Education Solutions
UHN is the largest hospital partner of the University of Toronto and offers a diversity of educational programming spanning formal clinical training, continuing education and professional development, inter-professional education, simulation-based learning, and international education programs and services.
Teaching and learning at UHN is encompassed within the Michener Institute of Education at UHN, which was created in 2016 through Canada’s first integration of a hospital and a school of applied health sciences. The vision of the Michener Institute of Education at UHN (Michener) is to be a global leader in lifelong, collaborative learning and education science. Michener’s goal is to create an ecosystem of teaching and learning that translates into outstanding, compassionate care. The Education portfolio at UHN encompasses 17,000 learners across 45 disciplines, 13 academic programs, and 9 centres of education excellence.
Through its Schools of Applied Health Sciences and Continuing Education, Michener offers a suite of programs in a variety of formats including online, in-person, and hybrid (a combination of online and in-person) deliveries, and can do so leveraging world-leading expertise at Canada’s largest teaching hospital. Included in these programs are entry-to-practice diploma programs (Academic Programs), comprehensive certificate programs, courses and workshops, oberverships and personalized learning programs, and bridging programs targeted to internationally educated health professionals to refine their skills as they bridge into Canadian healthcare practice.
Education Leadership
Maria Tassone, MSc, BScPT
Senior Director, Continuing Education and Professional Development
The Michener Institute of Education at UHN
Maria Tassone is the Senior Director, Continuing Education & Professional Development at UHN, and the inaugural Director of the Centre for Inter-professional Education, a strategic partnership between the University of Toronto and UHN.
Ms. Tassone was the co-lead of the Canadian Inter-professional Health Leadership Collaborative, one of four international innovation collaboratives awarded by the Institute of Medicine in Washington. Her experiences in collaborative leadership for health system change contributed to the development, implementation and evaluation of the Collaborative Change Leadership™ program, for which she is currently the Co-Director.
Ms. Tassone has been recognized as an innovation leader in inter-professional education & care with the 3M Team Innovation Award, the Ontario Hospital Ted Freeman Award for Education Innovation, and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association National Mentorship Award. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from McGill University, a Master of Science from the University of Western Ontario, and she is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto.
Mohammad Salhia, MEd, HBSc
Director, Continuing Education & International Centre for Education™
The Michener Institute of Education at UHN
Mohammad Salhia is the Director of Continuing Education and the International Centre for Education (UHN ICE™) at the Michener Institute of Education at UHN. Mohammad’s experience has been varied at UHN since 2008, having held multiple roles in Human Resources, including in Volunteer Resources and Computer User Support Program. Mr. Salhia was also the Manager in the International Patient Program, before transitioning to Education at UHN, where he
co-developed and supported the launch of UHN ICE, and served as its inaugural Manager.
Currently, Mr. Salhia supports program areas focused in online learning development, curriculum and faculty development, personalized learning, and facilitation.
He holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations from the University of Toronto, and a Masters of Education in Leadership, Adult, and Higher Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, also at the University of Toronto.
Belinda Vilhena, MEd, BSc
Director, Conference Services and BMO Education & Conference Centre
The Michener Institute of Education at UHN
Belinda Vilhena is the Director, Conference Services and BMO Education & Conference Centre at the University Health Network and the Manager, Centre for Interprofessional Education (IPE) at the University of Toronto.
She manages business development and operations, educational and conference event planning, external communications and liaison with education centres across the globe.
Ms. Vilhena is also the Co-Director of the ehpic™ program and Professional Development (PD) Lead for PD programs offered by the Centre for IPE.
Ms. Vilhena holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Biology and a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto. Ms. Vilhena has over eighteen years of experience working in healthcare in the community and at the University Health Network, in the Emergency Department and in Patient Relations mediating patient and family concerns.
Andrea Etherington, MBA, BHScOT CHE
Director, Strategic Projects and Planning
The Michener Institute of Education at UHN
Andrea Etherington is the Director of Strategic Projects and Planning for the Michener Institute of Education at UHN and the UHN Chief Medical Officer Portfolio. Ms. Etherington has held various roles as a clinician, educator and leader within the UHN Clinical and Education portfolios and has lead several complex strategic initiatives and the development and implementation of strategic plans.
Ms. Etherington holds a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Queen’s University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, and is a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders. Andrea holds a status appointment with the University of Toronto Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy.
The Michener Institute of Education at UHN offers numerous programs that support health professions education across the continuum of learning, offering both entry-to-practice, and continuing education and professional development programs. These programs are delivered using a variety of educational strategies and approaches, including team-based, online, and simulation based learning, and are offered in either the School of Applied Health Sciences, or the School of Continuing Education.
Education
Programs
11 Advanced Diploma & 2 Graduate Certificate programs focused on
entry-to-practice applied health sciences training. Programs are designed using longitudinal, competency-based pathways, and feature simulation-based teaching and clinical education. Some Academic Programs offer joint credentials with the University of Toronto & Laurentian University.
Over 100 online & classroom-based courses and workshops delivered throughout the year in niche areas to further professional development of health care providers.
Over 30 annual conferences and events sharing the latest innovations and fostering communities of practice locally and nationally.
Specialized programming targeted to internationally educated health professionals to refine their skills as they bridge into Canadian healthcare practice.
Online & classroom-based certificate programs that prepare health care professionals to engage as effective systems leaders & thinkers, inter-professional care providers, and clinicians with specialized skills to improve patient care. An array of leadership programs, ranging from entry-level to executive programs for seasoned health care administrators are also available, and which include accredited & credentialed programs.
Hospital-based learning at UHN and personalized for hospital professionals at the clinical, administrative or executive level from anywhere in the world. We leverage experts, educational resources, courses, and programs for a fully tailored opportunity catering to individualized learning goals.
The Michener Institute has deep strength in the practice & operations of health care education at many intersections. Our unique status as a school & hospital system creates a unique advantage in understanding the nuances of integrated programming across these two kinds of entities. With a demonstrated history of excellence in teaching & learning across our numerous centres & programs, Michener can partner with organizations through a myriad of services to support, and provide guidance on, the development & delivery of educational programs in many formats, as well as advise on best practices in health care education management.
Education
Services
Customization of programs to a community of learners anywhere in the world, in online or classroom-based formats. Individual and small-group learning can also be created to meet specific learning needs through visiting the UHN hospitals in Toronto.
Consultative services establishing high quality education and education research programs, offices & centres, and in hospital/school integration. We also offer consultations in curriculum design, online learning development, curriculum assessment and evaluation.
Partnering to develop or co-develop content-specific programs to meet health care system needs in a variety of subject matter areas.
Access to conference planners who manage any and all aspects of the event planning process, including conference registration, logistics, and space management, locally or abroad.
Provision of expertise to manage the continuing education programs partners have created, including course registration, marketing, and program coordination.
The Michener Institute is a Royal College accredited provider of Continuing Professional Development. Educational activities can be reviewed to receive credits under the Royal College’s Maintenance of Certification program, or the quality and rigour of curricula can be reviewed before launching a learning activity.
In many cancer centres worldwide, nurses & allied health professionals can’t access specialized oncology education. UHN provides two programs to bridge the gap in clinical competencies and application of oncology care practices.
Oncology
Education
The de Souza Institute provides comprehensive continuing education to those on the healthcare front lines; the Institute has developed a custom, highly effective online education approach geared towards oncology nurses & allied health professionals.
Customized in-person education providing fundamental building blocks for specialized oncology nursing; structured to upgrade nurses from novice to expert oncology practitioners. It combines class-based didactic presentations with case study discussions delivered in an institution’s home environment, with ongoing in-person clinical mentorship and support.
