Congratulations to Mark Lavercombe on his Associate Fellowship with ANZAHPE.

Mark is a clinician-educator with extensive experience in all levels of medical training. He currently serves as the Deputy Director of Medical Student Education at Western Clinical School for the Melbourne Medical School, and is also an Educational Supervisor and Advanced Training Supervisor for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). His clinical practice is in Respiratory & Sleep Disorders Medicine at Western Health in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Mark is also a member of the RACP Basic Physician Training site accreditation team and holds education leadership roles with CHEST and AMEE. Mark’s scholarly interests lie in clinician-educator roles and academic development, and he hopes to concentrate on faculty development – particularly for clinician-educators – in the future.

"I decided to apply for an Associate Fellowship of ANZAHPE due to the welcoming and positive nature of the organisation and the inclusivity of activities such as the ANZAHPE conference. It also provides recognition of my contributions in health professional education and is a marker of my intent to contribute further in the coming years."

Congratulations to Andy Wearn on his Fellowship with ANZAHPE.

Associate Professor Andy Wearn gained his MBChB from Birmingham (UK) in 1990 and his specialty training was in General Practice (GP). His academic career began whilst he was still a GP trainee, as a part-time Clinical Research Fellow at the Dept of General Practice at Birmingham University. His academic career condensed around education delivery, service and research.

"I was fortunate to be engaged in writing and reviewing from early in my career, supported by good mentors. We moved to NZ in 2001 where I set up the clinical skills centre (CSC) for the University of Auckland. I have held a number of leadership roles in the Faculty: Director CSC, Director of Assessment, Deputy and then Head of the Medical Programme (similar to Dean elsewhere). I maintain some clinical work in General Practice.

My educational interests are in clinical and communication skills, professionalism, assessment/selection, student wellbeing, curriculum, and educational theory. This is reflected in an eclectic mix of publications in health professional education and primary care. I review for a range of journals and was given a Choice Critics award by MedEd journal in 2015. I undertake some higher degree supervision.

I am an Executive Advisor to Focus on Health Professional Education (FoHPE), and was editor from 2015-2020. I was awarded the Butland and University aware for sustained excellence in teaching in 2016. As part of a team, received a national workplace safety award in 2022 for ‘HOTSPOTS’ (a system for reporting and acting upon bullying, discrimination and harassment). I became a Deputy Editor for Medical Education in 2024. I was made an Hon Fellow of ANZAHPE in 2024.

ANZAHPE has been an important part of my health professional education journey. The association has provided colleagues, collaborators and friends after moving to Aotearoa/NZ.

I believe in the mission of the Association and as such have held several association roles. I was on the committee when the fellowship scheme was proposed and fully support its purpose. For me, becoming a fellow aligns me with ANZAHPE and provides another opportunity for serve.

Fellowship is also a mark of standing in the health professional education community. Neither country has a scope of practice for education in medicine, so this is a valuable marker of peer-recognition."

Congratulations to Lorna Davin on her Fellowship with ANZAHPE.

Lorna is an experienced health professional educator, leader, academic, and qualitative researcher.

She has made a significant contribution to the health and education sectors for the last 30 years, with a specific interest in how we support the emotional aspects of learning and caring in theory, and through practice. She also has corporate, community, not-for-profit, and local government experience working in aged care, disability, and disability and sexuality.

She is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle Western Australia. She has acted as the Domain Chair for Personal and Professional Development, in the School of Medicine. Lorna was the Program Coordinator for the National Health Professional Education suite of postgraduate studies for over 6 years.

Lorna completed her Ph.D. in medical education with the University of Queensland, School of Medicine. She is an international award winning, qualitative researcher who uses stories as the basis of her research. She is a regular presenter at state, national, and international fora, has a range of publications in peer-reviewed international journals, and mentors and supervises students and peers undertaking research and innovation in health professional education.

"I applied for Fellow to formally acknowledge my commitment to, and engagement with, ANZAHPE and to have my expertise in the field formally recognized by my peers.

And to be part of a community of practice of like-minded colleagues with shared interests and goals. And most important to me, to participate in a community that values and understands the enormous influence of health professional education on person-centred care and healthcare outcomes."

Meet our newest member, Associate Professor Melissa Petrakis

Melissa is Group Director of Social Work Innovation, Transformation and Collaboration in Health (SWITCH) Research Group and coordinates health and mental health units in the Department of Social Work, Monash University, Australia. She has worked in mental health for over 30 years, as a clinician, service manager, suicide-prevention national project lead, then practice-based researcher. She has authored over 100 publications and is sought after to mentor projects internationally. She has concurrently been a university educator of health professionals for over 20 years. In 2016 she was awarded The Tom Trauer Evaluation and Research Award, Australian and New Zealand TheMHS Awards, acknowledging excellence in her approach to research, championing co-design, co-production and co-authorship, with clinicians, people with lived experience of mental illness and families. During the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System she was Chair of the Board of Tandem, the state-wide peak body representing family carers in mental health.

“I have appreciated ANZAHPE to connect with education-engaged colleagues from diverse health professions and settings across Australia and New Zealand. It was great to hear from others working with participatory methods, to elevate lived and living experience input into classroom activities and curriculum design.”

Thank you to #ANZAHPE2024 Bronze Conference Sponsor - The IDEAL Consortium

The IDEAL Consortium is a non-profit international collaboration of Faculties of Medicine which administer their student assessments in English. The IDEAL Consortium share high quality assessment items (MCQs, SAQ, EMQs and OSCEs) with members across the world. Currently, the item bank has more than 25,000 secure assessment items. There is also a non-secure bank of questions for use as formative practice exams. Members could filter and select questions from the bank using any web browser and download from our secure cloud-based server. The IDEAL software also allow local deployment of the written examination electronically.

In 2023, we have developed a new eOSCE module to allow members to conduct the OSCE examinations online using tablets/iPads. Admission of students can be done by scanning the QR code/bar codes. Real-time monitoring of the progress and marks of the OSCE can be implemented and scores are generated automatically.

The Consortium encourages communication among member schools concerning quality standards in assessment, and promotes research for developing international standards in assessment of medical competence.

A/Prof Michael Wan
Secretary General
IDEAL Consortium
Contact email: ideal.consortium.contact@gmail.com

Thank you to #ANZAHPE2024 Silver Conference Sponsor - The University of Adelaide

The University of Adelaide unites and serves those striving to change the world—and themselves—for the better. It’s a place where history is made.

Established in 1874, the University of Adelaide is home to over 29,000 students and 3,000 staff, all striving to create progress. It is a university of outstanding quality—ranked among the top 1% globally—in the heart of Australia’s most liveable city.

From the inception of Adelaide Medical School in 1885 to the present day, the University has been committed to improving health and care around the world. Through inspired teaching, groundbreaking research, and cutting-edge facilities, graduates are equipped to not only deliver the best care, but to become tomorrow’s health leaders.

The University also delivers outstanding health research for the benefit of society. With a strong emphasis on productive industry partnerships, respected health researchers lead transformative investigations that generate a rich stream of new insights, innovative technologies and treatments, and improved policy.

In 2017, the University’s 14-floor, A$246 million Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences building opened in the Adelaide BioMed City. The building is the largest capital works project in the University’s history and connects more than 1700 students and 600 researchers in a modern, innovative learning and teaching environment.

Located in the flagship AHMS building are Adelaide Medical School, Adelaide Dental School, Adelaide Nursing School, the Clinical Research Facility, Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide Dental Hospital (run in partnership with South Australian Dental Service), and the new South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI).

The building is also home to Adelaide Health Simulation, the only Australian simulation facility accredited with the Society for Simulation in Healthcare for excellence in learning and teaching.

Thank you to #ANZAHPE2024 Bronze Conference Sponsor - Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer Health and Take the Wind present their digital simulation platform, Body Interact, at ANZAHPE 2024. This tool expands virtual training resources for medical and physician assistant students, allowing them to interact with virtual patients in realistic scenarios to learn assessment, testing, and diagnosis safely. Visit booth #4 from 1 to 4 July to explore this innovative solution.

Congratulations to Dr Vicki Jones on her ANZAHPE Associate Fellowship.

Vicki is a palliative care physician working at Hospice Waikato who completed her undergraduate medical education at the University of Liverpool in the UK. She has called the Waikato region of New Zealand home since 2009. A daughter and a grand-daughter of teachers, she has eventually circled back to education which feels rather like a homecoming. Vicki currently holds three roles at the University of Auckland including the academic lead of an interprofessional simulation course and coordination of the undergraduate palliative care curriculum. Alongside this she sits on the education committee of the Australia New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine (ANZSPM) and is a national trainer for the Serious Illness Conversation Guide with Te Tāhū Hauora, Health Quality Safety Commission.

I took my first tentative steps into undergraduate medical education in 2017 and have found an area of practice that allows me to be creative and challenges me to continue to learn both as an educator and a healthcare practitioner. I’ve also found a sense of community here and felt welcomed and encouraged as a first-time presenter at the ANZAHPE conference on the Gold Coast in 2023. The ANZAHPE mentorship programme has offered invaluable support and again made me want to deepen my links with ANZAHPE. Having completed some postgraduate study in clinical education and with the support of my mentor, I applied for Associate Fellowship of ANZAHPE this year as I hope that clinical education will continue to form a central part of my work into the future and I would like to do that as part of a community of practice. 

Congratulations to Dr Sowbhagya Micheal on her ANZAHPE Associate Fellowship.

Sowbhagya is a Lecturer in Medical Education at the Western Sydney University School of Medicine and Convenor of the community-engaged Medicine in Context program. She combines her expertise in social work, public health and teaching to translate community realities and contexts into medical education.  Sowbhagya’s research focuses on Community Engaged Medical Education, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and improving community health, particularly for those who are underrepresented in healthcare. In addition to teaching and research, Sowbhagya initiates and maintains partnerships between the School of Medicine and community organisations. Sowbhagya works to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion aspects in a variety of institutions, including as a member of the inaugural ANZAHPE DEI Sub-Committee.

"I was encouraged to apply for Associate Fellowship by my ANZAHPE mentor as a way of recognising my work and scholarship in health professional education. The Associate Fellowship also allows me to learn from, connect with, and give back to the collegial, supportive and innovative ANZAHPE community."

Thank you to #ANZAHPE2024 Silver Conference Sponsor - MyKnowledgeMap

Founded in 2000, MyKnowledgeMap specialises in providing advanced competency assessment, ePortfolio, and digital credentialing software solutions to universities and professional bodies across 15 countries, including Australia, the UK, and the USA. With a strong emphasis on sectors such as medicine, nursing, and midwifery, MyKnowledgeMap has established itself as a leader in educational technology.

In 2005 MyKnowledgeMap took part in a research project (Assessment for Learning in Practice Settings – ALPS) that involved 6 UK Universities and 16 disciplines including Medicine and Heathcare.  The lessons from this project were used in the development of Myporgress as a tool focused primarily on workplace-based assessments in challenging clinical environments.

Recognising the evolving needs of educational and professional training environments, the company has since expanded its offerings to include a comprehensive portfolio of to enable learners to document and showcase their learning journey.  Our platforms are designed to assist universities, educational institutions, and training providers, as well as national bodies worldwide, in delivering high-quality education and training programmes.

MyProgress

MyKnowledgeMap’s flagship solution, MyProgress, is a cutting-edge workplace-based assessment and ePortfolio system specifically tailored for the medicine and healthcare sectors. MyProgress gives learners visibility of what assessments they need to complete, dashboards to monitor their progress, and the ability to receive instant feedback and communication directly to their phone. This puts the learner in control of their learning journey, and with self-reflection supported, MyProgress encourages learners to think critically and foster a reflective evaluation of their own performance.

MyProgress’ mobile compatibility and offline functionality allow for seamless access regardless of location, enabling uninterrupted learning and assessment during placements, even in rural locations. 

MyProgress supports lifelong learning by enabling the documentation and tracking of skills and experiences in real-time.

MyProgress offers faculty staff and practice educators unparalleled insights into student performance through its advanced dashboard feature. This tool provides real-time analytics, allowing educators to monitor individual student progress and the performance of entire cohorts. This visibility into the learning journey helps educators identify areas where students excel or may need additional support, thereby enhancing the overall educational experience.

Driven by a commitment to innovation and excellence, MyKnowledgeMap continues to invest in developing cutting-edge technology solutions. The company’s dedication to improving education through technology has made it a trusted partner for institutions looking to enhance their competency assessment, credentialing, and lifelong learning capabilities.