Rate My Professor Sarah Forgie

Dr. Sarah Forgie is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta, where she holds the position of Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. She practices as a Pediatric Infectious Disease Physician at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Forgie earned a BSc in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Toronto, completed her MD and postgraduate training in pediatrics and infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba, and obtained a Master of Education from the University of Alberta as part of the inaugural class specializing in health sciences education. She joined the University of Alberta Department of Pediatrics in 2003 and advanced to full professor status. From 2015 to 2019, she served as Vice-Provost (Learning Initiatives).

Forgie is recognized for her innovative teaching approaches, termed “medutainment,” which integrate creativity such as music to engage learners across various levels and settings. Her research specializations encompass pediatric infectious diseases, infection prevention and control, and innovations in medical education. She has maintained funded research programs supported by institutional and Tri-Council grants. Notable awards include the 3M National Teaching Fellowship in 2012, Canada’s premier teaching excellence award, and a University of Alberta McCalla Professorship for blending teaching and research. Key publications feature “Twelve tips for using Twitter as a learning tool in medical education” (2013, Medical Teacher), “Swine outbreak of pandemic influenza A virus on a Canadian research farm supports human-to-swine transmission” (2011, Clinical Infectious Diseases), “Healthcare-associated atypical pneumonia” (2009, Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine), and contributions to COVID-19 studies in children (2021, CMAJ; 2022, The Lancet Regional Health–Americas). She has held national positions as Vice-President of Pediatric Chairs of Canada and President of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canada, and is a frequent invited speaker on academic medicine topics.