Ranil Sonnadara

Biography

A behavioural neuroscientist by training, Dr. Sonnadara’s current research interests lie in music cognition, skill acquisition, and assessment of performance. His graduate work focused on the neuroplastic changes that take place in the brain as a result of practice and expertise.   Dr. Sonnadara’s first academic appointment was as an Education Scientist at the University of Toronto’s Surgical Skills Centre, where he was one of the architects behind the implementation of the University of Toronto’s pilot Competency-based Curriculum in Orthopaedics. His team’s work won the Association for Surgical Education’s inaugural Excellence in Innovation in Surgical Education award in 2012, and has helped to shape the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s new approach to medical training, Competence By Design. Dr. Sonnadara returned to McMaster in 2012. His primary academic appointment is as Director, Education Science & Associate Professor of Surgical Education in the Department of Surgery. He also holds associate appointments in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, the Department of Linguistics and Languages, and the School of Computational Science and Engineering. Much of Dr. Sonnadara’s recent research has focused on more effectively integrating feedback and assessment into surgical training, with a recent focus on Competency-based Medical Education. He is also very interested in applying data analytics techniques to surgical training, in understanding the changing relationship between expertise, sensory, and information processing. Additionally, Dr. Sonnadara continues to explore how the role that music plays in neural development.

Research Interest

Neuroplastic changes that take place in the brain as a result of practice and expertise.