Matthew Sibbald receives U21 HSG 2024 Teaching Excellence Award

Matthew Sibbald, associate dean of McMaster University’s Undergraduate Medical Education, has received the U21 Health Sciences Group 2024 Teaching Excellence Award.

The U21 Health Sciences Group (HSG) is a unique global university network of Health Sciences staff and students comprising 20 member institutions worldwide across 13 countries and six continents. It was established to provide members a framework for exploring opportunities for collaborative research, information exchange, and sharing of resources across the Health Sciences.

The Teaching Excellence Award was established in 2014 by the U21 HSG Deans of Medicine to celebrate and reward exceptional educational scholarship, particularly amongst research-intensive universities across the U21 HSG network.

“This award is a testament to the vibrant research culture at McMaster and the collaborative spirit of our community. Our innovative work is made possible by trainees and colleagues, who never stop challenging and inspiring me,” says Sibbald, an associate professor in McMaster’s Department of Medicine.

The award helps nurture international cooperation, one of U21’s key objectives, by offering faculty from different universities and regions opportunities to collaborate on exciting, interdisciplinary projects. Sibbald will attend the U21 HSG 2025 Annual Meeting, where he will work with Rebeca Leyva, the other 2024 awardee of the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico, to facilitate an educational workshop on feedback literacy.

Sibbald joined McMaster’s Faculty of Health Sciences in 2014 and has become widely recognized as a dedicated educator and mentor who inspires an enhanced way of teaching. His efforts range from basic clinical skills training to advanced, computerized immersive simulation.

In addition to his duties as associate dean of McMaster’s Undergraduate Medical Education, Sibbald is program director for the Cardiology Training Program. In these positions, he engages in educational administration and research focused on interprofessional education, simulation-based education, competency-based education, and clinical reasoning.

He was the former director and assistant dean of McMaster’s Centre for Simulation-Based Learning (CSBL), where he led CSBL’s successful Royal College accreditation and expanded its standardized patient programs to McMaster’s Niagara Campus, Niagara College and Brock University. Through his efforts, he has positioned the CSBL as a globally recognized premier learning center.

“Dr. Matthew Sibbald is a remarkable educator known for pushing boundaries on educational innovations,” says Paul O’Byrne, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences. “His dedication and sustained contributions have substantially advanced the learner experience for all our trainees at the Faculty of Health Sciences. Congratulations to Matt on this international recognition.”