Nicholas Blanchette MD, MSc, FRCPC

Biography

Dr. Nicholas Blanchette is a Pediatrician and Pediatric Rheumatologist at Trillium Health Partners. He is a Lecturer in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. Nick completed BScH at Queen’s University and his MSc and MD degrees at University of Toronto. He finished his Pediatric Residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in 2011. He has been an active clinical teacher at the Mississauga Academy of Medicine and has been the Undergraduate Medical Education Lead for Children’s Health at Trillium Health Partners. He is now the Academy Director of the MD Program at the Mississauga Academy of Medicine. He is a strong believer in building collaborative and curious learning environments that allow students to learn both the art and science of medicine.

From the Nomination

"I plan to complete a residency in Pediatrics and eventually embark on a career as a pediatrician, and Dr. Blanchette is an exemplary role model of the kind of physician I hope to be. I'm inspired by his dedication to lifelong learning and advocacy for the future generation of physicians."

"Upon every interaction, I have noticed that he has a unique talent for instilling curiosity and enthusiasm in students that is not just limited to the realm of pediatrics but to medicine as a whole. His passion drives that curiosity, yet his transparency instills humanity in a field that seems to be quite demanding. This has rendered Dr. Blanchette approachable in my eyes, given his strikingly genuine interest in students' success and wellbeing—mine included. In conjunction with one another, this has led to a continuously supportive and engaging learning environment where I have always felt heard, seen, and understood."

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.