Glenn Regehr is awarded the 2020 Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education (KIPRIME)

Dr. Regehr of University of British Columbia, Vancouver (UBC), whose work has improved the educational and scholarly practices in health professions education, will be the tenth winner of this award. His research looks broadly at the experiences of both learners and teachers in the health professions.

Regehr, Professor (Dept of Surgery) and Associate Director of the Centre for Health Education Scholarship in the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, will receive the award and a prize amount of €75,000. The award is currently awarded every second year.

Recognize and stimulate high-quality research

This international prize is awarded for outstanding research in medical education. The purpose of the prize is to recognize and stimulate high-quality research in the field and to promote long-term improvements of educational practices in medical training, the term “Medical” in this context, including all education and training for any health science profession.

“I feel very deeply honoured. I’m also proud to have my name alongside the other individuals who have won the award in the past. I will say, I honestly don’t really see it as an individual award for me, as much as anything else it’s a nod to the culture of supporting collaboration and interaction that we have in the field,” says Dr. Regehr.

Qualitative methods

Glenn Regehr has greatly contributed to a broader academic understanding of medical education, states the Prize Committee.

“His innovations and work, especially with qualitative methods have had a great impact on the field of educational research. He has also provided outstanding support and guidance to junior researchers. He’s certainly a very worthy prize winner,” says Professor Sari Ponzer, Chair of the Prize Committee.

Glenn’s main research impact has been in conceptualizing methodology and its relationship to theory, a groundwork for significant research activity. He has also introduced a variety of methodological innovations, drawing heavily on work done outside of the health professions.

“My approach has been to bring a lens to a number of research domains rather than necessarily to focus on one specific content area. My goal is always to look for opportunities to continue the spirit of building community and supporting junior colleagues and developing that broad culture of collaboration,” he explains.

The Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education

KIPRIME is financed by the Gunnar Höglund and Anna-Stina Malmborg Foundation, which was established in 2001. The Foundation funds the awarded prize sum. The prize winner is selected by Karolinska Institutet and formally approved by the Foundation.

Photo of Glenn Regehr: Press image from UBC