Passionate teachers of medicine to receive CAME awards
Shirley Wilfong-Pritchard - 27 February 2024
From left: Joanna Ryan, Elizabeth Rosolowsky, Dalton Sholter, Laura Stovel
The University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is proud to announce that four members of its faculty are receiving awards from The Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME). Joanna Ryan, Elizabeth Rosolowsky, Dalton Sholter and Laura Stovel are being recognized for their outstanding contributions to medical education that are helping to shape the next generation of medical professionals. They will be honoured at a virtual award ceremony at the end of February.
CAME Rising Star - Certificate of Excellence
Joanna Ryan will receive the CAME Rising Star - Certificate of Excellence award for her clinical teaching with medical students and junior residents as well as her work in curriculum development and education research. Ryan is a fifth-year resident in general surgery who completed her master of education in health sciences education in the U of A’s Faculty of Education.
The Rising Star award recognizes learners who have demonstrated a commitment and/or passion for medical education that has positively impacted the medical education community at their school and beyond.
“It is an honour to receive this award,” says Ryan. “It inspires me to continue working in medical education, to gain experience and develop my skills in this field.”
Ryan is currently contributing to the development and testing of a novel operative assessment tool. She’s also working on a study to develop curriculum recommendations to support training in general surgery residency.
Elizabeth Rosolowsky, Dalton Sholter and Laura Stovel will each receive the Certificate of Merit Award, which recognizes senior faculty who have made an exceptional contribution to medical education throughout their academic career. Selection criteria include duration of contributions, breadth and depth of involvement, degree of influence in the overall landscape of medical education and student evaluations.
Elizabeth Rosolowsky is an associate professor of pediatrics and division director of pediatric endocrinology and metabolism. She is also zone clinical section chief and attending pediatric endocrinologist at the Stollery Children’s Hospital.
Rosolowsky earned a master of public health from Harvard University School of Public Health and completed fellowships in pediatric endocrinology and pediatric health services research at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard University School of Medicine. She received her MD from the University of California at San Francisco where she completed her pediatric residency.
Rosolowsky has a proven track record in classroom, bedside and clinical teaching, small group facilitation and medical education leadership, service and assessment at all levels. She has been recognized with many U of A teaching awards and was named Canadian Federation of Medical Students Champion. The U of A Medical Students’ Association has presented her with various awards over the years in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the teaching of medicine and for spreading happiness and creating a positive environment for others.
Dalton Sholter is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Medicine and a community-based rheumatologist in Edmonton. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine and completed his residencies in internal medicine and rheumatology at the U of A. He did outreach clinics in Yellowknife, N.W.T. every three months for 22 years before retiring from that practice in 2019.
Sholter has been a principal investigator in numerous clinical studies and has a clinical interest in innovative therapies for inflammatory disease.
A long-standing member of the U of A residency program committee, Sholter strives to impart the importance of empathy and professionalism in all aspects of medical practice. He is passionate about sharing his love of rheumatology with learners at all levels — from medical students to rheumatology subspecialty trainees and allied health professionals in occupational and physical therapy.
“I am humbled to have received recognition for my teaching efforts,” says Sholter. “It is an honour to have received the CAME award and motivating for me to continue teaching.”
Laura Stovel is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry, assistant dean for MD admissions and co-chair of the faculty’s academic standing and promotion committee. She completed medical school and residency training in Psychiatry at the University of Alberta. She has held numerous roles related to education within her department and with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Stovel has always chosen to work with learners, and since the beginning of her career in medicine, she has been active as a teacher, supervisor and mentor for students, residents, fellows and junior faculty members.
Stovel has received commendations for her ability to create safe, respectful and inclusive spaces for teachers and learners. She was the Edmonton Zone Staff Association’s Physician of the Year and has won several awards for her teaching.
“It's important to me that my students know that they are seen, acknowledged and valued,” says Stovel. “It’s nice to have that experience as a teacher as well.”