Nirit Bernhard MSc, MD, FRCPC

Biography

Dr. Nirit Bernhard is a general paediatrician and Assistant Professor with the Department of Paediatrics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She holds a Hon BSc and MSc from the University of Toronto and completed her Medical Doctor degree from the University of Western Ontario in 2003. She completed post-graduate training as well as a year of Chief Residency with the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. Nirit is involved in medical education through her role as Faculty Lead, Portfolio and Theme Integration in the MD Program and is regularly involved in teaching of medical students and resident doctors. She channels her passion for working with children with different health needs and abilities through her work in the Down syndrome clinic and work at Sick Kids and Women’s College Hospital. Nirit proudly lives in a multigeneration home with her family in Toronto.

From the Nomination

“Dr. Bernhard’s expertise, commitment and scholarly approach have led to a highly successful Portfolio course that cuts across four years of medical training. Her leadership in the course has been accompanied with ongoing contributions as a teacher and mentor.”

“She is committed to educational reform that addresses issues of equity and learner marginalization and works to instill competencies in health advocacy throughout her educational practice.”

“Dr. Bernhard is a role model for how to create safe and supportive educational offerings that encourage learner professional and academic growth.”

“She is an accessible leader and an enthusiastic teacher, with a passion for teaching reflective skills which has trailblazed an invaluable curriculum for all medical students at the University of Toronto.”

About the Award

These awards are named after William Thomas Aikins, the first Dean of the Faculty of Medicine after its reorganization in1887. They are the Faculty’s most prestigious awards in the MD Program. They were established to recognize and formally reward outstanding teachers in the areas of Individual Teaching Performance (Foundations and Clerkship), Development and Use of Educational Innovations, and Course / Program Development and Coordination. Recipients of these awards have significantly contributed to high-quality undergraduate teaching by establishing and integrating new and effective methods of instruction into the curriculum.