Stepping Stones:
Foundations in Education

Amanda is the Education Development Lead, Clinical Teaching and leads the Stepping Stones and Teaching & Learning in the Clinical Context programs. She is a clinician, researcher, and educator in the field of Speech-Language Pathology. She is an Assistant Professor at University of Toronto, and clinical manager of a Student-Led Environment at Holland Bloorview. Her program of research extends from years of experience providing interprofessional supports for neurodivergent children and their families.

Sarina is the coordinator for the Stepping Stones program at the Centre for Faculty Development. They started this role after they completed their Master of Education at OISE, specializing in Adult Education and Community Development. Sarina takes care of most of the coordination of Stepping Stones, from booking every workshop, to ensuring participants have everything they need to succeed within the program. In addition to handling the coordination of the program She also works with Lindsay to develop curriculum that addresses current health profession education topics and issues and other participant needs.

Meredith Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Teaching Stream within the Physical Therapy Department at the University of Toronto and teaches in the neurological curriculum of the Master of Science in Physical Therapy (MScPT) program. She also is the Physiotherapy Academic Clinical Educator and Program Education Lead at Toronto Rehabilitation/University Health Network.  In addition, she continues to practice clinically at Balance Physiotherapy. Meredith has also been involved in research related to racism and oppression. She is a graduate of the MScPT program at the University of Toronto and holds a Bachelors in Physiology from Michigan State University.

Sanne Kaas-Mason is an interprofessional educator whose research interests focus on the various ways that healthcare practitioners engage in interdependent work. She is interested in the spectrum of relatively stable or fluid ways that constellations of collaboration show up across healthcare spaces, and how these impact the delivery of care. This includes interprofessional ways of collaborating. She also explores how entrenched distributions of power, along with siloed understandings of illness and care, might influence collaborative practices of healthcare practitioners.

Tova has been working as a registered dietitian at St. Michael's hospital in acute care and critical care for the past 15 years. In addition to her clinical role, Tova has been teaching at George Brown College and Ryerson University at both the undergraduate and graduate level, supporting various future health professionals in their learning. Tova's clinical interests include gender sensitivity and inclusivity as well as clinical mentorship.

Stephanie Sliekers (she/her), MEd, is the Director, Simulation and Digital Innovation at Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). She is a leader and health professions educator focused on using simulation education and digital learning to create a more equitable and accessible mental health care system. As a Master’s student, Stephanie’s research focused on continuing education in the health professions. Her major research paper, “Written Assessments in Continuing Education: Examining the Tension between Constructivist Learning and Logical Positivist Evaluation,” was a driving factor in focusing her career on simulation and innovation in health care education. In her current role at CAMH, she manages Canada’s first Simulation Centre at a mental health hospital. She oversees CAMH Education’s digital innovation team, who develop and disseminate digital mental health education products, including online courses and podcasts. She brings to her work expertise in adult learning, education theory, instructional design, digital user experience/design, project management, and co-creation and co-design.

Jameela Lencucha is the Occupational Therapy Academic Clinical Educator and Interim Program Education Lead at Toronto Rehabilitation/University Health Network. She has been practicing clinically in acute care for over 15 years and currently is an OT in the Krembil Neurosciences Program at the Toronto Western Hospital. She has been involved in clinical education throughout her career within UHN and in the Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy program at the University of Toronto. She is interested in and committed to lifelong learning and adapting practice to optimize the learner experience.

Lynda is a pharmacist and Clinical Teaching and Learning Development Educator with the University Health Network (UHN). She completed a Master of Education in Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She is passionate about teaching and enhancing the experiences of learners in academic and clinical settings. Her current work involves partnering with learners at UHN, building their learning opportunities, and expanding their possibilities as future healthcare leaders.