Dr. Vicki LeBlanc has spent more than two decades exploring important questions at the heart of medical education: How do emotions shape learning and decision-making? How is performance impacted by pressure? And how can new tools better prepare trainees for the high-stakes realities they will face as health care professionals?
Now, the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine professor’s strong contributions to the field – from scholarly discoveries to forging advances in simulation-based education – have earned her the Ian Hart Award for Distinguished Contribution to Medical Education. It’s a prestigious prize from the Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME) recognizing senior faculty who have made an exceptional impact on medical education.
Guiding innovations and preparing clinicians
This recognition is well-deserved.Dr. LeBlanc’s research has brought critical attention to the emotional and psychological dimensions of clinical work. Her scholarly output is robust in both scope and influence: She’s authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, and her work is widely cited.
“It is rewarding to see that taking risks and pursuing difficult questions can, over time, make a difference.”
Dr. Vicki LeBlanc
— Professor and Chair of the Department of Innovation in Medical Education.
She’s a leading voice in simulation-based education. Rather than treating simulation as merely a technological solution, her work has emphasized thoughtful design, intentional learning goals, and meaningful reflection to prepare learners for complex clinical realities.
She’s demonstrated a knack for leadership, serving as the Department of Innovation in Medical Education’s chair since 2015 and holding multiple national-level roles related to scholarship development, accreditation, and faculty development. She’s on editorial boards of leading journals in medical education, including Advances in Health Sciences Education and Advances in Simulation.
Taking risks and seeking answers
Dr. LeBlanc says she was deeply honoured by the recognition and expressed appreciation for her receiving the “support of so many people” during her career so far.
“I feel deep gratitude for the mentors who guided and challenged me, the colleagues who worked alongside me, and the many people who supported the journey – many of them here at the University of Ottawa,” she says.
She also shared that she felt “quietly validated” when she first learned she received the Ian Hart Award since her academic career followed an “unconventional path.” She says: “It is rewarding to see that taking risks and pursuing difficult questions can, over time, make a difference.”
“I feel deep gratitude: for the mentors who guided and challenged me, the colleagues who worked alongside me, and the many people who supported the journey.”
Dr. Vicki LeBlanc
Collaboration fueling creativity
How does the deeply collaborative environment at the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine and its affiliated partners help pave the way to impactful research findings & careers in medical education such as her own?
“There is such a wide variety of people who seek to advance medical education from different perspectives. These different perspectives, when combined with a shared commitment to advancing medical education and a deep interest in what each other is doing, makes for a wonderful community that support its members in coming up with novel and creative ways to move the field forward,” she says.
Pointing to the growth of DIME and the launch of the Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CiMED), she notes that Faculty of Medicine leadership has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing medical education.
“These two units are invaluable resources to foster the next generation of medical education leaders, as well as elevate the world class education research and innovations taking place within the Ottawa med ed community,” she says.