We are delighted to share that Dr. Suja Pillai from The University of Queensland has been awarded a 2024 Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. This prestigious recognition celebrates her innovative and impactful teaching methods, including her use of the Slice tool to enhance student learning in pathology.

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Pathology is a complex subject and Dr. Pillai's approach is both engaging and effective. The University of Queensland’s medical program follows an integrated curriculum and annotation tools like Slice enable her to illustrate pathological concepts with clarity. Images can be easily shared with students and linked to memorable examples that help students’ learn. By linking microscopic images to gross specimens, she helps students connect theoretical knowledge to real-world clinical presentations. For example, associating the microscopic features of osteosarcoma with its gross specimen allows students to understand the structural changes that lead to visible symptoms. Her annotations on Slice not only help students grasp difficult subjects but also provide a resource they can revisit throughout their careers, fostering lifelong learning and retention.

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During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Pillai quickly transformed the in-person pathology curriculum into virtual sessions. Using Zoom and Slice, she conducted live interactive classes, sharing annotation layers in real-time. This innovative approach allowed all students to simultaneously view and understand pathological changes, turning virtual pathology sessions into collaborative learning experiences.

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The impact of this virtual teaching approach has been profound, extending well beyond the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since January 2024, regional medical schools in Rockhampton and Bundaberg have adopted this method to deliver Pathology sessions in remote and rural areas. This approach has effectively bridged the gap in access to pathology resources between urban and rural settings, providing students in these regions with the same high-quality learning experience as their urban peers, ensuring consistent and comprehensive pathology education. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with both the regional medical school director and students praising the method. Students describe the resources as “clear, excellent, and incredibly useful,” highlighting their value in preparing for clinical practice in underserved communities.

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Dr. Suja Pillai is recognised by her colleagues for delivering outstanding teaching. According to Associate Professor Glenda Gobe from The University of Queensland, "Suja has excellent knowledge of the pathology curriculum, where she uses blended learning approaches for teaching, learning and assessing this subject area, at an advanced level of the academic program; using small and large class learning, and adaptive learning platforms in pathology; using a self-led learning experience to enhance the student’s outcome. She has demonstrated the absolute need for quality assurance and quality enhancement for academic and professional practice in teaching."

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Over her years of using Slice, Dr. Pillai has also generously made several pathology annotations broadly available as public layers on Slice, contributing to the dissemination of pathology knowledge within the wider medical community. Her teaching approach has also been independently recommended to colleagues delivering pathology remotely at other Australian universities. Her efforts have not only benefited her students but have also supported her colleagues in developing adaptive, personalised pathology practicals.

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To continue building upon this work, aiming to provide students with the best possible learning experience, Dr Pillai has turned her focus to surgical tissue specimens. She has developed a series of concise, engaging video-based podcasts using surgical tissue specimens. This resource deepens students' understanding of disease pathophysiology by linking symptoms to structural changes in organs and efficiently consolidated key knowledge for pathology practicals. Students praise these podcasts as “short, sweet, and to the point” appreciating their clear explanations of critical details in surgical tissue specimens. This approach has also been adopted by regional medical schools to deliver pathology curricula to students in rural areas, where access to surgical tissue specimens is limited. This method, again, bridges the urban-rural educational gap, and enhances equity in medical education.

We are incredibly proud of Dr. Pillai's achievements and her dedication to enhancing student learning. Congratulations Suja!

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