is Canada’s largest, professional development. As you will read, and has a global reputation for excellence Dr. Anastakis is a passionate advocate for in education, innovation, and leadership. improving the quality of patient care The CPD landscape is changing through medical education. Together, CPD rapidly—driven by changes in education and our alumni are transforming health technology and learner/alumni demands care in Ontario and beyond. PHOTOGRAPHY: MACDONNEL PHOTOGRAPHY MACDONNEL PHOTOGRAPHY: for education better aligned with their MAA Matters is published by the Matthew Plexman, Dr. Catharine For more information, Website: http://maautoronto.ca ON THE COVER: Medical Alumni Association in Whiteside, Dr. Peter Wyshynski please contact: The MAA respects your privacy. Dr. Joseph Greenberg (1952) co-operation with the University Cover photo: Michael Cooper Ruth Gillings, We do not rent, trade or sell our of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine. Design and Art Director: Room 3249, mailing list. If you do not wish to Mixed Sources logo and info. TK Editor: Fiona Irvine-Goulet Luisa De Vito Medical Sciences Building, receive MAA Matters, please Canadian Publications Mail Product Contributors: Michael Cooper, 1 King’s College Circle contact us. CUSTOMER # 7022738 Dr. Suan-Seh Foo, Ruth Gillings, Toronto M5S 1A8 CONTRACT # 41679520 Reem Kawar, Dr. Peter Kopplin, Tel.: (416) 978-0991 Medical Alumni Association Julie Lafford, Dr. Laurence Lee, E-mail: [email protected] Printer: Please place 2 University of Toronto • Winter 2013 FSC logo here Not your father’s CME Dr. Dimitri Anastakis talks about the changing face of CPD anticipate that traditional “bums in seats” conference programs will decline. Not only are they expensive but you’re often pulled away from from your family and your prac- tice. It’s easier and faster to log on to a program and learn as much, if not more, than going to a conference. Third, we’re going to expand the integration of simulation-based education into our CPD programming. When you think of simulation, surgery is one of the most obvious examples of its use: perform- ing a new procedure in a lab is a lot safer, and better for the patient, the surgeon and the whole team. But simulation can also be used to develop interpersonal skills, including how you deliver bad news or deal with a difficult patient, for example. We are fortunate in the Faculty to have a wealth of state-of-the-art simulation centres at our partner hospitals and the largest standardized patient program in the country, so expanding our simulation capacities will be a priority for us. used to be called Continuing of a physician, nurse practitioner, social [Dr. Anastakis is also CEO and President Medical Education, or CME for worker, pharmacologist and an occupa- of SIM-one Ontario Simulation Network, IT short. In the last decade it’s tional therapist. The course would then be a provincial initiative that connects the undergone more than a name change, as offered to all health professions involved. simulation community throughout the ubiquitous mainstay of medical We won’t be able to truly transform our Ontario and advocates for the advance- conferences, workshops and symposia health care system until we educate the ment of simulated learning in health reinvents itself to meet the needs of 21st professions education.] century medical professionals. This portfolio also has the Do you think that the e-learning approach Dr. Dimitri Anastakis (1988), who, since potential to play a really is a more effective way of learning? Or are 2011, has been Vice Dean, Office of we simply changing the vehicle of presen- Continuing Professional Development important role in the tation from an in-person lecture to an (CPD) at the Faculty of Medicine, talks transformation of the electronic version of an in-person lecture? about the current and future state of CPD I have struggled with this ever since doing at U of T. Ontario health care system. my master’s thesis in Health Professions PLEXMAN MATTHEW PHOTOGRAPHY: What changes or shifts do you see Education about 25 years ago. It was on happening in CPD at the Faculty? health professions together so they better computer-based learning and that concept I see three major shifts. First, increasingly, understand one another, turning that of interactivity was an issue then and it still more and more professional education and understanding into better patient outcomes. remains so. On-line learning, including learning is conducted on an interprofes- Second, we’re using considerably more MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), sional basis and in CPD we’re also moving technology, or what I call tech-ed in CPD. needs to be more than videotaped lectures in that direction. As an example, a primary A lot of our learners are very tech sophisti- with impressive graphics and animation. health care course could be designed and cated, using their devices. (e.g. Smart The best learning is interactive—learners taught by a program committee made up phones and tablets) to learn on the spot. I need to be engaged. I’m hoping CPD won’t Medical Alumni Association 3 fall into the MOOC trap; there will be some of the Ontario health care system, particularly Your clinical practice focuses on surgery of courses like that but we want to see more the education component, because of the the hand and peripheral nerves. How does truly interactive learning. It won’t be long sheer numbers of doctors who walk through that inform your work as an educator and before we’ll be using virtual reality as a tool our doors (more than 30,000 learners per researcher as well as your leadership for learning, and applying the technology year). We have an incredible opportunity to positions at U of T and with SIM-one? that exists in the gaming industry to really start addressing and linking to People who go into reconstructive plastic simulation will also change the way we learn. provincial health care issues: not only would surgery don’t like doing the same thing Do you have an ideal vision of CPD U of T meet its obligations to its alumni and over and over again. Every time you see a at the Faculty? learners to help maintain their professional patient, their reconstructive problem is What I’m hoping is that we’ll see further development, but we could also become a almost always unique. At the same time evolution of CPD. U of T has the largest strategic partner in the whole health care you have to apply the fundamental CPD office in Canada. We have a huge transformation agenda. principles of reconstruction. That requires back office machine that can do everything You’ve talked in the past about getting a huge amount of creative thinking, which from managing an event to accreditation; a more medical students exposed to CPD. is an advantage for me in my educational growing portfolio of interprofessional How do you see this happening? endeavours, and also in my leadership roles researchers; and a phenomenal IT group. Most of our courses are open to postgradu- where I really need to understand what the I would like to see us take all of this and ate fellows and residents.