Drs. Farhan Bhanji, Laurie Plotnick, and David D'Arienzo Receive Inaugural Teaching Innovation Awards

The McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Student and Faculty Teaching Innovation Awards are in recognition of individuals who have developed and implemented innovative teaching strategies that are learning- and learner-focused.

The Inaugural Faculty Teaching Innovation Awards were awarded to:

Dr. Laurie Plotnick, Associate Chair (Education) and Division Director in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, for the ground-breaking Helen Karounis Agora Program (H-KAP),  a novel program that engages retired faculty members as teachers and mentors within their academic departments. This innovation fosters mentorship, intergenerational learning and competency-based learning with a framework that is translatable to other departments, schools and faculties both locally and nationally. Dr. Plotnick led the creation of H-KAP with an official launch in 2018, having recruited 11 H-KAP Fellows who bring over 500 years of collective medical and health science experience and wisdom to the initiative.

Dr. Farhan Bhanji, Professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, for his World Restart A Heart Day, a global initiative that aims to increase public awareness of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). For the WRAH Campaign, Dr. Bhanji supported students to develop and deliver an immersive educational program and social media presence to train students and the public on how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, reaching over 400,000 people this past year.

The Inaugural Learners Teaching Innovation Award was awarded to David D'Arienzo, R3 in Core Pediatrics Residency Program, for his innovative Heart & Hands Pediatric Clinic, Canada’s first and only resident-led, school-based clinic. The clinic, built directly within an elementary school, moves pediatric residents into the community where they serve as leaders in care management. Residents work alongside a patients’ teachers and school staff to improve healthcare accessibility among vulnerable populations. The clinic stems from a unique partnership between the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Lester B. Pearson School Board, rooted in a community-based and interprofessional approach.