When UBC’s Dr. Glenn Regehr was awarded the 2020 Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education, he immediately informed the faculty of medicine’s Centre for Health Education Scholarship (CHES) – his academic home for the past 12 years – that he was donating the entire cash award associated with the Prize to the Centre.
At his request, the resulting fund of €75,000 will be dedicated to supporting the travel of visitors to CHES who could not otherwise afford to engage with the CHES community of scholars in person.
Dr. Glenn Regehr
“I honestly don’t see this as an individual award for me. As much as anything it’s a nod to the culture of supportive collaboration and interaction that we have developed in health professions education,” said Dr. Regehr, a professor in the department of surgery and associate director, research of CHES. “My goal is always to look for opportunities to continue that spirit of building community and supporting junior colleagues in developing that broad culture of collaboration.”
CHES has a reputation as one of the premier health professions education research centres in the world, which has resulted in over 250 scholars from around the world visiting since its inception 13 years ago. This broad network has enriched both the visitors’ and the CHES community’s ability to explore and understand health professions education. Dr. Regehr’s significant donation will enhance the benefits of this visitor program by allowing those who would otherwise not be able to visit to experience the rich learning environment that CHES offers.
“No one was really surprised that Glenn took this very generous step,” said Dr. Ian Scott, CHES Director. “He has devoted his career to supporting and mentoring others. Not only is he a highly published researcher but he has supported innumerable students in publishing their first – of many –publications. CHES is a special place and Glenn is a vital element of its success.”
Over the course of his career, Dr. Regehr has worked to improve bench-to-bedside practices through his research on a broad range of topics. These topics include exploring learner experiences of educational interventions and the implications of these interventions for developing effective school curricula, to improving the self-assessment of clinicians and the implications of these assessments for health professional regulatory bodies to develop effective self-regulation processes.
The Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education recognizes outstanding research in medical education, helping to promote long-term improvements in education and training in the health professions. Dr. Regehr is the tenth recipient of the Prize.
“I feel honoured to have my name associated with the Karolinska Prize and proud to have my name listed alongside the other individuals who have won the award in the past,” he said.