Ms. Melissa MacLeod is this year's recipient of the Dalhousie PGME Program Administrator Award of Excellence. She received this prestigious award at the recent PD/PA Education Day hosted by Dalhousie PGME on February 23rd, 2024.

Melissa is the Program Administrator for our Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine programs (and until last Fall, she also served as PA for Neuroradiology). In addition to her tireless work to keep these programs organized and running, she earned her Master of Education, Studies in Lifelong Learning in the Fall of 2022. This was extra work that she completed during the height of the Pandemic. This speaks to her organizational skills and ability to work under the stress this unprecedented experience brought to all programs. This is a remarkable feat and indicative of her dedication to the program and the residents. She has acquired skills and knowledge through this effort that she applies daily in her work.

She has participated in several medical education group projects that have led to presentations at ICRE (International Conference on Residency Education) listed below. These activities highlight her dedication to residency education and innovation.

ICRE 2022:

• Design of a Longitudinal CBD training experience for PGY1 Diagnostic Radiology Residents. Presented by Dr. Michael Fry, PGY5 Resident. This research team also includes Drs. M. Peter Brown, Heather Curtis, Daria Manos, Ash Wiley, Ms. Margaret Garnier-Liot, and Ms. Melissa MacLeod.
  
  
• Optimizing faculty teaching evaluation in Diagnostic Radiology: Toward practical, specific, and effective feedback. Presented by Dr. Daria Manos. This research team also includes Drs. M. Peter Brown, James Clarke, Ash Wiley, Ms. Margaret Garnier-Liot, and Ms. Melissa MacLeod. This project was selected as one of the top five "What Works? Innovations in residency teaching and assessment" projects at this year's conference.

ICRE 2023:

• Help, I'm drowning! Tips and methods for staying organized and keeping afloat. Presented as a workshop at the PA conference by: Melissa MacLeod and Karley Gilbert
  
  
• Development and evaluation of an oral presentation skills module. Paper presentation at the main conference presented by Melissa MacLeod, authors include: Melissa MacLeod, David Bowes, Laura Stiles-Clarke, E. Ashley Wiley, Janice Chisholm, Daria Manos

In addition to these administrative tasks and scholarly activities, she is a resource to our residents. Not only is she the key touch point for anyone contacting our education office, but she really cares about our residents. She acts as a mentor and confidante, always knowing what is going on in their lives and able to provide insights into what other factors may be affecting their performance at work.

Below is a testimonial from Dr. Ash Wiley, Nuclear Medicine Program Director, that was included in the nomination package as it speaks loudly to the role Melissa has in our Department:

"Melissa is the glue that holds together our three different residency training programs in diagnostic imaging. She was an invaluable resource as I was a new PD learning how our program in nuclear medicine works, and she continues to keep us all on track today. She gathers insight from one program and shares it with the others, going well beyond what's required of her role. Though she makes her PDs', RPCs', and CCs' jobs much easier, it's ultimately our learners who benefit most. Sports referees are said to be doing their best work when no one notices them in the game. Similarly, I believe PAs (and PDs) are doing their best work when the programs run smoothly, and no one has complaints. It can be a thankless job working behind the scenes, with attention only ever called to you when things go wrong. Well, nothing ever goes wrong under Melissa's care, and I feel it's time she receives the recognition she has long deserved", Dr. Ash Wiley, Program Director, Nuclear Medicine. 

Please join in congratulating Melissa on earning this well-deserved award. Bravo!