A Week in Photos: Sunnybrook celebrates Education Week
From hands-on skills sessions to thought-provoking discussions, Sunnybrook came together from November 19 to 21 for a week of events that celebrated the learners and teachers who are inventing the future of health care education.
“Education Week is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the hard work of everyone in Sunnybrook’s education ecosystem,” says Dr. Calvin Law, Vice President of Education.
“More than that, it’s a chance to come together, share our knowledge, and inspire innovation and collaboration among learners and educators alike.”
As one of Canada’s leading academic health sciences centres, Sunnybrook is home to more than 5,000 learners across 40 different professions. Education Week shines the spotlight on the individuals, teams and partnerships that are transforming how we teach and leading innovation in health care education.
Here is a look back at some of the highlights from Education Week 2025:
Simulation Specialist Patricia Silva-Bagot shows off one of the infant manikins used at the Sunnybrook Canadian Simulation Centre to teach life-saving skills to health professionals at all stages of their careers.
This demonstration was just one at the Professional Development Fair that showcased different resources and services available to support learners and staff at Sunnybrook. Other exhibitors included Organizational Development & Leadership, Human Resources, Nursing Education & Practice, Library Services, Student Services, Quality & Patient Safety, Practice-Based Research and Innovation, Sunnybrook Sub for Applied Research in Education, Project REACH and the Advanced Life Support Educator Program.
Clinicians and educators look on as Ron Beleno gives a talk on storytelling and shared decision-making in patient care. A caregiver and patient advocate, Ron shared his expertise at the Patient as Educator Masterclass about how health care preceptors can integrate patient perspectives and storytelling in their teaching to improve patient experiences and care delivery.
Wednesday was all about learner appreciation. Student Services hosted a series of fireside chats with members of Team Sunnybrook who shared some of the different directions that careers in health care can take. Panels included nursing, physicians and staff from different allied health professions. Andrew Kennedy and Steffanye Michaelson spoke about their journeys from registered nurses to leadership roles in other areas of the hospital.
Cate Creede-Desmarais gives a talk on reflexivity in teaching, coaching and learning at the Teacher Appreciation Masterclass. She challenged educators to question their assumptions and critically examine what they take for granted in teaching interactions.
November 21 was the annual Sunnybrook Education Conference. We welcomed nearly 300 health educators from across TAHSN and other hospitals to join the conversation about the future of learning.
“Clinical care has changed more in the last ten years than in the last hundred,” says Dr. Viren Naik, CEO of the Medical Council of Canada and keynote speaker at the 13th annual Sunnybrook Education Conference.
In his talk on artificial intelligence and precision education, he explained how, with greater volumes of scientific and clinical knowledge available, rapid health system changes and technologies like AI able to parse and interpret information better than ever, among the next challenges for health professions educators will be to redefine how we teach, learn and interact with information in the digital age.
“AI holds the potential to transform how we teach and learn,” added Cate, who also spoke as a conference panelist. “It demands we rethink health education,”
