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We are delighted to share a series featuring our Helen P. Batty Awards for Excellence and Achievement in Faculty Development winners. This article will highlight Umberin Najeeb, recipient of Category 1: Sustained Excellence in Teaching in Faculty Development.

About the Award

Category 1: Sustained Excellence in Teaching in Faculty Development recognizes sustained excellence in teaching in faculty development over a significant period of time (minimum 5 years) – ultimately leading to the enhancement of instruction, career development, professionalism, inter-professionalism, and / or health professional leadership.

About the Recipient

Dr. Umberin Najeeb is the Co-director, Master Teacher Program and Vice Chair Culture and Inclusion at Temerty. She is a clinician educator in the Department of Medicine, Centre researcher at the Wilson Centre and staff internist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. She completed her medical training from University of Peshawar and an accelerated residency in Internal Medicine from University of Toronto (UofT) followed by Education Scholars Program from the Center of Faculty Development.

Dr. Najeeb’s scholarly work is two-fold, centred on the transition and integration of internationally educated health professionals into their training and working environments and health profession education with specific focus on curriculum design, program development, faculty development and mentorship.

As a part of her work supporting internationally educated health professionals, Dr. Najeeb developed and implemented a research based longitudinal collaborative mentorship program for international medical graduates (IMGs) physicians and has been the faculty lead for the IMG mentorship program since 2012.

Dr. Najeeb’s Impact

“Dr. Najeeb has been instrumental in the arc of my medical career. I first worked with her as a third-year medical student on the Internal Medicine inpatient service at Sunnybrook Hospital in 2013, and again as a senior resident in 2016. As a new graduate in 2019, I was a participant in the Master Teacher Program, whereby she served as the lecturer and co-director. It is a two- year course offered by the University of Toronto Department of Medicine designed to provide the theoretical and practice skills in medical education. Since becoming a full time faculty member and clinician teacher in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in 2021, I have chosen Dr. Najeeb as my formal mentor and regularly seek her invaluable advice on career development. I now serve as the Early Career Faculty Lead in the Department of Medicine and the Obstetric Medicine Lead at Mount Sinai Hospital. Simply put, Dr. Najeeb has played a chief role in my evolution as an academic clinician and educator.” – Yayi Huang

“Dr. Najeeb stands out as one of the most intellectually rigorous and principled educators I have encountered. She approaches faculty development not as a routine exercise in skill transfer, but as a disciplined craft rooted in reflection, accountability, and evidence. As an IMG physician and a woman leader in academic medicine, she models resilience and integrity. Her commitment to Equity, Diversity, Indigeneity, Inclusivity, and Accessibility (EDIIA) is evident in many dimensions of her work.” – Neha Pathak

“At the heart of all of these efforts are the countless hours Umberin has spent mentoring, promoting, and advising learners and faculty in their careers and lives in academic medicine. Her advocacy for those who traditionally lack a voice is simply unparalleled. We believe that her personal effectiveness as a faculty developer comes through tremendous commitment, intelligence and creativity, coupled with warmth, humor, thoughtfulness, empathy, and integrity. Her humanistic approaches to patient care, education, and collegial interactions, as well as her deep and abiding commitment to address inequity and social injustice, are truly inspirational, and we continue to deeply appreciate working with, and learning from, this brilliant clinician and educator.” – Moira Kapral & Arno Kumagai

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