Faculty Engagement: Helping academic medicine in a time of change
Dear Colleagues,
The introduction of Competence by Design (CBD) has been prompting a series of rich conversations about the realities of our health care system, as well as the pressures on academic medicine in Canada. Academic medicine is under stress and CBD implementation is happening amidst that current strain. Here’s how I see faculty engagement making a difference:
- Active Leadership
Postgraduate deans, deans and program directors are using CBD to mobilize their community of faculty as a way to distinguish their school and be a champion for change in creating a clear path for improvement. - Creative Solutions
I admire those who use innovative ways to engage their faculty in CBD. Everything from posters to video snippets, grand rounds, forums for residents, or giving rewards for EPA observations and quality feedback. - Resident Leadership
It’s been so encouraging to hear of the momentum being built through grass-roots resident activities. When residents are invited into the process, the experience for the program is much richer. Resident leads, like Dr. Jena Hall at Queen’s University, have organized school-wide committees to help make the new curriculum a success. They include CBD- and non-CBD residents to ensure inclusiveness for all. - National Knowledge Transfer
Sharing our learnings across programs and schools keeps us engaged with each other and allows us to leverage experiences and lessons learned. Don’t miss the innovative efforts of Dr. Steven Katz in Internal Medicine at University of Alberta (featured in the article below).

A simple yet effective tool created by Queen’s University’s Dr. Damon Dagnone, CBME Faculty Lead (above) and Dr. Jena Hall, CBME Resident Lead (not shown): a “CBME Mobile Training Unit” push cart, circulated regularly to answer outstanding faculty and resident questions. With Samantha Buttemer, PGY4 Public Health and Preventive Medicine, speaking with a resident.
I also encourage you to read the advice offered by Rhonda St. Croix, change advisor at the Royal College. She guides us through steps to involve our teams in CBD implementation. A solid engagement strategy will help us not only spread success at the local level, but it is also the first step in addressing pressure points in academic medicine that originate at a systems level.
In a complex system, the more we interact to better understand the realities of the system, the better chance we have of identifying solutions that make sense at all levels.
Sincerely,
Jason R. Frank, MD, MA (Ed.) FRCPC