OTTAWA 2024 ORGANISING GROUPS

Brownell Anderson (Brownie) served as Vice President, International Programs at the National Board of Medical Examiners, USA for a decade and retired in 2021. In this capacity, she worked with medical school faculty around the world to better align curriculum outcomes with student assessments and worked with organizations to improve certification of healthcare professionals and foster a “culture of assessment” internationally. Prior to joining the NBME, Brownie worked for 27 years at the Association of American Medical Colleges where she served as the Senior Director for Educational Programs.

Brownie was on the faculty of the Arabian Gulf University for several years and has worked with the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER). She has published numerous articles on medical education and spoken and taught in many countries and at many national and international conferences.  She is the editor of “Really Good Stuff”, the bi-yearly section of the journal, Medical Education.

Each Ottawa conference I have attended has afforded me the chance to meet new people, to hear important new perspectives about assessment and medical education, has given me new ideas, and inspired my research and my work. The conference provides the chance to reconnect with friends and explore new cities.

An O&G specialist turned medical educator, I have been involved in assessment for 30 years, with a particular focus on the assessment of clinical competence, evolution of OSCEs and workplace-based assessment (WBA). Now sharing my expertise via consultancy, workshops, courses and tailored faculty development, via my company Health Professional Assessment Consultancy (HPAC).

Ottawa conferences have always been a highlight of my conference calendar, as it’s the forum in which I have most learnt about evidence-based developments in assessment. It’s also where you meet the great assessment experts, thinkers and researchers, make connections and nurture friendships.

Looking forward to catching up with friends and colleagues, hearing about the latest discourses in assessment.

I became involved with the international advisory group for Ottawa 2024 because of the fantastic experience of being involved in the Ottawa/ANZAHPE 2016 conference in Perth. Ottawa brings together a focused sharing of research and practice as they relate to the quality of assessment experiences for learners and educators. I am most interested in seeing how authentic assessment in health professions education can help us to combat the challenges of AI into the future.

I am a medical student from the Maharashtra Institute of Medical Education and Research, Pune, India. I became the Liaison Officer for Medical Education Issues at the International Federation of Medical Student Associations (IFMSA) representing 1.3 million medical students from 139 countries and have been working in Medical Education for over four years now. I aim to pursue a career in medical education and work towards innovations in learning strategies and methods to promote meaningful student involvement within the system.

As a student representative, I was amazed at the amount of innovation and advancements that have been made in assessment in health professional education. The Ottawa Conference provides an ideal platform for students to learn about assessment. As an IAG member, I plan to create a space for learners to actively contribute to the agenda and engage with leading educators and experts in the field.

I am Editor-in-Chief of Medical Teacher, Professor Emeritus of Medical Education at University of Dundee, and formerly General Secretary of AMEE. As Co-Founder of the Ottawa Conferences with Ian Hart in 1985, I am proud that almost 40 years later, the Conferences continue to thrive and to provide a forum for discussion and the exchange of ideas in assessment in health professions education.

At Ottawa 2024 I am particularly looking forward to hearing about innovations in assessment from around the world, and to how we can meet the ever-increasing assessment challenges through collaborating and sharing ideas.

The International Advisory Group has been an inspiration and is helping to shape an exciting programme for Ottawa2024. For me, on a professional note, I’m most looking forward to the breadth of contemporary assessment topics that the keynote speakers will address at Ottawa2024 and the associated challenges they will pose to all of us as delegates from near and far. And personally I can’t wait to welcome colleagues from near and far to Melbourne. 

I am an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and  the Academy of Medical Educators, a Research Professor, SUNY Upstate Medical University, a Fellow in Presence (a Center at Stanford Medical School), and President Emeritus of FAIMER.

I am looking forward to learning about new trends in assessment, meeting old friends, and making new friends.

Gominda Ponnamperuma has served as an invited speaker and resource person in many international symposia and conferences. Author of several journal articles and books, he sits on the editorial boards of four international medical education journals. Gominda, who has served as an advisor, visiting professor, consultant and fellow in several academic institutes of repute, is a founding co-chair of the Asia Pacific Medical Education Network (APME-Net). He is a postgraduate tutor, examiner, and resource material developer for national and international medical education courses. His research interests are in assessment (including selection for training), and curriculum development and evaluation.

David Prideaux is Emeritus Professor of Medical Education and former Head of Health Professional Education at Flinders University, Adelaide Australia. He is currently a Director and Chair of the Assessment Committee of the Australian Medical Council (AMC)

Ottawa Conferences have had a big impact on me. I really enjoy going to conferences which are solely devoted to assessment. It’s where the ‘big ideas’ really get a run. I rely on Ottawa to keep up!

Marcy Rosenbaum is Professor of Family Medicine and Faculty Development Consultant for the Office of Consultation and Research in Medical Education at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and also immediate Past-President of EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare. She has been actively involved in teaching, curriculum development and conducting research on clinician-patient communication and health professions education for the more than 30 years.

I am most looking forward to the myriad opportunities at Ottawa 2024 for newer and more seasoned scholars to share and generate ideas to continue to explore and enhance assessment in health professions education at all levels.

Julian Smith, MBMS, MSurgEd, FRACS, FACS, is Professor and Head of the Department of Surgery (School of Clinical Sciences) at Monash University and Senior Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Monash Health (Victorian Heart Hospital) in Melbourne, Australia. He has been a leader in undergraduate teaching and postgraduate training in surgery in general and in cardiothoracic surgery in particular with a strong interest in curriculum development and assessment.

 Ottawa2024 will provide me with a comprehensive update on the basis for and the contemporary methods of assessment with relevance to surgical education and training.

Yvonne Steinert is a clinical psychologist, professor of Family Medicine and Health Sciences Education, and the Richard and Sylvia Cruess Chair in Medical Education at McGill University.  She was formerly the founding Director of the Institute of Health Sciences Education at the same institution.

Yvonne believes that all faculty members need to learn how to best assess learners at all levels of the educational continuum in a meaningful way.  The Ottawa Conference is the perfect venue for learning, connecting, and being inspired.

I became involved because I have a long-standing interest in assessment in medical education and was approached by the conference lead Mary Lawson at the AMEE conference in France last year about being on the IAG.

I am most looking forward to hearing the latest evidence on new approaches to assessment and having the opportunity to network with recognised world experts in this field.

We are keen to know how the impact of generative AI is being managed in different centres around the world and get some sense of the impact this is having on the way students learn.

Prof. Pim Teunissen, leads the School of Health Professions Education (SHE) at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. He combines his work as SHE director with clinical work as a gynecologist at Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+). He is most looking forward to meeting people at Ottawa24 with a diversity of perspectives and expertise on assessment in health professions education.