Shane Arsenault, MD: 2022 Kristen Sivertz Resident Leadership Award recipient
The peers and supervisors of Shane Arsenault, MD, MPH, uniformly describe him as an exceptional resident physician leader whose dedicated service to others embodies the qualities of the Kristin Sivertz Resident Leadership Award. Dr. Arsenault is a Neurology resident at Memorial University, where he is also pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health with a focus on epidemiology—a juggling act that his peers say not many would attempt.
A positive impact locally and nationally
Dr. Arsenault’s professionalism, superior communication and collaboration skills, and work as an advocate have improved the training environment for resident physicians not only in Newfoundland, but also across Canada. Locally, he has recently been involved with the Faculty of Medicine’s strategic planning implementation team, called the “Destination Excellence Implementation Steering Team”.
Nationally, Dr. Arsenault is an excellent representative of the voice of all Canadian residents. He has served on the Association of the Faculty of Medicine of Canada’s Portal for Residency Program Promotion (CANPREPP) committee, improving applicants’ access to information about residency programs across Canada. He helped the CANPREPP advisory group develop the new “The Resident Experience” section for each residency program by seeking feedback from residents. He also volunteered for the program guide sub-committee and helped create two program guides to support the promotion of programs to residents.
A strong voice for resident wellness
Dr. Arsenault’s merits as a health advocate are best demonstrated by his involvement with Resident Doctors of Canada, where he serves as a board member. He is deeply dedicated to reducing the burnout that residents experience. In 2021–2022, Dr. Arsenault led RDoC’s Wellness Team, setting goals and objectives for a national strategy on resident wellness. These efforts have generated products aimed at directly serving resident physicians, including the Resident Wellness Resource Environmental Scan and a wellness blueprint that will serve as the foundation for future wellness initiatives.
His colleagues and supervisors are in awe of Dr. Arsenault’s sheer determination to make a difference in the world of residency education. To illustrate, in a current project, he is using databases and patient cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma specimens to measure the clinical effectiveness of therapies in the management of multiple sclerosis. He is also interested in helping develop a Clinician-Investigator program at Memorial University.
Dr. Arsenault’s ambitious undertakings impress his colleagues, but no longer surprise them. He is widely regarded as a strong leader, a dedicated advocate and a wonderful person.
