Maya Harel-Sterling

Assistant Program Director, Point-of-Care Ultrasound Program, Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine

Dr. Maya Harel-Sterling is a Paediatric Emergency Medicine physician and Director of the Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Program at the Hospital for Sick Children. She graduated from McGill University Medical school, completed her Paediatrics residency, Paediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship, and POCUS fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children. She completed a Master’s Program in Health Practitioner Teacher Education through the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She leads POCUS training initiatives for medical students, PEM residents and fellows, and is involved in medical education research, especially as it relates to competency setting and education in point-of-care ultrasound.

Education and experience

• 2021–2024: MScCH: Health Practitioner Teacher Education, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2020–2021: Point-of-Care Ultrasound Fellowship, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2017–2019: Paediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2014–2017: Paediatric Residency Training Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2010–2014: Doctor of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Achievements

• 2025:CAEP (Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians) Emergency Ultrasound Committee Research Award for Best 2025 Pediatric POCUS Paper of the year (Awarded for the publication: Ultrasound in pediatric emergency medicine simulation – evaluation of a longitudinal curriculum)
• 2025: P2 (PEM POCUS) Network: Best article of the year (Awarded for the publication: A POCUS-first pathway to streamline care for ileocolic intussusception)
• 2021: Nominated, David Johnson Award for Best Fellow’s Research Presentation
• 2017: Norman Saunders Award, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Paediatrics. Awarded to a senior resident who demonstrates outstanding clinical skills in the paediatric context.
• 2014: Lieutenant Governor’s Youth Medal. Awarded to an individual who demonstrated transcendence and self-sacrifice by tangible involvement within their school or community.

1. Katz-Dana H, Singer-Harel D, Thau E, Pathmaraj M, Simone L, Olszynski P, Pirie J, Harel-Sterling M. Ultrasound in pediatric emergency medicine simulation: evaluation of a longitudinal curriculum. CJEM. 2025 Apr;27(4):274-284. doi: 10.1007/s43678-024-00854-6. Epub 2025 Feb 6. PMID: 39915435.
2. Harel-Sterling M, Kwan C, Pirie J, Tessaro MO, Cho DD, Coblentz A, Halabi M, Cohen E, Nield L, Pusic M, Boutis K. Competency Standard Derivation for Point-of-Care Ultrasound Image Interpretation for Emergency Physicians. Ann Emerg Med. 2023 Apr;81 (4):413-426. Doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2022.11.002. 2023 Feb 10.
3. Harel-Sterling M. Can you teach a hands-on skill online? A scoping review of e-learning for point-of-care ultrasound in medical education. Can Med Educ J. 2023 Dec 30;14(6):66-77. Doi: 10.36834/cmej.75272. eCollection 2023 Dec.
4. Harel-Sterling M, McLean L. Development of a blended learning curriculum to improve POCUS education in a pediatric emergency medicine training program. CJEM. 2022 Apr;24(3):325-328. Doi: 10.1007/s43678-022-02264-6. 2022 Jan 25.
5. Harel-Sterling M, Diallo M, Santhirakumaran S, Maxim T, Tessaro M. Emergency Department Resource Use in Pediatric Pneumonia: Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasonography versus Chest Radiography. J Ultrasound Med. Feb 2019.