Our Association is a robust and diverse set of educators, students, 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 Member is Tracey Taylor.
Tracey Taylor, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Assistant Dean for Diversity & Inclusion
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
How long have you been a member of IAMSE?
I have been so fortunate to have been at medical schools with institutional IAMSE memberships since all the way back to 2006 (when dinosaurs roamed the earth)! I would say that I REALLY became a member in 2017 when I first volunteered to be an abstract reviewer for conference submissions and attended my first IAMSE meeting in Burlington, Vermont!
Looking at your time with the Association, what have you most enjoyed doing? What are you most looking forward to?
Wow, that is a tough question because I’ve enjoyed so many opportunities at IAMSE. One of my most enjoyable times with IAMSE was being on the Program Committee for the 2025 Calgary conference. Serving with the folks on that committee under the leadership of Samuel Ikonne was a true honor, and having the opportunity to be a part of planning an IAMSE conference in my hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada was such a treat. And that directly leads to what I’m most looking forward to, which is serving as the incoming chair of the WAS Committee. Serving on WAS is a close second as my most enjoyable experience with IAMSE.
What interesting things are you working on outside of the Association right now?
These questions come at a great time because I just returned home last week from being at a conference, and I’m feeling very inspired to start some new health professions education research projects with some new collaborators. On a personal note, as a Canadian, I always look forward to Canada Day (July 1), which I get to celebrate right before the US equivalent of July 4th!
As the new Chair of the WAS Committee, what are you most looking forward to about being able to lead that group? What have you most enjoyed about being a part of the WAS?
I don’t think it’s possible to say enough great things about the WAS Committee…I’ve been a long-time member and have met so many amazing educators during my time on the committee. Having the opportunity to serve as chair is like icing on the cake. I worked with the previous chair (Thomas Thesen) to restructure the planning process which we piloted last year, and it went even better than expected. I’m really looking forward to working with the great members who are staying on and collaborating with the new members to come up with some great series for 2026-2027. And working with Amoritia is fantastic because she always keeps us on track!
With the Fall WAS coming up in a few months, what can people expect from this version of the series? Why should people attend?
The next WAS series for the fall will be entitled “Mind the Gaps: Essential Conversations for Modern Health Professions Education.” It will be a really great series with topics that we have been talking about on the WAS Committee for a while. The series will focus on curricular “gaps”: topics that many traditional curricula have difficulties scheduling (such as nutrition education, social media’s role in learning, and critical thinking). This series will provide health professions educators with practical strategies to keep faculty thriving. You won’t want to miss this one!
As a member of the Professional Development Committee as well, what do you enjoy about being a part of this committee?
It has been so great to work under the leadership of Stefanie Attardi and Diego Nino and see the WAS in the greater context of IAMSE. At WAS, we spend time on the details of each session and so it’s great to take a step back and see the overall perspective in service to the IAMSE membership.
Anything else that you would like to add?
If anyone has any great ideas for future WAS series themes, please reach out and we are happy to add it to our brainstorming list! We encourage everyone to attend the WAS sessions if you are able, and check out the archives if you cannot. It is really a great resource with so many interesting and informative topics that have been highlighted over the years.