Announcement: Dr. Chris Watling appointed as Acting Vice Dean, Education Scholarship and Strategy
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Chris Watling has been appointed as the Acting Vice Dean, Education Scholarship and Strategy at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University effective September 1, 2020 for a one-year period.
The Vice Dean, Education Scholarship and Strategy is a new leadership role at the School and was developed to align with an overall leadership reorganization. The Vice Dean will be responsible for developing and sustaining a robust program of research, innovation and continuous quality improvement with the medical education programs at the School. They will also build systems and strategies that ensure the institution and its faculty can deliver high-quality, forward-thinking medical education.
Dr. Watling is a Professor in the Departments of Oncology, Clinical Neurological Sciences and Family Medicine and is currently the Director of the Centre for Education Research & Innovation (CERI), a role he will continue in while serving as Acting Vice Dean. From 2010-2019, he served as the Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education.
Dr. Watling obtained his MD (cum laude) from Dalhousie University in Halifax in 1990, then completed residency training in neurology at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Western University in 1995 followed by fellowship training at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Dr. Watling also completed a Master of Medical Education degree from the University of Dundee in 2009 and a PhD in Health Professions Education from Maastricht University in 2014.
He has served on numerous local and national education committees, including as a member of the Medical Council of Canada from 2008-2016. Dr. Watling is the incoming Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's Residency Accreditation Committee and a member of the Canadian Residency Accreditation Consortium. He has also led accreditation survey visits nationally and internationally.
Dr. Watling has a thriving research program and he has published widely in medical education literature. His work explores how learning unfolds in clinical settings and how professional culture shapes educational practices. Dr. Watling has been recognized for his contributions to education and education research, receiving the Schulich Excellence in Education Distinguished Leader Award in 2020 and sharing in the Dean’s Award of Excellence – Team Award presented to CERI in 2017. A Faculty Scholar at Western, Dr. Watling is a sought after collaborator, mentor and speaker, and an internationally recognized leader in the field of medical education.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Watling on this new role.
John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University
