The second Day of Excellence in Academics at Women’s College Hospital (WCH) took place on Thursday, May 11, 2023. Together, we celebrated achievements in research and innovation, professional practice, quality improvement, collaboration, teaching and mentorship at WCH!
It was remarkable to witness the incredible work being done at WCH, and to celebrate our colleagues across the hospital and gain a greater understanding of how interprofessional teams are working together to help shape the future of healthcare.
This year, leading up to the Day of Excellence in Academics, WCH hosted its first-ever poster gallery, showcasing the wide breadth of work at WCH – covering research, education scholarship and quality improvement. Academics received 55 poster submissions – doubling the tally from last year’s event.
Ruderman Lecture on Leadership and Innovation
The day kicked off with the Jim Ruderman Lecture on Leadership and Innovation. The lecture is held annually in honor of Dr. Ruderman (1950-2015), a much-loved and respected leader who served as Chief of Staff (2006-2013) and Family Physician in Chief (1992-2014) during his career at Women’s College Hospital. Additionally, Dr. Ruderman was a valued faculty member (1981-2015) with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Ruderman is remembered for mentoring generations of physicians in their early careers and inspiring many to champion change across the health care system.
This year’s lecture was delivered by Dr. Antoine Boivin and Vincent Dumez, who co-lead the Centre of Excellence on Partnership with Patients and the Public (CEPPP) at the Université de Montréal. Their talk titled “Caring and Transforming Health Together: Mobilizing Everyone’s Knowledge Across Trajectories of Lives” preceeded a thoughtful panel and audience discussion.
Interprofessional Poster Presentations
Creativity and innovation are evident throughout WCH – and supporting a thriving and collaborative learning health system requires the systematic integration of innovative programs with rigorous evaluation and evidence to provide high-quality patient-centered care.
This was demonstrated through the five innovative interprofessional posters selected for oral presentations. These presentations further positioned WCH as an academic leader, system innovator and advocate for health equity!
Watch this year’s oral presentations and awards ceremony
Congratulations to our presenters:
- “Evaluation of a virtual ‘no-touch’ abortion program implemented in the Greater Toronto Area during the COVID-19 pandemic” presented by Maya Biderman
- “Developing a curriculum to address the needs of transgender and gender diverse survivors of intimate partner violence: A learning needs assessment survey of Ontario health and social service providers” presented by Emma Kelly
- “Referral Management Modernization at Women’s College Hospital: Pilot Results Informing Hospital-Wide Transformation” presented by Lynn Carter and Debi Singer
- “Long-term gynecological outcomes and vaginal care practices among transfeminine individuals who have undergone vaginoplasty” presented by Jason Hallarn
- “‘Check Your Vulva’ – A Patient Education and Virtual Vulva Care Pilot Project” presented by Praniya Elangainesan
While the top five were selected for an oral presentation, all submitted posters and infographics are available for virtual viewing. We encourage you to check them out and see the incredible work being done by your colleagues at WCH!
Awards Ceremony
The Day of Excellence in Academics culminated with a presentation of awards. Awards were given in the following categories: Research, Education, Professional Practice and Quality Improvement. In addition, the Jessie Young Scholarship and Jean Davey Honorary Fund recipients were announced, as well as the the Best Poster award (“Long-term gynecological outcomes and vaginal care practices among transfeminine individuals who have undergone vaginoplasty” presented by Jason Hallarn) and the first-ever People’s Choice Award Poster (“‘Check Your Vulva’ – A Patient Education and Virtual Vulva Care Pilot Project”). Congratulations to all this year’s award recipients!
Thank you to everyone who submitted, applied for or nominated a colleague for an award, as well as all reviewers, judges and adjudicators. Finally, thank you to the Day of Excellence in Academics planning committee, including Jordan Benadiba, Debbie Childerhose, Kristen Dileo, Amanda Etty, Chandra Farrer, Soumia Meiyappan, Rulan Parekh, Donna Seymour and Sandra Walsh.
Honoring our colleagues is an amazing way to recognize all the incredible work being done at WCH – and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for #TeamWCH this coming year.