Research 

One of the challenges that my research program aims to address is that of healthcare inequities, which can negatively impact the well-being of certain groups.

Current projects in this area are focused on:

• Understanding the experiences of current and future healthcare providers from different backgrounds;

• Bringing an education science lens and methodological expertise to larger, more clinically driven projects that aim to improve equity and well-being on a broader scale;

• Exploring health researchers’ motivations to engage in equity-related research and developing considerations for doing so in an ethical way.

Since 2017, all postgraduate residency training programs in Canada—and many more across the world—have been transitioning to a model of education known as competency-based medical education (CBME). This model of education has shifted the focus from the amount of time spent in training to the importance of identifying and achieving critical competencies and skills.

My research program aims to address some of the educational challenges that have come with CBME implementation, such as the need to improve assessment quality without increasing assessment burden.

Current projects in this area are focused on:

• Exploring the emotional and well-being-related impacts of the transition to CBME on residents, staff, and faculty members;

• Understanding the decision-making processes of competence committees;

• Developing tools that can help learners and faculty assess the quality of narrative (i.e., written) comments received during training;

• Exploring gender differences in the quality and quantity of narrative comments provided to learners during assessments;

• Collaborating with machine learning specialists to develop tools for the automated assessment of narrative comment quality.

A third pillar of my research program involves fostering the development and evaluation of learner-centered pedagogies designed to reignite student engagement in the learning process. We are focused on evidence-based teaching and learning methods that prioritize the needs and interests of learners, aiming to foster enthusiasm and active participation in education.

To this end, we currently support a variety of program evaluation initiatives. Examples include:

• The One Room Schoolhouse academic half-day curriculum;

• The McMUST global learning partnership;

• The McMaster Psychiatry Review Course;

• A blended learning electroconvulsive therapy curriculum in geriatric psychiatry.

Outside of health professions education, I am an active contributor to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). As a 2019 ISSOTL Fellow and 2013 3M National Student Fellow, I remain actively engaged in the SoTL community and am always open to new collaborations. Current areas of interest include the role of students as partners in higher education and leadership in SoTL.

I enjoy conducting work that is collaborative and interdisciplinary in nature. I have a track record of success in working with clinicians and researchers in Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Medicine, Nursing, and Surgery to produce impactful education research. Skills and attributes that I bring to research projects include:

• Being highly collaborative and working well across disciplinary boundaries;

• Expertise in education science;

• Expertise in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methodologies;

• Interest and investment in equity-related issues, particularly sex- and gender-based+ analyses;

• A pragmatic orientation, with an eye towards making research accessible, applicable, and impactful.

If you are interested in exploring a potential collaboration, please contact me by email at acaia [at] mcmaster [dot] ca.

I look forward to hearing from you!