It has been an honour and a joy to join McGill as Director of the Institute of Health Sciences (IHSE). I’ve been inspired by the warm and generous support of so many individuals at the Institute, across the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the broader HSE community. I extend my sincere thanks to those who have shared knowledge, guidance, and insights, and supported the work of the Institute in a myriad of ways. Special thanks to IHSE past director Yvonne Steinert, past interim-director Donald Boudreau, and Dean David Eidelman, for their trust and support.
The IHSE is an engaged academic community comprised of education scholars, researchers, leaders, innovators, educators, learners, administrators, staff, benefactors, donors, and a diverse community of collaborators; we are united in the recognition that the foundation of high-quality healthcare into the future is education.
We are deeply indebted to our past leaders and visionaries, as well to our benefactors and donors, who do so much to support the work of the Institute. The realization of our vision to advance and promote the crucial importance of educational research, innovation, and excellence across our faculty and health care systems, and to build capacity for educational research, would not be possible without the generous support of so many.
The aim of the IHSE is to create a space where educational questions that matter can be examined in systematic, rigorous ways to shape exemplary health practices and systems of the future. IHSE members are at the leading edge of educational research and scholarship with the aim of improving clinical practice, health outcomes, and the culture and organization of health systems.
It is an exciting time of transformation as we expand our mandate and vision. We are working to build synergies and connections across the FMHS with a focus on a number of portfolios: a) advancing health sciences education research capacity, profile, and knowledge translation, b) developing health sciences education graduate programs and community to prepare future scholars, c) expanding our interdisciplinary focus and collaborations, and d) engaging with local, provincial, national and international health science education communities. We are also excited to support the growth of the new office of Education Technology and E-learning Collaboration for Health and to collaborate with numerous educational offices and groups across the campus.
With the appointments of Peter Nugus, associate director graduate studies, Meredith Young, associate director research, and Linda Snell, associate director outreach, the IHSE transitions to a co-leadership model with a commitment to transparency and collaborative decision-making. This model extends the reach of the IHSE, and accelerates our capacity for meaningful impact and transformative action in the field.
On a sad note, the IHSE community is grieving the recent passing of exemplary legends and leaders - Dr. Sylvia Cruess and Dr. Ronald Gottesman. IHSE members have been inspired by the educational scholarship, legacies, mentorship, vision, leadership and friendship of these scholars. Their commitment to medical and health sciences education scholarship will live on in the hearts and minds of our community.
Those of us committed to medical and health sciences education research believe that education is the foundation of positive change in our health care systems. Education is the place where we can dispel misinformation, cultivate the judicious use of evidence, foster compassionate care, improve healthcare systems and policies, and plant the seeds for an inclusive, equitable, ethical and justice-oriented future.
Education research offers a path toward transformation that improves health care education, systems, and practice. Thank you to all who believe in, invest in, contribute to, and collaborate on this important work!
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Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, PhD
Director, Institute of Health Sciences Education
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