Dr. Walsh is a clinician scientist and associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto. She is also an educational researcher at the SickKids Learning Institute, a scientist in the SickKids Research Institute and a cross-appointed scientist at the Wilson Centre for Research in Education. Dr. Walsh completed her postgraduate training in pediatric medicine and her pediatric gastroenterology fellowship at SickKids. Additionally, she holds a MEd and a PhD in health professions education, both from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Walsh’s research program focuses on studying factors that influence how healthcare providers develop and maintain complex clinical skills, including endoscopy and the best ways to assess competence in performing these skills. She is one of the foremost international scholars in endoscopy education, known particularly for her work in the areas of assessment, training and simulation-based education. She has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers, led published guidelines, societal curricula and consensus documents related to endoscopy and edited textbooks – including the 8th edition of Cotton and Williams’ Practical Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: The Fundamentals (i.e., one of the foundational endoscopy training textbooks).
Dr. Walsh is a passionate teacher and mentor, one who is committed to fostering the next generation of endoscopists and endoscopy researchers. She has given more than 75 talks at key international conferences, and she has taught worldwide. Her noteworthy contributions to endoscopy education internationally have resulted in several prestigious awards, including the Teri Li Award from the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) and the Education Excellence Award from the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG).
Dr. Walsh has served in several national and international leadership roles to support endoscopy education, and she is an active member of the ASGE. She is the chair of ASGE’s Training Committee, and she is a member of the DDW International Clinical Symposia Committee. Dr. Walsh also serves as faculty for a diverse range of ASGE educational programs on a regular basis. Her contributions also extend to the rest of the world, as she helps to develop train-the-endoscopy-trainer workshops for leading organizations like the World Endoscopy Organization, NASPGHAN, CAG and ASGE.