Overview

I am a Pediatric Neurosurgeon and PhD researcher interested in health professions education and global surgery at BC Children’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia. My clinical interests include spinal dysraphism, complex hydrocephalus, spasticity, epilepsy surgery, and vascular disorders. My program of research focuses on two areas: (i) optimizing the design of simulation-based education for medical and surgical skills training and (ii) translating innovations in medical and surgical education through global surgical partnerships to facilitate capacity development in low-resource settings.

Publications

Exploring Patient Advisors’ Perceptions of Virtual Care Across Canada: Qualitative Phenomenological Study
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Heather Braund and Nancy Dalgarno and Sophy Chan-Nguyen and Geneviève Digby and Faizal Haji and Anne O'Riordan and Ramana Appireddy
DOI: 10.2196/45215
11/2023

Intradural-extramedullary Spinal Cavernoma
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques
Sydney Amelia McQueen and Faizal Aminmohamed Haji and Enriqueta Lucar Figueroa and Yasmine Sallam and Lee Cyn Ang and Neil Duggal
DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2022.287
09/2023

Exploring Patient Advisors’ Perceptions of Virtual Care Across Canada: Qualitative Phenomenological Study (Preprint)
Heather Braund and Nancy Dalgarno and Sophy Chan-Nguyen and Geneviève Digby and Faizal Haji and Anne O'Riordan and Ramana Appireddy
DOI: 10.2196/preprints.45215
12/2022

C-CASE 2022: Competence to Excellence: Canadian Conference for the Advancement of Surgical Education, Oct. 13-14, 2022
Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie
Goff, L. and Greene, H. and Munn, A. and Furey, A. and Smith, N. and St Croix, R. and Moffatt-Bruce, S. and Lefebvre, G. and Jing, J.W. and Harvey, E.J. and Reindl, R. and Al Badi, H. and Berry, G.K. and Martineau, P.A. and Ferri, D. and Koucheki, R. and Lex, J.R. and Morozova, A. and Hauer, T.M. and Mirzaie, S. and Ferguson, P.C. and Ballyk, B. and Sivanathan, M. and Micallef, J. and Franco, L.Y. and Drennan, I.R. and Button, D. and Dubrowski, A. and Harris, C. and Thorburn, C. and Skanes, C. and Kennedy, R. and Smith, C. and Pelletier, F. and Torres, A. and Meloche-Dumas, L. and Gu{\'e}rard-Poirier, N. and Kaviani, A. and Kapralos, B. and Mercier, F. and Dubrowski, A. and Patocskai, E. and B{\'e}nard, F. and Habti, M. and Meloche-Dumas, L. and B{\'e}rub{\'e}, S. and Cadoret, D. and Arutiunian, A. and Papas, Y. and Torres, A. and Kapralos, B. and Mercier, F. and Dubrowski, A. and Patocskai, E. and S{\'e}dillot-Daniel, ?. and Melkane, A. and Chiesa, C. and Fakhry, N. and Young, V. and Smith, L. and Lechien, J. and Guertin, L. and Olivier, M.-J. and Maniakas, A. and Jun Lin, R. and Bissada, ?. and Christopoulos, A. and Ayad, T. and Leclerc, A.-A. and Fleiszer, D. and Posel, N. and Rosenzveig, A. and Bhandari, A. and Gariscsak, P. and Kemp, L. and Haji, F. and White, A. and Reid, A. and Sidhu, S. and Moon, M. and Turner, S. and Zheng, B. and Shah, A. and Wolfstadt, J.I. and Hall, J. and Ward, S. and Jad, A. and Yee, N. and Ross, T.D. and Ferguson, P. and Zhang, Y. and Akbari, P. and Valiquette, C. and Brathwaite, S. and Hawley, G. and Martou, G. and Hendry, M. and Fugaru, I. and Schouela, V. and Aub{\'e}-Peterkin, M. and Aggarwal, I. and Kemp, L. and Zhang, Y. and Gold, M.S. and Belliveau, S. and Gold, M. and Lai, C. and Lui, J.T. and de Lotbiniere-Bassett, M. and Chen, J.M. and Lin, V.Y. and Agrawal, S.K. and Blevins, N.H. and Ladak, H.M. and Pirouzmand, F. and Daud, A. and Hauer, T. and Wolfstadt, J. and Ferguson, P. and Hamdan, N.A. and Almansouri, A. and Yilmaz, R. and Eskandari, M. and Tee, T. and Agu, C. and Pachchigar, P. and Giglio, B. and Balasubramniam, N. and Gueziri, H.-E. and Del Maestro, R. and Carr, L. and McKechnie, T. and Hatamnejad, A. and Chan, J. and Beattie, A. and Fazlollahi, A.M. and Yilmaz, R. and Alsayegh, A. and Bakhaidar, M. and Del Maestro, R.F. and Retrosi, G. and Dharamsi, N. and Del Fernandes, R. and de Vries, I. and Mann, S. and McEwen, L. and Phillips, T. and Zevin, B. and Roberts, S. and Robart, A. and Brennan, H. and Conway, J. and Patey, C. and Botelho, F. and Harley, J. and Poenaru, D. and Micallef, J. and Sivanathan, M. and Clarke, K. and Habti, M. and Roy, M. and Bedwani, S. and Patocskai, ?. and Dubrowski, A. and Rathagirishnan, R. and Valiquette, C. and Zhu, J. and Adibfar, A. and Snell, L. and Stachura, N. and Nayak, R. and Malthaner, R. and Fortin, D. and Inculet, R. and Qiabi, M. and Grewal, K. and Azher, S. and Moreno, M. and Melo, L.P. and Pekrun, R. and Wiseman, J. and Fried, G.M. and Lajoie, S. and Brydges, R. and Hadwin, A. and Sun, N.-Z. and Khalil, E. and Harley, J.M. and Yilmaz, R. and Bakhaidar, M. and Alsayegh, A. and Hamdan, N.A. and Fazlollahi, A.M. and Agu, C. and Pachchigar, P. and Del Maestro, R. and Mahmood, S. and Almas, S. and Ryan, J. and Anderson, B. and Tee, T. and Pachchigar, P. and Tarabay, B. and Yilmaz, R. and Del Maestro, R. and Qiu, R. and Lan, L. and Mao, R. and Kay, J. and Darren de, S.A. and Hindi, M.N. and Blair, G. and AlTinawi, B. and Noorani, A. and Noorani, S. and Mak, M. and Ibrahim, G. and Qiu, R. and van Kampen, K. and Domerchie, E. and Farrugia, P. and Tanya, S.M. and Joly-Chevrier, M. and Nguyen, A.X.-L. and Pur, D.R. and Power, R.J. and Sharma, S. and Costello, F. and Kherani, F.
DOI: 10.1503/cjs.014622
2022

High-fidelity, simulation-based microsurgical training for neurosurgical residents
Neurosurgical Focus
Santyr, B. and Abbass, M. and Chalil, A. and Vivekanandan, A. and Krivosheya, D. and Denning, L.M. and Mattingly, T.K. and Haji, F.A. and Lownie, S.P.
DOI: 10.3171/2022.5.FOCUS22188
2022

Simulation in Neurosurgical Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques
Faizal A. Haji
DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2020.234
03/2021

A model for global surgical training and capacity development: the Children’s of Alabama–Viet Nam pediatric neurosurgery partnership
Child's Nervous System
Faizal A. Haji and Jacob R. Lepard and Matthew C. Davis and Nguyen Duc Lien and Dang Do Thanh Can and Cao Vu Hung and Le Nam Thang and Brandon G. Rocque and James M. Johnston
DOI: 10.1007/s00381-020-04802-4
02/2021

Simulation and active learning decreases training time of an emergency triage assessment and treatment course in pilot study in malawi: Implications for increasing efficiency and workforce capacity in low-resource settings
Pediatric Emergency Care
Sigalet, E.L. and Lufesi, N. and Dubrowski, A. and Haji, F. and Khan, R. and Grant, D. and Weinstock, P. and Wishart, I. and Molyneux, E. and Kissoon, N.
DOI: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000001996
2021

Simulation and Active Learning Decreases Training Time of an Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment Course in Pilot Study in Malawi: Implications for Increasing Efficiency and Workforce Capacity in Low-Resource Settings.
Pediatric emergency care
Sigalet EL and Lufesi N and Dubrowski A and Haji F and Khan R and Grant D and Weinstock P and Wishart I and Molyneux E and Kissoon N
DOI: 10.1097/pec.0000000000001996
PubMed: 31990851
01/2020

Development and evaluation of a patient-specific surgical simulator for endoscopic colloid cyst resection
Journal of Neurosurgery
Bodani, V.P. and Breimer, G.E. and Haji, F.A. and Looi, T. and Drake, J.M.
DOI: 10.3171/2019.4.JNS183184
2020

The initial experience of InterSurgeon: An online platform to facilitate global neurosurgical partnerships
Neurosurgical Focus
Lepard, J.R. and Akbari, S.H.A. and Haji, F. and Davis, M.C. and Harkness, W. and Johnston, J.M.
DOI: 10.3171/2019.12.FOCUS19859
2020

Using cognitive load theory to optimize simulation design
Clinical Simulation: Education, Operations and Engineering
Naismith, L.M. and Cheung, J.J.H. and Sibbald, M. and Tavares, W. and Cavalcanti, R.B. and Haji, F.A. and Fraser, K.L.
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-815657-5.00010-3
2019

A mixed methods study of challenges in the implementation and use of the surgical safety checklist
Surgery (United States)
Mahmood, T. and Mylopoulos, M. and Bagli, D. and Damignani, R. and Aminmohamed Haji, F.
DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2018.09.012
2019

Leptomeningeal metastasis of classical Hodgkin lymphoma in a patient with malignant posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
The Lancet Oncology
Kim, D.D. and Budhram, A. and Haji, F.A. and Leung, A. and Khaw, A. and Ramsay, D.
DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30299-2
2019

Predictors of endoscopic third ventriculostomy ostomy status in patients who experience failure of endoscopic third ventriculostomy with choroid plexus cauterization
Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics
Hale, A.T. and Stanton, A.N. and Zhao, S. and Haji, F. and Gannon, S.R. and Arynchyna, A. and Wellons, J.C. and Rocque, B.G. and Naftel, R.P.
DOI: 10.3171/2019.2.PEDS18743
2019

Engagement: what is it good for? The role of learner engagement in healthcare simulation contexts
Advances in Health Sciences Education
Padgett, J. and Cristancho, S. and Lingard, L. and Cherry, R. and Haji, F.
DOI: 10.1007/s10459-018-9865-7
2019

Development of synthetic simulators for endoscope-assisted repair of metopic and sagittal craniosynostosis
Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics
Eastwood, K.W. and Bodani, V.P. and Haji, F.A. and Looi, T. and Naguib, H.E. and Drake, J.M.
DOI: 10.3171/2018.2.peds18121
2018

The "Empty Chairs" Approach to Learning: Simulation-Based Train the Trainer Program in Mzuzu, Malawi.
Cureus
Sigalet E and Wishart I and Lufesi N and Haji F and Dubrowski A
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.1205
PubMed: 28580202
05/2017

Measuring cognitive load in medical and health professions simulation training
Cognitive Load Measurement and Application: A Theoretical Framework for Meaningful Research and Practice
Naismith, L.M. and Cavalcanti, R.B. and Haji, F.A.
DOI: 10.4324/9781315296258
2017

Validity evidence for the Neuro-Endoscopic Ventriculostomy Assessment Tool (NEVAT)
Operative Neurosurgery
Breimer, G.E. and Haji, F.A. and Cinalli, G. and Hoving, E.W. and Drake, J.M.
DOI: 10.1227/NEU.0000000000001158
2017

Direct motor evoked potentials and cortical mapping using the NIM® nerve monitoring system: A technical note
Journal of Clinical Neuroscience
Bharadwaj, S. and Haji, F. and Hebb, M. and Chui, J.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2016.11.006
2017

Simulation-based education for endoscopic third ventriculostomy: A comparison between virtual and physical training models
Operative Neurosurgery
Breimer, G.E. and Haji, F.A. and Bodani, V. and Cunningham, M.S. and Lopez-Rios, A.-L. and Okrainec, A. and Drake, J.M.
DOI: 10.1227/NEU.0000000000001317
2017

Rapid Recovery from Paraplegia in a Patient with Foix–Alajouanine Syndrome
World Neurosurgery
Joswig, H. and Haji, F.A. and Martinez-Perez, R. and Steven, D.A. and Boulton, M.R.
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2016.10.101
2017

Thrive or overload? The effect of task complexity on novices’ simulation-based learning
Medical Education
Haji, F.A. and Cheung, J.J.H. and Woods, N. and Regehr, G. and de Ribaupierre, S. and Dubrowski, A.
DOI: 10.1111/medu.13086
2016

Practising what we preach: using cognitive load theory for workshop design and evaluation.
Naismith LM and Haji FA and Sibbald M and Cheung JJ and Tavares W and Cavalcanti RB
PubMed: 26490056
10/2015

Practising what we preach: using cognitive load theory for workshop design and evaluation
Perspectives on Medical Education
Naismith, L.M. and Haji, F.A. and Sibbald, M. and Cheung, J.J.H. and Tavares, W. and Cavalcanti, R.B.
DOI: 10.1007/s40037-015-0221-9
2015

Measuring cognitive load: Performance, mental effort and simulation task complexity
Medical Education
Haji, F.A. and Rojas, D. and Childs, R. and de Ribaupierre, S. and Dubrowski, A.
DOI: 10.1111/medu.12773
2015

Development and content validation of performance assessments for endoscopic third ventriculostomy
Child's Nervous System
Breimer, G.E. and Haji, F.A. and Hoving, E.W. and Drake, J.M.
DOI: 10.1007/s00381-015-2716-4
2015

Needs assessment for incoming PGY-1 residents in neurosurgical residency
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Brandman, D.M. and Haji, F.A. and Matte, M.C. and Clarke, D.B.
DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2014.123
2015

Measuring cognitive load during simulation-based psychomotor skills training: sensitivity of secondary-task performance and subjective ratings
Advances in Health Sciences Education
Haji, F.A. and Khan, R. and Regehr, G. and Drake, J. and de Ribaupierre, S. and Dubrowski, A.
DOI: 10.1007/s10459-015-9599-8
2015

Operationalising elaboration theory for simulation instruction design: A Delphi study
Medical Education
Haji, F.A. and Khan, R. and Regehr, G. and Ng, G. and de Ribaupierre, S. and Dubrowski, A.
DOI: 10.1111/medu.12726
2015

Compliance Does Not Mean Quality: An In-Depth Analysis of the Safe Surgery Checklist at a Tertiary Care Health Facility
American Journal of Medical Quality
Mahmood, T. and Haji, F. and Damignani, R. and Bagli, D. and Dubrowski, A. and Manzone, J. and Truong, J. and Martin, R. and Mylopoulos, M.
DOI: 10.1177/1062860614567830
2015

Teaching for the transition: The Canadian PGY-1 neurosurgery 'rookie camp'
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Haji, F.A. and Clarke, D.B. and Matte, M.C. and Brandman, D.M. and Brien, S. and De Ribaupierre, S. and O'Kelly, C. and Christie, S. and McDonald, P.J. and Kulkarni, A.V. and Walling, S. and MacLeod, A.
DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2014.124
2015

Intracranial aneurysm rupture following intravenous thrombolysis for stroke.
Haji F and van Adel B and Avery M and Megyesi J and Young GB
PubMed: 24384346
01/2014

Intracranial aneurysm rupture following intravenous thrombolysis for stroke.
Haji F and van Adel B and Avery M and Megyesi J and Young GB
PubMed: 24384346
01/2014

The impact of secondary-task type on the sensitivity of reaction-time based measurement of cognitive load for novices learning surgical skills using simulation.
Rojas D and Haji F and Shewaga R and Kapralos B and Dubrowski A
DOI: 10.3233/978-1-61499-375-9-353
PubMed: 24732535
2014

The impact of secondary-task type on the sensitivity of reaction-time based measurement of cognitive load for novices learning surgical skills using simulation.
Rojas D and Haji F and Shewaga R and Kapralos B and Dubrowski A
PubMed: 24732535
2014

From bricks to buildings: Adapting the medical research council framework to develop programs of research in simulation education and training for the health professions
Simulation in Healthcare
Haji, F.A. and Da Silva, C. and Daigle, D.T. and Dubrowski, A.
DOI: 10.1097/SIH.0000000000000039
2014

What we call what we do affects how we do it: A new nomenclature for simulation research in medical education
Advances in Health Sciences Education
Haji, F.A. and Hoppe, D.J. and Morin, M.-P. and Giannoulakis, K. and Koh, J. and Rojas, D. and Cheung, J.J.H.
DOI: 10.1007/s10459-013-9452-x
2014

Healthcare training enhancement through virtual reality and serious games
Intelligent Systems Reference Library
de Ribaupierre, S. and Kapralos, B. and Haji, F. and Stroulia, E. and Dubrowski, A. and Eagleson, R.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-54816-1_2
2014

Readiness for Practice: A Survey of Neurosurgery Graduates and Program Directors
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Haji, F.A. and Steven, D.A.
DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2014.103
2014

Intracranial aneurysm rupture following intravenous thrombolysis for stroke
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Haji, F. and Van Adel, B. and Avery, M. and Megyesi, J. and Young, G.B.
2014

Needs assessment for simulation training in neuroendoscopy: A Canadian national survey ; Clinical article
Journal of Neurosurgery
Haji, F.A. and Dubrowski, A. and Drake, J. and De Ribaupierre, S.
DOI: 10.3171/2012.10.JNS12767
2013

Rethinking programme evaluation in health professions education: Beyond 'did it work?'
Medical Education
Haji, F. and Morin, M.-P. and Parker, K.
DOI: 10.1111/medu.12091
2013

A crash course on serious games design and assessment: A case study
IEEE Consumer Electronics Society's International Games Innovations Conference, IGIC
Kapralos, B. and Haji, F. and Dubrowski, A.
DOI: 10.1109/IGIC.2013.6659152
2013

Isolated unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy.
Mendelsohn D and Haji F and Ng WP
PubMed: 22043550
09/2011

Isolated unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy.
Mendelsohn D and Haji F and Ng WP
PubMed: 22043550
09/2011

A case of mistaken identity: spinal epidural angiolipoma.
Haji FA and Patel YK and Ang LC and Megyesi JF
PubMed: 21320848
03/2011

A case of mistaken identity: spinal epidural angiolipoma.
Haji FA and Patel YK and Ang LC and Megyesi JF
PubMed: 21320848
03/2011

A case of mistaken identity: Spinal epidural angiolipoma
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Haji, F.A. and Patel, Y.K. and Ang, L.C. and Megyesi, J.F.
2011

Minimally invasive approach for the resection of spinal neoplasm
Spine
Haji, F.A. and Cenic, A. and Crevier, L. and Murty, N. and Reddy, K.
DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e31820019f9
2011

Blister-like supraclinoid internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm in a 15-year-old male: Case report and review of the literature
Pediatric Neurosurgery
Haji, F.A. and Boulton, M.R. and De Ribaupierre, S.
DOI: 10.1159/000339355
2011

Simple partial seizures in a 70-year- old female
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Haji, F. and Alturkustani, M. and Parrent, A. and Megyesi, J. and Gulka, I. and Hammond, R.
2011

Isolated Unilateral Hypoglossal Nerve Palsy
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Mendelsohn, D. and Haji, F. and ng, W.P.
DOI: 10.1017/S0317167100018047
2011

Surgical activity of first-year Canadian neurosurgical residents.
Fallah A and Ebrahim S and Haji F and Gillis C and Girgis F and Howe K and Ibrahim GM and Radic J and Shahideh M and Wallace MC
PubMed: 21059551
11/2010

Surgical activity of first-year Canadian neurosurgical residents.
Fallah A and Ebrahim S and Haji F and Gillis C and Girgis F and Howe K and Ibrahim GM and Radic J and Shahideh M and Wallace MC
PubMed: 21059551
11/2010

Surgical activity of first-year canadian neurosurgical residents
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Fallah, A. and Ebrahim, S. and Haji, F. and Gillis, C. and Girgis, F. and Howe, K. and Ibrahim, G.M. and Radic, J. and Shahideh, M. and Wallace, M.C.
DOI: 10.1017/S0317167100051568
2010

Surgical activity of first-year canadian neurosurgical residents
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Fallah, A. and Ebrahim, S. and Haji, F. and Gillis, C. and Girgis, F. and Howe, K. and Ibrahim, G.M. and Radic, J. and Shahideh, M. and Wallace, M.C.
2010

Research

1. Optimizing the design and use of simulation-based education
Key Objectives:
- Understand how learners experience and manage cognitive load during simulation-based education and the subsequent effect on outcomes during simulation training and in the clinical setting
- Characterize learner ‘engagement’ in simulation experiences and understand how it is influenced by the design of a simulation training environment
- Explore the role of simulation-based assessment in entrustment decisions and competency-based medical education (CMBE)
- Leverage advances in simulation for training of healthcare teams related to critical incidents, near misses, latent safety threats, and medical error to improve patient safety and healthcare quality

2. Leveraging advances in Health Professions Education to facilitate Global Surgery
Key Objectives:
- Surgical training and capacity development in pediatric neurosurgery, epilepsy surgery, adult neurosurgery and surgical oncology in LMICs
- Translate innovations in medical and surgical education (e.g. CBME, simulation-based training) to resource-constrained settings through global surgical partnerships
- Identify ‘best practices’ for ethical and sustainable global surgical partnerships, with emphasis on postgraduate surgical education and continuing professional development

Grants

Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME) Wooster Family Grant: “Understanding learner and instructor perspectives on engagement in healthcare simulation” (PI)

SEAMO Endowed Scholarship and Education Fund: “Factors affecting residents’ engagement in research: an institutional survey of Queen’s University post-graduate trainees” (PI)

SEAMO Endowed Scholarship and Education Fund: “Development and validation of competency-based assessment tools for point of care ultrasound (POCUS) in perioperative anesthesia” (Co-I)

Honours & Awards

2018: American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neurological Surgery (AAP/SONS) Award

2015: Carol Herbert Award for Outstanding Research Paper, Western University

2015: 4th Place Research Award, 15th International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare

2014: Richard K. Reznick Award for Outstanding Research Paper, University of Toronto

2014: 1st Place Research Award, 6th International Pediatric Simulation Symposia and Workshops

2013: “What Works” Top 5 Paper, International Conference on Residency Education (ICRE)

2013: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship

2013: CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award

2013: Robert Maudsley Fellowship for Studies in Medical Education (RCPSC)