RMED Facilitator Bios
Darren Nichols
Dr. Nichols is a serial graduate of the University of Alberta (1996 - BMSc, 2000 - MD, 2002 - CCFP, 2003 - CCFP Emergency Medicine). His teaching practice is at the University of Alberta Hospital and Stollery Children's Hospital Emergency Departments. He is the Director of the U of A's Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC). Dr. Nichols' interest in socially accountable medical education took him to Nepal for 2012-2013 and currently he coordinates international faculty for the Fellowship in Emergency Medicine at the Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Jill Konkin
Associate Professor, Family Medicine, in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta.
Degrees: Honours BA in political science (Carleton University), MD and residency in Family Medicine (University of Calgary) and a Masters in Clinical Sciences in Family Medicine (Western University).
Clinical Practice: Comprehensive rural family physician until recruited to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in 2003 as the first Associate Dean, Admissions and Student Affairs. Currently doing locums for comprehensive rural family physicians.
Educational Initiatives: Longitudinal integrated clerkship (Rural Integrated Community Clerkship) initiated in 2007; Pre-clinical Networked Medical Education Initiative (delivery of a 2nd year preclinical course in rural/regional communities) initiated in 2010; Aboriginal Health rotation implemented in 2015.
Professional Activities: Member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada Working Group that developed the new national Family Medicine residency curriculum; members of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) Future of Medical Education in Canada - Postgraduate Steering Committee; Co-Chair of FMEC-PG Working Group on Learning and Working Environment; Chair of the AFMC Distributed Medical Education Group; member of planning group for the Consortium of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships; Past President, Society of Rural Physicians of Canada; Past President, Alberta College of Family Physicians.
Sudha Koppula
Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine
Degrees: B.Sc. Biochemistry, Doctor of Medicine with Honours in Research; Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada; Master of Clinical Sciences
Teaching:
Undergraduate Learners: clinical teaching in Primary Care Obstetrics and Family Medicine and classroom teaching in small group and lecture formats
Postgraduate Learners: clinical teaching in Primary Care Obstetrics and Family Medicine, Faculty Advisor of Family Medicine residents. Developed and Implemented the Integrated Women's Health Curriculum into core Family Medicine residency training at the University of Alberta
Rural Learners: Integrated Clerkship Curriculum (ICC) Structured Learning Sessions (small groups online)
Masters Candidates at Western University, London, Ontario: Examiner for major essay requirement and major research project co-supervisor Family Physician Learners: Faculty Development Director, Dept. of Family Medicine, University of Alberta (involves needs assessment, curriculum development/implementation) and teaching continuous professional development sessions and courses.
Ron Damant
Ron Damant is a pulmonologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine. Education is a significant component of his job description. He has taught the pre-clinical course in pulmonary medicine for several years. He also facilitates Problem-Based Learning in a number of other preclinical courses. He teaches medical students, core internal medicine residents, and pulmonary medicine fellows in the clinical setting (ambulatory, hospital, endoscopy, pulmonary physiology). Dr. Damant has additional skills in assessment (MCQ and OSCE development, item analysis, etc.). He has experience in education administration, having completed 2 terms as Assistant Dean, Preclinical Education. He has also participated in or led several quality improvement and research projects.
Peter Hamilton
Dr. Hamilton is a professor and director of the General Internal Medicine Division. He was the postgraduate training program director in the Department of Medicine for ten years, the assistant postgraduate dean, director of the integrated clinical clerkship and assistant dean in the MD program.
Dr. Hamilton has a fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the American College of Physicians. He has special designation as a Specialist in Hypertension from the American Society of Hypertension. In 2011 he was awarded the Prix d' Excellence by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is currently the internist on the advisory panel for the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Heart Failure Guidelines. He has coauthored a text book in clinical pharmacology titled Drugs & Drugs and contributed the chapter on General Internal Medicine for the textbook titled Approach to Internal Medicine. For the past 24 years, he has coordinated the Annual Update in Internal Medicine, a conference held in Alberta. He was elected for two consecutive terms to the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. He has served two terms on the Out of Country Health Services Appeal Panel and the past term as the vice chairperson. He is a member of the Awards Committee of the RCPSC and the Laboratory Utilization Committee for AHS.