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 Sean Herrin, DC.
Sean Herrin, DC
Associate Professor, Department of Basic Sciences
University of Western States
Portland, Oregon, USA
How long have you been a member of IAMSE?
I’ve been a member since 2015. I began with the Essential Skills in Medical Education (ESME) training with Ron Harden and Adi Haramati. But even before then I did Mind-Body Medicine training at Georgetown University with Adi in 2012.
In your years with the association, what have you been up to?
I serve on the Membership committee as well as serving as a reviewer for Medical Science Educator. I’m also a reviewer for the Journal of Chiropractic Education. I actually received training on being a journal reviewer through MSE at the annual meeting. I’m actively working on a research paper with Amber Heck through the Fellowship program.
Fantastic! What’s the focus of that research?
The project we are working on is an extension of three years of survey research on student distress and burnout, depression and substance abuse. We are working together to combine everything into a presentation and written work to hopefully get published. I’m getting some support (from Amber) but more importantly I’m getting encouragement…from people who are doing the same sorts of things who have a proactive educational attitude.
As a multi-year member, what is a standout benefit that keeps you engaged in IAMSE?
As an educator from the chiropractic field – everyone just being so open and so collaborative has been amazing. You won’t believe how much you get just from sitting at lunch with faculty from other schools. It’s the intangibles that I value more than even specific technique. The broadening of my horizons of what’s being done in our field and the cross pollination is great. For (chiropractic), we’re just a much smaller industry and (IAMSE) has really helped us broaden our horizons. As a clinician coming into a teaching environment, I’ve learned more about what I do in the last three years with IAMSE than in the previous twelve years.
Want to learn more about our collaborative Fellowship program? Click here!