International Speakers

Dimitri Azar, MD, MBA

Dean, College of Medicine, University of Illinois
Professor of Ophthalmology, Bioengineering and Pharmacology
B.A. Field Chair in Ophthalmologic Research

Dr. Azar is an internationally recognized ophthalmic surgeon who brings experience in administration, research, education and clinical practice to his position as Dean of the College of Medicine at University of Illinois. He joined the faculty in 2006 as Head of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. Previously he was a tenured Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Cornea Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Senior Scientist at Schepens Eye Institute and a faculty member at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He earned an executive MBA from University of Chicago. Dr. Azar is board certified in ophthalmology. He is a leader in basic science and clinically related vision research, making significant contributions to the treatment of corneal diseases and to advances in refractive surgery through mathematical analyses and applications of advanced optics. His basic science research on matrix metalloproteinases in corneal wound healing and angiogenesis has been continually funded by the National Eye Institute R01 award since 1993. Dr. Azar is the author of more than 400 scientific articles and book chapters. He is the editor of 14 books in ophthalmology and holds 15 patents. He has been named one of The Best Doctors in America or recognized among Castle Connolly’s Regional Top Doctors in America annually since 1994. He serves as a trustee for the Chicago Ophthalmological Society and for the Association of Research and Vision in Ophthalmology. Dr. Azar has received multiple leadership awards, including the 2009 Lans Distinguished Award and the University of Illinois at Chicago Scholar Award.

Kevin Eva, PhD

Professor and Director of Educational Research and Scholarship in the Department of Medicine
Senior Scientist in the Centre for Health Education Scholarship
University of British Columbia / British Columbia, Canada

Dr. Kevin Eva is Associate Director and Senior Scientist in the Centre for Health Education Scholarship, and Professor and Director of Educational Research and Scholarship in the Department of Medicine, at the University of British Columbia.  He completed his PhD in Cognitive Psychology (McMaster University) in 2001 and became Editor-in-Chief for the journal Medical Education in 2008.  He maintains a number of international appointments including visiting professor at the University of Bern (Switzerland) and has consulted broadly around the globe including advisory roles for the American Board of Internal Medicine (US) and National Health Services Education (Scotland).  He co-founded the Maastricht-Canada Masters of Health Professional Education program. Dr. Eva’s current research interests are broadly defined within the context of research into educational practices within the health professions. They include research into (1) The value and limits of subjectivity as a means of assessing performance, (2) The promotion and assessment of non-academic characteristics in professional practice, (3) The context specific nature of performance, (4) The conceptualization, nature, and use of self-assessment, (5) The psychological processes that impact upon one’s responsiveness to feedback, and (6) The nature of clinical expertise. Recent awards for this work include an Honorary Fellowship from the Academy of Medical Educators (UK), the MILES Award for Mentoring, Innovation, and Leadership in Education Scholarship from the Asia-Pacific Medical Education Conference, the John Ruedy Award for Innovation in Medical Education from the Association of Faculties of Medicine in Canada, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Medical Council of Canada, and the John P. Hubbard award from the National Board of Medical Examiners (US).

Janet Grant PhD, FBPsS, FRCGP, FRCP, MRCR, MIoD, ARSM

Director of the Centre for Medical Education in Context (CenMEDIC) and FAIMER Centre for Distance Learning
Honorary Professor in University College London Medical School
London, UK

Janet is Director of CenMEDIC (the Centre for Medical Education in Context) and the FAIMER Centre for Distance Learning in London. She is, Honorary Professor in University College London Medical School, Honorary Professor in Plymouth University College of Medicine and Dentistry, and Emerita Professor of Education in Medicine at the UK Open University. She is Special Adviser to the World Federation for Medical Education. Her interests are in policy research, regulation, educational development, continuing professional development and curriculum. CenMEDIC runs an international distance learning Master’s course on accreditation and assessment in health professions education for the US Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research [FAIMER]. Her Centre also developed and manages Sci59, the online psychometric Specialty Choice Inventory. Janet has extensive experience as a regulator in both medical education and legal education. She is author of The Good CPD Guide [Radcliffe Publishers, 2012].

John J. Norcini, PhD

President & CEO, Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education & Research (FAIMER)
Philadelphia, USA

FAIMER has an active research program on international health professions education and physician migration, global fellowship programs for faculty from health professions schools, and databases of recognized medical schools around the world. For the 25 years before joining the Foundation, Dr. Norcini held a number of senior positions at the American Board of Internal Medicine. His principal academic interest is in the assessment of physician performance. Dr. Norcini has published extensively, lectured and taught in many countries, and is on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals in educational measurement and medical education.

Charlotte Ringsted, MD, MHPE

Professor at the Faculty of Health and Vice-Dean of Education at Aarhus University
Aarhus, Denmark

Charlotte Ringsted is Vice-dean of education, Professor, and Director of Centre for Health Science Education, Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Denmark. During 2013-2014 she was Director of the Wilson Centre for research in Health Professions Education and Professor, Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, Canada. She trained as anesthesiologist in Denmark, and during 1990’s pursued a medical education career, taking first a masters degree and then a PhD, both at Maastricht University, The Netherlands. In Copenhagen, Denmark, she established a clinical skills lab in 1995, was leader of the Postgraduate Medical Institute until 2004, and Director of the Centre for Clinical Education, 2004-2012. She was appointed professor at University of Copenhagen in 2007 and adjunct professor at Maastricht University in 2013. She is dedicated to fostering research-based innovation in health sciences education. During 2004-2011 she served the executive board of Association of Medical Education in Europe (AMEE). She has been program director of the international course Research Essential Skills in Medical Education (RESME) since 2007. Her personal areas of research are training and assessment in clinical workplace and laboratory/simulation settings, and the role of students and patients as teachers. She has been supervisor of many Master and PhD-students and external assessor of institutions, schools, programs, and scholars going for promotion as well as assessor and reviewer, of scientific journal papers, grant applications and theses, nationally and internationally.

Ross J. Scalese, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
& Director of Educational Technology Development
Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education
Miami, USA

Dr. Scalese received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and the M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed residency training in Internal Medicine in the U.S. Air Force and served more than seven years on active duty as an internist and flight surgeon. In 2000 he began work at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, and in 2003 he joined the full-time faculty of the Gordon Center, where he completed a Research Fellowship in Medical Education. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Scalese is active clinically and as a teacher of medical students and residents, as well as physician assistant and nursing students, particularly in the areas of cardiology and clinical skills. He serves on the Executive Faculty Curriculum Steering Committee and directs the medical school’s major competency assessment programs. He is a founding Fellow of the school’s Academy of Medical Educators.
Dr. Scalese’s research focuses on innovative uses of simulation for competency-based training, and he has a special interest in the development and implementation of simulations for assessment. He has served on test material development committees of the National Board of Medical Examiners in the US, and he continues collaborative work with the Royal College of Physicians of Canada as they incorporate simulations into their high-stakes national certification exams.
Dr. Scalese has been an invited speaker at numerous international conferences addressing topics related to simulation-based health professions education. He has co-authored some of the most frequently cited papers in the field, including the Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) Collaboration systematic review on features of high-fidelity simulation that lead to effective learning.

Ara Tekian, PhD, MHPE

Professor of Medical Education
Director, International Programs
Department of Medical Education

Associate Dean, International Education
College of Medicine
University of Illinois at Chicago

tekian@uic.edu

Dr. Tekian is Professor and Director of International Affairs at the Department of Medical Education (DME), and the Associate Dean for the Office of International Education at the College of Medicine, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).  He joined DME in 1992, and is involved in both teaching courses offered in the Master’s of Health Professions Education (MHPE) program and advising graduate students.  Prior to joining DME, he was the founding Director of the first Medical Education Department in Saudi Arabia, at King Saud University, College of Medicine in Riyadh (1983 – 1990).  He served during the 80s and 90s as a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) for projects in the Division of Development of Human Resources for Health.  He also served as consultant to the Ministries of Health and Education in most of the Eastern Mediterranean countries. Dr. Tekian established a number of medical education departments/ units in the Eastern Mediterranean countries.

Dr. Tekian is an internationally recognized scholar and leader in health professions education.  He has organized and conducted over 250 workshops in more than 45 countries and 60 cities, as well as presented over 200 keynote addresses nationally and internationally.  His consultations and workshops have focused on curriculum development, assessment, program evaluation, simulations, and international medical education.  He has received numerous honors and awards.  In 1996, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Tashkent University in Uzbekistan.  Dr. Tekian was the recipient of the 1997 Teaching Recognition Program Award from the University of Illinois (UIC) Council for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.  He is also the recipient of the 2012 ASME (Association for the study of Medical Education) Gold Medal Award which is one of the most prestigious international awards in medical education.  In 2014, he was honored by receiving the most revered Lifetime Achievement Award by the Armenian American Medical Society. He also received the “Faculty of the Year” award from UIC-DME in 2015. He has served as the President of the Division of Education in the Professions of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) from 2009 – 2012, which is a major venue for presentation of scholarship in health professions education. AERA is the leading international professional association for the field of education. His scholarship in health professions education is reflection in publications in the premiere medical education journals. Ara Tekian is the senior author of the book Innovative Simulations for Assessing Professional Competence: From Paper-and-Pencil to Virtual Reality published in 1999.