Dr Eirini Kasfiki awarded the prestigious Chiron Medal
Dr Eirini Kasfiki has been awarded the College’s prestigious Chiron Medal, for her exceptional contribution to medical training. She will be presented with the award at the College’s annual St. Andrews Day symposium, which will be held virtually on Thursday 25 November.
As training programme director for acute internal medicine at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr Kasfiki is known for her genuine interest in the welfare and working lives of trainee doctors. This was highlighted when Dr Kasfiki kept in contact with trainees during a period of maternity leave.
The sheer commitment of Dr Kasfiki was further highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she reached out to all trainee doctors personally to find out how they were coping with challenges of the pandemic, and to find out whether and how their training needs were being met in hospitals across the deanery. This was very much appreciated by the trainees.
Dr Kasfiki is leading work in converting educational sessions from simulation or face to face to a 360° virtual reality experience for trainee doctors. While working with the simulation laboratory at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for the last 5 years, she has used the latest techniques to pioneer modern methods of teaching that are both responsive to clinical need and effective under pandemic-related restrictions.
Dr Kasfiki has a diploma in medical education and certificate in clinical simulation and educator in practice. She is also a fellow of the health education academy. Aside from her formal qualifications, Dr Kasfiki’s proficiency in training and teaching is also best reflected in the confidence that her colleagues and fellow medical educators place in her to deliver effective training, which enables a culture of excellence to flourish across Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Speaking about the award, Dr Kasfiki said:
It is a great honour to receive the Chiron Medal award from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Although I have been given this accolade I feel it is a recognition of the hard work and dedication of the fantastic clinicians, students and support staff that surround me.
Especially during these most testing of times, it is by working together as one team that we can succeed and I dedicate this award to those who have fought this battle over the last 2 years.
I am truly grateful that my colleagues hold me in such high esteem and am indebted to the panel who have bestowed this award on me. Teaching future physicians is something that I love doing and I will continue to do as long as I am able.
