About Us > News

News

#IAMSECafe Welcomes Harvard’s Abby Schiff & Wolfram Goessling

Posted by

Learning During & From a Crisis: The Student-Led Development of an Online COVID-19 Curriculum

Stay connected with your colleagues around the globe and join us for this week’s IAMSE Cafe round table discussion. Join our host, Kelly Quesnelle from Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine as she welcomes Abby Schiff and Wolfram Goessling (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA).
 
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 10AM EST – Learning During and From a Crisis: The Student-Led Development of an online COVID-19 Curriculum. In mid-March 2020, a group of students at Harvard Medical School came together to synthesize existing information about the COVID-19 pandemic into a unified learning resource, which is faculty reviewed, frequently updated, and freely available online. It is now used by readers in 132 countries and for credit at 32 medical schools. Drs. Schiff and Goessling will share key insights into the development process, the challenges of presenting rapidly changing subject matter, and the model of student-led curriculum design.

https://curriculum.covidstudentresponse.org/

To join the meeting please click here. The meeting password is IAMSECafe or, if you are calling in from a phone, the numeric password is 778130.

We look forward to seeing you this week!

Zooming far and wide to learn about medical education? Do tell!

Posted by

As you may know, IAMSE maintains a listing of medical education conferences on our website. We’d like to expand our listing of conferences, but to do this, we need your help!

Will you be attending any in-person, virtual or hybrid conferences this year or next year? If you are, please let us know! You can send this information to us via email at support@iamse.org.

Currently, the listing of conferences is located on the IAMSE website under the Events heading as Events of Interest. Here, you will be able to find information on other conferences that may be of interest to you.

A Review from Medical Science Educator from Dr. Kurt Gilliland

Posted by

This month the IAMSE Publications Committee review is taken from the article titled Reviewing the Role of Instagram in Education: Can a Photo Sharing Application Deliver Benefits to Medical and Dental Anatomy Education?, published online in Medical Science Educator, (July 2019), by Naomi Katherine May Douglas, Max Scholz, Matthew Alex Myers, Shivani Margaret Rae, Ahmad Elmansouri, Samuel Hall & Scott Border .

Douglas and colleagues conducted an audit investigating current Instagram accounts focusing on anatomy education and found a variety of successful teaching styles. Their work was a collaboration of the University of Bristol, Brunel University London, University of Southampton, and Southampton General Hospital, all of the UK.

With reduction in curriculum time devoted to anatomy education, faculty have begun to incorporate social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. While these various forms of social media have advantages (e.g., encouraging collaboration/revision, creating enthusiasm, providing quick feedback, and sharing other media easily), they also have disadvantages (e.g., distraction, privacy/safety, need for constant instructor engagement, potential professionalism issues, and possibly no impact on student performance). The authors recognized that Instagram in particular is ultilized more and more by students and thus decided to review its role in medical and dental anatomy education.

Instagram, which was launched in 2010, allows users to share photographs and short videos and to browse images shared by others very easily, expressing comments about and approval of those images. Instagram has become particularly useful for image-based disciplines such as radiology, surgery, pathology, and of course anatomy/histology. The strength of this article is its Instagram evaluation, which was conducted in the fashion of a literature review. Using keywords (e.g., anatomy education, dentistry, medicine, etc.), they discovered and categorized 80 anatomy-related Instagram sites according to search code, page title, date of first post, number of posts, country of origin, discipline/subject area, content type, number of followers at two different points in time, profit status, institutional vs. individual, and staff vs. student.

The authors conclude that Instagram could be helpful for anatomy education in medicine and dentistry due to benefits such as ease of use, hashtags, and effectiveness in conveying visual topics. They also point out, however, that there is a lack of performance data to determine a true impact on education, and they indicate that there are limitations such as passive learning and the requirement of committed staff to oversee the use.

This paper presents an excellent comparison of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram and in a very detailed fashion describes utilization of Instagram in anatomy education in medicine and dentistry with a discussion of pros and cons of its use.

Kurt Gilliland, PhD
Associate Dean of Curriculum
Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Member, IAMSE Publications Committee

Reminder #IAMSE21 Call for Poster & Oral Abstracts Due December 1

Posted by

The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) would like to remind you that the call for poster and oral abstracts is still open for the 25th Annual IAMSE Conference to be held June 12-15, 2021. The IAMSE meeting offers opportunities for faculty development and networking, bringing together medical sciences and medical education across the continuum of healthcare education. New in 2021, IAMSE will be offering registration for the in-person event as well as virtual-only registration.

Submit Your Abstract

Deadline: December 1, 2020

Have you always wanted to submit a poster but you can’t attend the meeting in person? No problem! IAMSE encourages abstract submission for posters and orals even if you are unable to attend the face-to-face meeting in Cancun. All accepted posters and orals will be hosted on our conference website for viewing.

There is no limit on the number of abstracts you may submit, but it is unlikely that more than two presentations per presenter can be accepted due to scheduling complexities. Abstract acceptance notifications will be returned in March 2021.

Register Now for the IAMSE Winter 2021 Webcast Audio Seminar Series!

Posted by

The debate about the pros and cons of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score reporting has been ongoing for over a decade. The issues are complicated and both positive and negative aspects of score reporting can be cited, depending on where you are positioned in the UME-GME continuum. In March of 2019, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), American Medical Association (AMA), the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) convened a multi-stakeholder Invitational Conference on USMLE Scoring (InCUS) to explore issues and concerns regarding the USMLE Step 1 exam and to consider recommendations specific to USMLE score reporting and the broader system of transition from UME to GME. A general consensus emerged: the current UME-GME transition system is flawed and not meeting the needs of stakeholders. As a result of further stakeholder discussions, the USMLE decided that beginning with the administration of Step 1 in 2022, the exam will be scored as pass/fail and no numeric score will be reported. Join IAMSE beginning January 7, 2021, as they present:

USMLE STEP-1 is Going to Pass/Fail
Now what do we do?

In this five-part series beginning Thursday, January 7, 2021, recognized experts from the various stakeholder groups will present and discuss the impact of this decision, identify challenges to their respective programs and explore creative ways to address the consequences of this important medical education milestone. These thought-provoking sessions will include the perspectives of allopathic and osteopathic residency program directors, basic science faculty, undergraduate medical education curriculum designers, clinical educators, and programs that involve international medical students matriculating to the United States.

More Info About the Series

Sessions in the Winter 2021 series include:

  • January 7 at 12pm EST – Mark Jordan and Justin La present “The Challenges of Resident Candidate Assessment and Selection”
  • January 14 at 12pm EST – Doug Gould presents “Pass/Fail Step 1: Implications for a Foundational Science Department”
  • January 21 at 12pm EST – Jonathan Amiel presents “USMLE Step 1 P/F: A UME Curriculum Dean’s Perspective”
  • January 28 at 12pm EST – Brenda Roman and Bruce Morgenstern present “Step 1 Going Pass-Fail: Are We Just Kicking the Can Down the Road?”
  • February 4 at 12pm EST – Jack Boulet and Bob Can present “USMLE Step 1: Osteopathic and International Perspectives”
Register My Institution
Register Myself

As always, IAMSE Student Members can register for the series for FREE! Email support@iamse.org for more information.

Registration Still Open – New Educator & Scholars Training Workshop for Faculty!

Posted by

Join IAMSE this Thursday for this online workshop for faculty! Developed and presented by ScholarRx, the session will provide faculty participants with an introductory, hands-on experience in applying Kern’s Six-Step model to design a complete education activity with appropriate pedagogic strategies. Participants will also explore models of converting medical education design and development into scholarship.

New Educator and Scholars Training (NEST) Workshop for Faculty Sponsored by ScholarRx
Presenters: Elisabeth Schlegel, Colleen Croniger, Yun Weisholtz and Tao Le
Date: Nov 12, 2020
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM Eastern

Register Now!

Spots are limited for this special workshop so make sure you reserve your seat today! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to support@iamse.org. Faculty who have financial constraints (especially international faculty) can contact Matt Harris for tuition relief information. Contact Matt at Matt.Harris@scholarrx.com.

IAMSE November Featured Member – Anthony Brenneman

Posted by

Say hello to our featured member
Anthony Brenneman

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 IAMSE member Heather Christensen, PhD.

Anthony Brenneman, MSW, MPAS
Clinical Professor, Physician Assistant
University of Iowa

How long have you been a member of IAMSE?
I have been a member of IAMSE since 2017.

Looking at your time with the Association, what have you most enjoyed doing? What are you looking forward to? Committee involvement, conference attendance, WAS series, manuals, etc.?
Several things I have enjoyed. The annual meeting is always exciting. It is great to see the energy in the rooms, everyone’s dedication to helping our students excel, and the sharing of resources. A great group of people overall.

I have also enjoyed being part of the WAS committee. An extremely dedicated group of people with significant connections around the US. They work hard at bringing interesting topics to the membership and the individual’s best positioned to give us the latest in this area.

What interesting things are you working on outside the Association right now? Research, presentations, etc.
I am focused on Communication techniques and how to integrate them within our ever shortening time with patients. I am currently teaching all different experience levels in this area from first year medical and PA students to Residents, Fellows and our Faculty. Some of the focus is how do we help our early learners include the basic sciences as they utilize their communication skills to quickly diagnose, meet the patient’s needs, and develop treatment plans.

IAMSE welcomes educators from across multiple disciplines and backgrounds. How would you say being an IAMSE member has helped you become better in the field of PA?
First is the connections that IAMSE offers to such a wide group of healthcare educators. From bench researchers to practicing clinicians. Everyone brings a different piece to the table and we all learn and grow from listening and building what each of us is doing. I have taken ideas and operationalized processes back to our PA educators as potential ideas to implement in their Colleges and Universities. IAMSE is a great resource.

Anything else that you would like to add?
IAMSE has something for everyone. Just take the time to get to know people within the organization. You will be so impressed with what people are accomplishing every day, and that they are willing to help you out. Just ask.

IAMSE Educational Scholarship and Curriculum Innovation Grants

Posted by

The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) wishes to encourage and support scholarship in medical science education and will fund multiple educational scholarship and curriculum innovation grants for up to $5000 each. We are excited to announce that proposals for 2021 grants are now being accepted!

The purpose of the IAMSE Educational Scholarship Grants is to make available funds to support projects designed to systematically collect and analyze data related to medical education, which may employ a variety of methods, but seeks to produce generalizable information for dissemination.

The purpose of the IAMSE Curriculum Innovation Grants is to make available funds to support projects designed for the general enrichment of teaching and learning that go beyond normal expectations of a faculty member, including but not limited to advances in pedagogy, technology, content development, or professional development.
 All IAMSE members are eligible to submit a grant proposal. Preference will be given to new projects, and must be relevant to the mission of IAMSE. The results of funded projects must be presented at a future IAMSE meeting. The initial funding award will be announced via email and at the 2021 IAMSE meeting. The deadline to submit proposals for 2021 grants is January 15, 2021. For more information on please visit our website here. Looking for information on the IAMSE-ScholarRx Educational Research Grant Program for students? Visit this page for more information!

Thank you,
Amber Heck
Chair, Educational Scholarship Committee

#IAMSECafe Welcomes Staci Leisman for “Teaching Race & Medicine”

Posted by

Stay connected with your colleagues around the globe and join us for this week’s IAMSE Cafe round table discussion. Join our host, Kelly Quesnelle from Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine as she welcomes Staci Leisman (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA). Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 10AM ET – Teaching Race and Medicine: Unlearning what we think we know. Race has often been taught as a risk factor for disease, despite race being a social, not a biological, construct. Instead, we should focus on how racism and ancestry impacts health and disease and the inclusion of social determinants of health in pathophysiology. To join the meeting please click here. The meeting password is IAMSECafe or, if you are calling in from a phone, the numeric password is 778130. We look forward to seeing you this week!

Submit Your Manuscript to Medical Science Educator

Posted by

Medical Science Educator, the peer-reviewed journal of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE), publishes scholarly work in the field of health sciences education. The journal publishes four issues per year by Springer Publishing. We welcome contributions in the format of Short Communication, Original Research, Monograph, Commentary, and Innovation. Please visit our website www.medicalscienceeducator.org for a more detailed description of these types of articles.

I look forward to receiving your submissions.

Thank you,
Peter G.M. de Jong, PhD
Editor-in-Chief

Applications Now Accepted for Faculty & Student Travel Awards Deadline December 15

Posted by

The IAMSE Conference Travel Awards support students or junior faculty to attend the IAMSE Annual Meeting. The amount of the 2021 Travel Awards will be up to $1,500, and are meant to cover expenses related to attendance at the IAMSE annual meeting in Cancun, such as conference registration, lodging, and airfare. Any IAMSE member who will attend the 2021 Annual Meeting is eligible to apply, though awards will only be granted to those with an accepted poster, oral or focus session abstract. Students are especially encouraged to apply.

Please note that we have separate forms for faculty and students.

Applications for faculty travel grants can be submitted here and the student applications can be submitted here. If you need any assistance, please reach out to support@iamse.org for assistance

IAMSE Board of Director Nominations Still Being Accepted

Posted by

As a reminder, IAMSE is currently seeking nominations and self-nominations of candidates to serve on the IAMSE Board of Directors. International members are particularly invited.

The Board of Directors is the governing body that determines the direction of IAMSE and all our various programs and activities. This Spring, three of the Director positions become subject to election. The term for an IAMSE Director is for three years, renewable once. 

The formal “job descriptions” for IAMSE Director are posted here. To submit your nomination or self-nomination by November 20, 2020 at 5 PM ET, please click here.

Thank you,
IAMSE Nominating Committee