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IAMSE Spring 2019 WAS Session 3 Highlights

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[The following notes were generated by Mark Slivkoff, PhD]

IAMSE Webinar Series, Spring 2019

Speakers: Kim Dahlman, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine Co-leader, Integrated Science Courses Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville, TN USA

Title: Role of Foundational Sciences in Clinical Years
Series: The Role of Basic Science in 21st Century Medical Education

During last week’s webinar, we learned of the unique curriculum of Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. This week’s presentation by Dr. Kim Dahlman also focused on a non-traditional approach to medical education, specifically on the curriculum at her U.S. medical school, the School of Medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Most medical schools have clear course distinctions between the basic foundational sciences and clinical sciences; first- and second-year students usually spend their time studying the former while “post-board-exam” students in the third and fourth years usually are in clinical rotations and out of the classroom. At Vanderbilt, however, as Dr. Dahlman explained, third and fourth year students are required to take classroom-based courses which are heavily grounded in the foundational sciences.

Dr. Dahlman laid out her agenda for her presentation and subsequently discussed the rationale for foundational science integration, the specifics of the Vanderbilt Medical curriculum (C2.0), the details of the Integrated Science Courses (ISCs), and then the challenges and solutions behind their curriculum.

There is growing evidence that a deep understanding of complex foundational science plays a crucial role in effective clinical decision making.

References:
• Dahlman et al. (2018). Integrating foundational science in a clinical context in the post-clerkship curriculum. Med Sci Edu, 28(1): 145-154.
• Baghdady et al. (2013). Integration of basic sciences and clinical sciences in oral radiology education for dental students. J Dent Educ, 77(6): 757-763.
• Bandiera et al. (2018). Back from basics: integration of science and practice in medical education. Medical Education, 52: 78-85.
• Goldman and Schroth (2012). Deconstructing integration: A framework for the rational application of integration as a guiding curricular strategy. Acad Med, 87: 729-734.
• Kulasegaram et al. (2013). Cognition before curriculum: Rethinking the Integration of Basic Science and Clinical Learning. Acad Med, 88: 1578-1585.
• Kulasegaram et al. (2015). Cause and effect: Testing a mechanism and method for the cognitive integration of basic science. Acad Med, 90: S63-S69.
• Kulasegaram et al. (2015). The mediating effect of context variation in mixed practice for transfer of basic science. Adv in Health Sci Edu, 20: 953-968.
• Mylopoulos and Woods. (2014). Preparing medical students for future learning using basic science instruction. Medical Education, 48: 667-673.
• Mylopoulos et al. (2018). Twelve tips for designing curricula that support the development of adaptive expertise. Medical Teacher, 40:8, 850-854.

IAMSE to visit AACOM 2019 Conference in Washington, DC

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The 2019 American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Educating Leaders Conference will be taking place in Washington, DC, USA from April 10 – 12, 2019. The IAMSE booth will be present at the conference to exhibit, so if you plan on attending this meeting, do not forget to swing by and say hello!  

AACOM 2019

 There will also be an IAMSE-sponsored Symposium titled “The Role of Data in Health Sciences Education and the Impact on Faculty Development” led by Peter GM de Jong, Frank J Papa andElizabeth K McClain. The session will be held Wednesday, April 10 from 3:15pm – 4:15pm. For more information on the AACOM Meeting, please click here.

#IAMSE19 Faculty Development Course Highlight: “Not Everything That Counts Can be Counted:” Introduction to Qualitative Research

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The 23rd Annual IAMSE Meeting is just around the corner, and we would like to showcase one of our many new Faculty Development Workshops: “Not Everything that Counts can be Counted:” Introduction to Qualitative Research. This full-day workshop will be given on Saturday, June 8 and will be led by Stefanie Attardi, Stephen Loftus, Valerie O’Loughlin and Jason Wasserman.

Workshop: “Not Everything that Counts can be Counted” Introduction to Qualitative Research
Time: Saturday, June 8 from 8:30 AM – 3:15 PM
Speakers: Stefanie Attardi – Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Stephen Loftus – Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Valerie O’Loughlin – Indiana University School of Medicine – Bloomington
Jason Wasserman – Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Additional Cost: $275.00 USD

Educators often want to know about how people understand or perceive aspects of their educational experience or professions. Qualitative research represents a systematic approach to narrative (spoken or written) or visual data that leaves intact the robust experiences of people, thereby representing an important way of interrogating education and improving health professions education.
 
Through short, interactive didactic presentations, small group discussions, practice activities, and peer presentation, the speakers will introduce participants to several aspects of qualitative research. Working from the attendee’s own research interests, during the workshop the participant will write a qualitative purpose statement, synthesize usable qualitative research questions, select an appropriate study design, and plan methods for data collection and analysis.

Additional details about this and our other Faculty Development Workshops, as well as registration information, can be found at http://www.iamseconference.org.

Focus Session Abstract Submission Deadline is March 30, 2019

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This is the last call for submitting abstracts for Focus Sessions at the special, one-day IAMSE conference to be held in conjunction with the 2020 Ottawa Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 28, 2020. All abstracts must be submitted in the format requested through the online abstract submission site found here. More information about the one-day conference can be found on the IAMSE annual conference page.

Abstract submission deadline is March 30, 2019.

Abstract acceptance notifications will be returned by May 1, 2019. Please contact Danielle Inscoe at Danielle@iamse.org for any questions about submission.

#IAMSE19 – Plenary Speaker Highlight: Craig Lenz

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The 2019 IAMSE meeting offers many opportunities for faculty development and networking, and brings medical sciences and medical education across the continuum together. This year’s main topic is Adapting to the Changing Times in Health Sciences Education. One of our four confirmed keynote speakers is Craig Lenz from the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine in Dothan, Alabama, USA. Dr. Lenz will be speaking on Hospice and EOL in the Medical School Curriculum.

Hospice and EOL in the Medical School Curriculum: How to Immerse Our Students in a Transformational Experience
Presenter: Craig Lenz – Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Plenary Address: Tuesday, June 11, 2019, 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM

Is how we have recently introduced EOL and Hospice into the year 1 and 2 classroom setting really change our students’ attitudes and skills dealing with patients dying of chronic illness? Dr. Lenz’ hypothesis is that we have driven home a culture of prolonging life that is a barrier to offering Hospice to our patients. How can we introduce Hospice into the curriculum that will change how students recognize their own mortality in a way that truly transforms how they will deal with their patients and families in a practice that is essential to the quality of patients’ lives “with 6 months or less to live”? Can we find a way to give them abilities to offer information enabling the patient to direct their wishes regarding the quality not the quantity of their final days? Dr. Lenz will engage you in a way he believes you can achieve this in your curriculum. There will be 15-20 minutes to engage in any questions, comments or sharing of experiences at the end of his address.

For more information on Dr. Lenz and to register for the 23rd Annual IAMSE Meeting, please visit www.IAMSEconference.org.

IAMSE Spring 2019 WAS Session 2 Highlights

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[The following notes were generated by Mark Slivkoff, PhD]

IAMSE Webinar Series, Spring 2019

Speakers: Brenda Roman, MD
Associate Dean for Medical Education, Wright State University
Mary Joe Trout, Pharm D, BCPS, BCGP
Director of Foundations Curriculum, Wright State University
Irina Overman, MD
Director of Therapeutics Curriculum, Wright State University

Title: Lecture Free for Gen Z
Series: The Role of Basic Science in 21st Century Medical Education

The curriculum of the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University was the focus of IAMSE’s second thought-provoking webinar in the Spring 2019 Series. During their presentation, Dr. Brenda Roman, Dr. Mary Joe Trout, and Dr. Irina Overman discussed many facets of the unique lecture-free curriculum.

The curriculum was designed for students of “Generation Z”, a population made up of individuals born between 1995 and 2010. This generation has grown up with access to more information than any other generation before them. They are technologically advanced since they have grown up with smart iPhones, iPads, and fast internet with immediate access to Google. They are heavy users of social media and value privacy as well as security. Social justice movements such as legalization of same-sex marriage and “Black Lives Matter” have led this generation to believe that they have the power to change the world. Their concerns center around the well-being of everyone around them rather than just themselves, a mindset which differs from the previous “Millennial” generation.

So, Dr. Overman continued, what do we medical educators do, knowing Gen Z is in our classrooms? We should embrace their generational characteristics and capitalize on them in the classroom. Knowing that information is readily available and that these students thrive on independent learning and technology, we can design classroom projects which allow for independent learning. In addition to the value they place on independent learning, these students prefer “hands on” learning, application to “real life”, and a focus on community engagement. They also view their peers and instructors as valuable resources. Our presenters emphasized that health care requires group interaction, therefore these students must also be involved with group learning which works well after the students have been observers first.

The curriculum at Boonshoft School of Medicine allows for all of these preferences. Besides the focus on learning preferences, the curriculum was also designed with activities which maximize retention. Our presenters pointed out that that lectures—although an easy way to transmit information from faculty to students—are quite ineffective ways to learn. Therefore, the school removed them from the curriculum.

How do Boonshoft’s instructors guide the students in learning the massive amounts of information without lectures? They use low stakes engaged learning sessions in which the students are involved in the discussions, teaching others and practicing their craft. Students, Dr. Overman continued, set the stage for their own lifelong learning. Mandatory sessions occur daily and are not recorded. Since the majority of learning occurs in these sessions, students recognize that a missed session is a missed learning opportunity, and therefore overall attendance problems are very rare. Students are allowed up to four unexcused absences per semester.

At the beginning of the first year, students are required to read Make It Stick by Brown et al. The initial session centers on the science of learning, specifically the students learn how to instruct their peers. The following sessions involve a mix of various learning strategies that have been proven to work, including:

• Interleaved practice (practice multiple skills at once)
• Elaborative integration (learn until you understand it well enough to teach)
• Self-explanation
• Distributed practice
• Practice-testing (quizzing yourself, flashcards)
• Retrieval-based learning (working towards understanding builds memory)

The instructors explain to the students that learning is difficult and that the curriculum is challenging. Students are encouraged to foster a growth mindset; they need to have a willingness to learn from reading and must be comfortable with not having a mastery of the material before each session.

Dr. Trout continued the discussion and described that the curriculum is built around four major modalities:

• Peer instruction
• Team-based learning
• Multiple choice questions
• WrightQ

At the beginning of most sessions, a USMLE-style multiple choice question is projected on the screen. The students have 1.2 minutes to read and answer the question on their own (captured by their student response system, Turning Point). Students are then given time to discuss their answers among themselves. Afterward, a student is selected at random to explain their choice. At this time, the faculty member can clear up any misconceptions and address topics the student found challenging.

Dr. Trout explained that this type of engaged learning requires paying attention to some important considerations since students are not used to this type of learning. Students must know how to read a textbook to maximize learning, and instructors need to be careful not to overload them with too much or too complicated pre-assignments. Students are told that each 1-hour session requires about 2-3 hours of preparation time, and that they should set aside time immediately following the session to consolidate their knowledge.

Dr. Roman took over the final portion of the webinar during which she described the design of the curriculum, comments from students, and their success in the program. Overall, the curriculum has proven to be very effective but further analysis of the data (a process currently underway) should help them understand why learning (and Step 1 scores) are on the rise.

When designing the new curriculum, faculty members and administration had to all be “on board” with the switch to a lecture-free environment. Most faculty members made the switch, but some clung to their belief that being a “sage on a stage” is most effective, and parted ways with the college. Dr. Roman went through a list of what the college did right, including:

• Utilizing true backward design of the curriculum
• Establishing a policy of 20 hours face time per week
• Holding firm for faculty NOT doing lectures
• Establishing consistency across modules for the teaching/learning sessions
• Getting constant feedback from students
• Being flexible when possible
Dr. Roman also explained what they should have considered when moving completely to a lecture-free curriculum:
• Better anticipate faculty needs (preparation time is very large)
• Do not adopt other significant changes (like an LMS) at the same time
• Better explain the “Why” and “Positive Impact” than Gen Z students require

At the conclusion of the webinar, a large number of questions were asked and answered, but a much larger number were logged but not answered due to time. Clearly, the presentation captured the attention of literally hundreds of educators most of whom are not teaching at a college which has done away with lectures.

For more information about Drs. Roman, Trout and Overman’s May workshop on Peer Instruction, please visit this link.

ScholarRx Leads Pre-conference Session For Students

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During the upcoming IAMSE meeting in Roanoke, there will be a terrific pre-conference session for students. We are very excited to offer this workshop in partnership with ScholarRx on the topic of New Educator and Scholar Training (NEST): A Professional Development Workshop for Students. Best of all, students can attend at no charge!

The highly interactive New Educator and Scholar Training (NEST) workshop will introduce student participants to a framework for medical education professional development and promote major domains including curricular design, pedagogic strategies, and education scholarship (Chen et al., 2017; Freret et al., 2017). The NEST workshop is customized towards the needs of health professions students who self-identify with a strong interest in long-term career development in education. Prior formal training is not a prerequisite for participation.

For more information on this and other workshops, or to register for the 2019 IAMSE Meeting, visit www.iamseconference.org.

ScholarRx Logo

ScholarRx is a mission-based organization of passionate medical educators, designers, and technologists dedicated to building a healthier world through accessible, sustainable medical education. ScholarRx offers a revolutionary, low-cost, multi-competency curriculum system featuring interconnected “learning bricks.” Through USMLE-Rx and the First Aid text series, ScholarRx provides high-stakes exam preparation for over 150,000 students and physicians each year.

For more information on ScholarRx, please visit www.scholarrx.com and www.usmle-rx.com.

#IAMSE19 – Plenary Speaker Highlight: Don Cleveland

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The 2019 IAMSE meeting offers many opportunities for faculty development and networking, and brings medical sciences and medical education across the continuum together. This year’s main topic is Adapting to the Changing Times in Health Sciences Education. The first of our four confirmed keynote speakers is Don Cleveland from the University of California, San Diego, USA. Dr. Cleveland will be speaking on translational research and gene silencing therapy.

Getting Translational Research Into the Classroom: The Promise of Gene Silencing Therapy for Diseases of the Aging Nervous System
Presenter: Don Cleveland
Plenary Address: Sunday, June 9, 8:45 AM – 9:45 AM

Remarkable advances are altering therapy options for previously intractable diseases, including for diseases of the aging nervous system. With an aging population and therapies on the horizon to alter the course of neurogenerative diseases, today’s medical curriculum should include the rationale and promise of these emerging approaches. Recent advances in gene therapy research have highlighted how sustained gene silencing within neurons and non-neurons throughout the nervous system has been achieved using a clinically feasible approach with “designer DNA drugs”. This approach has slowed disease progression in genetic mimics of inherited ALS and has produced prolonged, partial disease reversal in models of Huntington’s disease. A similar designer DNA drug has successfully corrected an error in the assembly of an RNA intermediate, thereby restoring production of the gene product whose absence is the cause of spinal muscular atrophy, one of the most abundant inherited diseases of children. Furthermore. for the most frequent genetic cause of both ALS and the second most frequent dementia (frontal temporal dementia), single dose administration of a designer DNA drug has reduced the synthesis of the toxic product of the mutated gene and prevented age-dependent cognitive disease. Building on these advances in clinical science, this talk will highlight the importance of cutting edge basic science for medical science students in training, highlight approaches for its successful integration, and explore how scientists and educators can work together to deliver this important aspect of healthcare into traditional anatomy and physiology courses. 

For more information on Dr. Cleveland’s plenary address, and to register for the 23rd Annual IAMSE Meeting, please visit www.IAMSEmeeting.org.

Early Bird Registration for the 23rd Annual IAMSE Meeting Ends March 15!

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The 2019 IAMSE Annual Conference is right around the corner! The Early Bird Deadline is March 15. Currently, registration is $725/$825 for member/non-member. After the Early Bird Deadline, rates will increase to $800/$900 for member/non-member registration. Be sure to register before this deadline to receive the reduced rate!

The IAMSE attendee room rate is $189 per night at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. The special room rate is for the nights of June 7 – 11, 2019. This special rate will only be available until May 10, 2019.

After May 10, the hotel cannot guarantee a room for IAMSE attendees, so be sure to book your hotel before the cut off!

To make your reservations please follow this link.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let us know at support@iamse.org. Additional meeting details and registration can be found at http://www.iamseconference.org.We’re looking forward to seeing you in Virginia! 

Say Hello to Our Featured Members: Eve Gallman and Amy Baldwin

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Amy Baldwin

Our association is a robust and diverse set of educators, researchers, medical professionals, volunteers and academics that come from all walks of life and from around the globe. Each month we choose a member to highlight their academic and professional career and see how they are making the best of their membership in IAMSE. This month’s Featured Members are Eve Gallman and Amy Baldwin, pre-conference workshop presenters at the 2019 IAMSE Annual Meeting in Roanoke, VA, USA.

Eve Gallman, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurology
Phase I Coordinator
Augusta University/University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia, USA

Amy Baldwin, PhD
Associate Professor of Microbiology
Assistant Phase II Coordinator
Augusta University/University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia, USA

“Using Improvisation to Enhance Communication Skills for Students and Educators”*
Saturday, June 8
12:15 PM – 3:15 PM

During the process of becoming a clinician, medical students are required not only to master a large knowledge-base, but to master a number of other skills, one of the most important of which is the ability to communicate with patients and team members. They have to learn how to deeply listen and engage appropriately, to respond with honesty and integrity, to participate in the moment, and to think on their feet. Not surprisingly, these communication skills are also essential to the work of the medical educator. Improvisational theatre is a discipline that has been used in many settings, including health care education, to promote and improve robust communication skills. In this workshop, we introduce some basic concepts of improvisational practice and discuss how they are related to mindfulness and more generalized communication skills. More importantly, participants will gain first-hand experience with several improv structures in a supportive, collegial environment.

Why is this a perfect topic to cover at the 2019 meeting?
Amy – It is a perfect topic for every IAMSE meeting. The importance of communication skills and finding ways to teach, practice and enhance those skills for medical students is of the utmost. Most of (a medical professional’s) day is going to be spent communicating with team members and patients.
 A big part of the workshop is spending time with exercises with listening. You have to be present – it’s huge and number one with this. I would argue that this is most crucial in the medical profession. As educators, you have to be aware of what’s going on and think and react on your feet. It’s a form of mindfulness. You have to be completely present in the moment. You have to be able to listen and “take offers.” You don’t block, you don’t negate, you accept those offers.

Where did you draw inspiration for creating the workshop?
Amy – My husband actually did improv with a local troupe. He said, “Wouldn’t this be a great way to improve the communication skills of medical students?” After some research, we found that other speakers were already doing this type of workshop (Katie Watson at Northwestern University) and we found some research that supported the idea. In a sense, we use it in our small group learning for first and second-year students where we act out scenarios. They think through questions that patients and family members may be asking them. The play aspect, playing games and being able to build your communication skills through play, are practice exercises that are just fun that don’t require skill, just a willingness to participate. 

Will there be activities that require performing in front of the group?
Eve – The warmup exercises set people up to want to participate. We want to encourage a willingness to participate and interact.

Amy – We will always ask for volunteers. This is a totally safe space. You cannot do anything wrong. No one is judging you and certainly, no one is judging on exactly what you say. This is a creative space. The willingness of our students, even those who English is not their first language, are learning more than just verbal communication skills. This is learning a way to express themselves (through action) that has been really rewarding to see.

Sounds fun! What type of activity will participants engage in?
Amy – “Pecking order” is a group game for 3-5 participants. Each player silently picks a number between 1 and the number of players in the scene, keeping their number secret. A suggestion is taken from the audience, setting the scene in which each player portrays their chosen status: ‘1’s being higher in status than ‘2’s, ‘2’s higher than ‘3’s, etc. Each player must decide how to position his/her status with respect to their scene partners without knowing others’ chosen status. At the end of the scene, the audience guesses each player’s number.

So, who should take this session with your group?
Eve – We are trying hard to increase our outreach to students. Anything we can do to put on a workshop to students is as helpful to anyone else is great. This one is geared toward people who need to communicate with one another.

*There is an additional fee of $150 to register for this pre-conference workshop session.

To learn more about the 2019 IAMSE Annual Meeting, including the plenary speakers, workshops and networking opportunities, or to register, please visit www.IAMSEconference.org.

Reserve your spot before March 15 to ensure the Early Bird Discount!

IAMSE Spring 2019 WAS Session 1 Highlights

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[The following notes were generated by Mark Slivkoff, PhD]

IAMSE Webinar Series, Spring 2019

Speaker: Ronald M Harden, OBE MD FRCP(Glas) FRCS(Ed) FRCPC
General Secretary, Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE)
Editor of Medical Teacher
Professor of Medical Education, University of Dundee, United Kingdom

Title: The Changing Roles of the Basic Science Educator
Series: The Role of Basic Science in 21st Century Medical Education

The IAMSE Webinar Series this Spring began with a presentation by Dr. Ronald M. Harden, an internationally recognized medical educator who has authored numerous books, hundreds of research articles, and who also pioneered the use of the OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). The series, unarguably, got off to a great start!

Dr. Harden prompted the audience with his first question: What is expected of the teacher? He explained that teachers must 1) understand their role as the teacher, 2) have a mastery of the subject, 3) possess teaching abilities and 4) understand the course in which they are teaching. Dr. Harden turned his focus to what he deems as the eight roles of the medical teacher, which is described in detail in his new book co-authored with Pat Lilley and published in 2018 (all resources are cited at the end of this article).

These eight roles, each upon which he expanded during his hour with us, are as follows:

  1. Information Provider and Coach
  2. Facilitator and Mentor
  3. Curriculum Developer and Implementor
  4. Assessor
  5. Role Model as Teacher and Practitioner
  6. Manager and Leader
  7. Scholar and Researcher
  8. Professional

The information provider is the conductor or transmitter of information. As curator of information they are responsible for finding, sorting, organizing, recommending and personalizing learning resources. In this role they also serve as a coach of the students as information seekers, and recognize that the problem of information overload is real; there has been a huge expansion of knowledge while the time for training has not increased, therefore all the information required by a doctor cannot be covered in the curriculum. Students must be empowered to ask the right question, identify a source of information, and evaluate the answer.

The good teacher helps the student to learn, another point made by Dr. Harden as he turned to the teacher’s role as facilitator. The facilitator should not default to self-directed learning in which the students are on their own. Rather, the facilitator directs self-learning and does not merely “throw his students into shark-infested waters.” To facilitate learning, medical teachers must make learning effective, engage the learner in the activity, clarify the learning outcomes, and identify learning opportunities. Dr. Harden also mentioned that putting together study guides is a great way to facilitate learning.

The next role discussed was that of curriculum developer and implementor. He emphasized that medical teachers should be familiar with the school’s curriculum, that they should plan and implement their course in line with the curriculum, and that they should evaluate the curriculum and plan for change. Dr. Harden briefly spoke of the “SPICES” model of curriculum analysis. Where, he asked, does your school want to be?

  • Student-Centered or teacher centered
  • Problem-based or information based
  • Integrated or discipline-based
  • Community-based or hospital-based
  • Elective driven or uniform
  • Systematic or opportunistic

Every teacher also has a responsibility to be an effective assessor. There are various types of assessments used in medical education today including authentic, competency-based, or programmatic assessments. There are also portfolios as well as feedback to our learners. Whichever tool or tools we use, we must choose wisely.

Next, Dr. Harden discussed what he considers to be a forgotten role, that of role model. As major players in the learning environment, he explained, medical teachers are ideally placed to influence students’ lifestyle and career choices. Additionally, teachers help students acquire the necessary professionalism and behaviors as they progress through the many years of undergraduate and graduate medical education.

Of increasing importance is the teacher’s role as manager. Dr. Harden supported this increased importance by pointing out numerous education developments and trends including:

  • Integrated teaching
  • Interprofessional education
  • Outcome-based education
  • Education developments
  • Involvement of stakeholders (students, teachers, technologists, educationalists, patients, health care providers)
  • Unbundling the curriculum

He described unbundling the curriculum in terms of what medicals schools should not try to do, which is to be self-sufficient in the delivery of its education program. The medical school does not have to be in charge of everything. Other organizations should help share curriculum planning, teachers, educational expertise, learning resources, and learning opportunities.  

Dr. Harden continued around his pie chart and stopped on the next role of scholar. He emphasized that teachers are professionals rather than technicians, and that they should reflect on their teaching. Additionally, teachers need to make evidence-informed decisions, carry out education research, and innovate to improve their teaching. He emphasized that research for teachers should be research by teachers. Lastly, in a plug for the upcoming IAMSE meeting in June, he mentioned that Dr. Sue Jones has a story to tell.

Related to the role of scholar is the final role which Dr. Harden addressed, the role of professional. Teachers should have a recognizable standard of behavior and should meet their professional responsibilities. Teachers must acquire necessary competencies, stay up-to-date, inquire into and evaluate their competence as a teacher, and display civic professionalism. Furthermore, teachers must support personal wellbeing not only for their students and colleagues but also for themselves.

Dr. Harden concluded his presentation with a question (via an online poll) posed to the viewers: What is the most important role? Survey results indicated that about 50% of respondents agreed that the role as facilitator is first on the list. Dr. Harden asked each of us in medical education to always think about our roles as educators.

Books, Articles, and Websites cited (in order of presentation):

  1. Pontefract, D. (2016). The Purpose Effect. Building Meaning in Yourself, Your Role, and Your Organization.
  2. Harden, R.M. and P. Lilley. (2018). The Eight Roles of the Medical Teacher, 1st Elsevier.
  3. Harden, R.M. and J.M. Laidlaw. (2017). Essential Skills for a Medical Teacher, 2nd Elsevier.
  4. Dent, J.A., R.M. Harden and D. Hunt. (2017). A Practical Guide for Medical Teachers, 5th Elsevier.
  5. aspire-to-excellence.org
  6. Harden, R.M., J.M. Laidlaw, and E.A. Hesketh. AMEE Education Management 16: Study Guides: their use and preparation.

*Reminder* #IAMSE2020A in Kuala Lumpur – Call for Focus Sessions

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The deadline for submitting abstracts for Focus Sessions is quickly drawing near for the special, one-day IAMSE conference to be held in conjunction with the 2020 Ottawa Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 28, 2020. All abstracts must be submitted in the format requested through the online abstract submission site found here. More information about the one-day conference can be found on the IAMSE annual conference page.

Submission deadline is March 30, 2019. Abstract acceptance notifications will be returned by May 1, 2019.

Please contact Danielle Inscoe at Danielle@iamse.org for any questions about submission.