Provost's Awards recognize excellence in three WCVM teachers

This annual cross-campus award series celebrates USask faculty, staff and graduate students who have demonstrated exceptional skills in the practice of teaching and have made outstanding contributions to teaching and learning on campus.

The USask award recipients who represent the WCVM are Dr. Michael Wu (PhD), Dr. Madison Ricard (DVM, PhD) and Dr. Gabrielle Achtymichuk (DVM). Their teaching accomplishments were honoured and celebrated during the 2026 USask Staff and Faculty Awards on June 17.

“If I were to sum up my overall philosophy as a teacher, it is to ‘Begin with the end in mind.’ I start all my lectures by defining the learning objectives students should acquire by the end of the lecture, and I elaborate on why these objectives are important in real-world applications before diving into the content.”

Dr. Michael Wu (PhD) is an associate professor in the WCVM Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences who joined the WCVM faculty in 2018. Wu earned his PhD in biology from Carleton University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida before coming to USask.

In the past eight years, Wu has demonstrated a willingness to stretch himself beyond his areas of expertise and find new ways to teach challenging subjects to veterinary students. He initially took on the unpopular subject area of biochemistry, which has now become part of a new first-year veterinary course (Form and Function) that he helped to develop for the WCVM’s new curriculum. Wu continues to teach the course’s biochemistry module along with other sections that he has taken on over time.

In his teaching, Wu has made a conscious attempt to always incorporate inclusive teaching practices such as recording lectures, creating multiple opportunities for engagement and allowing students to express their comprehension in different ways during assessments.

Wu stresses the importance of student feedback through online polling or one-on-one discussions. This consideration is clearly appreciated by his students, who leave universally positive comments about him and his courses.

“One of the key tenants of my lecture design is to ‘keep it simple.’ I aim to simplify topics as much as possible, with the goal of prioritizing relevant content that a general practitioner needs to know. I want students to come away from my lectures with a baseline level of understanding, not stress or anxiety about having to muddle through a complex topic on their own immediately.”

Dr. Madison Ricard (DVM, PhD) served as a lecturer in the WCVM Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences from August 2024 to May 2026. Before joining the WCVM faculty, Ricard completed her PhD and an anatomic pathology residency in the college’s Department of Veterinary Pathology. She also earned board certification with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

Ricard is a deeply caring instructor who finds creative ways to help her students understand foundational knowledge in anatomy, histology and form and function, as well as other areas of veterinary medicine. Personable and approachable, she’s always ready to support her students throughout their education.

A born teacher, Ricard uses plain language and creative learning approaches to simplify advanced concepts. Her efforts have consistently earned high praise from her students who note that her clear and concise writing style for lecture notes and reading materials make the contents much more accessible. Ricard hones her communication skills through various avenues such as creating equine anatomy workshops for horse owners, developing veterinary pathology content for her popular social media channels, and writing equine health articles for the public.

“The student-instructor relationship is reciprocal – while I teach the students, they are always teaching me as well. When discussing concepts, if a student’s explanation confuses me, I don’t disregard it; instead, I work to understand their reasoning. Being open-minded allows me to learn from the students and think differently, letting me grow through my teaching experiences.”

Dr. Gabrielle Achtymichuk (DVM) is a 2021 WCVM graduate and a PhD student in the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Services whose work is supervised by WCVM professor Dr. Maud Ferrari. In the past four years, Achtymichuk has served as teaching assistant for three courses — all with a high level of responsibility and autonomy.

Based on her overall performance and students’ feedback, Achitymichuk has distinguished herself as an excellent educator who is incredibly adept at tailoring her instructional strategies to suit each student’s learning style and education level. If someone doesn’t understand a challenging concept, Achtymichuk cycles through different descriptions and examples until the information “clicks” for the student — rather than simply repeating her first explanation. In one graduate-level course that relies on critical thinking and conceptualization skills, Achtymichuk has also developed a comprehensive answer key that presents information in three formats to support different learning styles.

Achtymichuk is a passionate, eternal learner who seeks to deeply understand the material she teaches. These qualities make her the ideal instructor, and her patience with students has fostered a positive learning environment where her students feel respected and empowered.