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 Andrea Belovich.
Andrea Belovich, PhD
Vice Chair of Biomedical Sciences & Associate Professor of Pharmacology
Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
Meridian, Idaho, USA
How long have you been a member of IAMSE?
I first became aware of this organization in 2018, due to the Web Audio Seminar (WAS) series subscription offered to me at my home institution. After getting to know more about IAMSE from some of my colleagues, I joined in 2019 and got involved right away as a reviewer for Medical Science Educator. when I attended the 2019 annual conference in Roanoke, VA, I was deeply impressed by how welcoming the IAMSE community is that I wanted to actively participate in it. My work with IAMSE has been so rewarding, and it’s amazing to me just how many people in IAMSE consistently go out of their way to help others develop across all experience levels.
Looking at your time with the Association, what have you most enjoyed doing? What are you most looking forward to?
IAMSE offers so many opportunities for growth and community – it is actually something of a challenge to pick just one thing I have most enjoyed doing most over the last few years. What I have greatly enjoyed about serving with IAMSE is the feeling that every opportunity for my own growth also comes with opportunities to give back and help others grow too. The very first committee I served on was the WAS Committee, which gave me such a valuable perspective as an early-career educator. I grew up so much while serving on that committee, since I was challenged to really dig into the field of health professions education as we developed each WAS series to help support the professional growth of our members worldwide. After finishing my time on the WAS Committee, I volunteered to serve on the Membership Committee, which is dedicated to understanding IAMSE’s membership and how the organization can continue to best serve the needs of our members. I greatly enjoy working with the members of this committee, as they work tirelessly to keep improving the IAMSE experience for all of us. However, I have to say that it’s a tie for me between serving on the Membership Committee and serving on the Program Committee for “most favorite IAMSE experience,” as both groups allow me to work with driven and talented colleagues to help identify and create opportunities for our membership. I am so excited to see our efforts culminate in IAMSE’s 2026 Annual Conference in Augusta, GA, where I look forward to connecting with educators from across the globe.
What interesting things are you working on outside of the Association right now?
I am currently serving a term as Vice Chair of the Biomedical Sciences Department at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine. In this role, I am leaning into opportunities to practice my leadership skills and to support a team of biomedical faculty as our institution grows. I am excited and honored to be creating and leading a Faculty Development/Onboarding program at ICOM for faculty who are new to medical education. It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to collaborate with my clinical and biomedical colleagues to implement this effort, as well as sharing the valuable lessons I have learned from communities like IAMSE. Additionally, I am working with some of my students and our collaborators to publish the results of a Professional Identity Formation research project, which I am excited to share with the broader educational community soon.
As Vice Chair and member of the Program Committee, what do you most enjoy about being a part of that?
To date, being part of the Program Committee is one of the most exciting experiences I’ve had with IAMSE. It is amazing to be part of this group’s efforts to craft a multi-day, international conference, which begins with the “simple” question of, “What will our members find most helpful to their own careers right now?” Building an entire conference experience from this one question requires each member of this committee to bring our own unique perspectives, experiences, and skills to the table as we develop themes, invite plenary speakers, and organize the many high-quality programming submissions from our membership into the collaborative growth experience that is an IAMSE Annual Conference. As Vice Chair of this year’s Program Committee, I get to help bring our ideas together and support our Committee and our Program Committee Chair (Will Brooks) as we connect with plenary speakers and our membership from around the world to curate the best possible programming.
Why should people attend the IAMSE Conference this year?
I am hopeful that this year’s Annual Conference in Augusta, GA, aptly named, “Flourishing Through Change: Adaptability, Innovation, and Growth in Health Sciences Education,” will provide timely support to attendees as we navigate the complex and shifting landscape of health professions education. In addition to offering an exciting lineup of plenary speakers focused on empowering attendees to thrive together and individually, the Program Committee is looking forward to showcasing the contributions and efforts of our membership through forums such as focus sessions, oral presentations, and poster presentations. Above all, it is important for us to stay connected with each other to recharge and keep growing together as colleagues and collaborators.
Anything else that you would like to add?
After being involved in service roles with IAMSE for nearly seven years, I am continually impressed with the engagement I see, not just from my fellow committee members, but from my fellow IAMSE members at large. It probably goes without saying, but it does sometimes need to be said: IAMSE’s offerings, such as the Web Audio Seminars, IAMSE Cafes, Communities of Growth, Virtual Forums, and our in-person Annual Conferences, etc., are all representative of the efforts, knowledge, and passion of IAMSE’s membership. IAMSE is…you. IAMSE is us. So, I’d just like to add, thank you, all of you, for being so engaged with and supportive of our organization. I hope to see you in Augusta this June!