Dr. Alexa Hryniuk and Ms. Lisa Diamond-Burchuk have been named the 2026 recipients of the Olive Beatrice Stanton Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Rady Faculty of Health Sciences educators are being recognized for advancing student learning through evidence-informed teaching, curriculum innovation and mentorship.
Since joining UM in 2019, Alexa Hryniuk has distinguished herself as an exemplary educator and innovative curriculum leader whose evidence-based approach has enhanced anatomy education across multiple professional programs.
Hryniuk, associate professor of human anatomy and cell science, Max Rady College of Medicine, has developed or revitalized eight courses and curricula in human anatomy and embryology. Her courses are taught across a wide range of programs, from medicine and dentistry to midwifery and biomedical engineering. Her teaching reaches learners at every stage of training, from first-year students to surgical residents.
A highly skilled and versatile instructor, Hryniuk helps students master complex anatomical concepts through active learning strategies, including hands-on model building and medical imaging analysis. Her teaching modalities span large-group lectures, small-group anatomy labs, tutorials and independent study. Her effective and engaging approach has earned recognition including four Keep It Up Excellence in Teaching awards and the Class of 2028 Med I Award for Mentorship from the Manitoba Medical Students’ Association.
Beyond the classroom, Hryniuk advances educational practice through the scholarship of teaching and learning. Her research explores instructional design, learning tools and assessment approaches that enhance learning and critical thinking, and she regularly shares this expertise with her UM colleagues as well as at national and international conferences.
As both a teacher and mentor, Hryniuk is known for creating a supportive and rigorous training environment. She shares her pedagogical expertise through faculty development workshops, delivering sessions on topics such as the flipped-classroom model and effective online teaching. She also mentors junior faculty members through the Teaching and Learning Certificate program and regularly consults on curriculum alignment, observes classrooms and provides feedback on teaching practices.
Hryniuk views teaching as an ongoing process of reflection and adaptation.
Hryniuk’s teaching gives future physicians and health professionals the foundational knowledge, critical-thinking skills and confidence to succeed in their education and practice.
Lisa Diamond-Burchuk has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to teaching, curriculum innovation and leadership in occupational therapy and interprofessional healthcare education.
Diamond-Burchuk, senior instructor, master of occupational therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, makes complex practice concepts engaging and clinically relevant. Through storytelling, role-playing, case studies, skills laboratories and games, she helps students connect theory with practice in experiential and interprofessional learning environments. Her teaching has earned sustained recognition from students: she has been nominated for the Master of Occupational Therapy Graduating Class Teaching Excellence Award 13 times and received the award six times. In 2020, she was also named the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Continuing Professional Development Educator of the Year.
Her evidence-informed teaching incorporates anti-colonial pedagogy and supports culturally safe learning environments. She played a key role in redesigning the Master of Occupational Therapy curriculum, drawing on learning from Indigenous Elders, Indigenous communities and restorative justice workshops.
"I see my role as a facilitator or coach, supporting learners as they respond to, reflect on and learn from their experiences," says Diamond-Burchuk on her teaching approach.
Specializing in complex pain and the foundations of mental health and well-being, Diamond-Burchuk has shared her expertise with national and international audiences through her work with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. Her recent election as president reflects the respect and confidence of her peers and her leadership within the profession.
Diamond-Burchuk has expanded experiential learning through partnerships with community organizations. These partnerships have enabled learners to support recent immigrants through a trauma-informed, interprofessional approach to child development and to work with adults with complex disabilities in community-based settings. She has also helped develop innovative interprofessional learning events within the faculty, such as the Collaborative Approaches to Managing Pain event and a number of interprofessional practice skills labs.
Her contributions are felt across the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, where she mentors interprofessional faculty peers in all six colleges. She has also developed mentoring and clinical networking communities of practice in mental health and primary care, helping UM graduates deliver high-quality health care.
Together, Hryniuk and Diamond-Burchuk exemplify the commitment to teaching excellence celebrated by the Olive Beatrice Stanton Award. Their contributions have strengthened health professional education and enriched the teaching culture at UM, creating a lasting impact that will extend from the classroom to communities across Manitoba and beyond.
At UM, we encourage life-long curiosity while providing tools – inside and outside the classroom – to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Empowering learners is one of the strategic themes you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.
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