Meet: JoAnna Cassie
Title: Accreditation Coordinator
Portfolio: Accreditation
Describe what you do and what programs you work on:
I manage the accreditation process of continuing professional development (CPD) programs for physicians within UBC and across the province. UBC CPD develops about a hundred accredited CPD programs a year and several hundred providers apply to us for accreditation annually.
Which partners do you work with most closely?
I work with people from many physician organizations such as the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Doctors of BC, Divisions of Family Practice, BC Centre for Disease Control and hospital departments across the province.
This past year, we processed a record number of applications with over a hundred physician organizations.
Who does your work impact?
Our work directly impacts physicians and health-care teams as we guide and support them through the accreditation process, which can seem intimidating to first-time applicants. Every program we see is unique and requires careful attention to apply the standards consistently.
On a larger scale, I like to think our efforts ultimately benefit Canadians. The purpose of physicians continuing their education throughout their lifetime is for all our benefit when we become patients. Ensuring quality education, without industry influence, is an important part of keeping physicians up-to-date, ultimately improving patient care.
In what ways does this work impact the health community, health-care system, or well-being of the target audience?
In recent years, trends in continuing professional development (CPD) have shifted more towards mental health and substance use, trauma-responsive care, gender-affirming care, health equity and communications such as having difficult conversations.
UBC CPD is accredited by and adheres to the standards of the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Education (CACME) and is thereby able to provide CPD study credits to physicians on behalf of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).
| Want to learn more about the work of UBC CPD members? Visit our Meet the Team page. |