David Arnulfo Rojas Gualdron

I am an engineer with a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences, with a special focus on Program Evaluation. My research program has focused on evaluating complex systems in educational and clinical contexts. I conceptualize evaluation as a learning opportunity that could (and should) offer meaningful insights into the design, development, and implementation processes of any program or service. As an engineer, I bring systems engineering into program evaluation in health professions education. I have developed a framework to characterize complex systems, which helps address the system’s complexity during the evaluation process. Furthermore, I use my systems thinking expertise to study accreditation practices. I am especially interested in understanding the value of the accreditation process to institutions and all other parties involved. This work involves understanding the impact of accreditation practices at a local, national and international level, as well as identifying efficiencies that can help improve the accreditation system. As part of my evaluation work, the Royal College of Physicians of Canada asked me to develop a program evaluation model to evaluate the Competency by Design training approach across Canada. This model will be implemented from 2024 to 2029. Thus, I am also interested in the evaluation of competency by design in residency education.