What have you been up to since graduation (ie. clinically, academically, personally)?

Clinically: I’m essentially a general physiatrist with an interest in cancer rehabilitation. I mainly do outpatient clinics including brain injury, EMG and cancer rehabilitation. I also do general physiatry consults at a community hospital (Peter Lougheed Center), inpatient cancer rehabilitation consultations, and occasionally cover the Foothills neuro-rehab unit for brain injury and spinal cord injury.

Academically: I’ve had a big interest in medical education and am diving into it, including developing & implementing a monthly OSCE curriculum for residents, taking on the Competence By Design (CBD) lead, and being involved in medical student education with small groups, OSCE evaluations, and clinical small group teaching.

I’m also collaborating with high-profile cancer rehabilitation research groups in Head & Neck, Lung and Gastrointestinal cancers, and outcomes related to exercise and symptom control.

Personally: My wife and 4 month old daughter at home lovingly fill all my spare time and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What are you most proud of from your residency training at the U of A?

Forging your own path and being innovative & initiating your own growth. I saw this through several staff including Dr. Hebert, Dr. Ashworth & Dr. Naidu, all of whom now - even 10-15 years into practice - continue to reinvent themselves and add various facets into their career endeavors, becoming leaders in their fields at the international level. At UofA, if you wanted something, you would find a way to get it done yourself: find the people, the resources, and learning materials; come with a plan; and execute it.

Seeing my mentors and following their example has allowed me to realize my potential primarily in medical education, and pursuing my passion for this even lead to receiving the Teaching Excellence Award this year in our division – something I was very proud to receive in my first 2 years of practice.

What is something that is done in your current centre that would be beneficial to consider at the U of A?

More opportunities for residents to be evaluated and receive feedback. I know this will be one objective of CBD. But even then, a monthly OSCE session that I have implemented at resident half day has been greatly valuable as per their feedback in exposing them to the somewhat stressful nature of OSCEs and adapting to it.

Closing comments?

A cancer rehabilitation presence in Edmonton would be hugely beneficial, both to the department as well as building those relationships with Oncology & the general population. It could be as simple as 1 day per week at the Cross Cancer Institute to provide a physiatry presence to the rehabilitation therapists for evaluating rehabilitation potential, providing exercise prescriptions, pain management & bracing. This would strengthen connections between U of C & U of A physiatry, add to the presence of cancer rehabilitation in Canada, and raise the profile of how comprehensive & expansive U of A Physiatry is.