The Doctor With A Passion For Teaching

Even before Michelle Gibson, MEd’13, was a professor at the Queen’s School of Medicine, teaching was a big part of her life.

“I do not remember a time in my life when I did not want to teach,” says Dr. Gibson. “Both my parents were teachers so I guess it is genetic.”

Her passion for educating the next generation of doctors is the reason she has been named this year’s recipient of the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award has been given annually since 1975 to a Queen’s teacher who shows outstanding knowledge, teaching ability, and accessibility to students.

“It’s a real honour to receive this award. What was really touching to me was when I found out my students nominated me. It’s nice because I love what I do. I love students. I love working with students. I love learners. I learn from them every day,” says Dr. Gibson, who works out of St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital and specializes in elderly care.

One of those nominators, Alana Fleet, Meds’17, says Dr. Gibson goes above and beyond to connect with students. She encourages students to use Twitter to reach out to the community and helps students to access the intricate world of online medical resources.

“Not only is she passionate about her own work, but she inspires passion among her students,” says Alana.

Fellow student Arash Mirrahimi, Meds’17, agrees.

“In my experience with Prof. Gibson, every encounter has been filled with joy. She has a wonderful sense of humour which, in addition to her skills as a teacher and a clinician, makes her easy to approach and a pleasure to learn from,” says Arash.

Dr. Gibson’s passion goes beyond simply teaching students – she is interested in curriculum development and student assessment. For two years she was the Chair of the Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum Committee, and in 2013 she graduated from Queen’s with a Master of Education with a focus on medical education assessment. She is currently the chair of the Undergraduate Medical Education Program in the Queen’s School of Medicine.

One of her teaching philosophies is team-based learning which involves getting students working together to solve problems. It also involves working with others to teach students – such as having a physiotherapist talk to a class because doctors and physiotherapists work together in the real world.

“I practice in a team so I believe in learning from a team. Everyone can learn from one another. I team teach very often because I believe we bring different things to the teaching session so it models how doctors actually practice. I do not work in isolation,” says Dr. Gibson.

Her teaching skills have been recognized by others. She has previously received the W Ford Connell Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Queen’s School of Medicine, and the Canadian Association for Medical Education Award of Merit.