IAMSE Board of Directors
Candidates for 2008
The Nominating Committee is pleased to present its slate of candidates for this year's election to the IAMSE Board of Directors. In accordance with our bylaws, these are being posted to our website (in alphabetical order) as of March 1, 2008.
Although selection by the Nominating Committee is our formal system for identifying appropriate candidates, between March 1 and March 15, any IAMSE member in good standing may petition to have his/her name added to the ballot by the mechanism described in our bylaws under Article VII Section 1
Members of IAMSE are asked to review the candidates' qualifications listed below, and to thoughtfully consider the course each would take to achieve our Goals as discussed in their Personal Statement. On April 1, 2008 the electronic ballot will be activated and voting instructions will be provided at that time.
Also note, this page presents the qualifications and personal statement of each candidate only as submitted by the candidate. This is NOT the actual ballot.
Qualifications and Personal Statements
Peter Anderson. D.V.M., Ph.D.
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I would like to serve on the IAMSE Board of Directors so that I can continue to support the exciting new developments that are ongoing. Partnering with GRIPE, SOL, and TBL groups serves to demonstrate how IAMSE is truly an umbrella organization supporting faculty involved in all forms of health sciences education. Our foray into Europe for the 2009 IAMSE meeting is also an exciting new development. As vice-president I have had the pleasure of working with Pat Finnerty and the IAMSE Board during the inception and implementation of these exciting new activities. I would like to continue working with the thought leaders who make up the IAMSE leadership as we strive to move IAMSE forward and continue with our mission to advance medical education through faculty development and to ensure that the teaching and learning of medicine continues to be firmly grounded in science.
My teaching activities over the last 5 years have included considerable hands-on classroom teaching in addition to my responsibilities as course director for general and systemic pathology courses for medical students and course director for a graduate student pathology course. I am also director of pathology undergraduate education and over the last year and a half have been coordinator of the Preclerkship Curriculum (first two years) for our new integrated medical curriculum at my school. I am also very active in University wide faculty development courses serving as a mentor for Teaching Portfolio workshops and as a mentor in our Master Teacher program. I also give faculty development seminars both locally and nationally
– primarily related to copyright issues and web based teaching.IAMSE has been an important part of my academic life. I am a charter member and have served on a program planning committee, the board of directors, as the technology committee chair, and most recently as vice-president. I have also led faculty development courses and focus sessions at various IAMSE annual meetings.
Noel T. Boaz, Ph.D., M.D.
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Over the past five years I have served as Course Director for both Gross Anatomy I and II at Ross Universitry School of Medicine, as a PBL Director, and as Co-chair of the systems-based curricular subcommittee for first and second semesters. I developed with faculty colleagues a Masters degree in Anatomy and a vertically integrated Gross Anatomy-Histology-Pathology program for medical students at RUSM.
I have regularly attended IAMSE meetings, presented posters, served as a member of the Genomics Interest Group, and organized a Faculty Development Focus Group for the 2007 meeting. I completed the ESME faculty development program at IAMSE 2007.
I am committed to putting greater emphasis on the "International" in IAMSE, to greater integration of subject material in the basic medical sciences, and to a policy of maximum inclusion, both in terms of membership of IAMSE and of the medical student populations that we serve.
Steven Chaney, Ph.D.
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I have been teaching biochemistry to first year medical students at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for 35 years. In 2000 I was asked to be Course Director of the Medical Biochemistry course and in 2002 I was asked to be Co-Chair of the First Year Medical Curriculum Committee and a member of the Curriculum Management and Policy Committee for the medical school. I still remain actively involved in medical student teaching and have been awarded the Freshman Basic Science Teaching Award by the medical students in both 2003 and 2005. It was in my roles as both teacher and curriculum leader that I attended my first IAMSE meeting in 2002 and became a member. I found the networking with other dedicated teachers and course directors to be invaluable. In 2003 I was asked to co-chair a task force on revamping the first year medical curriculum. Using many of the ideas that I had picked up from the IAMSE meetings of 2002 and 2003, we were able to develop a fully integrated first year curriculum. As an IAMSE Board member my goal would be for IAMSE to continue to be a forum for innovative approaches and a resource for medical schools as we grapple with the challenges of the next few years. The top two challenges for US medical schools are the logistics of expanding the number of medical graduates that we produce and simultaneously adjusting our curricula to the proposed changes in the USMLE examination schedule. Other important challenges are developing curricula that meet AAMC standards for professionalism and vertical integration. Undertaking all of these challenges simultaneously will require innovative approaches to medical education and IAMSE should play a leading role in helping our member schools identify the solutions that will work best in their environment.
Peter GM de Jong, Ph.D.
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I have a professional background in Medical Technology and I completed my Ph.D. studies in the field of echocardiography. Currently I have a position at the Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands. There I am involved in the use of computer technology in medical education for our Medical School as well as our School of Biomedical Sciences. At the Center for Education in Internal Medicine I lead a research program in which innovations as well as evaluations in the field of E-learning are performed and general computer facilities are offered to our students, such as a virtual learning environment and mobile learning devices. In the first year of both schools I teach our students about the computer facilities available, and in both curricula I am involved in several courses. Most recently we set up teaching Anatomy and Pathology by using experimental computer technology in our Anatomical Museum.
Out of my active involvement in the Slice of Life community I have become an IAMSE member. I participated in the 2007 IAMSE annual meeting in Cleveland and in an IAMSE strategic board session at the AAMC meeting in DC. I am a member of the Program Committee for this year’s annual meeting and recently appointed to be site host for the 2009 meeting of IAMSE to be held in Leiden, The Netherlands. At this very moment I am preparing that meeting by chairing the Program Committee. So in a very short time I have become very much involved with the association.
For a period of seven years I have been a Board member of the Netherlands Association of Medical Education (NVMO) and fulfilled the office of Secretary and Treasurer. NVMO and IAMSE are two organizations with many similarities, with IAMSE having a strong international perspective. However, IAMSE is still not well known outside of the US. As a Board member, I can help IAMSE reach her international goals. Based on my NVMO Board experience I believe I have much to contribute. I can offer to be a link to our existing and future membership in the Netherlands and Western Europe.
Richard Feinberg, Ph.D.
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My teaching responsibilities include: Integrated Structure and Function (ISF) is a first year medical course that combines histology and physiology. I deliver 10 hours of lecture and spend 38 hours in the teaching laboratory. I also significantly developed a pre-matriculation program known as the FIRST Program (Freshman Introduction to Resources, Skills and Training). I have been the course director for a graduate course entitled Fundamentals of Biomedical Science 2: Cell Biology from 2003-2007. I gave 21 hours of lecture and was administratively responsible for an enrollment of 98 students. In 2008 I continue to be a full participant in ISF and in FIRST.
I was responsible for transitioning the histology course from glass slides to virtual images - accomplished in seven months. I am also responsible for faculty development programs, and have launched a series of sessions and workshops that aim to invigorate and engage the faculty in improving their teaching mission.
I have been an active member and supporter of IAMSE which has resulted in New Jersey Medical School supporting travel for faculty members to attend the annual meeting.
IAMSE can be at the forefront of addressing some of the most important issues in medical education: Who is doing the teaching? Who are our learners? What is being taught? Is there a pipeline for the next generation of medical educators? What are the learning styles of our current medical students – Are we prepared to teach this new breed of Millennials? What will we be teaching these students in light of the impending changes in the format of the USMLE? Is widespread curricular change necessary in order to assure that our students pass the new USMLE? What is the role of technology in medical education? The IAMSE Board of Directors is an important forum for discussing these issues.
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Matthew Gwee, Ph.D.
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In my view, IAMSE can provide much leadership to the world of medical education as it is the only International Association specifically serving the interests of Medical SCIENCE Educators and, therefore, basic science teaching in the medical school. However, in a globalised world, IAMSE needs to enhance its international image and it should not be too US-centric. The selected venue for IAMSE 2009 in Leiden, Netherlands is indeed a major step forward in projecting the image of IAMSE as an INTERNATIONAL Organization.
I am confident I can make important contributions to the internationalization of IAMSE in view of my extensive experience in basic science teaching (pharmacology) and medical education, as previous Head of department, Vice-Dean of our Medical School, Member of the curriculum Committee, Interim Director, Medical Education Unit, etc). Moreover, I have close interaction and high standing with medical educators in the Asia-Pacific Region. I have been invited to speak at several conferences in the region, including the Asian Medical Education Association (AMEA) Conferences . I am also a Board Member of the Assoc of Med Education of the Western Pacific Region (AME-WPR), International Advisory Panel of the Asia-Pacific PBL Conference.
I am now also much more familiar with the varied activities and membership of IAMSE having attended the past 5 IAMSE conferences, served in the IAMSE 2007 Program Committee and presently a Member of the IAMSE 2009 Program Committee.
I am a facilitator for and also serve as a Member of the International Advisory Board of ESME (Essential Skills in Medical Education) of the AMEE. I now serve as a Member of the International Editorial Board of the journal Medical Education. I am also on the Panel of Reviewers of Med Teacher.
I have a Master of Education Degree from the University of New South Wales obtained in 1981 during the tenure of a WHO Fellowship.
William Jeffries, Ph.D.
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I teach in large and small group sessions to undergraduate medical students in each of their 4 years (Pharmacology and Neuroscience Courses in year 1, Cardiovascular and Renal Courses in year 2, an interclerkship course in year 3 and a senior elective in year 4. I am also the Director of the Pharmacology and Renal courses and the Alternative Medicine elective. I addition to my role as a teacher and basic scientist, I am also the Associate Dean for Medical Education, supervising all four years of the curriculum. I became an IAMSE member in 2003 and have participated in several IAMSE meetings. I co-presented a workshop at the 2007 IAMSE meeting on curriculum change. I have also participated in many IAMSE web conferences. I have also made many national presentations (AAMC, Experimental Biology) on education topics and I am a past chair of the Division for Pharmacology Education of the American Society for Pharmacology and Therapeutics. I am interested in participating more fully in IAMSE as my interests broaden beyond Pharmacology education. In my role as Associate Dean, my focus is on 1) use of effective teaching methods, 2) vigilance with respect to scientific rigor in the curriculum 3) competency in clinical skills 4) evidence based approaches to scientific and clinical reasoning and 5) development of physicians as humanistic practitioners. I feel that my experience in the integration of these aspects of medical education give me the insight to contribute to IAMSE’s mission. As a basic scientist responsible for the administration and development of 4 year medical curriculum, I have a unique perspective that may help the IAMSE leadership in the times ahead.
Susan Kies, Ed.D.
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I’ve worked for a number of years managing a basic science curriculum, assisting faculty and dealing with problems students encounter. I teach an elective course called, Lifelong Learning Strategies that seeks to positively impact individuals’ learning process as they develop as both learners and physicians throughout their medical training. This information has had specific impact on courses such as Physiology and Neuroscience. As a result, student performance in Physiology and Neuroscience has improved. As an educator, my impact on the IAMSE Board of Directors would be to relate excellence in teaching in the medical education environment.
Kirsten Larson, Ph.D.
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I am Kirsten Larson, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Drexel University College of Medicine. As a full-time medical educator, I teach in medical, graduate, and pre-professional courses while directing the Medical Immunology and Medical Genetics courses. Both courses are offered in Drexel’s two preclinical tracks: an integrated curriculum (IFM) and a PBL curriculum (PIL). In addition to sitting on the steering committees of both curricular tracks, I have coauthored multiple interdisciplinary PBL cases, developed integrated course reviews, and introduced team-based learning into the first year curriculum. I have been recognized for my leadership role in promoting graduate and medical student research, and helped to develop a teaching track for our graduate students. I have served on the Medical Student Admissions Committee, Preclinical Promotions Committee, and co-chaired the Educational Resources Committee of the LCME Self Study Task Force. Under my leadership, first year faculty members developed student peer evaluation to incorporate professionalism into the basic science courses. This tool helps students to identify professionalism issues, and identifies students for both commendation and remediation. I have presented several abstracts at IAMSE, AAMC, NEGEA and discipline-specific meetings, and created educational materials that were adopted by other schools.
I have been an active member of IAMSE since 2001. When I was a new faculty member and course director, IAMSE provided me with an important opportunity to learn more about how to teach the sciences essential to medicine and to interact with an international community of like-minded people. Changes on the horizon will likely alter the face of preclinical medical education, making IAMSE’s leadership even more important. I believe that my broad multidisciplinary background in medical education, my enthusiasm for student education, and my commitment to preclinical medical education make me a strong candidate for the IAMSE board.
Kathryn McMahon, Ph.D.
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Teaching activities - I have been teaching various aspects of Pharmacology including autonomics, HIV antivirals, and some endocrine agents to second year medical students, facilitated small groups with first year medical students, and taught pharmacology to masters and Ph.D. candidates in several biomedical graduate programs. Also, I have been involved in overseeing the redesign of a complete 4-year medical school curriculum at TTUHSC - School of Medicine (Lubbock). I recently moved to the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine and am now the lead Pharmacology faculty as well as a College Master in the school. I am intimately involved in the curriculum design of this new medical school.
IAMSE Involvement - I joined IAMSE in 2004. I joined the Publication Committee in 2006 and recently accepted an invitation to join the JIAMSE Editorial Board. I have agreed to also act as the columnist for a new venture in JIAMSE tenatively titled "Medical Education Case Studies" that we hope will begin appearing in the Summer 2008 issue of the journal.
Reason for Nomination: Goals for IAMSE - I wish to be on the Board of Directors because I believe that the mission of IAMSE is very good and would like to contribute to the organization's vitality and growth. I would hope that I bring some new ideas to the organization but more importantly that I would bring another set of hands to work on already very good ideas and activities brought by others already. I believe that medical education is evolving fairly rapidly as schools are expected to teach in more integrated manners as well as expand their class sizes and/or campuses. This combination of pressures has been benefits and dangers that I believe IAMSE can help faculty take advantage of and deal with, respectively.
Veronica Michaelsen, M.D., M.Ed.
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As an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia, I have been involved as an instructional designer with the development and implementation of a clinical skills curriculum as well as direct teaching in several first year courses. In those settings, I work with students primarily on their communication skills, physical diagnosis skills and the ability to direct their own learning, all in a small group settings. I am also nearing the completion of my course work for a Ph.D. in Education Research and Statistics.
For the last three years, I have served on the Board of Directors of IAMSE as well as on several standing and ad hoc committees. On the Web Audio Seminar Committee I served twice as series director. I served as one of four members of the Strategic Plan Review Committee, the 2007 Program committee and most recently, as the chair of the 2008 Program Committee.
I’ve worked hard over the past year and a half learning about the needs and goals of the membership of IAMSE through my work on both the Strategic Plan Review Committee and on the 2008 Program Committee. IAMSE is in a time of change, with the potential to bring in new members from both Slice of Life and the Team-Based Learning Collaborative as we combine meetings with these two organizations. These groups have their own needs and visions that, while subtly different from IAMSE’s, complement and enhance IAMSE’s mission. I would like to continue my work with IAMSE and these groups in order to help IAMSE become an association that is able to meet the needs of it’s entire membership – both existing and new.
Luke Mortensen, Ph.D., F.A.H.A., EMT
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As Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at Des Moines University, I have taught various topics in pharmacology and physiology to osteopathic medical, podiatric medical, physical therapy and physician assistant students for the past twelve years. Additionally, I teach an entire course in nursing pharmacology to undergraduate health sciences students at Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines, IA. During my twelve year tenure at Des Moines University, I have participated in the IAMSE web casts and recently served to prepare the presentation venue in my capacity as Director of Faculty Development. Only more recently have I attended the annual meeting of IAMSE both in Puerto Rico and Cleveland with my growing interest in medical education and faculty development. As our current national health care issues are so closely tied to our well-trained and competent medical practitioners, my desire to be an active member of IAMSE's Board of Director is focused upon supporting and enhancing the organization's role in improving medical education. In observing the current board members and their diversity of discipline specialty expertise that they provide through their active participation, it is my hope to contribute to the international "conversation" and support the enhancement and dissemination of current best practices while also giving voice and audience to innovations in medical education that address common curricular and advanced practice issues of our time. It would be my honor and privilege to serve the efforts of the medical education community and the IAMSE Board in their challenging vision to advance medical education world-wide.
Bruce Newton, Ph.D.
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I have been an IAMSE member since 2001. Since then I have published an abstract each year. From 2003-2005 I was either the secretary or chair of the Development Committee. I was elected as a member of the IAMSE Board in July of 2003, and have been serving in a variety of capacities on the Board since then. In July of 2004, I was elected as the IAMSE Treasurer which, by virtue of that role, makes me a member of the IAMSE Executive Board. Two years ago I accepted the role of Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where I have worked for the last 20 years. This position at UAMS provides additional proof that I have a continued deep interest in promoting the basic sciences in medical student education. Although this new job keeps me busy, I am still able to attend and present research at our annual meetings and to interact with other IAMSE Board Members at the AAMC meetings and during monthly teleconferences. I very much want to continue to be involved in making IAMSE a truly international organization and have long been a strong supporter of our 2009 meeting in the Netherlands. I want to strive towards reaching out to other continents as much as is fiscally possible for IAMSE. In this latter regard, by advising the Board Members I have been a good steward with the monies you have entrusted me as your treasurer. With the awesome and much appreciated help of Ms. Julie Hewett, we have increased our budget surplus each year I have been treasurer by advancing a conservative budget; this surplus of funds has allowed IAMSE to have our first meeting overseas. I will continue to put forth conservative budgets so that we have additional opportunities to go overseas. Now that other organizations see IAMSE’s potential and are merging with IAMSE, e.g., Slice of Life, and the TBL Consortium, IAMSE is becoming "known" as the organization where educational concepts are put into practice in the classroom. I see a great future for IAMSE as we reach out to other educationally-based organization. Finally, I am in favor of increasing membership by promoting IAMSE to basic science educators in select others fields, e.g., Physical Therapy, where the basic sciences also play a vital role in the educational process of obtaining a professional degree.
Ferhan Girgin Sagin, M.D., Ph.D.
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I am Ferhan Girgin Sagin, a full-time professor in Department of Biochemistry. Currently, I run biochemistry courses in Medical Faculty (85 hours) besides the full “Oral Biochemistry” course (96 hours) in Dentistry Faculty.
I have served on the Education Committee of Medical Faculty as the First Year Vice-Coordinator (1998-2004) and on the Vertical Integration Planning Committee (2001-2004) then by which we launced an innovative, fully integrated medical curriculum. Through this critical change process, in addition to my challenging commitment as the Curriculum Director for “Introduction to Basic Sciences Module”, I also served as the Secretary of the “Medical Ethics & Law Education” Committee. I followed my education related track in Turkish Medical Association as the Secretary for the “Basic Sciences Committee”, and in Turkish Biochemistry Association as the Secretary for the “Undergraduate Education Committee”. Currently, I serve as the director of all continuous education programs led by the Turkish Biochemistry Association.
I have recently become a member of IAMSE (2007) and attended the meeting in Cleveland, after which I published a paper “Medical World is Seeking Good Medical Education Practices - Reflections from 11th IAMSE Conference”. Currently, I serve on the IAMSE Development Committee and just recently, was chosen to serve on the Review Committee for 2009 Meeting.
I wish to serve on the Board of Directors, especially to contribute to achievements of missions / goals of IAMSE in Turkiye, which casts a very high potential for “a developing medical education platform” with 47 medical faculties and Europe. I will do my best to promote IAMSE and its membership, as well as the active involvement of the Turkish and European participation in IAMSE activities. I also hope that my prospected appointment will encourage a diverse community of educators from further distances which in turn may contribute to the successful ongoing evolution of IAMSE to a world-wide organization. Finally, as a very enthusiastic and eager Turkish and European member, I will contribute my best to the synergy for achievement of the mutual benefits as well as enjoyable and memorable experiences.
Joseph Stein, Ph.D.
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Since becoming a member of the Association in 2004, I have been an active participant in many of IAMSE’s programs and activities; this year will be the fifth consecutive year in which I have attended our annual meeting. I have been a participating member of the Planning (now Professional Development) Committee since 2005, the Nominating Committee in 2007 and 2008 (now Chair), and the 2008 Program Planning Committee. As a member of the Planning Committee, I have contributed significantly to the development of the Teaching Certificate, and its anticipated evolution into the IAMSE Medical Education Fellowship.
My training was in the area of biochemistry/molecular biology, and for many years I ran an NIH-funded research laboratory. Although I have taught graduate and medical students for over 25 years, about 5 years ago I began the transition from research scientist to full-time medical educator. I am presently Course Director for the MS II Pharmacology course, serve on our institutional Faculty Development Committee, and Chair the Educational Policy Committee, which is responsible for formulating and approving all curricular matters. In addition, I participate in a Medical Education Journal Club, and have become actively involved in an effort to integrate the clinical and basic sciences at Upstate Medical University through student immersion in medical literature courses.
My experience has been that our Association, through it’s annual meeting, provides a stimulating atmosphere and wonderful forum for bringing together academics from all disciplines who are interested in medical education. Therefore, one of my goals as an IAMSE Board Member will be to increase both the numbers and participation of our membership. I have been a consistent advocate for IAMSE as the most effective forum for the exchange of ideas, including methodologies, for the teaching of the medical sciences. As a Board Member, I will also advocate for the adoption, in the very near future, of an IAMSE Medical Education Fellowship as a means of promoting excellence in medical education.
Jack Strandhoy, Ph.D.
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I am currently Secretary of IAMSE and would like to continue my service on the Board of Directors. It’s been a real privilege to participate in the growth of our society. I am a charter member of IAMSE, and have attended almost all of the meetings in the last dozen years. I just completed several years as chair of the Webcast Seminar committee and still enjoy serving on that group, and I look forward to being on the review committee for the 2009 program in Leiden.
I am a Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. I have a long-standing involvement in medical education as past course director of Medical Pharmacology and current course director for a year-long integrated course in Systems Pathophysiology. I am on our Core Teaching Faculty and Curriculum Steering Group and have been honored with 11 teaching awards. Our experience with PBL, TBL, student assessment approaches, and technology in education has given me the opportunity to speak and write about medical education topics at many national and international meetings and to conduct workshops on writing exam questions.
Besides being on the Board of IAMSE, I am Secretary-Treasurer of the Division of Pharmacology Education of ASPET and have served on the Steering Committee for the International Virtual Medical School and on the NBME Pharmacology committee.
IAMSE is the one unique society where the focus is on the development of the medical educator. My goal as a Board member is to help further the resources of IAMSE to make it the essential faculty development organization for medical educators. This involves our annual meetings, webcast seminars, new initiatives with HEAL, and incorporation of new members and ideas into the group. Every medical school and health education program should have members in IAMSE.
Richard Vari, Ph.D.
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My teaching is focused on several levels and this description is a typical yearly distribution. I teach(lectures) renal and cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology to Year 01 and 02 medical students. I facilitate a PBL group in Year 01 of our medical curriculum. I facilitate a small group in our newly developed Interprofessional Healthcare Course. I teach basic and advanced renal physiology and osmoregulation to our graduate students. I teach renal physiology and pathophysiolgy to Occupational Therapy students.
I direct the medical education program for the medical school primarily year 01 and 02 but also via the Office of Medical Education impact the clinical years as well. I was instumental in the development and implelmentation of the Interprofessional Healthcare Course here that involves various helathcare professional students addressing objectives focused on healthcare delivery. I served on the NBME Physiology Step 1 Committee for four years.
I have attended IAMSE on a regular basis and have served on the Program Committee for New Orleans and Salt Lake City. I provided Plenary speaker for Cleveland meeting due to a late cancellation.
I would like to contribute to the vision of the Board utlizing my experience in various types of teaching and assessment of students, administrative skills as an effective Associate Dean for Medical Education, and understanding of new challenges to medical education. I am particularly interested in the curricular effects of impending adjustments to the NBME Step exams.
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Amy Wilson-Delfosse, Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University
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My educational activities over the last 5 years have included the formal classroom teaching and mentoring of both medical and graduate students. Indeed, one of my proudest moments as an educator was witnessing the dissertation defense of my first Ph.D. student. And while I am fulfilled by my graduate education responsibilities and research career (Ras-related GTPases and Parkinson's Disease), I have also been fortunate to have the opportunity to share in the leadership of curriculum reform at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. In 2004 I was appointed to oversee basic science teaching in our medical education curriculum and from that point onward, my engagement with medical education became a truly meaningful and productive part of my professional development. I was introduced to IAMSE in 2005 as I was privileged to be a member of the program planning committee for the 2007 meeting in Cleveland. I attended my first meeting in 2006 and knew at that point that I had found my basic science medical education home. Even though I was a new member, I was welcomed as if I had been with the group for years! The emphasis on faculty development and inclusiveness of all make IAMSE an organization like none other that I have experienced and one that I will continue to benefit from for years to come.
I feel honored to have been nominated for a position on the Board of Directors and hope that my 4 years experience being immersed in curriculum reform here at CWRU School of Medicine will provide valuable insights into the challenges faced by students, faculty and administrators as they work to make basic science education increasingly meaningful in the clinical arena. I believe that IAMSE will continue to play a critical role in supporting faculty along this increasingly important mission.