This award was created in 1997 to acknowledge an individual's excellence in teaching over the long term in any of the cardiovascular fields. Recipients of this award are applauded for their dedication to teach in this scientific specialty.

Dr. Martin Green

No Modest Contribution

Dr. Martin Green, founder of the Arrhythmia Service and director of the Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Fellowship Program at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, always wanted to teach. Although it no longer became "the goal" after completing medical school, the desire to inspire others and contribute to their future as his teachers did for him never left. As his network of colleagues balloons, he has been able to do that all over the world. The key, he says, is to learn the needs of the audience and then simplify.

"I break concepts down into pieces. Long lists of dry material just get forgotten so I ask myself which piece will connect to the audience and rebuild the structure around their knowledge and reactions."

That's why his presentations on electrophysiology feature everyday analogies. By comparing ion channels to open windows in Ottawa in winter, for instance, people already understand that hot air rushes outside the same way sodium ions rush outside the cell. This approach is an evolving process learned from the students. When Green sees blank faces in front of him, he knows he must rethink how to deliver the material in their framework.

Green also works to create an environment that invites curiosity and disengages the fear of asking silly questions.

"Sometimes I can't give a clear answer to a question, which means I don't understand either," he says. "The journey towards the answer is what's important, even if the answer is only the next question to ask. That's how to trigger curiosity and imagination."