AMEE – An International Association for Health Professions Education: Press Release
Press Release: “The Voices of AMEE” Plenary announced for AMEE 2023
Through this moderated panel discussion, we aim to provide a platform for speakers from diverse personal and professional backgrounds to share under-represented and varied points of view within health professions education in an effort to initiate important and much-needed conversations in our communities of practice. The panel includes speakers from various countries including:
- Kulsoom Ghias, Pakistan (moderator)
- Caroline Bonner, UK
- Ugo Caramori, Brazil
- Lionel Green-Thompson, South Africa
- Marwa Schumann, Germany
Feedback from our conference and other AMEE initiatives indicated that large segments of our community felt under-represented within the conference programme and within AMEE more generally.
We conducted a survey of the AMEE community to ask them whether they currently felt they had a ‘voice’ within the organisation or the more general field of HPE, and which topics and speakers they would like to be included in a panel discussion.
To date, almost 300 responses have been received, with 32% of respondents indicating they did currently have a voice, 25% indicating they did not, and 43% indicating they were unsure or had not previously considered the question.
Of those who indicated they did not have a voice, common reasons given included:
- Geographies, particularly SE Asia and South America but also countries seen as ‘developing’ where respondents felt their work was being rejected as it is not ‘novel’ in more established settings
- Mid-career professionals feeling shut out of ‘expert’ / ‘senior leader’ only groups which were perceived as an ‘exclusive club’
- Being part of a smaller specialty or non-medical and/or non-clinical professional group which are not well-represented at the conference
- The challenges of navigating and making meaningful contributions as a novice to such a large and well-established community as a novice
Meet our Panellists:
Moderator: Dr Kulsoom Ghias, Pakistan
“The Voices of AMEE plenary is an opportunity for diverse points of view within health professions education to be articulated, initiating much-needed conversations and critical debates in our community of practice.”
Dr Caroline Bonner, UK
"The recognition and support for doctors with disabilities during their training is a really important topic to us and one which, experience is showing, clearly has a lot that can be learned from and developed. Sharing, discussion and collaboration are key to making change happen and transforming the future, so I'm very grateful for you offering this opportunity and I would love to be involved!"
Dr Ugo Caramori, Brazil
“Stories and voices matter, and that is what AMEE is all about! Part of who we are, as humans and educators, are our stories - made of cultures, singularities and who we can represent. Voices of AMEE allow new stories to come to the stage and contribute to new visions and reflections for the education of health professions”
Associate Professor Lionel Green-Thompson, South Africa
“Every year the corridors of the AMEE conference are filled with people who are here for the very first time – anticipating the new experiences and meeting their heroes. Sometimes they come from places far from Europe, far from the centre of control. My hope is that these people hear their voices in the panellists of the Voices of AMEE. Perhaps they will hear their own stories being told. Perhaps they will begin to see that their stories are also valued.”
Dr Marwa Schumann, Germany
“I firmly believe that the essence of conducting research lies in providing a platform for our participants to express themselves. The actual significance of research lies not in its publication, but in the voices that resonate within it. This is precisely why the Voices of AMEE plenary holds immense value. Multilingual, multicultural, diverse and colourful are the voices of AMEE. Join the plenary and be part of the chorus”
AMEE 2023 will take place from 26-30 August 2023 at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), Glasgow, UK. For more information on AMEE 2023 visit our Glasgow 2023 webpage.