Faizal Haji, MD, PhD, FRCSC

Scholar

Dr. Faizal Haji is a pediatric neurosurgeon at the BC Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Haji is also co-lead for the Surgical Education Research Interest Group, Graduate Program Advisor for the Masters and Certificate Program in Global Surgical Care, and Associate Director of the Global Surgery Lab within the Department of Surgery at UBC.

Dr. Haji completed undergraduate studies followed by medical training at McMaster University. After graduating from medical school in 2008, he completed his neurosurgical residency at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. During residency, Dr. Haji obtained a PhD from the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto, alongside completing research fellowships at the Ronald R. Wilson Centre for Research in Education at UHN and the Learning Institute at the Hospital for Sick Children. His dissertation focused on the effect of fidelity, complexity and cognitive load on learning and transfer of procedural skills for novices engaged in simulation-based education. Upon completing neurosurgical residency and becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2018, Dr. Haji completed a postgraduate fellowship in pediatric neurological surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where his research focused on capacity development for postgraduate surgical training in resource-limited settings. After training, Dr. Haji spent two years as a pediatric and adult neurosurgeon at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Medical Education Scholar at Queen’s University. Dr. Haji’s academic interest is in health professions education, with his program of research focusing on three areas: (i) surgical education, including clinical reasoning, the integration of basic and clinical sciences in surgical training, and entrustment; (ii) the globalization of health professions education, including its implications for international medical graduates (IMGs) and learners, educational policy (e.g. related to admissions, certification, and accreditation), international collaborations, and the migration of pedagogical and assessment approaches (e.g, CBME); and (iii) optimizing the design of simulation-based education for medical and surgical skills training with particular focus on cognitive load and learner engagement.

Research Interests

Surgical Education
Globalization of Health Professions Education
Healthcare simulation

Awards

Hjalmar Johnson New Investigator Award, Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia (2023)
American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neurological Surgery – AAP/SONs Award (2018)
Western University Centre for Education Research and Innovation – Carol Herbert Award for Outstanding Research Paper (2015)
The Wilson Centre (University of Toronto) – Richard K. Reznick Award for Outstanding Research Paper (2014)
Canadian Institutes for Health Research – Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (2013-2015)
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada – Robert Maudsley Fellowship for Studies in Medical Education (2011-2015)

Current Grants

Royal College Canada International Development, Aid and Collaboration (IDAC) Program: “Developing post-graduate Surgical Oncology training in West Africa” (2024, Co-I). $90,000
Royal College Canada International Development, Aid and Collaboration (IDAC) Program: “Implementation of Essential Surgical Skills Training in Rural Central African Republic” (2024, Co-I). $90,000
Royal College Foundation Canadian Aid and Action Fund (CAAF): “Creating a virtual education platform for rural surgical providers across Canada” (2024, Co-I). $45,000
SEAMO Endowed Education and Scholarship Fund, South Eastern Associated Medical Organization: “Untangling the equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) dimensions of the 2015 CanMEDS competency framework: Implications for medical teaching, learning, and practice” (2022, Co-I). $14,486
SEAMO Global Health Project Development Fund, South Eastern Associated Medical Organization: “Collaborative development of a competency-based surgical oncology fellowship program in West Africa” (2022, Co-I). $48,200
UBC Department of Surgery Seed Grant, University of British Columbia (2022). $12,500
CAME Wooster Family Grant in Medical Education, Canadian Association of Medical Education: “Understanding learner and instructor perspectives on engagement in healthcare simulation” (2021, Co-I). $5,000

Grants and Salary Awards for students I supervise:

Karen Mann Catalyst Grant in Medical Education, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. “Exploring anatomy knowledge in acute care surgical practice” (2023; Lucas Streith). $30,000
Learner Health Professions Education Grant, Canadian Association for Medical Education: “Dissecting surgical cognition: exploring anatomy knowledge in surgeons’ decision making” (2023; Lucas Streith). $5,000
Robert Maudsley Fellowship for Studies in Medical Education, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada: “Transition to practice: exploring how new-to-practice surgeons navigate the tensions between competing roles” (2023, Kimberly Stewart). $90,000

Publication Highlights

Ferraris K, Mabilangan K, Gimenez ML, Ranoa G, Aguilar JF, Go C, Connolly M, Zipfel J, Haji F, Tamber M, Singhal A. Improving access to epilepsy surgery: a review of the global praxis, implementation science, and relevant policy frameworks. Neurosurgical Focus, in press.
Nanji S, Ezeome E, Alatise O, Merchant S, Dedey F, Jalink M, Ka S, Kolomitro K, Osime C, Hammad N, Cofie N, Haji F, Gueye S. A Novel Curriculum for Surgical Oncology Fellowship Training in West Africa. Annals of surgical oncology. 2024 Nov 15:1-1. (Co-senior author)
Nanji S, Alatise O, Magueye Gueye S, Merchant S, Terna Yawe KD, Jalink M, Ogundiran TO, Olawale B, Kolomitro K, Ka S, Berry S, Clegg-Lamptey JN, Hammad N, Dedey F, Cofie N, Osime C, Kyei I, Haji F, Ezeome E. Developing a Surgical Oncology Workforce in West Africa: A Needs Assessment and Environmental Scan. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Nov 25. Epub ahead of print. (Co-senior author)
Mizubuti G, Maxwell S, Shatenko S, Braund H, Phelan R, Ho A, Dalgarno N, Hobbs H, Szulewski A, Haji F, Arellano R; and the Canadian Anesthesiology POCUS Consortium. Competencies for proficiency in basic point of care ultrasound in anesthesiology: national expert recommendations using Delphi methodology. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia. 2024; 71(7):967-977. Doi: 10.1007/s12630-024-02746-w CA
Binda CJ, Adams J, Livergant R, Lam S, Panchendrabose K, Haji F, Joos E. Defining a framework and evaluation metrics for sustainable global surgical partnerships: A modified Delphi study. Annals of Surgery, 2023: DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000006058. CA (IF 9.0, Citations 0)
Braund H, Dalgarno N, Chan-Nguyen S, Digby G, Haji F, O’Riordan A, Appireddy R. Exploring patient advisors’ perceptions of virtual care across Canada: A phenomenological study. Journal of Internet Medical Research. 2023; 25(1): e45215. CA (IF 7.1, Citations 0)
Santyr B, Abbass M, Chalil A Vivekanandan A, Krivosheya D, Denning LM, Mattingly TA, Haji FA, Lownie SP. (2022). High-fidelity simulation-based microsurgical training for neurosurgical residents. Neurosurg Focus. 53(2): E3. CA (IF 4.1, Citations 6)
Haji FA. Simulation in neurosurgical education during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences. 2021;48(2):152-154. FA (IF 3.2, Citations 8)
Sigalet E, Lufesi N, Haji FA, Khan R, Grant D, Weinstock P, Kissoon N, Molyneux E, Wishart I, Dubrowski A. Simulation and Active Learning Decreases Training Time of an Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment Course in Pilot Study in Malawi: Implications for Increasing Efficiency and Workforce Capacity in Low-Resource Settings. Pediatric Emergency Care. 2021; 37(12): e1259-e1264.CA (IF 1.602, Citations 5).
Haji FA, Lepard JR, Davis MC, Lien ND, Can DD, Hung CV, Rocque BG, Johnston JM. (2021). A model for global surgical training and capacity development: the Children’s of Alabama–Viet Nam pediatric neurosurgery partnership. Child’s Nervous System, 37(2), 627-36.
Lepard J, Syed-Akbari H, Haji F, Davis M, Johnston J, Harkness W. (2020). The Initial Experience of InterSurgeon: An Online Platform to Facilitate Global Neurosurgical Partnerships. Neurosurgical Focus, 48(3), E15.
Mahmood T, Mylopoulos M, Bagli D, Damignani R, Haji FA. (2019). A mixed methods study of challenges in the implementation and use of the Surgical Safety Checklist. Surgery, 165(4), 832-837.
Padgett J, Cristancho S, Cherry R, Lingard L, Haji F. (2019). Engagement: what is it good for? Advances in Health Sciences Education, 24(4), 811-825.
Haji FA, Cheung JJH, Regehr G, Woods N, DeRibaupierre S, Dubrowski A. (2016). Thrive or overload? The effect of task complexity on novices’ simulation-based learning. Medical Education, 50, 955-68.
Haji F, Rojas D, Childs R, deRibaupierre S, Dubrowski A. (2015). Measuring cognitive load: performance, mental effort, and simulation task complexity. Medical Education, 49(8), 815-27.
Haji F, Khan R, Regehr G, Ng G, deRibaupierre S, Dubrowski A. (2015) Operationalizing Elaboration Theory for simulation instructional design: a Delphi study. Medical Education, 49(6), 576-88.
Haji F, Khan R, Regehr G, Drake J, deRibaupierre S, Dubrowski A. (2015). Measuring cognitive load of novices during simulation-based psychomotor skills training: sensitivity of dual-task performance and subjective ratings. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 20(5), 1237-53.
Haji F, DaSilva C, Diagle T, Dubrowski A. (2014). From bricks to buildings: adapting the MRC framework to develop programs of research in simulation education and training for the health professions. Simulation in Healthcare, 9(4), 249-59.
Haji F, Morin MP, Parker K. (2013). Rethinking program evaluation in health professions education: beyond ‘did it work?’ Medical Education, 47(4), 342-351.

Selected Presentations

Haji F. The art and science of giving effective feedback. Coach the Coaches Workshop, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto. June 6, 2024.
Haji F. Opportunities and challenges in healthcare simulations scholarship: how do we move the needle? PGME & ATSSL Seminar, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, May 23 2024
Haji F, Khan R. Do words matter? (De)constructing constructs in health professions education. CHES Cutting Edge Speaker Series, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, February 13 2024.
Haji F. Medical Education in Conflict Zones and during Natural Disasters. Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) 21st International Conference, Vancouver, BC, July 1, 2023.
Haji F. The role of simulation in psychomotor skills development. Neurosurgeon as Educator Symposium ACNS-BSNS Hybrid Conference and Workshop, Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 4,2023.
Haji F, Dharsee N, Giuliani M. (2021). Curriculum: Context, Change, and Development. Faculty Development Workshop at the 13th AORTIC International Conference on Cancer, Africa.
Haji F. (2020). How simulation can move the needle. Keynote presentation, Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences Introduction to Simulation Seminar.
Haji F, O’Kelly C, Clarke D, Brein S, Megyesi J. (2016). Innovations in Neurosurgical Education. Plenary panel, 51st Canadian Federation of Neurological Sciences Congress, Quebec City.
Haji F. (2016). Promises and pitfalls: simulation based education in resource-limited settings. Keynote presentation, Society for Simulation in Europe Annual Meeting, Lisbon, Portugal.
Haji F. (2015). Challenging our assumptions: context, complexity and choice in novice learning. Emerging Investigators Showcase, 2015 Royal College Simulation Summit, Banff, AB.
Naismith L, Haji F, Sibbald M, Cheung J, Tavares W, Fraser K, Cavalcanti R. (2015). How to apply cognitive load theory to simulation research and practice in health professions. 2015 Royal College Simulation Summit, Banff, AB.
Haji F, Tavares W. (2015). A tale of two PhD’s: same theory, similar challenges, different contexts. Keynote presentation, “The Bayfield Meeting”, Bayfield, ON.
Haji F, Chan C, Shilkofski N, Sigalet E. (2015). Globalization of Education programs, Extension of Collaborative Networks in Resource-Poor Countries. Plenary Panel, 7th International Pediatric Simulation Symposia and Workshops, Vancouver, BC,.
Haji F. (2015). Challenging our assumptions: The role of context similarity, task complexity, and learner choice in simulation training. The Hodges Educational Scholarship International Symposium, Toronto, ON.
Shetty R, Ikeyama T, Grover E, Haji F, Weinstock P. (2014). Growing National Simulation Initiatives in Emerging Areas. Panel presentation, 6th International Pediatric Simulation Symposia and Workshops, Vienna, Austria.