Left, Rhiannon Champagne. Right, Farisha Sultan
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 Members are the winners of our Outstanding Student Poster Presentation, Rhiannon Champagne, and Outstanding Student Oral Presentation, Farisha Sultan.
Rhiannon Champagne
MD Candidate, Class of 2027
Texas A&M Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
Farisha Sultan
MD Candidate, Class of 2028
Medical College of Georgia
What encouraged you to become involved with IAMSE as a student?
Rhiannon – I’ve always been interested not only in learning medicine and science, but also in understanding how we teach it effectively. Becoming involved in medical education through near-peer teaching, curriculum development, and educational research showed me how meaningful those efforts can be in shaping future physicians. IAMSE stood out because it brings together educators and students who are passionate about improving medical education through collaboration, scholarship, and innovation.
Farisha – I became involved with IAMSE because I was interested in how medical education can prepare students not only to become strong clinicians, but also thoughtful advocates for patients and communities. Presenting my work on health policy workshops and advocacy showed me that students can contribute meaningfully to conversations about how we train future physicians.
Congratulations on receiving a student presentation award at the annual conference this year! What interesting things are you working on next?
Rhiannon – Receiving the Outstanding Student Poster Award was an incredible honor and reinforced my interest in continuing medical education research throughout my career. I want to give acknowledgement to the group of students that have been helping to spearhead this initiative at Texas A&M College of Medicine. In particular, I’d like to give Kaylie Wenke credit for effectively delivering our research results at the IAMSE conference.
Some of the research we are analyzing next regarding the NPTA program includes the effect of the program on exam performance. We are also working to formally incorporate this program into not only the course we studied during our pilot study, but across all preclinical courses.
Farisha – Receiving the student presentation award was very encouraging, and I hope to continue expanding the research I presented on by creating a health policy and advocacy workshop for medical students. My goal is to help make this type of curriculum larger-scale and more accessible to students at other medical schools, so more future physicians feel prepared to understand policy and advocate for their patients.
What advice do you have for other students thinking about getting involved in IAMSE?
Rhiannon – My biggest piece of advice is simply to get involved, even if you’re early in your training and don’t feel like you have much experience. IAMSE is an incredibly welcoming community where students are encouraged to contribute, ask questions, and learn from experienced educators.
Don’t underestimate the value of educational scholarship. Whether you’re interested in curriculum development, teaching, assessment, or educational research, your perspective as a student is valuable. Present your work, meet people, and take advantage of opportunities to collaborate. Those experiences can have a lasting impact on both your professional development and your future career.
Farisha – I would encourage students to get involved early, even if they feel they are still figuring out their interests, because IAMSE is a welcoming space to learn from educators, physicians, and other students. It is also a great opportunity to present your work, receive feedback, and see how medical education can shape the kind of physician you hope to become.
How does being a part of IAMSE support your future career goals?
Rhiannon – My long-term goal is to become an academic general surgeon who combines excellent patient care with research and medical education. While my primary focus is surgery, I also hope to mentor students, develop educational initiatives, and contribute to improving surgical education throughout my career.
Being part of IAMSE has connected me with educators who share those values and has reinforced the importance of lifelong learning and continuous improvement in medical education. The organization has shown me that teaching is not simply something physicians do alongside clinical practice—it is a meaningful scholarly pursuit that can directly influence future generations of physicians. I look forward to remaining involved in medical education throughout residency and beyond.
Farisha – As someone interested in surgery, IAMSE helps me think about how future surgeons can become better teachers, mentors, and advocates within the clinical learning environment. It also reinforces that being a strong physician is not only about technical skill, but also about communication, leadership, education, and improving systems for patients.