Barbara-Ann Millar ends her term at head of Medical Residency program
Special thanks TO Dr. Meredith Giuliani for this story.
Dr. Barbara-Ann Millar has been the Director of UT-DRO's Medical Residency program since 2007. This month, she wraps up her term as the Director while she takes on a new role as Chair-Elect for the Radiation Oncology Specialty committee at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In the last nine years as Director of Medical Residency, Barbara-Ann has led all aspects of the Residency program; from recruitment, application and the selection process of trainees, to monitoring the performances of all the resident trainees. She met with each trainee a few times each year to address any concerns they had and to get their feedback on the learning experience. She also made sure that any program changes were aligned with the Royal College requirements.
Dr. Adam Gladwish finished his residency under Barbara-Ann's term and is now training in the Fellowship program. “Dr. Millar was a tremendous support and mentor to me during my five years of residency training," he remembers. "Her patience, availability and thoughtful advice were invaluable in helping me to successfully navigate residency and prepare for my future career. I am certain that her influence will be felt and reflected in all of the residents passing through her tenure.”
Dr. Meredith Giuliani, who worked with Barbara-Ann on the Residency program as its Associate Director, is grateful to have worked with Barbara-Ann. “Dr. Millar is an unwavering champion for the residents and the program, a caring and dedicated mentor to trainees and faculty and a brilliant, innovative educator.”
Barbara-Ann led a revitalization of many aspects of the program including over-hauling and modernizing the delivery of the academic blocks and implementing a novel longitudinal physics program in collaboration with Dr. Jean-Pierre Bissonnette (previous Physics Residency Program Director). She has shepherded the program through major shifts in clinical practice ensuring the residents remain involved and engaged in all aspect of treatment planning and she revitalized the delivery of clinical rotations to site based models to both enhance the acquisition of training objectives and ease the transition to competence by design.
Rebecca Wong, Vice-Chair of Education at UT-DRO, recognizes Barbara-Ann's many contributions to the program. "Her legacy can be seen and felt in every aspect of our training program. Her new appointment speaks to the wealth of expertise that Dr. Millar brings to residency education that is recognized nationally. With Dr. Millar at the helm of the Royal College Radiation Oncology Specialty Committee, we can look forward to future advances in our training programs that will even better prepare future generations of trainees for take our specialty to greater heights."
The residents who have gone through the program during Barabara-Ann's term appreciate her mentorship, guidance and encouragement to enhance their careers. UT-DRO Resident Ezra Hahn told UT-DRO, "Dr. Millar has this incredible ability to balance kindness with strength all while being level headed, wise, and pragmatic. She was and is a mentor to so many residents who will be forever bettered from her leadership."
Similarly, Dr. Mark Niglas, who is in his fifth year of the Residency program, remembers Barbara-Ann as a strong mentor. "As a leader, clinician and educator, Dr. Millar has been a strong mentor for a decade's worth of trainees in our program. Though I'll all miss her as program director, I'll still be knocking on her door often!"
We are happy to announce that Dr. Andrea Bezjak will be taking over the role of Director, Medical Residency program. Please join us in welcoming her to this role.