Dr. Adelle Roberta Atkinson: 2019 Program Director of the Year Award recipient
Dr. Adelle Roberta Atkinson, MD, FRCPC, University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada)
Dr. Adelle Atkinson is an associate professor of Paediatrics in the Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, and a consultant immunologist/allergist in the Division of Immunology and Allergy Paediatrics at The Hospital for Sick Children. Her clinical work focuses on patients with primary immune deficiencies, bone marrow transplantation, and complex allergic diseases with an emphasis on reactions to food, drugs and biologics.
Dr. Atkinson is also the director of Postgraduate Medical Education for the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. She took on this role in 2006, at a time when this program needed transformative leadership to help it meet the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s Accreditation site visit standards in 2007. The program was fully accredited and has evolved under her leadership to become one of the largest Paediatric residency programs in Canada.
With a strong commitment to innovation in residency education, Dr. Atkinson has worked collaboratively with fellow educators to enhance the learner experience without comprising the safety of patient care. She streamlined the resident admission process and enriched the curricular with new programs designed to match CanMEDS roles and objectives. In 2013, the University of Toronto’s Paediatric program was selected by the Royal College Accreditation reviewers as a model department for excellent level of support provided for faculty and trainees.
Dr. Atkinson spends over 50% of her time in medical education related activities in Canada and abroad. She is a graduate of the Education Scholar’s Program, through the Centre for Faculty Development. She has been recognized with several awards including the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario’s Best Residency Program (2008), the Dr. Sarita Verma Award for Mentorship and Advocacy (2009), the Harry Bain Award for teaching excellence (2014), the Department of Paediatrics Continuing Education Award (2018) and the Paediatric Chairs of Canada Clinician Educator Award (2018) for her outstanding leadership.
Dr. Atkinson is a dedicated professor, role model and mentor, who goes above and beyond to empower her residents. Her person-centered educational approach and leadership have had a profound impact on residency education at the University of Toronto, across the country and beyond. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Atkinson on this prestigious honour.
