Dr. Ayelet Kuper

Biography

Dr Ayelet Kuper's research program focuses on the relationship between currently accepted epistemologies and knowledge production modalities within medical and medical education research on the legitimacy and/or limitations of particular subject areas within mainstream health professions education research and within health professional curricula. Her work, which provides evidence for the need to broaden current definitions of legitimate medical knowledge, has important implications for teaching and learning about key patient-care-related concepts such as equity, power, culture, justice, and reflexivity. These concepts both enhance daily clinical and educational encounters and enable physicians to address the structural and process-related challenges that currently hinder their ability to provide equitable care.

Research Interest

Dr Kuper's work also addresses the origins and history of the field of medical education research and the effects of that history (e.g. sociohistorical factors and the struggle for legitimacy between disciplines and methods) on the definitions of legitimate knowledge production within this field. She strives to bring theoretical and methodological perspectives from her humanities and social sciences background to areas of health professions education research which have evolved within limiting epistemological frameworks. She is involved in publications and knowledge translation activities designed to enhance clinicians' understanding of qualitative methods in healthcare and related research. She is also actively involved in implementation and knowledge translation activities related to her research, particularly with respect to introducing and legitimizing non-bioscientific knowledge within medical and other health professional curricula at multiple sites across Ontario.