DocTalks Presented by Podagogies

DocTalks: Academic Coaching in Medical Education with Dr. Jill Bailey

At TMU's medical school, every student gets a coach, but what exactly does that relationship look like? Dr. Jill Bailey joins Heather and Curtis to talk about coaching and its benefits for both the coach and the coachee throughout a physician's career. Dr. Jill Bailey is a family physician with a practice focused on mental health and addictions. Since 2022, after 14 years of rural general family practice, she now splits her time between the inpatient addiction medicine program at Homewood Health Centre in Guelph Ontario, and providing mindfulness skills groups to physicians across Canada. At the TMU School of Medicine Dr Bailey is the Associate Director of Academic Coaching in the MD program, a POM facilitator, a Competency Coach for Family Medicine Residents and the Behavioural Medicine Lead of the BOLD-FM program. She is passionate about teaching colleagues and future physicians about how having a human-centered approach to care is not only beneficial for patients but also enables physicians to reduce burnout and savour the meaningful work they are doing. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mc4d8yrr

DocTalks: Sim in Medical Education with Dr. Gurmeet Lall and Dr. Rajani Vairavanathan

From low to high fidelity simulations, and from task trainers to the latest high-tech mannequins, this episode explores all the learning possibilities in "sim", with particular focus on TMU Med School's Sim Lab. But, the benefits from simulations go far beyond the tools involved. This episode also looks into the pedagogical value of including simulation throughout medical training. Dr. Gurmeet Lall serves as the Director of Clinical anatomy and simulation at TMU School of Medicine. Dr. Rajani Vairavanathan is a family and emergency doctor who serves as Director of high fidelity simulation and clinical faculty at TMU. Read the transcript: tinyurl.com/bdz8v8ss

DocTalks: Education Research in Medicine with Dr. Jonathan Sherbino

Emergency physician and award-winning educator Dr. Jonathan Sherbino joins DocTalks to unpack why education research matters, and how it improves patient care. Drawing on his work leading MERIT at McMaster University, Sherbino challenges assumptions about innovation, rigour, and legitimacy in medical education. The conversation explores competency-based education, diagnostic error, and why experience, not “thinking harder” or bias checklists, drives clinical expertise. A thoughtful, evidence-informed discussion on building safer systems, better training, and scholarship that truly translates to practice. Dr. Sherbino is a Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean, Health Professions Education Research, McMaster University. He holds the William J. Walsh Chair in Medical Education. Dr. Sherbino is the past chair of the National Specialty Committee for Emergency Medicine, Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada, and the co-founder of a nationally certified medical education training program. He also directs the McMaster Health Education, Research & Innovation & Theory (MERIT) Centre. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2p9wt2m9

DocTalks: Effective Feedback in Medical Education with Dr. Clare Hutchinson

In this episode, Dr. Clare Hutchinson, pediatrician and Interim Assistant Dean of Curricular Innovation at TMU’s School of Medicine, joins Heather and Curtis for a deep dive into the importance of feedback in medical education. Dr. Hutchinson shares how she helps students shift away from the fear of judgment by normalizing feedback from Day One. Drawing on Pendleton’s model and the R2C2 framework, she highlights how focusing on actionable behaviors rather than personal criticism can make feedback more timely, specific, and learner-centered. Dr. Clare Hutchinson is a Pediatrician and Pediatric Rheumatologist at North York General Hospital. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. She received her MD, CM from McGill University before completing Pediatric residency and Pediatric Rheumatology fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children. She completed a Master of Health Professions Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Wilson Centre fellowship. Her current role is as the Interim Assistant Dean, Curricular Innovation for the Toronto Metropolitan University. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mr452yzk

Doc Talks: Embedding Indigenous Health and Reconciliation in Medical Education with Dr. Jamaica Cass

Dr. Jamaica Cass discusses her work in Indigenous health, emphasizing the importance of incorporating decolonization and reconciliation into medical education. She provides insights into her role as the Indigenous health lead, including creating a culturally safe admissions process and developing a longitudinal, mandatory curriculum that addresses the colonial roots of Indigenous health disparities. She also talks about how she approaches her clinical practice serving an Indigenous community and ways to approach this work with care. As Indigenous Health Lead, Dr. Jamaica Cass will participate in providing guidance in all aspects of work at the school of medicine. This will include working with the executive committee to develop an Indigenous admissions policy, pursue Indigenous community engagement and develop an Indigenous Health curriculum. A member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Turtle Clan, Dr. Cass practices Indigenous Health as a primary care physician on-reserve at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. In addition, as an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Queen's University, she currently supervises both undergraduate clerks and family medicine residents. Dr. Cass earned her PhD from Queen's University in breast cancer molecular biology before pursuing a career in medicine. She completed her Medical Doctorate at Tulane University, and completed her family medicine residency at the University of Calgary.