Vice Chair Highlights

• During the pandemic, the education program directors and leaders met frequently to discuss the impacts on the education program and learners.
• The programs adjusted schedules to assist with redeployment to provide coverage as unexpected absences occurred.
• The education programs moved content to online platforms to continue with the scheduled curriculum. In collaboration with the Postgraduate Medical Education office, flexibility was provided for Fellows who could not travel, and accommodations were offered for those needing to isolate from family members.
• Learners were supported with appropriate precautions to ensure their safety (PPE, and appropriate distancing in workrooms).

Prior to the creation of the CPi, CPD, and onSIDE Vice Chair Portfolios, Dr. Probyn led the Faculty Development for the department. The Faculty Development sessions are listed below: 

• Virtual Education – October 14, 2020 - Dr. Rajesh Bhayana, Dr. David Wang, Dr. Elsie Nguyen, Dr. Mini Pakkal, Dr. Eric Bartlett.
• Continuous Quality Improvement for Diagnostic Radiology - November 4, 2020 – Dr. Anne Matlow.
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Diagnostic Radiology – Part 1: Improve knowledge and understanding of Education, Diversity, and Inclusion in Medical imaging education, introducing the foundational building blocks – June 28, 2021- Dr. Stephanie Nixon.
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Diagnostic Radiology – Part 2: Creating Inclusive Teaching and Learning Spaces as it related to Radiology – November 15, 2021 - Dr. Carolynn DeBenedectis & Dr. Charlotte Yong-Hing.

In November 2020, Diagnostic Radiology, Neuroradiology, Pediatric Radiology, and Nuclear Medicine residency programs participated in the on-site Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Accreditation. The outcome was very successful with all four programs receiving an accreditation status of “Accredited Program with follow-up by next regular survey”.

Nuclear Medicine was the first program in the department to fully implement Competence by Design (CBD). This was a tremendous accomplishment for our department. 

The next program will be Diagnostic Radiology. In preparation for the July 2022 CBD launch, the program undertook the following tasks:

• The Canadian Program Directors and RCPSC Specialty Committee worked to develop the curriculum.
• With the support of the Postgraduate Medical Education office, the plan is to successfully launch the curriculum and evaluation tools for the PGY1 residents.
• Residents, Fellows, and Faculty attended CBD Faculty development sessions which will be ongoing as the residents continue to move into more and more radiology rotations.
• The education leaders attended each of the hospital's departmental meetings and developed workshops for the learners and faculty. These sessions will be repeated to ensure that all learners and faculty are adequately educated about the new system.

The committee was established in the fall of 2021. The purpose of the committee is to advance all aspects of research in the department and to provide direction and guidance on all research-related aspects. This includes research strategy, short-term and long-term goals, collaborative research grants, and awards.

Research Committee's Terms of Reference.

COVID-19 - Medical Imaging Virtual Research Symposia - September 17, 2020 - The symposia highlighted COVID-19 related research faculty were undertaking.  

AI - Medical Imaging Virtual Research Symposium - December 7, 2020 - This symposium focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) research endeavors in the Department of Medical Imaging. 

Virtual Residents Research Day - June 17, 2021 - Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Residents showcase their research.  

The Canadian National Breast Screening Trial - Lessons Learned from a study gone wrong - June 7, 2022 - Dr. Jean Seely and Dr. Martin Yaffe. 

Virtual Residents Research Day - June 16, 2022 - Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Residents showcase their research.

The research grants/award sub-committee was established to review applications for internal research grants/awards and select applicants for external grants where only one application can be submitted by the department. 

In 2021, an interdisciplinary AI journal club was started, in which postgraduate trainees are paired with data science graduate students. An AI/machine learning publication is critically appraised and presented by the groups.

The CPi portfolio held two leadership courses focusing on providing the required tools and frameworks for participants to integrate qualitative leadership frameworks/strategies toward developing real-life projects that can promote Clinical Practice Improvement. 

Crafting your Leadership Signature (May 13, 2021 - June 3, 2021). 

• Today's Self - May 13, 2021.
• Child of the Past (Crucibles, relationships at work). - May 20, 2021.
• Discovering your Immunity to Change (developing leaders in a world of uncertainty) and Starting to Transition into your Future Self.  - May 27, 2021.
• Leadership of X-Teams. - June 3, 2021.

LQ2 Qualitative Leadership Course in Radiology. (September 30, 2021 - December 9, 2021).

• Operations & Management - September 30, 2021.
• Impact of Social Media on Healthcare and Communities - November 11, 2021.
• Organizational Processes: Understanding Human Nature and Obtaining “Buy-In” from Stakeholders (hands-on software) -  November 25, 2021.
• Organizational Processes: Organizational Processes (Cultural & Political Lenses) - December 9, 2021.

The purpose of the CPi committee is to better prepare our radiology workforce to face the challenges of rapid changes in the healthcare system and develops a stronger presence in discussions and actions that add value to imaging in our hospitals.

To succeed as a radiology leader today, skills beyond diagnosing images accurately and efficiently are needed. These skills should enable radiologists to make wise decisions about practice management at every level.

CPi Committee's Terms of Reference (PDF)

• Negotiation: Transforming a “No” into a “Yes” - Geoffrey Leonardelli, Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, UofT Rotman School of Management - October 21, 2021. 
• Educational Opportunities in Clinical Practice Improvement and strategies to succeed in the implementation of CPi - Keynote speaker: Olivia Ostrow, Associate Director, Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (C-QuIPS) - March 30, 2022.
• Clinical Practice Improvement of Radiology - Keynote speaker: Brian Wong, Director, Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (C-QuIPS) - May 24, 2022. 

These sessions were targeted to residents, fellows, and faculty.

• Operations & Management - Panelists - Dr. Elka Miller, Dr. Ivan Diamond, Dr. William Magnuson, Dr. Walter Kucharczyk, Dr. Kieran Murphy and Dr. Paul Babyn. - September 30th, 2021.
• Impact of Social Media on Healthcare -  Panelists - Dr. Charlotte Yong-Hing, Dr. Andrea Furlan, Dr. Silvina Dutruel, Jennifer Rizzo-Choi. - November 11th, 2021. 
• Hot Topics in Artificial Intelligence Management & Finances - Panelists - Dr. Alan Moody, Dr. Heidi Schmidt, Dr. Muhammad Mandani, Dr. George Taylor, and Dr. Christopher Wald. - December 9th, 2021. 

The role of the CPD committee is to support the work of our colleagues to achieve professional excellence, support mentorship, and sponsorship, provide continuing professional development through faculty development sessions, enhance accessibility to promotion pathways and enhance connections with communities external to the Department of Medical Imaging both at the University of Toronto and external academic communities.

CPD Committee's Terms of Reference

In January  2022 a “Welcome Webinar″ was created to introduce new faculty to the people and things that will aid their orientation. The session also covered pathways to becoming continuing faculty, provide opportunities to network and engage in peer-to-peer mentorship. 

Mentorship was an area the CPD committee identified as a priority for the portfolio to develop and build within the department. Listed below are some of the initiatives that have taken place:

Mentorship Survey

A faculty survey was developed to provide a snapshot of the state, needs, and desires of mentorship (to include sponsorship, coaching, and developmental networks). 

 UofT Mentor Software Introduced

The department participated in a collaborative pilot program for mentoring and research. During the Fall of 2021, the new website, www.mentoruoft.org, was soft-launched. 

Mentorship Webinar - What's in it for YOU?

A mentorship webinar took place on April 2022, with the following objectives:

1. Introduce participants to Mentorship, Sponsorship, Coaching, and Mentorship Networks.
2. Discuss the benefits of the mentorship role, and its place in promotion, and review different forms of mentorship from traditional dyads to co-mentorship and developmental networks.
3. The session was associated with a faculty-wide letter inviting folks to engage in mentorship in all its broad categories.

In 2021-2022, the department awards committee was formed to review the existing awards process and to identify areas where faculty contributions had previously not been recognized. This resulted in four new awards being created to recognize outstanding faculty accomplishment in the areas of:

• Master Teacher(s) Award
• Research Rising Star
• Excellence in Clinical Practice Improvement Award
• Excellence in Mentorship Award

Dr. Nguyen co-facilitated two EDI-focused faculty development workshops with Dr. Linda Probyn:  

• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Diagnostic Radiology – Part 1: Improve knowledge and understanding of Education, Diversity, and Inclusion in Medical imaging education, introducing the foundational building blocks. - June 28, 2021 - Dr. Stephanie Nixon  
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Diagnostic Radiology – Part 2: Creating Inclusive Teaching and Learning Spaces as it related to Radiology. - November 15, 2021 - Dr. Carolynn DeBenedectis & Dr. Charlotte Yong-Hing

The committee's purpose is to create and promote a healthy, respectful, and supportive work and learning environment that cultivates and aligns with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine principles of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The committee hopes to build a culture that values diversity in thought that comes from a diverse workforce, recognizing the value of diversity for future innovation and growth of our department and empowering us to provide high-quality care for our diverse patient populations.

onSIDE Committee's Terms of Reference (PDF)

The Annual Medical Imaging Career Night was held in November 2021 and focused on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Radiology. It addressed key issues in the recruitment and retention of under-represented groups in radiology. Keynote Speaker, Dr. Lucy Spalluto (Vice Chair of Health Equity, Associate Director of EDI at Vanderbilt University) delivered an inspiring talk on Practical Strategies to Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 
 

Dr. Nguyen was selected to participate in the Faculty Advisory Committee on Faculty Affairs which is part of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (TFOM) Wellness Strategy Network. The committee discusses issues important to the advancement of the well-being of faculty, and strategies for building programs to enhance well-being at work. 

The onSIDE committee created a comprehensive wellness resources page for faculty and trainees, giving them easy access to UofT resources when they are in need of help and support.

The onSIDE committee identified and raise awareness of issues related to EDI in the department which included such topics as Faculty Wellness and Mental Health, Women in Radiology, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Additionally, the onSIDe portfolio promoted  University driven EDI-related events that focused on LGBTQ2s+ rights and anti-Semitism in the workplace.