Integrated Community Program

SRI platforms

Giovanna Sirianni, BSc, MD, CCFP(PC), FCFP, MScCH

Appointments and Affiliations:

  • Family physician practicing in palliative medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
  • Assistant professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
  • Enhanced Skills (PGY-3) program director, Department of Family and Community Medicine
  • Workplace-Based Assessment lead, MD Program, University of Toronto
  • Faculty development lead, Division of Palliative Care, Department of Family and Community Medicine

Scholarly Interests:

Dr. Sirianni has a strong interest in palliative care education, curriculum development and assessment. Nationally, she collaborated on the development and validation of a set of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for palliative care training. She was also part of the working group that developed and recommended a core set of palliative care competencies for all Canadian postgraduate training programs.

Dr. Sirianni has an interest in communication skills development and the provision of compassionate care. She is the co-creator and co-host of the About Empathy podcast. About Empathy is a healthCARE podcast that focuses on patient, caregiver and healthcare provider stories. Podcast guests discuss their personal stories, while the hosts reflect on those stories to help enable and support empathic interactions in the healthcare community.

Dr. Sirianni is engaged in multiple scholarly projects related to assessment in medical education, especially as it pertains to Workplace-Based Assessment, including the implementation of Entrustable Professionals Activities (EPAs) and virtual OSCEs in undergraduate medicine.

Selected Publications:

See PubMed publication list.

Journal articles:

  1. Sirianni G, Walcott S, Glover Takahashi S. Collective Wisdom in Faculty Development for Competency-Based Medical Education: A Needs Assessment and Survey. MedEdPublish. 2021: 10[1]: 152 doi.org/10.15694/mep.2021.000152.1. Lead Author.

  2. Sirianni G, Torabi S. Teaching Moment - Serious Illness Conversations (SIC) in Family Medicine: Addressing the Challenge During COVID 19. Canadian Family Physician. July 2020. 66 (7): 533-536. Available from: www.cfp.ca/content/66/7/533. Impact Factor: 1.908. Co-Author.

  3. Sirianni G, Glover Takahashi S, Myers J. Taking stock of what is known about faculty development in competency-based medical education: A scoping review paper. Medical Teacher. 2020 May; 42(8): 909-915. Available from: doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1763285. Impact Factor: 2.706. Lead Author.

  4. Sirianni G, Perri G, Callum J, Gardner S, Berall S, and Selby D. A retrospective chart review of transfusion practices in the palliative care unit setting. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. 2019, 36(3): 185-190. Available from: doi.org/10.1177/1049909118806456. Impact Factor: 2.5. Lead Author.

  5. Myers J, Krueger P, Webster, F, Downar J, Herx L, Jeney C, Oneschuk D, Schroder C, Sirianni G, Seccareccia D, Tucker T, Taniguchi A. Development and validation of a set of palliative medicine entrustable professional activities (EPAs): Findings from a mixed methods study. J Palliat Med. 2015 Aug;18(8): 682-90. Available from doi: 10.1089/jpm.2014.0392. Impact Factor: 2.477. Collaborator.

  6. Rapoport A, Obwanga C, Sirianni G, Librach SL, Husain A. Not just little adults: Palliative care physician attitudes toward pediatric patients. J Palliat Med. 2013, Jun 27;16(6):675-9. Available from doi: 10.1089/jpm.2012.0393. Impact Factor: 2.477. Collaborator.

Commentaries:

  1. Sirianni G, Onyura B, Freedman A, Forte M, Grundland B, Kawaguchi S, Lass E, Murdoch S, Freeman S. A New Way Forward via Innovative Integration: A Three-Year Family Medicine and Enhanced Skills Residency Program. Canadian Family Physician. September 2021. [Accepted Publication, In Press]. Lead Author.

  2. Nelms M, Teitelbaum D, Issa M, Jeyakumar Y, Wintraub L, Xie M, Otremba M, Sirianni G, Leung FK, Premji L, Prucnal K, Nyhof-Young J. Promoting career exploration during a pandemic: Medical students make the case for wearable technology. University of Toronto Medical Journal. 2021, Vol. 98(3). Available from www.utmj.org/index.php/UTMJ/article/view/1495/1333. Trainee publication, undergraduate medical students. Collaborator.

  3. Wintraub L, Xie M, Issa M, Jeyakumar Y, Nelms M, Sharma D, Teitelbaum D, Otremba M, Sirianni G, Nyhof-Young, Leung FH. Wearable Technology and Live Video Conferencing: The development of an affordable virtual teaching platform to enhance clinical skills education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian Medical Education Journal. 2020, Vol 11(5). Available from doi: doi.org.10.36834/cmej.70554. Trainee publication, undergraduate medical students. Collaborator.

  4. Jeyakumar Y, Sharma D, Sirianni G, Nyhof-Young J, Otremba M, & Leung FH. Limitations in virtual clinical skills education for medical students during COVID-19 . Canadian Medical Education Journal. 2020, Vol 11(6). Available from: doi.org/10.36834/cmej.70240. Trainee publication, undergraduate medical students. Collaborator.

  5. Sirianni G. A public health approach to palliative care in the Canadian context. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. 2020, Vol. 37(7) 492-496. Available from: doi.org/10.1177/1049909119892591. Impact Factor: 1.655. Lead Author.

Other publications:

  1. Sirianni G. Mourning, Memories and Moving Forward. Palliative & Supportive Care. June 2021. [Published Online]. Available from: doi.org/10.1017/S1478951521000857. Impact Factor: 1.994. Lead Author.

  2. Sirianni, G. Pandemic exposes the need for mandatory palliative care training. Healthy Debate. May 2020. Available at: healthydebate.ca/opinions/covid19-need-palliative-care-training. Lead Author.

Non peer-reviewed publications:

  1. Herx L, Gofton T, Bromwich C, Downar J, Popowich S, Sirianni G, Vadeboncoeur C, Winemaker S. Postgraduate Competencies for Palliative Care: A Guidance Document. September 2019. Prepared by the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians, Palliative Approach to Care Education (PACE) Working Group. Available at: www.cspcp.ca/information/pace-competencies-postgrad. Collaborator.