The Curiosity Habit

Jon Ilgen, Professor, Vice Chair for Faculty Development & Education (Department of Emergency Medicine University of Washington School of Medicine); Potential Art Historian’

Between soccer, track and field, marching band, attending his dad’s seminars in the living room, and pouring gels in his mom’s lab, Jon Ilgen had a busy childhood full of friends and activities that allowed him to pursue his interests. One of these interests was science, and after a winter program of following a small town paediatrician, his journey to medicine and medical education began. Listen in as Jon and Sayra discuss the ever-changing nature of his interests and research program! 

Terese Stenfors, Professor of Medical Education, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Teaching and Learning (Karolinska Institutet; Aspiring Baker

Happy Summer! In our newest episode of The Curiosity Habit, Sayra sits down with Terese Stenfors, lover of fresh baking and coffee smells, and Professor at the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the Karolinska Institutet. Listen in as Terese outlines her journey from wanting to be a baker, to getting a degree in computer and systems science, and eventually finding her way into educational development and medical education.

Ian Scott, Director and Scientist (CHES), Associate Professor (Dept. of Family Practice, UBC); Lifelong Generalist

Ian Scott has always been a generalist - by trade and by interests! From taking apart and fixing his mom’s radio or fixing up old cars, to going into family practice and dipping his toes into a multitude of research methods and topics, one thing has always been much more specific – that Ian is always on a journey of learning

Tim Dubé, Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Emergency Medicine (Université de Sherbrooke); Community Builder

Community has always been a focus of Tim Dubé, whose interests were originally sparked at the local hockey rink in his Northern Ontario community. Listen in and Tim and Sayra discuss the power of community - in educating, learning, and growing.

Dorene Balmer, Professor of Pediatrics, Co-Director of Research in Pediatric Education, Endowed Chair (Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania); Voracious Reader

How did the woman who grew up on a farm and had never known what research is end up conducting (and loving) medical education research? In this week's episode, Sayra has this conversation with Dorene Balmer, whose love of reading brought her out of her small childhood bubble, giving her the opportunity to see the connections between people, structures, and communities, and how these all intertwine in our living and learning.

Geoff Norman, Professor Emeritus, Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University), Builder and Maker

We have a very special episode out this week, featuring one of the founders of medical education himself - Geoff Norman! In this episode, Sayra and Geoff explore how a nuclear physicist ends up in this field. Listen in as they discuss his passion for making and building things, testing the negative, and his newfound hobby - golf!

Wael Haddara, Chair/Chief of Critical Care (LHSC) and Associate Professor of Critical Care and Endocrinology (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry); Bibliophile, Activist & Analyst

Happy New Year listeners! We believe there is no better way to start the new year than with a new episode on a close friend - Wael Haddara! In this episode, Sayra and Wael discuss his literal and educational path to medicine and medical education. From Cairo to Kuwait to St. John’s (and more!), and from pharmacology to virology to medicine (and more!), listen in as Wael, the self-proclaimed bibliophile, community activist, and political analyst, has lots of stories to share.

Francisco Olmos-Vega, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anaesthesiology (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana-Hospital Universitario), Identity Embracer

On this episode of the Curiosity Habit, we welcome our first guest from and working in the Global South, Francisco Olmos-Vega! Sayra and Francisco’s conversation, in addition to talking about his journey from psychology to anesthesiology to the “dark side” of qualitative research , centres around identity - the growing, changing, accepting, and embracing of who you are. 

Laura Nimmon, Associate Professor & Scientist (Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy; Centre for Health Education Scholarship, Faculty of Medicine, UBC); Outdoor Adventurer

Seeing the texture of colour of a slug was Laura’s first memory of being in and loving the outdoors, and was the start of a trajectory in balancing her life and her peace with time outside. Listen in as Sayra and Laura discuss Laura’s journey (and journeys!) of understanding herself, from Ecuador to Europe, and discovering the joy in the small things in life.

Adam Sawatsky, Associate Profession & Internist (Mayo Clinic); Avid Reader

Over time, doing research on identity has helped Adam Sawatsky realize that if he wasn’t a medical education researcher, he would be a high school biology teacher or starting his own micro-brewing company. In this episode, Sayra and Adam sit down to talk about his love of reading (passed down from his parents and now onto his son)s, how the time spent learning about qualitative research helped him move forward in his career (and made him wish he could go back to learn more in the social sciences), and what everyone has wanted to know - the meaning behind the bow ties.