Joanne Todesco receives CAIR Award for Resident Well-being

The Canadian Association of Internes and Residents (CAIR) is pleased to announce that Dr. Joanne Todesco, past Associate Dean Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Calgary, is the 2013 Staff recipient of the Dr. Derek Puddester CAIR Award for Resident Well-being.

Dr. Todesco attended the University of Calgary before pursuing a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Respiratory Medicine at Queen’s University. She returned to the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine for a residency in Anesthesia. Dr. Todesco worked for a number of years in the Department of Anesthesia as a professor and later as the Program Director. In 2007, Dr. Todesco was appointed Associate Dean Postgraduate Medical Education, a position she held until 2012. She remains an active member of the Department of Anesthesia.

During Dr. Todesco’s time as Associate Dean, Dr. Todesco oversaw the creation of the Office of Equity and Professionalism, which upholds professional standards for faculty members and learners within the Faculty of Medicine, manages concerns and complaints and engages in the education, promotion, and research of issues related to gender and equity. Dr. Todesco also introduced numerous policies, including those around resident safety, program support, and pandemic procedures, and implemented a Committee dedicated to Resident Wellness. All of these efforts fostered a culture emphasizing the importance of resident well-being, and helped numerous individuals during challenging times.

“It is greatly encouraging to see that administrators such as Dr. Todesco take the well-being of their trainees so seriously,” said Dr. Jennifer Meloche, CAIR President. “We at CAIR are pleased to be able to present Dr. Todesco with this Award in recognition of this important work.”

The CAIR Awards were presented at the CAIR Board of Directors’ dinner in Ottawa on November 23, 2013.

About the Award:
The Resident Well-Being Award is named after Dr. Derek Puddester, a former member of the CAIR Board of Directors and past CAIR President, who worked tirelessly to represent the interests of all residents in Canada. His efforts re-focused CAIR’s role in resident well-being and the CAIR Board created this award in honour of his achievements. The Award is presented annually to a staff physician and a resident physician who have made a difference in resident well-being. 

About CAIR:
CAIR is the national representative body of over 8,000 Resident Physicians in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, the Maritime Provinces, and Newfoundland and Labrador.