Institute member Dr. Stuart Lubarsky was selected by the 2020 graduating medical class as one of two recipients of the Osler Award for Teaching Excellence, recognizing extraordinary educators who made a lasting impact on the cohort over the course of their four years of study.
“This award really feels like the crowning achievement of my career thus far,” said Dr. Lubarsky. “The fact that this comes from the students themselves is really the most enriching and rewarding thing for me. I feel honoured to be recognized by the students themselves because that’s the reason I do this work and get so much enjoyment out of it. The fact that they acknowledge and appreciate my work is very humbling.”
Kindness, care and clinical reasoning
Dr. Lubarsky is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Health Sciences Education. He is currently an attending physician in the department of neurology at the Montreal General Hospital.
The award will come as no surprise for those who know Dr. Lubarsky. Not only is he an exceptional teacher and researcher, Dr. Lubarsky also exudes kindness, warmth, calm and care. These attributes make for an endearing teacher, mentor and colleague.
Clinical reasoning has always been a major focus of both Dr. Lubarsky’s teaching work and his research in health sciences education. More recently, the coronavirus pandemic has compelled him to pivot his thinking toward remote teaching.
“It’s been a challenge,” Dr. Lubarsky says of remote teaching. “You want to make sure students develop the right skills for examining patients. It’s not easy, so that will be a big challenge going forward.”
Dr. Lubarsky is also Co-Director of the Foundations in Medical and Health Sciences Education Elective here at the Institute of Health Sciences Education. The goal of the elective is to expose students and residents to the broad field of health sciences education through interactive lectures, group discussions, individual and group projects, and participation in the activities of the Institute of Health Sciences Education and other faculty-led educational initiatives. He and his colleague Dr. Robert Sternszus are exploring how best to maintain the magic of the elective in a remote learning setting.
“That’s a very fulfilling part of what I do,” he says of the elective. “It’s inspiring. How do we continue to maintain that energy and enthusiasm in remote settings? It’s hard to describe the feeling in the room when you bring students together and they brainstorm and work together – there’s a big interpersonal component to all that which I hope won’t get lost.”
On privilege and equity
In light of the killing of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter movement, Dr. Lubarsky could not help but reflect on how privilege has advanced his career, reflecting on how to improve equity to future generations.
“I really think that it’s an important time to acknowledge that I’m winning this award in a system that really favours my winning it,” said Dr. Lubarsky. “There are many systemic factors at play that privilege somebody like me to win an award like this against other people, and it’s a really important time to be acknowledging this.”
“It’s important as teachers that we don’t just teach, but that we listen,” Dr. Lubarsky said.
Reflecting on the privilege of his professional experience does not diminish the joy he experienced in receiving the Osler Award.
“I really want to say how tickled I am to have received this award. It was such a surprise and such an honour to be named by the students themselves,” Dr. Lubarsky said. “I couldn’t be more grateful.”