The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD) is launching Civil Discourse: Shaping Professional Identity, a Dean-supported initiative to strengthen a professional culture grounded in respect, accountability and community.

This work reflects FoMD’s commitment to fostering environments where faculty, staff and learners can engage in meaningful dialogue about the values, expectations and shared responsibilities that shape our work across education, research and clinical care.

This initiative is grounded in the University of Alberta’s values — particularly shared accountability and a spirit of community — which guide how we work, make decisions and engage with one another.

Why this work matters

Health care, academic medicine and society continue to evolve. In this context, it is increasingly important to reflect on what it means to be part of a professional community — and how we uphold standards that support high-quality care, mutual respect and collective accountability.

This initiative will explore these questions through the lens of the University of Alberta’s values, with particular emphasis on:

  • Accountability: Our responsibility to one another and to the communities we serve
  • Community: The shared commitment to a respectful, inclusive and collaborative environment

Dean’s lecture & Discussion Series

Lecture recording: Professional Accountability and Professional Resistance

The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD) hosted Dr. Rachel Ellaway (University of Calgary) for a Dean’s Lecture to initiate an ongoing dialogue regarding the values, expectations, and shared responsibilities that shape work across education, research, and clinical care.

Small-group sessions

To build upon the ideas introduced in the lecture, academic faculty, clinical faculty, staff, and learners are invited to participate in facilitated small-group discussions.

Participants examine how the core concepts of professional identity, accountability and community translate into the day-to-day realities of FoMD, considering the practical implications for institutional practices, professional relationships, and Faculty culture.

Register for a discussion session

About the speaker

Dr. Rachel Ellaway is a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary and editor-in-chief of the Springer Nature journal Advances in Health Sciences Education (AHSE).

Her career in medical education spans leadership in educational technology in Edinburgh, contributions to the creation of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and many years leading the Office of Health and Medical Education Scholarship at the University of Calgary. She is also the creator of the widely used OLab virtual patient system and the founder of the AMEE Fringe.

An internationally recognized scholar, Dr. Ellaway’s work explores key issues in contemporary medical education, including educational technologies, the philosophy of educational science and professional resistance. With an extensive body of publications and presentations, she has had a significant impact on thinking in the field.

Her contributions have been recognized through numerous national and international awards, including the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, the CAME Ian Hart Award, the RCPSC Duncan Graham Award, the AFMC President’s Award for Exemplary National Leadership in Academic Medicine and the ASME Gold Medal.

Suggested readings

Participants interested in exploring these ideas in advance may wish to review:

Get involved

All members of the FoMD community are encouraged to attend the Dean’s Lecture and engage with this work.