UBC’s Dr. Ravi Sidhu named 2017 James IV Traveling Fellow
Dr. Ravi Sidhu, Associate Professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery and Assistant Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education, has recently been honored as the recipient of the 2017 James IV Traveling Award. The prestigious, six-week fellowship — awarded to academic surgeons who are considered emerging leaders in the field — is designed to promote international communication and collaboration in the surgical community.
In 2017, thanks to the support of the James IV Association of Surgeons, Dr. Sidhu will travel abroad, gaining first-hand exposure to surgical centres around the world, while exchanging knowledge and best practices with some of today’s leading surgeons and medical educators.
We recently sat down with Dr. Sidhu to learn more about the fellowship, and how he hopes the international experience will not only benefit his work as a vascular surgeon, but also as an educator of medical students and residents here at UBC.
What was it like to learn that you were the recipient of the 2017 James IV Traveling Award?
I’m really excited about this fellowship. I’ve visited other surgical centres in the United States and across Canada, but this will be the first time I’ve had the opportunity to visit surgical centres outside of North America. I plan to fully immerse myself in their day-to-day activities, participating in rounds, hearing presentations, delivering lectures, and networking with others in the field of surgery and medical education.
Where do you plan to travel during your fellowship?
While I haven’t made any formal travel plans yet, I’d like to visit several surgical centres in Europe, followed by Australia or New Zealand. I also have my sights set on visiting centres in India, Japan or China. Right now, it’s too early to tell, but I’m going to try to take in as much as I can over the course of my six weeks abroad.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
I really enjoy seeing how different places problem-solve. By visiting surgical centres around the world, I’ll be exposed to groundbreaking approaches in vascular surgery. I’ll be able to see, first-hand, how surgeons in other areas of the world approach and deal with common challenges and opportunities we face — in the operating room, but also in residency education — particularly when it comes to new technologies, simulation and team-based training, as well as competency-based education.
In addition to learning how other sites approach challenges, I plan to share what we’re doing here in British Columbia, communicating our successes, and also the lessons I’ve learned, both as a surgeon, and as a medical educator, supporting UBC’s distributed postgraduate medical education program.
Overall, I’m tremendously grateful to my mentors, like Dr. Garth Warnock and Dr. Gary Redekop from UBC’s Department of Surgery, who nominated me for the award. I have been privileged to learn from influential educators such as Dr. Richard Reznick, Dr. Stan Hamstra, Dr. Joanna Bates and Dr. Gordon Page. Over the years, I’ve realized that the support and understanding of one’s surgical colleagues are essential to academic success. I am indebted to all my mentors and colleagues here at UBC.
While you’re abroad, are there any cultural attractions you’d like to take in?
I’m a sports nut, so whatever country I travel to, I’d love to see an event that the local public are passionate about — whether that’s taking in a soccer match in the UK, a cricket or rugby match in Australia or New Zealand, or a baseball game in Japan. I love sport of all types and I’d love to experience the passion that local people have for their sport, no matter what that may be.
Click here to listen to Dr. Sidhu describe why he decided to pursue a career in surgery.
posted : 2015-November-13