Meet one of our newest members, Prem Rashid. 

Prem is a clinical and academic urologist in Port Macquarie, NSW. His current goals are to focus more on medical student teaching having had a 20+ year background in post-graduate urology education and training.

"I look forward to enhancing my medical student teaching focus and am currently working on the 2^nd Edition of An Introduction to Clinical Urology.

ANZAHPE offers a different mix for me with other health care educators, and I look forward to diversifying my network of peers and enhancing my skill base."

Meet one of our newest members, Dr Nishan Silva.

Nishan is a medical Doctor currently working as a GP in the rural NSW town of Deniliquin. Nishan is originally from Sri Lanka and graduated from the University of Colombo in 2008. He then completed Post Graduate studies in Health Informatics, Applied Statistics, Primary Care, Medical Education and Health Administration. Nishan has been a Health Professions Educationist since 2011 and was the Head of Academics at an Allied Health School in Sri Lanka called IIHS.

Nishan is an Associate Fellow of International Association for Health Professions Education, A Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health and a Certified Health Informatician for Australasia.

"My current interests in addition to Health Professions Education are Health Informatics Education, Primary Care, Research and Telehealth. I am a keen researcher in these areas. My favorite pastime is fresh water fishing and exploring the waterways.

I came across ANZAHPE at the AMEE 2023 conference in Glasgow. I met the ANZAHPE representatives at their stall and was really impressed with the information they gave. My main intention in joining ANZAHPE is to network and collaborate with the colleagues in Australia involved in Health Persons Education. I look forward to attending the upcoming ANZAHPE conference in Adelaide in 2024"

Welcome to one of our newest members, Sonja Maria.

Associate Professor Sonja Maria has a long-standing career in emergency healthcare, with a strong focus on policy development and the creation of evidence-based guidelines for healthcare professionals. Her experiences span across national and international ambulance services and leadership roles, providing her with a deep understanding of the field.

Throughout her career, Sonja has shown a dedication to healthcare education and inclusivity through her work in gender studies and feminist research.

Her research interests are diverse, ranging from her PhD work investigating guideline use by paramedics to leading substantial research projects and publishing in peer-reviewed journals. In her current role as Associate Professor, she applies her well-honed skills in project management and leadership.

Additionally, Sonja has established the Australasian Paramedic Pharmacology Project and holds several editorial roles, reflecting her commitment to collaboration and knowledge sharing. Her passion for education is evident in her work at CSU, where she revamped the undergraduate paramedic course and initiated a Masters program. She also emphasises mentorship in her interactions with students conducting research on various topics.

"I joined ANZAHPE, to connect with healthcare professionals, develop my skills, and benefit from a supportive network of peers."

Congratulations to our newest Associate Fellow, Hanna Olson!

Hanna is a dental hygienist with research expertise in health professions education within Te Kaupeka Pūniho, New Zealand’s National Centre for Dentistry, where she works as a Senior Lecturer. Hanna contributes to the advancement of teaching and learning activities for students in their dental and oral health professional programmes. Her research highlights a learner-centred approach to teaching using active learning strategies. Hanna has partnered with teams of higher education academics, dental specialists and innovative business partners across the globe. Together they develop a community of learning and teaching including collaborative approaches within digital dentistry, team-based interprofessional education as well as improving on student and staff members experiences in the higher education learning environment.

"I enjoy being part of the vibrant ANZAHPE community, and because all of my research has a focus on health professions education, along with encouragement and a strong support from my colleagues, I applied and was approved to become an Associate Fellow.

This is an exciting time for me, as I believe I am finally ready to embrace the responsibility to onboard not only students but also new colleagues who would like to aspire in becoming leaders in the field of health sciences."

Welcome to one of our newest members, Dr Tamara Tse.

Tamara is a Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University and currently serves as the Discipline Lead in Occupational Therapy. As an experienced Occupational Therapist with many years in clinical and management roles, Dr. Tse is dedicated to advancing education aimed at enhancing occupational therapy services and quality of care.

Dr. Tse's research primarily revolves around outcomes associated with participation, delving into the comprehension and enhancement of individuals' actions and motivations. This pursuit extends to her involvement in role-emerging placements, aimed at enriching the provision of services to those who are unable to access conventional occupational therapy, including settings like aged care facilities, mainstream schools, disability support services, and various others.

"I joined ANZAHPE to gain the opportunity to connect with other health professions educators working in different contexts, in order to broaden my knowledge and skills. I look forward to future professional development with ANZAHPE."

Congratulations to our newest Associate Fellow, Jessica Stokes-Parish!

Jessica is a Registered Nurse (ICU) and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Bond University. She has worked in health professions education and workforce development for over 10 years. Jessica’s PhD explored the role of moulage (special effects makeup) in simulation as a tool for realism and engagement. She is an engaging and effective science communicator, having been featured in the media, podcasts and other social media. Her research interests lie in workforce development, with a particular focus on science communication (including social media), simulation-based education (including simulated participant methodology) and gender equity.

"I applied to be an Associate Fellow to better connect with the health professions education community and to be recognised for my sustained contribution to the education community."

Congratulations to our newest Associate Fellow, Narelle Dalwood!

Narelle Dalwood is a physiotherapist, senior lecturer, researcher and Neurology team lead in the physiotherapy department at Monash University. Narelle has combined her educator and clinician roles for many years and strongly believes that excellence in patient care relies on excellent training of our ‘future colleagues’, otherwise known as students! Her key focus is on assisting students to successfully manage the challenging transition from the academic to the clinical environment. To this end she has developed and co-ordinates a peer simulation program which runs in nine units throughout the two physiotherapy courses at Monash University.

Narelle is committed to establishing and providing the best available evidence to support the use of peer simulation as an innovative, sustainable educational approach. She recently published a systematic review investigating peer simulation in health care professional education in the journal Medical Education. She is currently investigating culturally and linguistically diverse students’ perceptions of peer simulation and has also compared online and face to face delivery of the program. In recognition of the success and impact of the peer simulation program she was awarded the Monash University Vice-Chancellor’s citation for outstanding contribution to student learning in 2018. She is also a member of a small national team of content experts that work for the Australian Physiotherapy Council, Exam Writing Panel. In addition, Narelle is a reviewer for a number of international journals, including FoHPE.

‘I have been a member of ANZAHPE since 2018 and really enjoy the supportive, collaborative and collegiate atmosphere that permeates the organisation and its events. Being a member is a wonderful way to stay connected with colleagues, engage in professional development, and work with a community of practice committed to excellence and scholarship in health professional education. As an Associate Fellow I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the work of this invaluable organisation’.

Congratulations to our newest Associate Fellow, Dr Samantha Sevenhuysen!

Dr Samantha Sevenhuysen is a Physiotherapist by background with over 15 years’ experience as a clinician and clinical educator, and over 10 years’ experience in healthcare leadership roles. Her education and research interests include peer assisted learning and preparation of students and clinicians for clinical placements. Sam completed her PhD with Monash University in 2017, investigating the impact of peer assisted learning on clinical placement provision. Sam also has a background in health services management and is currently the Director of Education and Training at Peninsula Health.

Her particular interests in public health services research include clinical placement models, translational research and advancing scope of practice. As such Sam’s own research has focussed on the translation of evidence to practice and implementation of alternative education models in the clinical setting.

"I decided to apply for the Associate Fellowship program as a demonstration of my commitment to promoting scholarship in health professional education and ongoing collaboration within the ANZAHPE community."

Meet our Member, Indra Neil Choudhury.

Indra is a Lecturer in Medicine, Preclinical coordinator & Basic science stream lead in the School of Rural Medicine at Charles Sturt University, Orange campus.

He is a MBBS (KU) - 2008, MSc in Orthopaedics & Rehab. Technology (UoD) - 2013, Masters in Medical Science & Technology (MMST) (IIT Kharagpur) - 2018 and a PhD from Griffith University in 2023.

Indra's PhD research topic was on Enhancing the therapeutic potential of Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) in Spinal Cord Injury repair, at the Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research at Griffith University.

He has clinical experience from working in various hospitals, as a House officer in Medicine, Junior Resident in Surgery and a Senior Resident in Orthopaedics.

He is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA), member of ACRRM (Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine), ANS (Australasian Neuroscience Society) and a new member of ANZAHPE.

"I joined ANZAHPE to network with a group of like-minded peers and experience the professional development opportunities that ANZAHPE offers on a monthly basis."

Congratulations to Michael Mullen for receiving the 2023 ANZAHPE Pre-Registration student award sponsored by the Australian Medicines Handbook!

Michael Mullen (University of Queensland)

Project title: 'Coping Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Self-Stigma of Help Seeking Inhibition Among Male and Female Medical Students'

"As an international student at the University of Queensland, I first became interested in medical student well-being and education through my interactions with the diverse cohort of students at UQ. This led me to question how our individual experiences all led us to a shared profession and university. Along this journey I have found that while medical students are very similar in many regards, there are distinct differences in the ways in which we receive support.

I applied for the ANZAHPE Pre-Registration Student Award because I hoped that in receiving this award, I would be able to highlight our findings at the University of Queensland to a larger community of educators that could inspire others to help in continuing our work. After receiving this award, I am excited to continue working towards better understanding the factors that influence medical student well-being and hope that this award may be a segue to future collaboration and funding with the individuals I met at the ANZAHPE conference."