Invited Faculty & Workshop Facilitators

Nomar Alviar, Philippines

Zubair Amin, Singapore

Payal Bansal, India

Katharine Boursicot, United Kingdom

Chan Yiong Huak, Singapore

Thomas V Chacko, India

Chen Fun Gee, Singapore

Elizabeth Farmer, Australia

Matthew C. E. Gwee, Singapore

Ronald M Harden, United Kingdom

Judy Harris, United Kingdom

Hooi Shing Chuan, Singapore

Cherdsak Iramaneerat, Thailand

David Irby, USA

Indika Karunathilake, Sri Lanka

Lau Tang Ching, Singapore

Asela Olupeliyawa, Sri Lanka

Daphne Pan, Singapore

Allison Rossett, USA

Dujeepa Samarasekera, Singapore

Ross J Scalese, USA

Tejinder Singh, India

Anca Stefan, USA

Cristian Stefan, USA

Tan Chay Hoon, Singapore

Cees van der Vleuten, The Netherlands

Rashmi Vyas, India

Nomar ALVIAR
Assistant Professor
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Philippines

Dr. Nomar Alviar received his M.D. and his Master in Health Professions Education from the University of the Philippines. He is currently full-time Assistant Professor and former Director of the Medical Education Unit at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (University of the City of Manila). Dr. Alviar is also Senior Lecturer at the National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions, University of the Philippines, and has served as education consultant and trainer for faculty development programs at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as for human health resources development programs of the Philippines’ Department of Health.

Zubair AMIN
Deputy Head, Medical Education Unit
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University Health System, Singapore

Dr Amin is an Assistant Professor in Dept of Paediatrics in Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and a Consultant Neonatologist in National University Hospital. Dr Amin has Master in Health Profession Education (MHPE) from University of Illinois at Chicago, USA. His interests in medical education are in faculty development, assessment, and international medical education. He is the lead author of three books: Basics in Medical Education, Profiles of Asian Medical Schools: Part I Southeast Asia, and A Practical Guide on Student Assessment. He is one of the editors of Medical Education Online and Anatomical Science Educators. He has conducted faculty development programme in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, and Italy.

Payal K. BANSAL
Associate Professor
Department of Medical Education and Technology
Maharashtra University Of Health Sciences.
Regional Centre, Pune, INDIA

Dr. Bansal is a surgeon, and completed her International Fellowship in Medical Education (2004-5) awarded by FAIMER, at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is currently a FAIMER Institute Fellow. Her University is the largest Health Sciences University in India, with over 250 affiliated institutions, including 40 medical schools. Her department is just one year old and the first of its kind in the country. She is a key member of their strategic planning team and also designs and conducts faculty development programs. She is a resource person for many national and international medical education initiatives.

Katharine BOURSICOT
Reader in Medical Education and
Deputy Head, Centre for Medical and Healthcare Education
St George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom

Dr Katharine Boursicot, BSc, MBBS, MRCOG, MAHPE, NTF, is Reader in Medical Education and Deputy Head of the Centre for Medical and Healthcare Education at St George's, University of London. Previously she was Associate Dean for Assessment at Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine and Head of Assessment at Barts and the London School of Medicine. Originally an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist, she moved into the field of Medical Education with a particular research interest in the assessment of clinical competence and standard setting, and has published on these topics. KB has worked with several UK medical, dental and veterinary schools as well as the GMC, Royal Medical Colleges and international medical schools on the development of their clinical examinations as OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations).

CHAN Yiong Huak
Head, Biostatistics Unit
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore, Singapore

Yiong Huak received his PhD in Mathematics from University of Newcastle, Australia and is currently the head of the Biostatistics Unit in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He is actively involved in conducting research and statistical courses to help researchers in their aims of publication and to enhance their understanding of reading published articles. He serves as the Biostatistical - Consultant for the Health Service Research Unit (Ministry of Health), the National Healthcare Group Polyclincs, the Institute of Mental Health and the various Medical Institutes & hospitals in Singapore. He is also the Associate editor for the Singapore Medical Journal.

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Thomas V CHACKO
Professor & Head
Department of Medical Education and Community Medicine
PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore,
India

Thomas V Chacko is the Professor & Head, Department of Medical Education and Community Medicine at the PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore, India. He was awarded an International Fellowship in Medical Education (IFME) by The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education & Research (FAIMER) in 2002 which he completed with distinction at the Department of Medical Education, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA. He has also undergone the two-year educational leadership fellowship "The FAIMER Institute" of the FAIMER Foundation in, Philadelphia in 2006 and subsequently functioned as its Global Faculty Advisor at the FAIMER Institute. Dr Chacko was the organizing chairman of the National Symposium "Vision 2020: Towards Global Standards in Health Professions Education" in 2005. He is an executive committee member of the South-East Asian Regional Association for Medical Education (SEARAME). He is now the Director of the PSG-FAIMER Regional Institute at Coimbatore, India. His areas of interest in medical education include curriculum planning, program evaluation, competency based and community based medical education and educational change management towards Global Standards in Medical Education.

CHEN Fun-Gee
Head, Department of Anaesthesia
National University Health System, Singapore

Associate Professor Chen Fun-Gee is head of department of Anaesthesia at the National University Health System. He received his MBBS from NUS in 1981. He completed his anaesthesia training in 1987 and did subspecialty training in critical care medicine at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney. He is a fellow of the Australian New Zealand College of Anaesthesia since 1992. A/Prof Chen interest in medical education dates back many years, with special interest in medical simulation. His research interest is assessment of performance in management of simulated acute medical emergencies, resuscitation team dynamics and stress of simulation experience.

Elizabeth FARMER
Dean of Medicine
University of Wollongong, Graduate School of
Medicine, Australia

Professor Elizabeth Farmer is currently the Dean of Medicine at the University of Wollongong, Graduate School of Medicine (GSM). This new school aims to become a leader in community based health education and in educational technology. She was previously the Director of Education of the National Primary Care Collaboratives Program at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. Professor Farmer has a longstanding commitment to excellence in medical education and holds a PhD in the assessment of competence. She has consulted widely nationally and internationally in curriculum design, PBL, assessment and evaluation of medical and health programs.

Matthew C. E. GWEE
Professorial Fellow
Department of Pharmacology and
Chairman, International & Education Programmes
Medical Education Unit, Dean’s Office
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and
National University of Singapore, Singapore

Professor Gwee is also a Member of the University Committee on Educational Policy. Professor Gwee has also served as: Chairman of the Nursing Curriculum Committee, Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University of Singapore; Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (1980-1992), Head of the Department of Pharmacology (1987-1997) and Chairman, PBL Committee (2000-2006) in the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore. Professor Gwee also sits on numerous local, regional and international committees, Advisory Boards as well as Editorial Boards. He was recently appointed as a Member of the International Editorial Board of Medical Education. Professor Gwee has been invited to speak at several educational conferences in the Asia-Pacific region. He has also been invited as speaker/panelist for several gold standard meetings in medical education. Professor Gwee is a pioneer in the field of medical education in Singapore. He was recently awarded the prestigious MILES Award in the 3rd Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference 2006 in recognition of his many contributions to Mentoring, Innovation and Leadership in Educational Scholarship.

Professor Gwee recently published a review article titled "Globalization of Problem-Based Learning (PBL): Cross Culrtural Implications" in a special issue of The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, volume 24 (no. 3 Supplement): S14-S22, March 2008.

Ronald M. HARDEN
Director of Education
International Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS)
Scotland, United Kingdom

Professor Ronald Harden graduated from the medical school in Glasgow in 1960.He subsequently completed training and practised as an endocrinologist before moving full time to medical education. He is currently Director of Education, International Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS). He was formerly Professor of Medical Education, Teaching Dean and Director of the Centre for Medical Education at the University of Dundee. He is editor of Medical Teacher and General Secretary and Treasurer of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE). He is recognised as one of the leading international authorities in medical education with unparalleled experience in undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education. He has brought to research in medical education a unique blend of theoretical and practical experience. Areas where he has made a major contribution have included the introduction of the OSCE, new models for curriculum planning, the concept of Best Evidence Medical Education and applications of the new technologies to medical education. He has published more than 400 papers on medical education. His contributions to excellence in medical education have attracted numerous awards including recognition by the National Board of Medical Examiners in the USA by the presentation of the Hubbard Award and by the Kellogg Foundation for his contributions to medical education in South America. He received the award of the OBE by the Queen in the New Year's Honours list, and last year in Singapore the 'Mentoring, Innovation and Leadership in Education Scholarship' (MILES) award for 'outstanding contributions to the advancement of global medical education and academic medicine'. In 2006 Professor Harden was the winner of the Karolinska Institutet prize for research in medical education. The purpose of the prize is to recognise and stimulate high quality research in medical education in order to promote long-term improvements of educational practices in medical training.

Judy R. HARRIS
Professorial Teaching Fellow
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol,
United Kingdom

Professor Judy Harris graduated with a PhD in physiology from University College London in 1975. She has been Director of Teaching in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Bristol University since 2000. She is also co-director of a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning - the AIMS (Applied and Integrated Medical Sciences) Centre - established at the University in 2005. Educational initiatives within the AIMS Centre include developing physiology and pharmacology teaching using high-fidelity Human Patient Simulators and the development of an interactive ?virtual? microscope for histology teaching and assessment. Professor Harris is currently a member of the Education Committee of The Physiological Society and until recently served on the Educational Task Force of the Federation of European Physiological Societies.

HOOI Shing Chuan
Associate Professor
Department of Physiology and
Assistant Dean (Pre-Clinical)
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University Health System, Singapore

Dr Hooi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. He graduated with an MBBS from the NUS in 1983 and received his PhD from the Harvard University in 1992.Dr Hooi served as: Head of Physiology (2000 - 2008); Chief Coordinator for the MBBS-PhD Programme (2000 - 2003); Internal Examiner for MSc and PhD Examinations since 1997. Dr Hooi teaches cardiovascular physiology to Medical, Dental, Pharmacy and Nursing students and co-chairs the Phase 1 module on cardiorespiratory and blood systems. His major interest in education is to incorporate simulation into teaching and assessment during the pre-clinical years. He received the University Annual Teaching Excellence Award in 2001/2, 2002/3 and 2003/4 and the Faculty Teaching Award in 1998/9 and 2003/4.

Cherdsak IRAMANEERAT
Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Education
Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital
Mahidol University, Thailand

Cherdsak Iramaneerat received his M.D. from Mahidol University in 1997. He received Thai board in general surgery in 2001. After working as an instructor at Siriraj Hospital for a year, he went to the United States and earned his Master of Health Professions Education, and Ph.D. in educational psychology from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2004 and 2007, respectively. He now works as an assistant dean of undergraduate education of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital. His area of specialization is educational measurement. His research interests are performance assessment, test development, Rasch measurement, and health outcome measurement.

David IRBY
Vice Dean for Education
University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, USA

Dr. David Irby is Vice Dean for Education and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and a Senior Scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where he co-directs a national study on the professional preparation of physicians. For his research on clinical teaching and leadership in medical education, he has received awards from the American Educational Research Association, the National Board of Medical Examiners, Harvard Medical School, Graceland University, and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.  He earned a doctorate in education from the University of Washington and a postdoctoral fellowship in academic administration from Harvard.

Indika KARUNATHILAKE
Director, Medical Education Development and Research Centre
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Dr. Indika Karunathilake is the Director of Medical Education Development And Research Centre (MEDARC), Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is also a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education at the University of Colombo. Dr. Karunathilake received his training in Medical Education at the Centre for Medical Education, University of Dundee, Scotland, where he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma and subsequently a Masters Degree in Medical Education.  Dr. Karunathilake has conducted extensive research and authored many publications in medical education. He has been a resource person in Medical Education for many national and international forums.

LAU Tang Ching
Senior Consultant Rheumatologist
Department of Medicine
National University Health System and Associate Member
Medical Education Unit
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore, Singapore

Dr Lau Tang Ching is currently working as a senior consultant Rheumatologist in the Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, National University Health System. He graduated in 1991 from the National University of Singapore and obtained his Membership of the Royal College of Physician in United Kingdom and the Master of Medicine (internal medicine) degree in 1997. He started his advance training in rheumatology in the same year and has spent one year of fellowship training in Sydney, Australia on the topic of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. He is a fellow of the Academy of Medicine Singapore since 2001 and the Royal College of Physician (Edinburgh) since 2004. He also holds a Master of Medical Science degree in Clinical Epidemiology (University of Newcastle, Australia), and a graduate diploma degree in acupuncture (Singapore). His main research interests are in osteoporosis, pharmacoeconomic evaluation and evidence based medicine. He has helped to coordinate the Health Service Development Program for osteoporosis (HSDP) in 2003 to 2007 in the NHG cluster, which was successful in improving adherence and reducing the recurrent fracture rates of patients who were at high risk of recurrent fractures. He is currently helping to coordinate the Osteoporosis Disease Management Program (OPDMP), which is an extension of the previous HSDP osteoporosis program, involving both the Singhealth and NHG clusters.

Asela Olupeliyawa
Lecturer in Medical Education
Medical Education Development and Research Centre
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Dr. Asela Olupeliyawa is a MBBS graduate from the University of Colombo. He is a junior educationalist and researcher who serves as a Lecturer in Medical Education while following postgraduate studies in medical education at the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. He is a member of the national continuous professional development programme and has served as a resource person in medical education at several national forums. He has several publications in medical education.

Daphne PAN
Director, Centre for Development of Teaching & Learning
(till July 2008) &
Associate Professor, Department of English Language & Literature
National University of Singapore, Singapore

Daphne PAN obtained her BA (Hons) from the then University of Singapore and subsequently took an MA and Ph D in English Studies at York University. She also holds an M Sc (Ed) from University of Surrey. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of English Language & Literature at the National University of Singapore. She was tasked to set up the Teaching & Learning Resource Unit in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in 1990, and served as its Coordinator till she was seconded to set up the Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning (CDTL). She was director of the Centre from January 1996 to July 2008. In that capacity she has initiated and driven CDTL’s various activities which include faculty development, educational research, and publications on teaching and learning. Her interests in educational research include student learning, instructional styles, teaching evaluation and scholarship of teaching, and she has written about these topics and presented on them and related topics at various international conferences.

Allison ROSSETT
Professor of Educational Technology
San Diego State University, USA

Dr. Allison Rossett, long time Professor of Educational Technology at San Diego State University, is in the Training magazine HRD Hall of Fame and was recently a member of the ASTD International Board of Directors. Recipient of ASTD’s recognition for lifelong contributions to workplace learning and performance and designated a 2008 LEGEND, Allison co-authored the book, Job Aids and Performance Support: Moving from Knowledge in the Classroom to Knowledge Everywhere in 2007. She edited The ASTD E-Learning Handbook: Best Practices, Strategies, and Case Studies for an Emerging Field. She also completed a white paper for the American Management Association, Blended Learning Opportunities and another, on learner engagement, for Adobe Systems. Some of Allison recent published articles are "Evaluating Technology Enhanced Continuing Medical Education," "Moving Your Class Online," and "Confessions of a Web Dropout." Her client list includes IBM, HP, the Getty Conservation Institute, Fidelity Investments, Deloitte Consulting, BP, and Royal Bank of Scotland.

Dujeepa D. SAMARASEKERA
Deputy Head, Medical Education Unit
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore

Dujeepa Samarasekera MBBS MHPE is the Deputy Head, Medical Education Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. Prior to joining NUS, he was a Medical Educationalist attached to the Centre for Medical and Health Science Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand. He has a Master in Health Profession Education from University of Maastricht, Netherlands. Dr Samarasekera has been involved in curriculum planning, evaluation and student assessment at both undergraduate and postgraduate level health professional courses. Dr Samarasekera provides educational expertise and staff development to the medical faculties and other health professional institutions. He was also a member of the teaching faculty for the Masters programme in Clinical Education at University of Auckland. His main research interests are in teaching/learning behaviours and assessment.

Ross J. SCALESE
Assistant Professor of Medicine and
Assistant Director, Research and Technology
Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, USA

Ross J. Scalese, M.D. is Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (USA) and Assistant Director of Research and Technology at its Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He is active clinically and as a teacher of medical students and residents, particularly in the areas of cardiology and clinical skills. Dr. Scalese's special interests and research focus on innovative uses of simulation for competency-based training and assessment. He has been an invited speaker at numerous international conferences addressing topics related to simulation-based medical education. His publications in this area include the Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) Collaboration systematic review on features of high-fidelity simulation that lead to effective learning, and he will lead the next BEME review on simulation for assessment.

Tejinder SINGH
Professor and Head of Pediatrics and
Vice Principal and Program In-charge, PGDMCH
Christian Medical College Ludhiana, India

Tejinder Singh is the Professor and Head of Pediatrics, Vice Principal and Program In-charge, PGDMCH at Christian Medical College Ludhiana, India. He is the program Director of CMCL-FAIMER Regional Institute and a Faculty member of FAIMER Institute, Philadelphia. Dr Singh is also the Chairman of Indian Academy of Pediatrics Education Centre. He has been the recipient of a Swedish Fellowship in IT and a Masters degree in Distance Learning from IGNOU. His current interests include Distance Education, Human Resource Development and Curricular Reforms.

Ancuta (Anca) M. STEFAN
Director of the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center
Clinical Associate Professor, Academy of Medical Educators
Touro University College of Medicine, New Jersey, USA

Dr. Anca Stefan is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Academy of Medical Educators and the Director of the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center at Touro University College of Medicine in New Jersey, one of the newest medical schools in the USA. Prior to this appointment, she worked in the Simulation Center in addition to her responsibilities as Histology course director at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she initiated and conducted a pilot Virtual Microscopy (VM) curriculum development project and then co-chaired the implementation of VM at the institutional level. Dr. Stefan’s experience includes building bridges between the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, directing Clinical Skills courses, and using various technologies to enhance the instructional process.

Cristian STEFAN
Program Leader for Neuroscience and Imaging in Medical Education
Associate Professor, Academy of Medical Educators
Touro University College of Medicine, New Jersey USA

Dr. Cristian Stefan is the Program Leader for Neuroscience and Imaging in Medical Education and part of the team that designs and builds the integrative curriculum at Touro University College of Medicine in New Jersey, one of the newest medical schools in the USA. Based on his clinical and multidisciplinary teaching experience, Dr. Stefan has developed an interdisciplinary approach with emphasis on clinical relevance and a creative methodology that facilitates the transfer of knowledge among contexts and its application to practical situations. He has had numerous presentations in the field of medical education at various national and international meetings, was invited as guest or visiting faculty at academic institutions in several countries, and is currently the Chair of the Educational Affairs Committee of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists.

TAN Chay Hoon
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology
Member, Medical Education Unit
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore & Consultant Psychiatrist, National University Hospital, Singapore

Dr Tan is an Associate Professor in Pharmacology, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Consultant Psychiatrist, National University Hospital. She serves on the Educational Task Force of Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, on Curriculum Review as well as faculty Professional Development and coordinates the Mentoring Program. She is actively involved in students and faculty assessment, Objective-Structured-Clinical-Examination and Objective-Structured-Teacher and Examiner Evaluation. She is also a Member of the Medical Education Unit, She is on the editorial board of Medical Progress and International Journal of Mental Health and an invited manuscript reviewer for various International Neuroscience and Psychiatric Journals. Dr Tan has been active in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and has received the University Annual Teaching Excellence Awards in 2004/2005 and 2001/2002.

Cees van der VLEUTEN
Chair, Department of Educational Development
and Research and Director School of Health
Professions Education Maastricht University, The Netherlands

Cees van der Vleuten came to the University of Maastricht in 1982. He was appointed as a Professor of Education in 1996 at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences and chair of the Department of Educational Development and Research. In 2005 he was appointed as the Scientific Director of the School of Health Professions Education (www.she.unimaas.nl). His area of expertise lies in evaluation and assessment. He has published widely on these topics, holds several academic awards for this work. He has frequently served as a consultant internationally. A full curriculum vitae can be found at: http://www.fdg.unimaas.nl/educ/cees/CV/.

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Last updated on 4 September, 2008