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 Jonathan Bowden.
Jonathan Bowden
Medical Student
University of Cincinnati, 2027
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
What encouraged you to become involved with IAMSE as a student?
I joined IAMSE after my professor, Dr. Thompson, who I was assisting with research, suggested submitting an abstract for a poster presentation to the IAMSE Annual Conference last summer. Dr. Thompson explained that this association was focused on discussing new ideas and innovations implemented in medical education and would be a perfect opportunity for presenting our work, which involved incorporating AI into thematic analysis, as well as networking, and learning more about the field of medical education.
Congratulations on receiving the student poster presentation award at last year’s annual conference! What interesting things are you working on now?
Over the past year, my team and I have been working on drafting the work we presented at the conference into a manuscript, which we hope to submit soon! On top of this, I have continued to explore my passion for medical education by involving myself in various experiences in the field. This includes hosting review sessions for first-year medical students, volunteering with the admissions committee at my medical school, and joining a task force that aims to look for new ways to amend our curriculum to provide a more comprehensive way to assess and evaluate competencies for future students. I am also expanding my clinical experience by working on a QI project that aims to better patients’ understanding of their hypertension and the lifestyle modifications they can make to improve their cardiovascular health.
Do you have any advice for other students thinking about getting involved in IAMSE?
My biggest piece of advice is to explore and take advantage of what IAMSE has to offer! During my time at the conference, I was fortunate to go to a variety of talks and interact with members who were either medical students or professors from different medical schools around the world. From these experiences, I was able to learn and discuss shared passions, such as the future of artificial intelligence in education and medicine. The community there was extremely welcoming and had a variety of topics to learn about. If you find yourself attending a conference, be sure to find the events most interesting to you and get to know the people there. Even after the conference, I am still able to learn from IAMSE through their IAMSECafe and Webcast Audio Seminar talks.
How did the Buddy Program enhance your experience at the annual conference?
The Buddy Program was a great way to kickstart my networking at the annual conference as well as learn how to make the most of the experience. Since this was my first IAMSE Conference, I did not know any other members besides those who were from my school, which initially felt intimidating. However, my Senior Buddy, Dr. Olaekan Ogunsakin, was very friendly and insightful throughout the conference. He even helped me plan out my days and encouraged me to join conversations. The Buddy Program also continued past the conference, as I still reach out to Dr. Ogunsakin from time to time, which has been great to have someone who is involved in medical education listen to your career aspirations and provide support and guidance on how to achieve these goals.
How has being an IAMSE member impacted your professional development?
Being a member of IAMSE has been wonderful, helping me expand my understanding of medical education and the opportunities that are available in the field. Throughout my time in medical school, I continue to learn all the various aspects that go into training students who will be the next generation of physicians. I am truly grateful to all the faculty and staff that helped shape my experience and hope to return the favor by having the honor to be an educator one day. IAMSE has allowed me to not only learn, but also interact with a variety of professors and researchers – all with countless roles and experiences in medical education. I wish to continue to learn from them so that I can find what I am most passionate about and learn how to be the best educator I can be.
Anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you, again, to all those involved with IAMSE for all the work you put in and for allowing me to share my experience! I hope to have many more in the future!