MRP Projects

Anatomy Condensed: Perspectives from Canadian Physician Assistant Programs by Vie Tran 

• Supervised by Dr. Christopher Ramnanan and Dr. Nadine Wiper-Bergeron

• My Major Research Project aims to conduct an environmental scan of existing Canadian Physician Assistant (PA) programs to best inform how we can optimally deliver anatomy education to a prospective PA program locally. With our findings, we aim to provide insight into developing the best practices for PA anatomy education in the current climate.  

• Advice: Bounce ideas off your peers and DIME faculty! For example, to workshop your title, research question, hook, objectives, etc… We’re all one big family and faculty members have so much wisdom/guidance to pass down.  

• Contact: vtran081@uottawa.ca   

Beyond the Dissection Table: The Role of Institutions in Retaining the Personhood of the Cadaveric Body Donor by Vivian Nguyen  

• Supervised by Dr. Cristian Rangel and Dr. Christopher Ramnanan 

• Recognizing the critical role of human bodies in anatomical education and the emotional and ethical factors shaping students’ first cadaver encounter, we ask: How does the federal, provincial, and institutional regulation of cadavers shape the possibilities of retaining the personhood of the body donor in the dissection experiences of medical students? Here, we define donor personhood as the recognition and treatment of the donor as a person. Our objective is to understand the profound implications of regulations and policies on the ideals that undergird human laboratory experiences to enhance patient-centred healthcare values and practices. We employ a comparative case study design, integrating multiple data sources. These include comprehensive document reviews, on-site observations, and semi-structured interviews with educators and laboratory staff. All collected data will be analysed via thematic analysis techniques.  

• Advice: Start as early as you can and find a topic/methodology that speaks to you! I found that ASE 5112 and 5110 were great places to start researching, gathering data, and writing my project. These courses gave me the tools to build my preliminary introduction, methodology, and communication strategies! 

• Contact: vnguy113@uottawa.ca

Confidence, Competence, and Capacity: Faculty Physicians’ Perspectives on Postgraduate Health Literacy Education by Maisie French  

• Supervised by Dr. Kori LaDonna and Dr. Susan Humphrey-Murto  

• The purpose of my study is to explore faculty physicians’ perceptions of their competence and capacity to use and teach health literacy, and the barriers and enablers that shape these practices.  

• Advice: Start brainstorming ideas early! 

• Contact: mfren093@uottawa.ca

Coordinating in Crisis: The Effects of Stress on Heedfulness in Emergency Medical Teams   

• Supervised by Dr. Vicki Leblanc

• Healthcare teams must coordinate effectively to deliver optimal patient care. This need is especially critical in emergency medicine, where high-stakes decisions are made under time pressure and uncertainty. In this context, stress is inherent and unavoidable. While the effects of stress at the individual level are well characterized, far less is known about its influence at the team level. Heedfulness is a construct that integrates communication, coordination, and situational awareness and is strongly associated with high-performing teams. By investigating how stress affects heedfulness in simulated emergency medicine scenarios, we aim to better understand performance declines and disruptions in interpersonal interactions under stress. These insights can inform targeted interventions to enhance team collaboration and mitigate the adverse effects of stress in healthcare settings. 

• Advice: Take time to reflect on which research topics truly matter to you. Choose a supervisor whose values align with yours and who you feel can best support your goals. Don’t hesitate to actively seek feedback throughout the writing process; engaging with constructive input and diverse viewpoints will strengthen your work and help you grow as a researcher!

• Contact: sfang075@uottawa.ca

Ultrasound Guided Cadaveric Dissection by Spencer Pasternak  

• Supervised by Dr. Douglas Archibald and Dr. Christopher Ramnanan 

• Investigating the usage ultrasound within the cadaver lab as a means of increasing MSK dissection quality, understanding, and student confidence.

• Advice: Ask as many questions as you can, reach out to your peers for advice, and remember it's your project so have fun with it.

• Contact: spast061@uottawa.ca

Novel Application of Gamification to Support Undergraduate Anatomy: Student Perceptions and Performance by Emmeline Berger  

• Supervised by Dr. Jacqueline Carnegie and Dr. Christopher Ramnanan

• Creation of 2 anatomy-based games (guess who and a diagram labeling game)  

• Advice: Always give yourself more time than you think! Not everybody works on your schedule and always account for some delays (especially with ethics approval!!) 

• Contact: eberg051@uottawa.ca  

Cadavers in Anatomy Education: Lessons from their champions, critics and social constructions, 1800-2024 by Fatima Ehsan  

• Supervised by Dr. Susan Lamb

• My rationale was to study the pedagogical and social functions of cadavers over 2 centuries, and how they have changed over this period. The aim is to examine how ASE programs can utilize this knowledge and improve teaching and learning.  

• Advice: Your research will take time, invest some time in it every day AND trust the process, it all does come together towards the end! 

• Contact: fehsa036@uottawa.ca