Three members from our Faculty receive Resident Doctors of Canada Awards

Kathryn Darras 
A senior resident in radiology at UBC, whose work sets an example for medical education for future physicians, and those in current practice. She has played an integral part in the UBC Medical Undergraduate Curriculum Renewal Project and in the innovative development of virtual curricula for use alongside existing educational tools. Dr. Darras’ other initiatives include investigating the most useful clinical electives during the first year of the radiology residency program and the development of a new curriculum to assist second-year residents in their clinical preparation for call service.

Barry Kassen
A general internist who has spent much of his career practicing and teaching at UBC. In the 1990s, he designed the Clinical Teaching Unit model for several Vancouver-based hospitals, now the primary mode of education delivery in internal medicine across Canada. More recently, Dr. Kassen’s unique approach to the morning report has become popular amongst residents training at St. Paul’s Hospital, resulting in the development of a podcast to make the report accessible to trainees across Canada. Known for his compassionate approach to his patients, his bedside manner has been identified as one of his greatest attributes as a teacher and clinician. Dr. Kassen has served UBC and affiliated teaching hospitals in an array of leadership roles, as well as at a national level with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dianna Louie is a pediatrician at BC Children’s Hospital and a committed advocate for resident wellness. She has adopted a hands-on approach to helping the residents within her program, through a number of initiatives including establishing a wellness library in the resident lounge and organizing physical and social activities. Additionally, Dr. Louie is currently conducting research on resident burnout with the aim of alleviating this systemic problem. Dr. Louie helped to establish and serves as the current lead of the UBC Pediatric Resident Wellness Committee, with her advocacy directly resulting in a large funding increase for the Committee’s activities. She also serves on the UBC Resident Wellness Committee, and was awarded the UBC Resident Wellness Faculty Award in 2016.