AO Fellowship in Medical Education Research

The AO Education Institute (AO EI) is offering a group of selected fellows the opportunity to conduct research in postgraduate surgical education in a global environment to build more evidence in the field of continuous professional development for surgeons.

We offer these fellowships to further contribute to the body of research in medical education and therefore reinforce our commitment to improving performance and patient outcomes through education. Fellows have access to an international professional network to conduct their research. Fellows also have the opportunity to learn about our not-for-profit global medical education organization and build a personal network.


Research fellows 2024

Dr Marc A Seifman

PhD in Surgical Education, University of Melbourne, Australia

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Monash Health, Eastern Health, and Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Australia

Project: Optimizing surgical curricula for those at the coalface: trainees and trainers.

Dr Jeroen Bransen

PhD in Health Professions Education, SHE Maastricht University, the Netherlands

Trauma surgeon, Maastricht University Medical Center, the Netherlands

Project: Professional identity formation of surgical residents: reflection on experiences and role model moments.

Dr Christine Cuthbertson

Outcomes:

Presentation: Surgeons and empathy: a qualitative study of managing emotions in surgical settings. Austin Precinct meeting, University of Melbourne, September 20, 2024.

Presentation: Surgeons self-perceived roles and tasks and their effect on empathy: a qualitative exploration of general surgeons in Australia. Victorian Showcase of Research in Health Professions Education, November 12, 2024.

Research fellows 2023

Dr Julien-Carl Phaneuf

PhD in Health Professions Education, SHE Maastricht University, Nederland

Gastroenterology Consultant, Direction de l’évaluation et de l’expertise médicales, Retraite Québec, Canada

Project: Understanding why, and how, physicians and surgeons participate in peer observation and feedback of complex procedural skills

Dr John Sawires

Master of Arts in Education, Health Professions Education Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada

Colorectal Fellow at University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Project: Exploring the extrinsic and intrinsic factors impacting surgical innovation through the operative management of locally advanced rectal cancer


Research fellows 2022

Dr Johanna Riesel

Master of Health Professions Education, SHE Maastricht University, Nederland, and New York University, USA

Assistant professor, University of Toronto, Canada and pediatric cleft and craniofacial surgeon, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

Project: Are Surgeons Fearless? A constructivist grounded theory approach to conceptualize how surgeons navigate fear in the operating room

Outcomes:

  • Online Presentation: Fear in the OR (a qualitative study): Identity enmeshment, identity resilience, and surgeons’ experiences of fear in the operating room. AMEE 2024, Basel, Switzerland, August 25-28, 2024

Dr Christine Cuthbertson

Master of Surgical Education, University of Melbourne, Australia

Associate professor, School of Rural Health, Monash University, and general surgeon, St John of God Bendigo Hospital, Australia

Project: The interaction of empathy and emotional regulation in surgeons

Research fellows 2021

Dr Avril Lusty

Master of Arts in Education, Health Professions Education Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada

Urologic Oncology Fellow at University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Project: Surgical content and best practices for video module learning—a framework to guide surgical education curriculum design

Outcomes:

 

Dr Alexander Papachristos

Master of Surgical Education, University of Melbourne, Australia

TS Reeve Endocrine Surgery Fellow at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia

Project: Enhancing learning in the operating room: effect of a near-peer learning intervention

Outcomes:

  • Publication: Near-Peer Coaching to Enhance Operative Learning: An Educational Innovation for Surgical Training.
  • Workshop: Coaching in surgery and in surgical practice. AMEE 2022, Lyon, France, August 27-31, 2022.
  • E-Poster: Design and implementation of an operative Near-Peer Learning intervention in surgical training. AMEE 2022, Lyon, France, August 27-31, 2022.
  • Online presentation: Near-Peer Coaching to Enhance Operative Learning – An Educational Innovation for Surgical Training. AMEE 2024, Basel, Switzerland, August 25-28, 2024

AO Fellowship in Medical Education Research description

We encourage you to submit projects related to surgeons' continuing professional development.

The fellowship value is CHF 18,000

The fellowship experience is individualized based on the project.

The maximum duration is expected to be twelve months.

During the fellowship period, the fellow is expected to attend monthly meetings with the AO EI research manager and the assigned advisor to report the project progress and receive feedback. Involvement of the fellow's supervisor in the meetings is highly recommended.

Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled in a medical education program at one of our partner institutions.


Application deadline:

Application deadlines have passed for 2024.
The program will reopen for applications in February 2025.



Partner Institutions

We are currently evaluating new partners to expand
and enhance our fellowship program


Contact

Monica Ghidinelli
Manager Education Research, Accreditation & Partnerships