Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Trust Simulated Learning Lead for the Oxfordshire CAMHS NDC Pathway and Medical Education/Simulation Team Dr Chris Kowalski wins the award for providing an excellent standard of patient care and an aspirational working environment.

Chris said:

“Winning the Exceptional People Award for this month is a very welcome recognition of the work that I have been doing around promoting simulation as a learning method within the Trust. I am grateful to everyone who has helped to enable this work and I look forward to building our simulation programme generally”.

The nomination

Chris was nominated by Core Trainee in Psychiatry and Academic Clinical Fellow in Medical Education Emma Flint, who included appreciation from other colleagues to show how deserving he is of the award.

Emma commented:

“Chris is an excellent, caring clinician and a knowledgeable, supportive mentor who consistently goes above and beyond to ensure the highest standards of care for his patients and training for his supervisees/fellows. This has included developing the Simulation Team within the Trust, which has now been well-established for several years and has provided countless learning opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates across many professions.

“Chris not only embraces the Trust values in his own work with children, adolescents and their families, but also acts as an outstanding role model for other staff and students with respect to leading careers with these values in mind. Both his patient care and his educational interventions are person-centred, evidence-based and holistic.”

Oxford Brookes University Principal Lecturer in Clinical Skills, Simulation and Immersive Technology Robyn Stiger said:

“Chris has been instrumental in local and regional faculty simulation development and high-quality simulation delivery at pre- and post-qualifying level in a multiprofessional way which feels strategic and collaborative. The collaboration between Brookes and Oxford Health Psychiatry continues to go from strength to strength and will hopefully soon also include some research outputs around our interprofessional simulation packages which we are so proud to be part of and have driven mental health simulation which is very much needed.”

Fellow in Medical Education and Simulation Tom Rose added:

“Chris is a fantastic supervisor, who always makes time for his trainees and their well-being, no matter how busy he is. He has a huge wealth of knowledge and experience that he shares freely and is constantly supporting trainees to take opportunities to develop and grow. Chris is a great source of containment, guidance, and mentorship to everyone who works with him. It’s really a pleasure and a privilege to be his colleague.”

Medical Education Lead and Oxfordshire/BSW CAMHS AMD Support Vicky Poyser said:

“Chris makes a significant difference to his colleagues and, most importantly, to the young patients and their families. His dedication and hard work have created a supportive and enriching environment for everyone involved. Colleagues benefit from his innovative training programmes, which enhance their skills and confidence, ultimately leading to better patient care. For the young patients and their families, Chris’s empathetic and professional approach ensures that they receive the highest quality of care and support. His efforts have a profound impact, making a real difference in their lives and contributing to a positive and nurturing atmosphere within the Trust.”

Learning and Development Lead for Simulation Merry Patel said:

“These are my thoughts – I could say much more! Personally, Chris has changed my career and retained me and my knowledge and expertise within the Trust. I’m so much happier for the development opportunity of his supervision of my fellowship. He inspires excellence in academic innovation and professional development within OHFT. He encourages bigger picture thinking to extend learning through experiential learning of simulation training. He is keen to promote multiprofessional education, challenging and promoting learning across disciplines within OHFT and Oxfordshire agencies. He has a can-do attitude, that finds ways to collaborate across departments to benefit education across the Trust. He is passionate about supplementing traditional lecture-based learning with simulation-based education. He has invested over and above his hours to develop simulation training in the Trust – for under- and post-graduates across medicine, nursing, and allied health professionals.”