Wednesday, March 31, 2010

IAMSE Web Seminar - Key Themes in American Medical Education: 1910-2010 and Beyond

Key Themes in American Medical Education: 1910-2010 and Beyond


Over the past 100 years, what themes have dominated calls for reform of American medical education? What can we learn from these themes about current calls for reform, and what underlying principles should guide architects of medical education in the future?

Presenter: Richard Gunderman, M.D., Ph.D.


Details: http://iamse.org/development/2010/was_2010_spring.htm

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

IAMSE Web Seminar Continues

Join for the next IAMSE Web Seminar session:


Association of American Medical Colleges Review of MCAT Exam: Where are We?

MR5: The Fifth Comprehensive Review of the Medical College Admission Test

In October 2007, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) began a comprehensive review of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). This review represents the fifth time that the MCAT exam has been reviewed since it was first administered in 1928. The review is being conducted by a 22-member committee appointed by the AAMC. Included on this committee are: current and former medical school deans; admissions, educational affairs, student affairs, and diversity officers; basic and clinical sciences faculty; pre-health advisors and other baccalaureate faculty; and one medical student.

The committee is tasked with reviewing the current MCAT exam and recommending changes that keep pace with advances in medical education and practice. During the session, Drs. Rosenfeld and Oppler will address the following questions: What does the current MCAT exam measure? What is the MR5 project and what are its goals? What has the committee accomplished so far? (and) What are the upcoming steps in the project? In addition, the presenters would like to build on participants' expertise and experience by asking about their goals for a future test and their knowledge of research and other work that should inform the review.

Presenter: Scott H. Oppler, Ph.D. & Gary Rosenfeld, Ph.D.


To register: http://iamse.org/development/2010/was_2010_spring.htm

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Message from the IAMSE President March 2010

Dear IAMSE Colleagues

This winter has been busy for the Board. We have been evaluating applications for a new paid editor for our journal, and have just selected Peter de Jong from Leiden. You will recall that he was program chair for our excellent meeting in the Netherlands last summer. We are very excited about this, and hope that Peter will expand our international outreach and continue our tradition of fine scholarship and cutting edge faculty development. Stay tuned for more updates on our journal at the New Orleans meeting.

By the way, please make plans to attend the 2010 annual conference now. Susan Pasquale and her intrepid program committee have planned a great program for you, providing both education and a renewal of your contacts with your IAMSE colleagues, all in festive New Orleans. Recreate in the French Quarter, join our Grand Extravaganza on Tuesday in the bayous and mansions of Louisiana (but watch for alligators), and soak in the characteristic ambiance of the most distinctive of American cities The IAMSE website has all the details and program previews.

I hope you will take the opportunity to review our pending Board and Bylaws elections. Several committees have worked hard to revise our procedures for selecting our officers so that they have adequate continuity to grow in their positions, yet be elected from the membership at large, not just from sitting Board members. Please read the information and make an informed vote on both the Bylaws and on our Board candidates, who will lead the organization in the three years of their terms. We rely on you, the members, to provide our organization’s forward direction by exercising your vote.

I hope all of you have a great spring, and look forward to talking in New Orleans.



Frazier Stevenson
President, IAMSE

Thursday, March 18, 2010

IAMSE Connects with Social Media - Blogs & RSS Feeds

Dear IAMSE Members,

Through the work of the Membership Committee we would like to announce the next “Colleague to Colleague Session” where IAMSE members can come together in an informal way by telephone to discuss topics of interest.

Our sessions will be offered on each month and will be addressing the issue: “IAMSE Connects using Social Media”. During these 1-hour sessions we will spend our time looking at specific ways various social media applications are being used, answer questions that may arise and provide technical advice when possible. These sessions will not include a formal presentation but will be a more focused discussion of the topic.

The next session which is open to IAMSE members only, will start on Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 10:00 AM ET. Our main topic will be on the use of Blogs and RSS Feeds. If you have specific questions or applications that you would like to see addressed in future sessions, please contact Julie@iamse.org.

To register for this session or for more information, please email julie@iamse.org

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

IAMSE Web Seminar - Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians

IAMSE Web Seminar Continues:

March 23, 2010
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET
Registration & Details: http://iamse.org/development/2010/was_2010_spring.htm

Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians: Association of American Medical Colleges and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Report

For most of the last century allopathic medical schools have functionally recognized that medical practice should be based on science. The preparation for that scientific practice of medicine has generally been defined by a set of premedical courses heavy in the natural sciences continuing into the initial portion of medical training with more intense biological discipline based studies. The recent growth in the biological knowledge important to medical practice; the increased dependence on informational science and statistical evaluation of medical data; and the growing importance of physical science based medical technologies has placed increased demand on the medical education system. Since increasing the length of medical training is neither popular nor feasible, educators are faced with finding ways to increase science in the curriculum without increasing the amount of time devoted to learning it. Recognizing this, the AAMC and HHMI convened a committee of premedical and medical science educators to define what science a physician would need to use to practice medicine in the 21st century and then to determine where in the medical education process that science should be learned. The committee made several recommendations for consideration by the medial and premedical education community. The committee: 1) agreed that medical and premedical science education should focus on competencies rather than courses; 2) identified 11 overarching general principles for medical science education; and 3) established 8 competencies that every entering medical student should have mastered and 8 broad competencies every medical student should demonstrate prior to graduation. The committee then identified sample learning objectives and specific curricular examples to guide the interpretation of the learning objectives and competencies.

The presentation will focus on how the AAMC-HHMI report came to be; some of the philosophical underpinnings of the report; the structure of the competencies, learning objectives and examples; and the possible changes in premedical and medical curricula that could result.

Presenter: William R. Galey, Ph.D.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

IAMSE Spring Web Seminar Series Continues ....

The next session of the IAMSE Web Seminar Series will continue with:


Controversies and Competencies: The Future of Medical Education

It's been 100 years since Flexner's landmark report transformed medical schools worldwide. How far have we come since? Where do we go next? Competency-based medical education (CBME) has been hailed as the next transformation in medical training, but its promise is tempered with some perils. This session will discuss some of the current controversies and criticisms of contemporary medical education and the emerging directions on the horizon that promises to remake all of health professions education.

Presenter: Jason R. Frank, M.D., M.A. (Ed)

Additional Details or to register - http://iamse.org/development/2010/was_2010_spring.htm



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