Catherine Patocka
Positions
Associate Professor
Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine
Academic and Clinical Department Head
Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine
Contact information
Location
Office: Foothills Medical CentreC-231
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Background
Credentials
FRCPC, McGill University, 2013
Educational Background
BSc Honours Pharmacology, University of Alberta, 2004
MDCM McGill University, 2008
MHPE Health professions education, Maastricht University, 2016
PhD Community Health Sciences Medical Education, University of Calgary, 2024
Biography
Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Catherine completed her medical studies and residency training in Emergency medicine at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. She works as a staff Emergency physician in the four Calgary zone Emergency departments and previously worked for the Calgary Sexual Assault Response Service with a committed group of physicians and nurses caring for victims of sexual assault. Early into independent clinical practice Catherine completed a Masters in Health Professions education through Maastricht University in the Netherlands with a scholarly focus on resuscitation education and training. Since then she has held a a number of leadership roles including AHS Clinical Knowledge and Content Management lead for Emergency Medicine, Competence by Design Lead for Emergency Medicine, and postgraduate Program Director for the 5-year specialty training program at the University of Calgary. She recently completed her PhD studies in the Department of Community Health Sciences with a specialization Medical Education and will graduate in November 2024.
Her current research interests include: resuscitation and simulation education, pattern theory, performance feedback, and learning health systems.
She was appointed Academic and Clinical Department Head of Emergency Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine on August 1, 2024.
Research
Areas of Research
Pattern are how we perceive and and understand regularities, both in the world around us an in our minds (Ellaway and Bates, 2015; Ellaway 2023). Although patterns are cognitive phenomena, they can be externalized and shared amongst a group of people to reflect the shared thinking of that group (Alexander, 1977; Ellaway and Bates, 2015; Iba, 2016; Ellaway, 2023).
Pattern theory offers an innovative conceptual avenue through which we can examine how pattern thining influences and potentially reshapes systemic practices, structures, and concepts (Ellaway and Bates, 2015). In my doctoral studies I applied pattern theory to feedback in medical education to generate a pattern system of feedback to facilitate evidence synthesis and empirical work; however, there is also great potential for pattern systems to be applied to other aspects of medical education.
In my doctoral studies, I characterized feedback in medical education as a fuzzy concept lacking in cohesion and consistency. In an effort to recalibrate our approach to feedback I have proposed a pattern system of feedback in medical education and woudl like to pursue the development of a pattern language of feedback. By providing an inclusive overview of feedback in medical educatio nand delineating its conceptual boundaries, I hope to suggest practical advancements to its use in health professions education and learning health systems.
Spaced training , defined as the separation of training into several discrete sessions over a prolonged period with measurable intervals between training sessions (typically weeks or months), is an instructional design strategy increasingly supported by evidence. Despite a growing body of evidence in favour of spaced training, there remain gaps in our understanding of its mechanisms and optimal usage. This is particularly relevant in resuscitation and simulation training where it continues to be clear that learning decays over time.
Courses
| Course number | Course title | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| MDPR 632 | Leadership in Health Professional Education | Spring 2024 |
Projects
Rationale: The era of Competency-based medical education (CBME) has brought with it a renewed focus on the importance of feedback. Embedded within the Competence-by-Design (CBD) framework, feedback is recognized as a catalyst for growth and learning. While recent scholarly discourse in postgraduate medical education (PGME) has focused on feedback conversations related to learner performance, there exists a noticeable gap in attention to upward feedback specifically, feedback from learner to teacher. Acknowledging the important role that meaningful upward feedback may play in the delivery of education, we require systematic understanding of the diverse ways in which upward feedback is operationalized and knowledge about the mechanisms through which it contributes to the quality of education. The objectives of this project will be to use realist methods and pattern theory map the landscape of upward feedback in one PGME program in Canada and develop realist program theory that explains its intended and actual outcome patterns.
Awards
- John Ruedy Award for Excellence in Graduate Health Professions Education Scholarship, The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. 2023
- Postgraduate Clinical Education Award for clinical, adjunct and research faculty, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine. 2023
- Outstanding Commitment to Residency Education 5-6 Year Programs, Postgraduate Medical Education, Cumming School of Medicine. 2021
- Lifetime Achievement Bryan Young Award of Gratitude, Calgary Emergency Medicine Residents. 2024
- Special Merit Award, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. 2024
- Certificate of Merit, Canadian Association for Medical Education. 2023
Publications
In the News
- Dr. Catherine Patocka appointed Department Head, Emergency Medicine. University of Calgary news. (2024)
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