Dr. Fred Fallis
1982-1985

Dr. Fred Fallis who had a long and distinguished career in Continuing Education. The first Assistant Dean in Continuing Education in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (1982-85), Dr. Fallis was one of the founders of Telemedicine for Ontario, which later became Telemedicine Canada. After retiring from his position as Assistant Dean, Dr. Fallis became the Medical Director of Telemedicine Canada (1985 to 1995).

Dr. Colin Woolf
1985-1990

Dr. Colin Woolf was one of the first generation of chest physicians in Canada; he came to the University of Toronto after training in both South Africa and in the UK. He pioneered the creation of the Respiratory Failure Unit at TGH back in the 1960s, which is now known as the Medical Intensive Care Unit. Dr. Woolf also led the very first Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit in Canada, which is now recognized as an important modality of therapy for patients with advanced lung diseases including COPD. He wrote a textbook on Clinical Respirology, targeting trainees at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, teaching them basic skills in Clinical Respirology. He was well known in the university community for handing out multi-color handheld pads for undergrad students to be fully engaged in his lectures; this is now known as a precursor to touchpad questions as part of the interactive CMEs in keeping audience engaged. After Dr. Woolf stepped down as Head of Respirology at Toronto General Hospital, where he had held that position for over a decade, he assumed the role of associate dean for CME at the University of Toronto and continued to disseminate the basic of interactive CMEs and push for the high standards from UofT faculty.

Dr. Jerry Tenenbaum
1990-1993

Dr. Jerry Tenenbaum was born in Germany in 1948. His parents, who survived the Nazi concentration camps, emigrated their family from Europe to Toronto after Dr. Tenenbaum was born. Dr. Tenenbaum entered pre-med at the University of Toronto in 1967 and continued in medical school in 1969. He did his internship and residency in Toronto as well as a Canadian Arthritis Society Rheumatology Fellowship, first at the U of T and then at the University of Miami, to research articular cartilage as applied to degenerative arthritides. Dr. Tenenbaum took a position as a consultant in rheumatology and internal medicine at U of T teaching hospitals in 1979. He participated in basic research in the area of osteoarthritis, but has spent the majority of his career in education and educational administration, first as Associate Dean of Continuing Medical Education, then Program Director of The University of Toronto Internal Medicine Program and also Director of the International Medical Graduate Program for Ontario. He was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine in 1989 and to Professor of Medicine in 2002. He has won many teaching awards at U of T, including the Aikens Award for Undergraduate Education, the Department of Medicine Teacher of the Year Award and the Colin Woolf Award for excellence in Continuing Medical Education. He continues to teach and lecture to physicians, medical personnel and to the public on issues regarding arthritis and osteoporosis.

Dr. Jay Silverberg
1993-1994

Dr. Jay Silverberg is an endocrinologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto where he trained in endocrinology and metabolism. Dr. Silverberg has been a Membership Chairman for the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and a member of the Education Committee of the American Thyroid Association and has been elected Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs of the Clinical and Scientific Section of the Canadian Diabetes Association. He has acted as: Director of the Postgraduate Training Program in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Toronto, member of the Nucleus Committee for Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Royal College, Coordinator of Continuing Health Education for the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Coordinator of Continuing Health Education for the Department of Medicine, and Acting Director of Continuing Health Education for Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Silverberg’s research includes thyroid disease and diabetes.

Photo Credit: Sunnybrook

Dr. Dave Davis
1994-2005

Dr. Dave Davis has had a long and distinguished career in Continuing Education at the University of Toronto. He was the Associate Dean of Continuing Education at the University of Toronto from 1994 - 2005. Dr. Davis laid the groundwork for the concept of evidence-based Continuing Education with several seminal publications outlining what education delivery methods are effective agents of change for health professional behavior and patient outcome. In 2001, he established the University of Toronto Knowledge Translation research program.

Dr. Ivan Silver
2005-2011

Dr. Ivan Silver is a 1975 graduate of Dalhousie medical school, later specialized in Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and joined this faculty in 1981. In the past ten years he has focused his attention on continuing education and professional development. From 2002 to 2009 he served as Director of the Centre for Faculty Development in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. From September 2005 to June 2011, Dr. Silver was appointed Vice-Dean of the Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Since December 1, 2011, he has served in his new role as Vice-President of Education at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). His academic interests include the development of novel teaching methods, how to engage students in learning interactively and inter-professionally, and models for implementing and evaluating professional development and continuing education programs.

Dr. Dimitri Anastakis
2011-2015

Dr. Dimitri Anastakis is the current Vice Dean of Continuing Education and Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. He is also the Executive Director of SIM-one, Ontario’s Simulation Network. He is the former Chair of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. He has served in the past as the Associate Director of surgical services at University Health Network in Toronto. He holds a Masters of Health Professions Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Masters of Health Care Management from Harvard University. Over the past two decades, Dr. Anastakis has served as surgical teacher, professor, director and chair of numerous committees and task forces. Dr. Anastakis is actively involved in surgical education research, including technical skills teaching and assessment, visual spatial abilities in surgical skills acquisition, and studying cortical plasticity during motor skills acquisition. Dr. Anastakis is committed to medical education and has won numerous awards for teaching and research.

Dr. Salvatore Spadafora
2015-Present

Dr. Dimitri Anastakis is the current Vice Dean of Continuing Education and Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. He is also the Executive Director of SIM-one, Ontario’s Simulation Network. He is the former Chair of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. He has served in the past as the Associate Director of surgical services at University Health Network in Toronto. He holds a Masters of Health Professions Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Masters of Health Care Management from Harvard University. Over the past two decades, Dr. Anastakis has served as surgical teacher, professor, director and chair of numerous committees and task forces. Dr. Anastakis is actively involved in surgical education research, including technical skills teaching and assessment, visual spatial abilities in surgical skills acquisition, and studying cortical plasticity during motor skills acquisition. Dr. Anastakis is committed to medical education and has won numerous awards for teaching and research.