Meet one of our newest members, Dr. Sisira Dharmaratne MBBS MA MD (MedED)

I am a board-certified specialist in Medical Education from Sri Lanka with international experience in teaching, research, and medical education leadership. I am committed to lifelong learning and hence currently pursuing a PhD in Medicine at Western Sydney University, Australia. My PhD focuses on the impact of place on the development of clinical reasoning skills. Hence, social accountability in medical education and equity in healthcare are central to my scholarly work.

As an educationist, I am passionate about preparing graduates for future learning by creating enabling learning environments to support student-centred, self-regulated and clinically integrated learning. My current approach to clinically integrated teaching and research in medically underserved contexts is backed by two decades of primary care and hospital-based experiences as a medical practitioner in multicultural, rural, and urban LMIC contexts.

ANZAHPE is well known to global Medical Education community through its renowned members who are global leaders in Medical Education. It is a great platform for scholarly conversations and developing networks and collaborations for academic work and educational scholarship. I look forward to contributing to and learning from the discourses at ANZAHPE forums on evidence-informed academic and research practices grounded in various Australian and international contexts. 

Meet one of our newest members, Dr Ahsan Sethi.

Dr. Ahsan Sethi, PhD in Medical Education, brings a wealth of expertise to the field of Health Professions Education (HPE). Currently serving as an Associate Professor and Founding Program Lead for Graduate Certificate and MSc in HPE at Qatar University, he is also Chair of the Health Professions Education Research group.

Dr. Sethi's academic journey spans continents, with qualifications and over 12 years of experience encompassing dentistry, education, and research from Pakistan, the UK, the USA, and Qatar. Dr. Sethi is a visiting faculty and MSc/PhD student research advisor to several institutions including the University of Dundee, Maastricht University, University of Lahore, Baqai Medical University, and RIPHAH International University. Dr Sethi is currently supervising 3 PhD students and has supervised 50 MSc students. He has over 65 publications in various national and international journals. He is a member advisory board for ITQAN Clinical Simulation and Innovation Center (Qatar) and Riphah Institute of Assessment (Pakistan). He is an associate editor of Frontiers in Medicine (Health Professions Education) and Education in Medicine Journals. He is also a scientific committee member of ATBH and ICHPE conferences.

For Dr. Sethi, being part of ANZAHPE is a testament to his commitment to professionalism and excellence in teaching and learning. He discovered the organization through his continuous pursuit of advancing HPE globally. Joining ANZAHPE was a natural choice, aligning with his passion for collaboration, professional development, and staying abreast of cutting-edge practices in the field. As a member, he looks forward to contributing to and learning from the vibrant community of educators and researchers within ANZAHPE, further enriching his practice and fostering international collaborations in HPE.

Meet one of our newest members, Professor Muhammad Shahid Shamim

Prof. Shamim is a surgeon and medical educationist. He pursued his higher education in Pakistan and the UK and received his PhD in medical education from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He has over 25 years of educational and clinical experience in diverse cultures in the Middle East, China, Kenya, Australia and the UK. He is recognised for his expertise in curriculum management, mentoring, teaching and learning strategies, and bioethics education. He has designed and conducted over 500 faculty training workshops in various parts of the world, inspiring educators to improve the quality of health professions education. He is an avid researcher with over 50 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and a training manual for healthcare providers. He is currently working as the Director of Graduate Studies and faculty of surgery at Aga Khan University, Karachi. He has been awarded the Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

“I learned about ANZHAPE through my supervisor at UNSW and joined to connect and collaborate with the community of health professions educationists to share and enhance knowledge and skills”.

Meet one of our newest members, Dr Enoch Chan.

Enoch is a Lecturer in Physiology and Digital Education Consultant, jointly appointed by School of Clinical Medicine and School of Biomedical Sciences at University of Hong Kong (HKU). Enoch has over 7 years of experience in Medical Education.

“After completing my PhD in Pathology at University of New South Wales, I did not go for postdoc and became an Instructional Designer specialising in Medical Education. In the past 3 years, my role expanded - I have been teaching Year 1-2 Physiology for multiple undergraduate programmes at HKU (Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Sciences), while driving educational innovation projects with students as partners. I am passionate about tailoring basic science teaching for health professional students, as well as partnering with students in both designing and delivering innovative teaching activities.

I joined ANZAHPE because of my current practice as educator for undergraduate medical and health sciences education programmes, as well as my previous ties with Australia. I look forward to meeting and learning from other health professional educators outside Hong Kong.”

Meet one of our newest members, Christina Ly.

Christina is an optometrist and the Education Program Manager for Optometry Australia, the national peak body supporting over 5000 optometrists across Australia. Christina has coordinated and managed national eye care programs to increase awareness and education of eye health among the community and fellow allied health professionals. She has also trained future generations of optometrists as a lecturer and tutor at several optometry schools across Australia.

Christina holds a Bachelor of Optometry from the University of Melbourne, and a Master of Public Health and a Graduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching from the University of New South Wales. She was awarded the Dr Dorothea Sandars and Irene Lee Churchill Fellowship in 2023.

"Joining ANZAHPE allows me to be a part of a community of like-minded colleagues and I am looking forward to sharing and learning with colleagues across fields and sectors."

Meet one of our newest members, Carmel Blayden

For 16 years Carmel has worked in the field of allied health education. She completed her Masters of Health Profession Education in 2019 and is currently the Director Allied Health Clinical Education, Canberra Health Services.

Carmel commenced in this position towards the end of 2023 after previously working as an NSW Children’s Healthcare Network (CHN) Allied Health Educator. During her time with CHN, Carmel published a number of articles with her team members relating to evaluating educational secondments, clinical guidelines and an online module.

"I am passionate about evaluating knowledge translation as it relates to workplace education.

I originally heard of ANZAPHE many years ago when a colleague suggested we present a paper at the ANZAPHE conference. ANZAPHE provides an opportunity to keep up to date with what is happening in the world of health professional education. I have reconnected with ANZAPHE to ensure I am part of a community of educators."

We are excited to confirm the following speakers below for the 2024 ANZAHPE Conference.

Associate Professor Kirsty Freeman FSSH, MHPE, BNur

Kirsty Freeman is the Academic Coordinator of the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia penultimate year program. A Fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and Board Member of the Society for Simulation in European (SESAM), she is a recognised world leader in the application of simulation in health professions’ education, with 20 years’ experience in healthcare education, assessment, and research. Kirsty has worked across a variety of healthcare disciplines including medicine, nursing, allied health, and paramedicine, and has extensive experience in providing simulation-based experiences to undergraduate healthcare students, through to experienced healthcare providers. Born and raised in rural regions of Western Australia, she is passionate about growing the healthcare workforce in rural and remote environments to ensure healthcare access for those communities. Kirsty is excited to share her passion for health professions education at ANZAHPE 2024 in Adelaide.

Dr Naomi Steenhof

Dr Naomi Steenhof holds a PhD in health professions education research. She is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, a scholar at The Wilson Centre, and a pharmacist at the University Health Network. Her research interests focus on the development of adaptive expertise in health professionals, with a particular concentration on instructional strategies that assist novices in acquiring the conceptual knowledge they need to learn in the future. Naomi uses theories from psychology to understand how learners transfer knowledge from a familiar classroom environment into the ambiguous and unpredictable world of clinical practice. Her main research goal is to use this knowledge to create educational programs that train skilled and innovative clinicians, enabling them to effectively handle complexities in the workplace.

Professor Lambert Schuwirth

Lambert Schuwirth is a medical educator who has specialised in the field of medical education, particularly in the assessment of medical competence and performance. After completing his medical degree (MD) and his PhD at Maastricht University, he dedicated himself to medical education and research starting in the early 1990s. His career at Maastricht University spanned almost 20 years, where he held various positions including assistant, associate, and full professor in the Department of Educational Development and Research. In 2011, he transitioned to Flinders University in Adelaide, where he currently serves as a Strategic Professor in Medical Education within the College of Medicine and Public Health.

Throughout his career, he has been deeply involved in the development and refinement of assessment methods in medical education. He has held key roles in overseeing assessment processes, such as chairing inter-university progress test review committees and OSCE review committees. His advisory work extends beyond the Netherlands to include the UK and other international contexts. Additionally, he holds adjunct professorships at several other institutions globally, indicating his broad influence in the field of medical education.

His responsibilities at Flinders University include leading research in medical education and contributing to teaching and curriculum development. He is particularly interested in scientific research methods, learning processes, and assessment basics. He is involved in supervising research on topics like assessment design, clinical education, and the outcomes of innovation in medical education.

You can read about our conference speakers on the official Conference website. 

Register to attend ANZAHPE 2024 here!

Meet one of our newest members, Dr Timothy Martin.

Tim is a paediatric doctor and clinician educator. He currently works for The Royal Children’s Hospital and The University of Melbourne. Tim has completed a Master of Clinical Education and coordinates the paediatric teaching and assessment of medical students at UoM. Tim’s interests include peer feedback, student and clinician wellbeing and clinical education in a global health setting.

"I joined ANZAHPE to keep up to date with the latest developments in health professional education and to be a part of a community of educators."

Meet our newest returning member, Bríd Phillips.

Bríd is an emergency nurse by background. Working in this dynamic environment, she first became interested in health professions education acting in various roles supporting nursing colleagues. During this time, she also became interested in the humanities and how this supports a holistic approach to care. Since completing her PhD in Shakespearean Studies and the History of Emotions, she has worked in a variety of academic roles including lecturing in health professions education, health humanities, and nursing. During this time she completed her Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching.

Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education at The University of Western Australia where her main portfolio is evaluation. However, she also works and researches in health and medical humanities and simulation. She is currently studying for her Masters in Clinical Simulation at Monash University which is proving an exciting opportunity to strengthen her knowledge and she looks forward to translating this learning into practical outcomes for students.

"I rejoined ANZAHPE after a hiatus because the opportunities for networking, professional development, and collaboration are truly excellent. It will be a pleasure to connect with like-minded educators and researchers in a supportive and welcoming environment."

Meet one of our newest members, Professor Walter Eppich.

With clinical training in pediatrics and a PhD in Health Professions Education, Walter studies intersections between simulation and workplace learning. Using various qualitative approaches, Walter collaborates with clinicians, educators and psychologists to study team processes both in and outside healthcare.

His research seeks to delineate the contribution of workplace talk and team interactions to collaborative learning and team performance and the impacts on health delivery.

"I have joined ANZAHPE to contribute to an organisation dedicated to preparing health professionals for the complexities of team-based healthcare."