News

Don’t Miss These Great IAMSE How-to Guides

As you may know, IAMSE has published six how-to manuals with several more to come in the next year. New to the series is:Best Practices for Acknowledging & Addressing Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities. Each manual is available as a digital download and priced at only $15 for IAMSE members. Not an IAMSE member yet? Join here today!

New Manual Available!

Best Practices for Acknowledging & Addressing Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities. This manual is an instructional guide to provide healthcare educators with best practices for acknowledging and addressing racial and ethnic health disparities (REHD) in medical education. As a collaborative effort written by both medical students and educators, this manual examines the impact of race, racism, and ethnic biases on medical care and health outcomes. 

Available for only $15 USD for IAMSE members.


A Step-by-Step Guide to Case-Based Collaborative Learning (CBCL). CBCL combines elements from team-, case- and problem-based based learning using a flipped classroom model. This book presents a detailed “how to” guide on how to create CBCL classroom materials, how to facilitate vivid discussions, and how to support students and faculty in a CBCL curriculum. While originally developed in context of undergraduate medical education, the CBCL method is of interest to anyone in higher education that values flipped classroom methods and discussion-based teaching.

Available for only $15 USD for IAMSE members.

Mentoring in Health Professions Education. This IAMSE Manual defines the field of academic medicine as highly dependent on finding and relating to mentors at virtually every career stage. It describes and analyzes successful mentor/mentee relationships, examines personal experiences, as well as a data-driven approach, to explore the many different roles and perspectives on mentoring relationships and ultimately the mentoring culture. The editors look at the data with respect to the success of different mentoring strategies and diverse programs.

Available for only $15 USD for IAMSE members.

Rubrics – A tool for feedback and assessment viewed from different perspectives. This IAMSE Manual describes how to use rubrics in higher education, especially in the highly specialized health sciences education setting. The book provides a conceptual framework, practices and a series of checklists that educators can use to design their own rubrics for a variety of situations and content. It highlights varying perspectives, from teachers, students, educational advisors, and curriculum managers, while providing practical tips for developing and using rubrics. 

Available for only $15 USD for IAMSE members.

How-To Guide for Team-Based Learning. This “How-To” Guide for Team-Based Learning is a manual that provides an overview of the fundamental components TBL and serves as a blueprint for instructors considering using this technique. The manual also identifies factors that will facilitate or sabotage a successful implementation of TBL. Authored by Ruth Levine and Patricia Hudes, both internationally recognized experts in the field of TBL.

Available for only $15 USD for IAMSE members.

How-To Guide for Active Learning. This manual is a compilation of teaching strategies in active learning to adapt to your own large group settings. Each chapter is a specific description of a strategy written by authors who are experienced in using the strategy in a classroom environment with students. The Manual chapters are designed to be accessible and practical to the reader. The manual is edited by Alice Fornari and Ann Poznanski.

Available for only $15 USD for IAMSE members.

How-To Guide for Team-Based Learning Japanese Translation. IAMSE is proud to announce that we now have a Japanese translation of this “How-To” guide! The How-To Guide for Team-Based Learning was authored by Ruth Levine and Patricia Hudes and translated by Yukari Igarashi,  Mariko Iida, Yoko Shimpuku, Yoichiro Miki, and Hiromi Seo.

Available for only $15 USD for IAMSE members.

Manuals are also available for purchase on the Springer website here in paperback or digital editions. Please note that all IAMSE manuals are for individual use only.

Say Hello to our Featured Member David Harris!

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 David Harris.

David Harris
Professor of Medical Education
University of Central Florida College of Medicine, USA
Medical Science Educator Editor-in-Chief

How long have you been a member of IAMSE? 
I just received my 10-year certificate at the IAMSE 2023 Conference!

Congratulations on the beginning of your time as the Editor-in-Chief of Medical Science Educator (MSE)! How did you originally get involved with the MSE? And what inspired you to take on your new role?
Thank you as I am honored. My initial involvement with the journal was serving as a reviewer like most of the Editorial Board members. I have been inspired by how the journal has flourished in the past decade under Peter de Jong’s leadership. I believe Medical Science Educator represents the great work of IAMSE and through it illustrates the values of the association and how it can lead in health sciences education throughout the world. It is indeed the outward face of IAMSE. I hope that by working with the dedicated Board and reviewers that we can continue the upward trajectory and impact of the journal.

Looking at your time with the Association, what have you most enjoyed doing? What are you looking forward to?
I love the Annual Conferences. I enjoy seeing familiar faces, but also meeting new people who come from different backgrounds and experiences. I have made many friends through focus session activities. The things I look most forward to include meeting those people attending for the first time. Usually, they feel very welcomed and so impressed with the staff and organization of the conferences that IAMSE becomes their “home”. 

What would you say to someone who is interested in getting involved with the MSE, either by submitting a manuscript or becoming a reviewer?
My advice for anyone reviewing or submitting a manuscript is that you should be courageous – not be afraid to do either. If you are just beginning to do educational research, reviewing is a great way to see how the process works. This includes reviewing papers that may not necessarily be in your “wheelhouse” as that is an opportunity to learn. We also hold workshops to help new and experienced reviewers, which is rather unique to IAMSE. If you are considering submitting a manuscript, I also feel you should not be afraid to do so. In my experience, educational research reviews are some of the most constructive, fair, and helpful that I’ve received.    

Anything else that you would like to add?
I am grateful for all the great people I have met in IAMSE, colleagues that I have worked with, and of course the JulNet staff that is fabulous in what they do. I definitely feel this association is my home society.

#IAMSE24 Registration is NOW OPEN

We are pleased to announce that registration for the 28th Annual Conference of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is NOW OPEN! The annual conference is to be held June 15 – 18, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minesota, USA at the Minneapolis Hilton. At the IAMSE Annual Conference, 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 conference.

Featured plenary speakers include Dr. Dan Cannity (University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA), Dr. Kim Lomis (American Medical Association), and Dr. Allison Whelan (Association of American Medical Colleges).

Additional meeting details and registration can be found at www.iamseconference.org.

Say hello to our featured member Amanda Chase!

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 Amanda Chase.

Amanda Chase
Associate Professor of Medical Education
Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Nova Southeastern University
IAMSE Educational Scholarship Committee Chair

How long have you been a member of IAMSE? 
Following great advice from a colleague, I submitted an abstract to the 2018 Annual Conference and became a member of IAMSE in 2018.

Looking at your time with the Association, what have you most enjoyed doing? What are you looking forward to?
I enjoy learning from amazing educators at IAMSE Café Sessions, Virtual Forums, and Annual Conferences. Participating as a member on IAMSE committees has been very rewarding as well. I feel a great sense of value and belonging in the presence of the IAMSE membership. I’m looking forward to future conferences where I can spend more time with my IAMSE family. The valuable mentorship that I receive from them is unparalleled.

What can you tell us about chairing the Educational Scholarship Committee? What does your committee do and what role does the chair play?
As Chair of the IAMSE Educational Scholarship Committee, I have developed meaningful skills in leadership and mentorship. The position has allowed me to learn more about the dedication and diligence of the individuals who make up the IAMSE Association. The Educational Scholarship Committee looks for ways to enhance the professional development of IAMSE members. Two important initiatives are the Medical Educator Fellowship Program and the Educational Scholarship/Curriculum Innovation Grant Program. Through these programs, we support the IAMSE Association in its goals to provide professional development for faculty and fund educational scholarship and curriculum innovation.

Tell us about the Fellowship Program. How has it changed over the years? How does it benefit those who go through the program?
The IAMSE Medical Educator Fellowship Program is a two-year program that provides peer mentoring and guidance while fellows develop and execute an educational research project. The main goal of the program is to develop well-rounded health education scholars with additional evidence of specialized achievement that enhances career development. Over the years, we’ve seen tremendous growth in the number of fellows entering the program each year. In 2022, we moved to offer entry into the program twice per year. In addition, we’ve transitioned to mostly virtual meetings which allows us to diversify enrollment and expand to underrepresented countries. Joining the Fellowship Program kick starts your educational research and is a great way to become more involved in the IAMSE Association. Many of our previous fellows are now mentors in the fellowship program.

How has IAMSE benefitted your career?
IAMSE has meaningfully influenced my professional identity formation as an educator. At IAMSE Annual Conferences and Virtual Forums, I learn about best practices in scholarship, teaching, and learning. At IAMSE gatherings, I feel welcome to discuss issues affecting health science education and educators. The mentors and colleagues I’ve met through IAMSE are superb and this is why I call IAMSE my home. 

Anything else that you would like to add?
I would like to thank past and present members of the Educational Scholarship Committee for their passion and dedication to the health science community. Please feel free to reach out to me if you are interested in learning more about the Fellowship Program for yourself or your colleagues.

A Medical Science Educator Article Review From Dr. Anna Blenda

This month the IAMSE publications committee review is taken from the article titled Engaging My Gen Z Class: Teaching with Memes (09 September 2020) by Aniela Mendez-Reguera & Mildred Vanessa Lopez Cabrera.

Characteristic features of Gen Z students include an incredible ability to navigate the internet and social networks, as well as immersion in video platforms from an early age. Additionally, the students of this generation excel at presenting complex ideas in a single image.

The article explores a creative method for engaging Gen Z learners using memes. Fostering student engagement has proven to be a challenge in both traditional and online teaching settings, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This topic is worth revisiting in the post-COVID teaching era, which has necessitated the development of new active learning approaches to re-engage students in the classroom. This task can be particularly formidable when teaching complex biomedical sciences, such as immunology.

As part of their unconventional immunology class assignment, students were tasked with creating their own memes and uploading them to the online discussion board. These memes were meant to describe specific immunology themes or content. The results were presented at a class conference with no impact on the final course grade, and students had the opportunity to vote for their favorite memes.

Overall, the informal student feedback for the assignment was very positive. This tool undeniably fosters student engagement and creativity and can be effectively integrated into various post-COVID teaching formats. The implementation of innovative teaching tools promotes enhanced understanding and communication between Gen Z students and their teachers, spanning generations from baby boomers to millennials. 

Anna V. Blenda, PhD,  
Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences 
Director of Research, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville 
Prisma Health Cancer Institute

Reminder* Call for 2024 IAMSE-ScholarRx Student Educational Research Grants

Due January 15, 2024

As a reminder, IAMSE is currently soliciting applications for the IAMSE-ScholarRx Educational Research Grant Program.

Students must be members of IAMSE to be eligible to apply for this grant. All students will need to have a faculty mentor sign off on the proposal confirming that all policies will be met. Proposals must be accompanied by a letter from an appropriate institutional official confirming that the institution will pay to send the student to the IAMSE meeting the year following project completion to present the results of the proposed work; timing of the presentation is flexible as to be appropriate for the completion of the project. Up to four (4) student grants will be awarded for up to $2500 USD.

Applications are to be submitted on the submission page found here by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 15, 2024

All information regarding the IAMSE-ScholarRx Educational Research Grant Program, including the application process, eligibility, proposal format, and evaluation criteria, can be found on the IAMSE website here. A template for the budget can be found here. Note that you may need to open the template in another window to download it. 

Call for 2024 IAMSE-ScholarRxStudent Educational Research Grants

Due January 15, 2024

The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is pleased to once again accept applications for the IAMSE-ScholarRx Educational Research Grant Program.

Students must be members of IAMSE to be eligible to apply for this grant. All students will need to have a faculty mentor sign off on the proposal confirming that all policies will be met. Proposals must be accompanied by a letter from an appropriate institutional official confirming that the institution will pay to send the student to the IAMSE meeting the year following project completion to present the results of the proposed work; timing of the presentation is flexible as to be appropriate for the completion of the project. Up to four (4) student grants will be awarded for up to $2500 USD.

Applications are to be submitted on the submission page found here by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 15, 2024

All information regarding the IAMSE-ScholarRx Educational Research Grant Program, including the application process, eligibility, proposal format, and evaluation criteria, can be found on the IAMSE website here. A template for the budget can be found here. Note that you may need to open the template in another window to download it. 

Registration is Now OPEN for the Winter 2024 Webcast Audio Seminar Series

COVID-19, cardiovascular disease, mental health, climate change, poverty, conflict, health care infrastructure and an aging population are just some of the public health concerns that affect individuals across the globe. Amidst these global health concerns, there is a pressing need for our learners to not only be competent in caring for patients within their local communities but to also be poised for patient care in differing cultures and geographies. How do we train our learners for this immense task? The Winter 2024 IAMSE Webcast Audio Seminar series will explore the intersection of medical and health professions education with global health. Themes will include the difficulties of life and medical practice in other parts of the world, to the unique challenges faced by migrant physicians, and medical education and scholarship in low-resource countries. The webinar series will help us recognize and appreciate our own biases as well as different perspectives on values and shared global challenges. Global health is the collaborative trans-national research and practice for improving health and achieving equity in health for all. This webinar series will equip the health professions educators to train globally-minded learners who will provide care for the medically underserved from pole to pole.

One World, One Health
Tackling the Global Health Crisis

Join us for each one-hour session beginning Thursday, January 4 at 12 PM EST. Sessions in the Winter 2024 series include:

  • January 4, 12 PM EST – Global Health Electives: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly presented by Jenny Baenziger
  • January 11, 12 PM EST – Climate Change and Human Health presented by Eugene Richardson
  • January 18, 12 PM EST – Global Approaches to Medical School Regulation: Who Wins? presented by Ahmed Rashid
  • January 25, 12 PM EST – Cultures and Practices for Global Inclusion in Health Professions Education Publishing: What Can Work presented by Anna Cianciolo, Peter de Jong, & Subha Ramani
  • February 1, 12 PM EST – Refracting Lenses – Seeing Women of Colour in Global Health presented by Thirusha Naidu

As always, student member of IAMSE can register for hte series for FREE! Email support@iamse.org for details.

Last Call for #IAMSE24 Poster & Oral Abstracts

Deadline December 1, 2023

As a reminder, the call for abstracts for oral and poster presentations is now open for the 28th Annual IAMSE Conference to be held at the Hilton Minneapolis Resort in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA from June 15-18, 2024. The IAMSE conference offers opportunities for training, development, and mentoring, to meet the needs of learners and professionals across the continuum of health professions education.

A few things to note:

  • The first time you enter the site, you will be required to create a user profile. Even if you did submit in previous years, you need to create a new account.
  • All abstracts for oral and poster presentations must be submitted in the format requested through the online abstract submission site.
  • You may list several authors, but you are limited to one presenter.
  • Once the submission deadline has passed, you may not edit your abstract. This includes adding authors.
  • Once the submission deadline has passed, authors will no longer have access to their abstract submissions.

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 2024. Please contact support@iamse.org for any questions about your submission.

We hope to see you in Minneapolis next year!

Reminder* #IAMSE24 Poster & Oral Abstracts Now Welcomed!

Deadline December 1, 2023

As a reminder, the call for abstracts for oral and poster presentations is now open for the 28th Annual IAMSE Conference to be held at the Hilton Minneapolis Resort in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA from June 15-18, 2024. The IAMSE conference offers opportunities for training, development, and mentoring, to meet the needs of learners and professionals across the continuum of health professions education.

Students who would like feedback on a draft of their abstract prior to final submission should email it to the Student Professional Development Committee, care of Stefanie Attardi at support@iamse.org, by November 10, 2023.

A few things to note:

  • The first time you enter the site, you will be required to create a user profile. Even if you did submit in previous years, you need to create a new account.
  • All abstracts for oral and poster presentations must be submitted in the format requested through the online abstract submission site.
  • You may list several authors, but you are limited to one presenter.
  • Once the submission deadline has passed, you may not edit your abstract. This includes adding authors.
  • Once the submission deadline has passed, authors will no longer have access to their abstract submissions.

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 2024. Please contact support@iamse.org for any questions about your submission.

We hope to see you in Minneapolis next year!

Join us for the IAMSE 2024 Medical Educator Fellowship Program!

The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is pleased to announce that applications for the 2024 Medical Educator Fellowship (MEF) Program are now being accepted! IAMSE is once again offering members and non-members the option of completing the MEF Program 100% virtually, from any location around the globe.

The primary goal of the MEF is to support the development of well-rounded healthcare education scholars through a program of targeted professional development and application of learned concepts to mentored research projects. The program is designed for healthcare educators from all backgrounds who wish to enhance their knowledge and productivity as educational scholars.

Please note that as a prerequisite, applicants are required to have completed the Essential Skills in Medical Education (ESME) Program. For more detailed information about the program, please visit the information on our website at http://www.iamse.org/fellowship-program/.

Applicants for the next cohort will be accepted until December 1, 2023. To submit your application, fill out this application form, then email the completed form along with your ESME Completion Certificate and your CV to support@iamse.org

In case your application is accepted, you will be invited to an online kickoff meeting on December 13, 2023. For questions about the Fellowship 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.

#IAMSE24 Poster & Oral Abstracts Now Welcomed!

Deadline December 1, 2023

The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is pleased to announce the call for abstracts for oral and poster presentations for the 28th Annual IAMSE Conference to be held at the Hilton Minneapolis Resort in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA from June 15-18, 2024. The IAMSE conference offers opportunities for training, development, and mentoring, to meet the needs of learners and professionals across the continuum of health professions education.

Students who would like feedback on a draft of their abstract prior to final submission should email it to the Student Professional Development Committee, care of Stefanie Attardi at support@iamse.org, by November 10, 2023.

A few things to note:

  • The first time you enter the site, you will be required to create a user profile. Even if you did submit in previous years, you need to create a new account.
  • All abstracts for oral and poster presentations must be submitted in the format requested through the online abstract submission site.
  • You may list several authors, but you are limited to one presenter.
  • Once the submission deadline has passed, you may not edit your abstract. This includes adding authors.
  • Once the submission deadline has passed, authors will no longer have access to their abstract submissions.

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 2024. Please contact support@iamse.org for any questions about your submission.

We hope to see you in Minneapolis next year!