What is ESAP?
ESAP is a professional development course for undergraduate health professional trainees and other learners designed to develop knowledge and skills in education scholarship. Through a series of summer workshops and mentoring initiatives, participants will be supported throughout the design and execution of a scholarly project related to education supervised by a WCH faculty or staff member.
ESAP is a collaborative partnership between the Office of Education Scholarship at the Department of Family & Community Medicine in the University of Toronto and Women’s College Hospital.
“Education Scholarship is an umbrella term which can encompass both research and innovation in health professions education. Quality in education scholarship is attained through work that is: peer-reviewed, publicly disseminated and provides a platform that others can build on.”
(Canadian Association of Medical Education 2012)
The course will consist of eight 3-hour virtual weekly workshops (Wednesday mornings 9:30 am -12:30 pm from June 5 to July 24, 2024) on core topics that build on the knowledge and skills required for the learner to complete a personal scholarly project under the supervision of a WCH faculty or staff member. The workshops will be facilitated by experts in the field and provide an opportunity to work and reflect on one’s project. Microsoft Teams will be utilized to deliver course content. Some recorded content may be available for participants to utilize at their own pace and need.
Participants will be expected to develop and work through an education project from the initial idea through to dissemination in class presentations. Between workshops, on their own time, participants will complete specific tasks related to their project with their supervisor’s support. Each student’s time commitment will be negotiated with their supervisor but is expected to be approximately 15 hours per week.
Students are expected to attend all the workshops and complete the course work to obtain a course completion certificate.
Course Directors
Joyce Nyhof-Young, BSc, MSc, PhD
Education Scientist, Academics Program, WCH
Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
joyce.nyhof-young@wchospital.ca
Amy Gleiser, EdD
Director, Learning Institute, WCH
The goals of ESAP are to develop basic competencies in education scholarship as well as to advance/ produce a scholarly project by the end of the course. In addition, it is hoped that the course will help create a community of practice amongst participants and faculty and staff at WCH and support their development as education scholars.
Students will receive project support via personalized consultations with the Course Director, a WCH education scientist (supervisors are also welcome to join these consultations).
Eight weekly virtual sessions will be held on Wednesday mornings from 9:30-12:30, starting on Wednesday June 5, 2024. Sessions will relate to learners’ education scholarship projects and include topics like: What is Education Scholarship? Setting Clear Goals and Research Questions, Study Methods, Ethics, Authorships and Dissemination, and a Panel Discussion on Education Scholarship and Careers. The summer will culminate in a virtual, adjudicated poster presentation session by learners about their projects on Wednesday July 24, 2024.
Learners are expected to attend and participate in all virtual sessions, work with their supervisors on an education scholarship project, and present their work in a final adjudicated poster session. Part-time commitment to project completion is expected as agreed upon with the learner’s supervisor.
A Certificate of Completion will be issued by the Learning Institute to participants who satisfactorily complete ESAP. Learners are evaluated on a pass/fail basis. This year, there is no terminal examination or report beyond the adjudicated poster presentations. Learners are encouraged to continue working with their supervisors to disseminate project outcomes.
We consider the course “priceless”. There is no cost for students working with WCH faculty and staff. Student positions are generally unpaid, but some supervisors may have funding available.
The Learning Institute at WCH is proud to announce the first annual Education Scholarship Accelerator Program (ESAP) Student Research Symposium, taking place on July 24, 2024. ESAP is a professional development course for undergraduate health professional trainees designed to develop knowledge and skills in education scholarship. Through a series of summer workshops and mentoring initiatives, participants have been supported throughout the design and execution of a scholarly education project supervised by WCH staff.
This inaugural virtual event will highlight the groundbreaking scholarly education research and innovation projects conducted by ESAP students throughout the summer. Supervisors of ESAP students and members of the WCH community are invited to attend.
View the poster presentation schedule here: ESAP Poster Presentation Schedule_2024
Participating Student Biographies
Afreen Ahmad
Afreen Ahmad is an incoming second year student at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She has a masters degree from the Health Research Methodology program at McMaster University. She has experience publishing mixed methods papers and systematic reviews in the areas of refugee health, public health and psychology. Through her participation in the ESAP program, she hopes to endeavour in education scholarship research through a new program introduced to pediatric residents through a collaboration between the department of psychiatry and pediatrics.
Supervisors: Tatiana Valverde da Conceicao, MD, PhD and Karen Wang, MD
WCH Department: Psychiatry and Psychiatry, Sunnybrook
Project: Curriculum Development for Pediatric Residents During Child Psychiatry Rotations
Bijal Desai
Bijal Desai, BHSc, MBE is a medical student at the University of Toronto. She received a Bachelor of Health Sciences from McMaster University and a Master of Bioethics from Harvard University. Bijal’s research interests primarily include medical education and exploring social determinants of health and their intersection with healthcare outcomes. This summer, Bijal had the incredible opportunity to work alongside Dr. Nyhof-Young to help develop and evaluate the ESAP program. In her free time, Bijal enjoys long-distance running and spending time with her dog Pebbles!
Supervisor: Joyce Nyhof-Young, PhD
WCH Department: Academics Program
Project: Building Education Scholarship Capacity: Developmental Evaluation of the Education Scholarship Accelerator Program at Women’s College Hospital
Damilola Ojo Shittu
Damilola Ojo is entering her second year of medical school at the University of Toronto. She has a strong passion for community outreach, particularly among vulnerable populations. She chose to work with ESAP to gain insights into research and innovation in health professions education, with the goal of becoming a more effective physician for my future patients. Damilola is eager to work on her project focused on educational resources for healthcare professionals in substance use care, aiming to enhance substance use education and improve patient outcomes.
Supervisor: Jennifer Wyman, MD
WCH Department: Family Medicine
Project: Educational Opportunities in Substance Use Care: Exploring the Impact on Healthcare Professionals
Elham Almoli
Elham Almoli is a second year medical student at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and is committed to patient advocacy, quality improvement and education in healthcare. Her current research at Trillium Health Partners and Mount Sinai Hospital focuses on patient-centred care and QI measures. At Women’s College Hospital’s Crossroads Clinic, Elham’s work advocates for refugee and immigrant patient populations through education science initiatives. Previously, she contributed to research at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and McMaster Children’s Hospital. Additionally, she was awarded the Canadian Standards Association Group Undergraduate Research Scholarship at the Ottawa Research Institute, where she worked to enhance patient scientific literacy through Open Science initiatives.
Supervisors: Meb Rashid, MD and Joyce Nyhof-Young, PhD
WCH Department: Family Medicine & Academics Program
Project: Evaluating the Clinical Placement Program for Health Professions Learners at Women’s College Hospital Crossroads Refugee Clinic: A Survey-Based Study
Ethan Cohen
Ethan Cohen is an incoming medical student at Queens University. With degrees in Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering, Ethan has a deep passion for all aspects of healthcare. Beyond academics, he enjoys traveling, exercising and playing sports, particularly squash and basketball. He is dedicated to advancing his skills, not only as a healthcare provider, but also as a researcher and advocate. This allows him to focus both on individual patients and wider system-level issues in Canadian healthcare. The ESAP program will offer the mentorship and resources he needs to excel in these efforts in research and in building a professional network that may support him throughout his career. Overall, Ethan is excited to embark on this journey in medicine with ESAP which will help him grow into a well-rounded physician.
Supervisor: Celia Laur, PhD
WCH Department: Women’s College Research Institute (WCRI)
Project: Developing Resources to Help Improve the Engagement of Individuals with Lived Experience in Implementation Science
Nura Mesoud
Nura Mesoud is a third year medical student at Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She is passionate about primary care, IDD and women’s health. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, baking and reading. She hopes to use her interests and education to advocate for inclusive healthcare and provide comprehensive care to all.
Supervisors: Lauren Scott, Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (NP Medical)
WCH Department: Family Medicine
Project: Exploring Nurse Practitioners’ Contribution to Medical Education: A Scoping Review
Ojas Bhatia
Ojas Bhatia is an incoming 3rd-year medical student at the University of Toronto. With a passion for clinical research and advocacy, Ojas has volunteered in advocacy initiatives and has taken on various research projects, including quality improvement in nephrology with a patient empowerment lens. As part of ESAP, he is spearheading a project on engagement of patients with lived experience at Canadian oncology conferences, supervised by Dr. Sayani and Dr. Forster. Outside of school, he is a reading, cooking and sports enthusiast. Ojas is excited to gain invaluable perspectives on patient engagement in research.
Supervisors: Vicky Forster, PhD and Ambreen Sayani, MD, PhD
WCH Department: Academics Program & Women’s College Research Institute (WCRI)
Project: Attendance of People with Lived Experience at Canadian Oncology Conferences
Rachel Baran
Rachel is an incoming M1 medical student at Queen’s University School of Medicine. She completed her Bachelor of Medical Science in Pathology and Interdisciplinary Sciences and Masters of Management of Applied Science in Global Health Systems at Western University. Her research interests include implementation science, knowledge translation, global health, and health equity research. She is currently working with the Office of Spread and Scale at Women’s College Hospital to develop an informative online resource that will help educate patient partners and promote their engagement in implementation science research.
Supervisor: Celia Laur, PhD
WCH Department: Women’s College Research Institute (WCRI)
Project: Developing Resources to Help Improve the Engagement of Individuals with Lived Experience in Implementation Science
Ryan Cortez
Ryan Cortez is an incoming third year student at the University of Toronto. He previously completed his BSc and MSc in Kinesiology & Health Science at York University. He is tentatively interested in pursuing specialties including emergency medicine, family medicine and physiatry. Outside of medicine, Ryan competes in international-level dragon boat racing, including as a member of the Canadian U24 National Team.
Supervisor: Viola Antao, MD
WCH Department: Family Medicine
Project: Teaching Prevention and Screening: Applying Evidence-Informed Educational Strategies
Sabrina Schaefer
Sabrina Schaefer is entering her second year of medical school at the University of Toronto. She is from Windsor, Ontario where she completed her Bachelor of Science in Health & Biomedical Science. Sabrina is passionate about celebrating diversity and equity and aspires to promote inclusivity and accessibility in the Canadian healthcare system. Currently, Sabrina is working on an ESAP project creating clinical case scenarios for the HELP – a program developed to assist immigrant physicians gain fluency in English medical terminology.
Supervisor: Eva Grunfeld, MD, DPhil
WCH Department: Family Medicine
Project: HELP (Health English Language Pro): Assisting Newcomer Physicians Gain Fluency in Medical English
Seungmin Lee
Seungmin completed his undergraduate degree in pharmacology and biomedical toxicology and is now a medical student at the University of Toronto (Class of 2027). During his undergraduate studies, he led several research projects focusing on bacteriophages and bacterial toxins. He also completed a 1-year internship managing international multi-centre clinical trials. Currently, he is working on a scoping review to assess the state of the field of endometriosis screening measures. In his spare time, he likes to watch cooking videos (but not actually cook), play basketball, lift weights, and stay up to date on the sports world.
Supervisors: Brittany Rosenbloom, PhD and Rachael Bosma, PhD
WCH Department: Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI)
Project: Assessment of Screening Measures for Endometriosis: A Scoping Review
Shalomi Premkumar
Originally from Mississauga, Shalomi Premkumar is a driven third-year medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Throughout her training, Shalomi has cultivated a keen interest in research, collaborating with physicians to publish in esteemed journals. This summer, she engaged in Education Scholarship with Dr. Viola Antao and explored the challenges faced by new family medicine graduates and creating sustainability in comprehensive care through mentorship. Committed to improving primary care, she endeavors to develop innovative strategies to address the family physician shortage crisis. Shalomi aspires to integrate clinical practice and research by continuing her journey in academic medicine.
Supervisor: Viola Antao, MD
WCH Department: Family Medicine
Project: Guiding the Future: Identifying Early-Career Family Physicians’ Mentorship Needs
Thineesha Gnaneswaran
Thineesha Gnaneswaran is a second year medical student at the University of Toronto. After completing her Bachelor of Medical Science with an Honours Specialization in Physiology at Western University, Thineesha began working as a Medical Assistant at a family healthcare team. Witnessing the disparities in the healthcare system which were especially prominent during COVID-19 encouraged her to pursue a Master of Science in Global Health at McMaster University to learn more about the inequities present in healthcare and to learn strategies to address these barriers. After completing her master’s degree, she knew she wanted to make a direct impact on healthcare in Canada and thus began working as an Analyst at the Public Health Agency of Canada. It was during this experience that she was accepted into medical school and was ready to begin her career in medicine.
Supervisor: Jennifer Shuldiner, PhD
WCH Department: Women’s College Research Institute (WCRI)
Project: Prioritizing Wellness: Evaluating the Role of Peer Support in Mitigating Burnout and Building Joy in Primary Care