We are pleased to announce that registration for the 27th Annual Meeting of IAMSE, to be held June 10 – 13, 2023 in Cancun, Mexico is now open. At this annual meeting of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) faculty, staff, and students from around the world who are interested in health science education join together in faculty development and networking opportunities. Sessions on curriculum development, assessment, and simulation are among the common topics available at the meeting.
Featured plenary speakers include Professor Kara Caruthers (Meharry Medical College, USA), Dr. Michelle Daniel (University of California San Diego School of Medicine, USA), Dr. Anique de Bruin (Maastricht University, The Netherlands), and Dr. Ricardo Leon-Borquez (World Federation for Medical Education).
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 Member is our 2019 annual meeting site host, IAMSE President Rick Vari.
Rick Vari, PhD Professor & Senior Dean for Academic Affairs Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Roanoke, Virginia, USA
Why was the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine the right choice for the 2019 IAMSE meeting? We are the right choice for the meeting this year because we did a fabulous conference several years ago and we were already in the queue for a future IAMSE meeting. We had some scheduling issues with our original site for 2019 and we were able to step in and fill the void. We have a wonderful hotel site (at the Hotel Roanoke), and the people who came from all across North America for the Collaborating Across Borders V: An American-Canadian Dialogue on Interprofessional Healthcare and Practice, in 2015 really enjoyed it. As a relatively new medical school, we are excited about continuing our growing success in medical education; hosting the IAMSE meeting is a real honor for us.
What opportunities will attendees see in Roanoke that they’ve not seen in years past? Roanoke is a beautiful city to have a conference. We’ve localized the venue, which is a major goal for IAMSE. Attendees and exhibitors will appreciate the layout of the conference site. We are adjacent to the Roanoke Market Square with restaurants, breweries, and shopping featuring local items. There are just lots of opportunities for networking and entertainment. The program is outstanding with presentations and sessions on current and future challenges facing health sciences educators. International abstract submission is up, so more colleagues from other parts of the world may be attending. Increased student participation will be another highlight. This year, IAMSE is also hosting a Taste of Roanoke Street Fair which will replace the annual gala dinner. IAMSE 2019 is going to be a very easy conference to attend. If you can stay for the Grand Extravaganza on Tuesday afternoon it is going to be very special with a hiking trip to a beautiful location on the Blue Ridge Parkway and a visit to the Ballast Point brewery (East Coast operation) for dinner.
Can you tell me more about this new event? We are blocking off the Market Square in downtown Roanoke. We will have tastes of local food, beverages, and music. This is a chance to interact in a casual fun setting with lots of local food and a live band! It’s going to be a lot of fun.
What session or speaker are you most looking forward to this year? I’m looking forward to, of course, the Board of Directors and Committee Chairs meeting. I’ve enjoyed being president and interacting with the Board and Committee Chairs in this planning session provides IAMSE with a sense of solid direction. The plenary sessions also look very strong. I’m interested in the Gen Z session (Generation Z: The New Kids on the Block) and How to Use Disruptive Technology to Make Education Better – Not Just Different.
It sounds likes there is much to look forward to this year. Anything else you’d like to share? The local response from the other medical schools in the area in support of the IAMSE meeting in Roanoke has been very strong. As a new school, this is a tremendous opportunity for us and the other medical schools in the area to get better acquainted.
To learn more about the 2019 IAMSE Annual Meeting, including the plenary speakers, workshops and networking opportunities, or to register, please visitwww.IAMSEconference.org.
Reserve your spot before March 15 to ensure the Early Bird Discount!
The IAMSE booth will be exhibiting at the annual winter meeting of the Group for Research in Pathology Education (GRIPE) in New Orleans, LA on January 24-26, 2019. IAMSE Association Manager Julie Hewett will also be delivering a pre-conference workshop titled, “Using Social Media to Disseminate Your Scholarly Work.” If you plan on attending this meeting, don’t miss this session and do not forget to swing by the IAMSE booth and say hello!
Information on the GRIPE Meeting can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there!
We are pleased to announce that registration for the 23rd Annual Meeting of IAMSE, to be held June 8-11, 2019 in Roanoke, VA, USA, is now open. At this annual meeting of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) faculty, staff and students from around the world who are interested in medical science education join together in faculty development and networking opportunities. Sessions on curriculum development, assessment and simulation are among the common topics available at the annual meetings.
Featured plenary speakers include Don Cleveland, Claudia Krebs, Craig Lenz and Geoff Talmon.
Teach for Transfer: Using Backwards Curriculum Design to Foster Student Understanding
By Alana Newell, PhD
We are excited to welcome Dr. Alana Newell, Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, who will present Teach for Transfer: Using Backwards Curriculum Design to Foster Student Understanding. The session will take place on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 12:00 PM EDT, for the second week of the IAMSE 2026 Spring Webcast Audio Seminar Series titled “‘Tough But Fair’ Standards with Support: Empowering Success.”
This series is tailored for medical educators, particularly those teaching in the pre-clerkship curriculum. We’ll explore how to set ambitious, yet achievable, standards for your students, fostering the rigorous foundation future physicians need. Beyond just raising the bar, this series provides you with practical strategies to ensure your students not only meet these high expectations, but truly excel. Discover how to balance a demanding curriculum with the essential guidance that empowers the next generation of medical professionals.
The full IAMSE Spring WAS schedule can be found on the website.
Below we look at the second week’s presentation:
Alana Newell, PhD
Teach for Transfer: Using Backwards Curriculum Design to Foster Student Understanding
Presenter: Alana Newell, Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine Session Date & Time: March 12, 2026, at 12:00 PM EDT Session Description: It can be difficult for faculty to create aligned learning outcomes, assessments, and instruction that promote learners’ deep understanding and ability to transfer knowledge to real world contexts. The Understanding by Design (UbD) framework offers a structured, backward approach to curriculum design that begins by defining big ideas and measurable outcomes, then moves to the development of authentic assessments and active instructional approaches. This session provides practical tips to help educators apply UbD in their own courses, including strategies for writing outcomes, designing performance-based assessments, and fostering learner-centered experiences. Participants will gain actionable skills to enhance curriculum planning and improve student engagement and competency development.
In 2024, IAMSE refreshed its introductory course in educational principles, previously known as Essential Skills in Medical Education (ESME) to Foundations of Health Professions Education (to be known as the Foundations course).
With the increasing professionalization of medical education, the need for faculty in the healthcare professions to have training in educational principles is widely recognized. While many institutions worldwide offer certificate or Master’s degree courses in medical education, there is a lack of accredited basic level courses. The new Foundations course has been designed to meet the need for an entry level survey of principles in health professions education. Foundations will be of particular interest to faculty who are involved with health professions education for the first time, or who have been given some new responsibilities or assignment relating to teaching. Others will find this course useful as a refresher course or update.
The course is led by two seasoned educators and long-time IAMSE members:
Aviad Haramati, PhD, is a Professor of Physiology and Medicine, and Director of the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Education (CENTILE), at Georgetown University Medical Center. He served as IAMSE’s first president and received the Distinguished Scholar Award, as well as the Edward P. Finnerty Lifetime Achievement Award from IAMSE.
Amber J. Heck, PhD, is Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. She served as Program Chair for the 2023 IAMSE Conference and received the 2020 IAMSE Early Career Award of Excellence in Teaching and Innovation.
IAMSE is pleased to offer the course, which will start Friday, June 5, 2026, at 9:00 AM EDT, a day before the Annual Conference, and it is designed to be specifically relevant to medical science educators. Successful completion of the Foundations course is a pre-requisite for the IAMSE Fellowship Program.
Additional Foundations Course details and registration information can be found by clicking here.
Don’t forget to register before the Early Bird deadline on Wednesday, April 1 to receive a discount on registration costs!
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 Steve Garwood.
Steve Garwood, EdD, MCIS, MLS Director of Faculty Development Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Stratford, New Jersey, USA
How long have you been a member of IAMSE? I joined IAMSE in 2021 and began managing our institutional membership in 2022. As a Director of Faculty Development, I was very interested in ensuring that my faculty was aware of IAMSE and all the learning opportunities available. When I started my position in 2019, I was new to medical education after spending most of my career in teaching, instructional design, and higher education administration. The IAMSE WAS and Cafe sessions especially helped me get acclimated to medical education jargon and processes.
Looking at your time with the Association, what have you most enjoyed doing? What are you most looking forward to? Two things stand out: my time working on the IAMSE Web Seminar (WAS) Committee and with the AI Community of Growth (CoG). I got interested in working on the WAS after years of registering my institution for events and receiving positive feedback from my faculty. I knew this was a group where I could make a positive contribution, and it turned out to be much more than I thought. I’ve met wonderful colleagues, helped plan multiple series, published meeting reports, and more. I’ve also really enjoyed being a member of the AI CoG and am looking forward to my new role as co-coordinator of the group. AI is having a significant impact on healthcare and healthcare education, and I’m delighted to be part of a group that’s helping us all make progress.
What interesting things are you working on outside of the Association right now? I have a couple of articles in progress: one on the accuracy of automated speech recognition transcription in our lecture capture system, and another on teaching students to provide peer feedback. Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from AI, even though we used AI in the analysis for both of these projects. At home, I recently rooted cuttings from one of my favorite plants, a philodendron tripartitum. I love watching things grow and using plants to green up my work and living spaces. I’m really looking forward to spring and to spending time in my flower garden.
As a member of the Program Committee, what do you most enjoy about being a part of that? The Program Committee has been a wonderful, highly organized, and very collaborative effort. I’ve worked on large events, so I was looking forward to bringing my experience to the group. Once I arrived, I was amazed by the skills and experience in the room and by how everyone brought their best to the Committee’s work. I’ve learned so much about how the conference is organized, how decisions are made, and how the Committee and organization handle the many tasks necessary for a successful event. Will (Brooks), the Committee’s Chair, has been a wonderful leader. He’s kept us on track, managed challenges, and ensured that everyone on the Committee has a say in decisions.
Why should people attend the IAMSE Conference this year? I think this year’s theme, “Flourishing Through Change: Adaptability, Innovation, and Growth in Health Sciences Education,” is very timely, and we have a great agenda featuring plenary speakers, focus sessions, and oral and poster sessions. It’s always great to learn from our peers and see all the wonderful work people are doing in the healthcare education space. I think the conference will not only give us time to recharge and meet with colleagues, but also equip us with skills to persevere in these changing times.
Anything else that you would like to add? I’d like to give a special kudos to the IAMSE Medical Educator Fellowship (MEF) program. I completed the program this year, and the experience was extremely helpful. Everything from the Foundations of Health Professions Education program (formerly Essential Skills in Medical Education, or ESME) to the group meetings, individual meetings, and correspondence with mentors was highly professional and extremely educational. I received advice and insight from many knowledgeable individuals, and the project I worked on was published in Medical Science Educator. I highly recommend this experience to anyone seeking to develop their skills as educators, researchers, and leaders.
The Annual Conference of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) offers many opportunities for faculty development and networking and brings together medical sciences and health professions education across the continuum. This year’s theme is“Flourishing Through Change: Adaptability, Innovation, and Growth in Health Sciences Education.”Featured plenary speakers include Kimara Ellefson (Kern National Network for Flourishing in Health, United States), Dr. David Rogers (University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States), Dr. Ken Masters (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman), and Dr. Adaira Landry (Harvard Medical School, United States).
Dr. David Rogers, Chief Wellness Officer, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Future Flourishing: A Proposal for Health Sciences Learner Leadership Development
Presented by: Dr. David Rogers, University of Alabama at Birmingham Date and Time: Monday, June 8, 2026, 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM EDT
It is well established that leaders have a substantial impact on the collective well-being of their teams, which affects team function. However, most healthcare team leaders have not received preparation for their leadership role beyond their own experiences. This deficit in leadership preparation represents a gap in education that could be remedied with a properly designed curriculum. This presentation is a proposal for a leadership development program for early-stage health education learners based on the available literature and the presenter’s experience in healthcare leadership development. Particular attention is given to the unique role that health sciences educators can play in cultivating foundational leadership skills that support learners’ flourishing as future team leaders and members.
IAMSE Communities of Growth (CoGs) are ongoing groups of like-minded individuals who want to informally get together to connect over an area or topic of interest. A Community of Growth is not directly connected to any Committee and is self-organized, and all CoGs are open to all. For more information on IAMSE CoGs, click here.
The AI CoG, CORE CoG, and Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG will all be meeting in March! Below are the details for each meeting. Please note that CoG Zoom links, meeting IDs, and passcodes have changed from what they have previously been. The updated links are listed below.
AI CoG
The AI CoG meeting on Zoom will take place at Noon (12 PM) EST on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. IAMSE AI CoG meetings take place regularly at 12 PM ET on the first Wednesday of each month. For information on how to join the AI CoG, email Doug McKell at douglas.mckell@gmail.com.
At the March AI CoG meeting, we will meet to explore our members’ current use of AI and have a robust discussion around the Freakonomics podcast episode – “Can A.I. Save Your Life?” featuring author, Robert Wachter, of the newly released book “A Giant Leap: How AI is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future.” Our full agenda can be viewed at AI CoG 3/4/26 Agenda.
We will also have announcements/updates from:
Drs. Leah Hammer and Carmel McNicholas-Bevensee on the AI Learning Collaboratives.
Drs. Mari Hopper and Mark Hernandez on the AI Tools Application Workshops.
To join the March AI CoG Zoom meeting, click here. Meeting ID: 966 6621 1082 Passcode: 361577
CORE CoG
The Community Outreach, Research, and Engagement (CORE) CoG meeting will take place at 3:00 PM EDT on Thursday, March 12, 2026. CORE CoG meetings then take place regularly every other month on either Monday or Thursday at 11:00 AM ET or 3:00 PM ET. Dates and times may vary. the CORE CoG is led by Peter Vollbrecht and Natascha Heise.
The topic of the March CORE CoG meeting will be Member Highlight-Research. Amanda Wewer and Madison Laid, medical students at the WMU homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, will present “Early Engagement: Community Health Screenings and Their Impact on Medical Student Empathy and Attitudes Toward Homelessness.”
To join the March CORE CoG Zoom meeting, click here. Meeting ID: 940 7015 6397 Passcode: 086440
Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG
The Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG meeting will take place at 12:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. For more information on the Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG and how to join, contact CoG leaders Jana Simmons (simmjana@msu.edu) or Kearney Gunsalas (gunsalus@uga.edu).
To join the March Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG meeting, click here. Meeting ID: 971 1050 9261 Passcode: 111766
What Really Matters: Student Perspectives on Exceptional Teaching
By George Blackall, PsyD, MBA, ABPP Alec Haas, MD
We are excited to welcome Dr. George Blackall, Vice President, Professor and Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, Penn State College of Medicine, and Dr. Alec Haas, General Surgeon, Metrohealth, who will present What Really Matters: Student Perspectives on Exceptional Teaching. The session will take place on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST, for the first week of the IAMSE 2026 Spring Webcast Audio Seminar Series titled “‘Tough But Fair’ Standards with Support: Empowering Success.”
This series is tailored for medical educators, particularly those teaching in the pre-clerkship curriculum. We’ll explore how to set ambitious, yet achievable, standards for your students, fostering the rigorous foundation future physicians need. Beyond just raising the bar, this series provides you with practical strategies to ensure your students not only meet these high expectations, but truly excel. Discover how to balance a demanding curriculum with the essential guidance that empowers the next generation of medical professionals.
The full IAMSE Spring WAS schedule can be found on the website.
Below we look at the first week’s presentation:
George Blackall, PsyD, MBA, ABPP
Alec Haas, MD
What Really Matters: Student Perspectives on Exceptional Teaching
Presenters: George Blackall, Professor and Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, Penn State College of Medicine, and Alec Haas, General Surgeon, Metrohelth Session Date & Time: March 5, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST Session Description: A silver lining in medical mistreatment? Sounds ridiculous, but that is exactly what happened at the Penn State College of Medicine. In this session, you will learn:
How a learner mistreatment problem fueled system-wide change.
How focusing on eliminating learner mistreatment wasn’t enough.
How shifting the focus to highlighting exceptional teaching engaged learners and leaders.
How analyzing a database of over 3,000 student narratives on exceptional teaching led to three key themes for medical educators to use as a guide to exceptional teaching.
The belief that today’s students don’t want to be challenged is a myth.
Strategies for faculty to engage learners in ways they find to be challenging, effective, and rewarding.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to congratulate Peter Anderson on being awarded the Edward Patrick Finnerty Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be given out at the 30th Annual IAMSE Conference in June. This award is bestowed upon a member who has demonstrated sustained commitment to the advancement of the International Association of Medical Science Educators through exceptional contributions to the organization.
Because of the distinguished nature of this award, members cannot apply for it. Instead, it represents the highest level of recognition conferred by the Board of Directors following selection by past Finnerty Award recipients. This recognition is for an individual whose longstanding service and accomplishments have made a significant and lasting impact on the organization.
2026 Edward Patrick Finnerty Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Peter Anderson
Peter G. Anderson, D.V.M., PhD, is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pathology at Heersink School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Raised in Oregon, Dr. Anderson earned his B.A. in Zoology from the University of Washington and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University. He subsequently pursued a Comparative Pathology Post-Doctoral Fellowship at UAB, where he also completed his PhD in Experimental Cardiovascular Pathology before joining the faculty.
A prolific and visionary investigator, Dr. Anderson maintained an NIH-funded research program for two decades, focusing on cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, and intravascular stents. His scholarly contributions include more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and seven patents. Among these innovations was a groundbreaking drug-coated stent that has been used to treat millions of cardiac disease patients worldwide. Anderson donated proceeds from this patent to the Reverend Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair in Pathology, named in honor of his parents.
Dr. Anderson began teaching medical students during his postdoctoral training and quickly recognized the critical need for faculty development in health professions education. He was fortunate enough to receive a fellowship to the Harvard Macy Physician Educator Program which provided him with a strong educational foundation. He also joined the AAMC Special Interest Group on Basic Science Education and members of this group went on to form the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE), where he served as a founding member and leader in numerous capacities. His roles included Technology Committee Chair, Course Co-Director of the Annual Faculty Development Course in Technology Enhanced Education alongside Jeanne Schlesinger, member of the Program Planning Committee, multiple terms on the Board of Directors, and Vice President under then IAMSE President Pat Finnerty.
Dr. Anderson demonstrated extraordinary foresight by developing one of the earliest comprehensive digital repositories for medical education, the Pathology Education Instructional Resource. The PEIR website was designated the “Best Departmental Web Site” at the Pathology Informatics Annual Meeting in 1999. This pioneering platform—now encompasses more than 40,000 digital teaching images, virtual microscopy, and hundreds of instructional cases—has become an invaluable global resource for students and educators alike.
Anderson has been an impactful educator at UAB; teaching medical, dental, optometry and graduate students. He has received numerous medical student Argus Awards over the decades, as well as the Dean’s Award for Teaching (twice), the President’s Award for Teaching, and the Ellen Gregg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society Award for Lifetime Achievement in Teaching. In recognition of his exceptional contributions to medical education nationally and internationally, Dr. Anderson received the prestigious AOA-AAMC Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award in 2008, recognizing the most outstanding medical educators in the United States and Canada. He was also honored with the Stanley Robbins Distinguished Educator Award from the American Society for Investigative Pathology and the Raible Distinguished Teaching Award in Undergraduate Medical Education from the Association for Academic Pathology. Further reflecting his international impact, Dr. Anderson was appointed a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Medical Education Curricular Development from 2009 to 2014, during which time he collaborated with medical schools in Africa and Taiwan to advance their curricula and to incorporate digital resources in teaching.
In 2023, the Association of Academic Pathology selected D. Anderson as a member of its inaugural class of Distinguished Pathology Educators, recognizing him as one of the most accomplished educators in pathology and laboratory medicine, and in 2025, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine honored him with the Veterinary Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research, celebrating his profound contributions to biomedical research, medicine, public health, education, and veterinary medicine.
It is with sincere appreciation and gratitude to his continued efforts and outstanding support that we bestow this award to our dear friend and colleague, Peter Anderson. Congratulations, and thank you for all that you do for IAMSE.
As a reminder, the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) invites you to join an extraordinary journey of growth and connection through our IM-REACH Mentoring Program.
Why IM-REACH? Whether you’re guiding learners or colleagues through their medical education journey, supporting postdocs in research breakthroughs, or helping faculty navigate career transitions, mentoring is your superpower. The program provides evidence that effective mentorship contributes to meaningful achievements that support career advancement for both mentors and mentees.
What makes IM-REACH Special?
Global Community: Connect with mentors from around the world.
Dual Perspective: Master both sides of the mentoring relationship.
Real Impact: Develop a scholarly project that advances your career.
What the Year-Long IM-REACH Adventure includes:
Kickoff: 3-hour intensive at IAMSE 2026 Conference (in-person or virtual).
Expert Workshops: Bi-monthly sessions based on our acclaimed Mentoring Manual.
Personal Support: Bi-monthly office hours for individual guidance.
Scholarly Growth: Develop a meaningful project tailored to your goals.
Proven Results: Validated assessments track your development.
What Our Alumni Say: “Participants appreciated the structured curriculum, relevance of content, and the balance of conceptual and practical components. The program fostered reflective practice, build mentoring confidence, and expanded cross-institutional mentoring networks.”
Ready to Elevate Your Impact? Key Dates:
Apply by March 15, 2026
Acceptance Notification: April 1, 2026
Payment Due: May 1, 2026 ($500 for IAMSE members and $700 for non-members)
Start of Program: June 6, 2026 (virtual and in-person) – 1/2 day session.
For questions about the IM-REACH Program or how to apply, please contact support@iamse.org. We thank you for your interest and look forward to supporting you in achieving your professional goals in educational scholarship.
We are excited to announce that the IAMSE Board of Directors has approved the AI in Health Professions Education (AI in HPE) Course, a comprehensive, six-month professional development program that guides health professions educators from foundational AI skillsto real-world implementation at their home institutions.
Applications are now open for our inaugural cohort of 25 participants, who will begin the program at the IAMSE 2026 Annual Conference in June.
Course Enrollment Options:
There will be two standalone AI Professional Development Workshops (PDWS) as pre-conference sessions.
PDWS 1: AI Foundations & Tool Exploration (3 hours)
PDWS 2: Advanced Applications in Health Professions Education (3 hours)
These workshops can be attended individually as standalone sessions. Educators who want targeted AI Skill development can register for either or both through the pre-conference workshop system.
The AI Foundations and Advanced Applications workshops serve as the required in-person foundation for the new comprehensive AI in HPE Course. The full course adds:
Mentored Implementation Project (3-6 months with structured support)
Office hours and 1-on-1 consultations with course directors and selected faculty
AI Community of Growth integration for ongoing peer support
Total course commitment: 30-35 hours.
Limited to 25 participants: Application-based selection.
Application Requirements:
500-word project proposal describing an educational opportunity and proposed AI application.
Professional bio highlighting your educational role.
Confirmation that you will attend (or have attended*) the prerequisite Workshops 1 & 2. * Participants that attended the 2025 inaugural AI in HPE Professional Development Workshops are welcome to apply.
The Annual Conference of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) offers many opportunities for faculty development and networking and brings together medical sciences and health professions education across the continuum. This year’s theme is“Flourishing Through Change: Adaptability, Innovation, and Growth in Health Sciences Education.”Featured plenary speakers include Kimara Ellefson (Kern National Network for Flourishing in Health, United States), Dr. David Rogers (University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States), Dr. Ken Masters (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman), and Dr. Adaira Landry (Harvard Medical School, United States).
Kimara Ellefson, National Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Kern National Network for Flourishing in Health
Leading With Purpose in Turbulent Times: Reconnecting to What Matters Most
Presented by: Kimara Ellefson, Kern National Network for Flourishing in Health Date and Time: Sunday, June 7, 2026, 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM EDT
Amid uncertainty and rapid change in health professions education, reconnecting to our core values—and with one another—can be a powerful anchor. Together, we will explore how the interconnected elements of character, caring, and practical wisdom can guide us toward collective flourishing, even in turbulent times. Discover ways of strengthening authentic connection, tapping into communal wisdom, and sparkling systems change through day-to-day practices and small wins. Leave with new perspective and renewed energy for navigating a shifting landscape with hope, clarity, and agency.
Professional Development Workshops: Earn Your Certificate of Attendance in Augusta!
Are you looking for opportunities to develop your professional skills during the IAMSE 2026 Conference in Augusta, Georgia, USA this June? If so, register now for up to two Professional Development Workshops (PDWS)! The PDWS are designed for educators, clinicians, curriculum developers, and academic leaders. In 2025, more than 70 participants took advantage of these workshops. Don’t miss your chance to take part this year!
Solicited by the IAMSE Professional Development Committee on behalf of the Board of Directors, PDWS are IAMSE’s official workshops that award certificates of attendance in designated faculty development focus areas. This year, the PDWS will be offered across four different themes:
AI in Health Professions Education
Engaging Students with Coaching and Outreach
Assessment & Evaluation
Methods for Health Sciences Education Research
Participants will receive a Certificate of Workshop Attendance for each workshop completed. Participants who complete two workshops within the same theme will receive a Certificate of Series Attendance listing both workshops and the overarching theme.
All workshops have been updated for 2026, making attendance worthwhile even for those who participated last year. Those who attended one workshop in a theme last year are invited to return this year to complete the second workshop and earn a full Certificate of Series Attendance.
All PDWS will take place on Saturday, June 6, 2026. Registration for each workshop will be an additional fee of $140.00 USD during registration. Lunch will be provided for all PDWS participants taking two workshops who specify during registration. Already registered? You can still add PDWS to your schedule by modifying your registration. To do so, you may click here.
If you have any questions or would like assistance adding a workshop to your schedule, please contact support@iamse.org.
Don’t forget to register before the Early Bird deadline on Wednesday, April 1 to receive a discount on registration costs!
Thank you, Diego Niño, Professional Development Committee Chair
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) conducts an annual data collection of undergraduate medical education in both the United States and Canada. Each year, the AAMC chooses a few topics and does a deeper dive and anatomy education was a topic that had such treatment, they analyzed and offered this free data snapshot.
What does the future of anatomy for medical students look like? Nearly 98% of medical schools rely on anatomical donors, and most combine this centuries-old teaching approach with modern, clinically relevant technology and imaging tools like CT scans and MRIs. The use of prosection and dissection, opportunities for interprofessional education, and more explored in these latest survey findings.
