Dr. Viren Naik joins the MCC Executive Team

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) is pleased to announce that, on June 6, 2022, Dr. Viren Naik will join our Executive Team in the role of Chief Assessment Officer, reporting to the Executive Director and CEO, Dr. Maureen Topps.

Dr. Naik is arriving during a period of redefinition for the organization as it considers its various assessments with a view to the future, given the pandemic-related disruptions over the past two years. Dr. Naik’s wealth of experience will contribute to updating current and future approaches to assessments that align with the needs of our regulatory partners and ensure safe care for patients in Canada. Along with his other areas of leadership, Dr. Naik will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I and the National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Examination, engagement with our key examination content and oversight committees, external delivery partners, and the development of our multiple Preparatory Products.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Naik join our organization,” said Dr. Maureen Topps, Executive Director and CEO at the MCC. “His extensive background in assessment, medical education, administration and research will allow him to bring a valuable and broad-ranging perspective to the critical activities of the MCC’s assessments.”

Dr. Naik was most recently the Director of Assessment for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He has 20 years of experience as an educator and oversaw the credentialing of specialist training and the assessment, including examinations, for all medical specialties in Canada.

In 2001, Dr. Naik obtained a Master of Education degree from the University of Toronto, and a Fellowship in Education from The Wilson Centre for Research in Education. Following his training, Dr. Naik was recruited to St. Michael’s Hospital, where he began a Research Fellowship program in Simulation. Three years later, he was appointed Medical Director of the Allan Waters’ Family Patient Simulation Centre. In 2009, Dr. Naik was recruited from the University of Toronto to establish the University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre (uOSSC) as the inaugural Medical Director. Dr. Naik has focused his career on the integration of simulation into CanMEDS for postgraduate education and continuing professional development. He has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and grants, and in 2007 and 2013, Dr. Naik received honour awards from the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society for his international contributions to education. He previously served the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as Chair of the national written certification examination for his specialty.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Naik and welcoming him to the MCC at this important juncture of the current and future state of objective assessment of clinical knowledge and skills.