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 Larry Hurtubise, MA.

While I am relatively new to IAMSE I have been collaborating professionally with IAMSE members for years. IAMSE and the Web Audio Seminar Series (WAS) have offered me opportunities for professional growth in three tangible ways. One is my professional interest is how to meaningfully connect isolated health sciences educators with leading educational thinkers, second is that the topics covered in the WAS augment my own professional development, third, and most importantly is the passionate educators and mentors I have met as a member of the IAMSE community.

As Chair of the WAS committee I am grateful for our committee which works hard to develop a series which address current and pressing topics in health science education. These webinars feature outstanding speakers and our team is always piloting new technologies to improve engagement with participants. I have also benefited professionally from the series and its presentations on topics like competency based medical education, wellness, and medical education research. I frequently reference the series recordings and blog.

Over the years, I have found IAMSE members to be thoughtful and conscientious. As a past Chair of the Generalists in Medical Education I have gotten to know Peter du Jong and Julie Hewett.  I have presented at conferences with members like Bill Jefferies and Giulia Bonaminio and have worked on grant funded projects with Machelle Linsenmeyer and Katie Hugget.  Recently I have gotten the opportunity to learn from Rick Vari and Nehad El-Sawi, past chairs of the WAS committee who are still contributing to the committee and IAMSE. These opportunities for continued professional growth make me grateful for my association with IAMSE members in the past and excited for the future!

Have you registered for the Fall Webcast Audio Seminar Series “Evolution and Revolution in the Medical Education: Technology in the 21st Century“? Reserve your spot for this semester’s seminal and exciting look at the changes in 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 Giulia Bonaminio, PhD.

I remember very clearly the day in November of 1992 when I walked into the AAMC Annual Meeting session entitled “GEA Special Interest Groups: Basic Science”. I had just joined the University of Kentucky College of Medicine after a post-doctoral fellowship in medical genetics. This was a new career as a medical educator working on an exciting curriculum revision with basic science faculty. From involvement in this special interest group to the Basic Science Education Forum to modern day IAMSE, this community of educators has been my professional home.

Twenty-five years later I am the Associate Dean for Medical Education and a Professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and can honestly say that I have grown up in this organization. I have learned from and collaborated with experts in all fields of health professions education. As I reflect over these years of involvement with IAMSE,

four important areas come to mind: friendship, mentorship, leadership, and scholarship. From annual meetings to serving on committees, I have established numerous connections with educators from around the world, many of whom I am honored to call my friends. I was also fortunate to be mentored by very distinguished individuals, including Roger Koment, IAMSE’s Founder. It was with Roger’s encouragement that I became involved with the leadership of the organization and served as Board Member, Vice President, and President. IAMSE has provided opportunities to conduct medical education scholarship as well as the venues for dissemination. These positions and activities not only opened doors in the world of academic medicine, they contributed to professional advancement and promotion.

I look forward to continuing to learn from as well as serve this organization which has given so much to me and others. I encourage all members to stay involved or become involved in the numerous opportunities and activities that IAMSE provides including committees, web seminars, annual meetings, and Medical Science Educator. I cannot imagine what my career would have been like without IAMSE.