2010 Fellow Highlights Archive

Congratulations to Neelkamal Kapoor (CMCL 2009), recipient of the National Academy of Medical Sciences’ (NAMS) Sir Shriram Memorial Award for the year 2010 in the field of cancer education. Dr. Kapoor was presented with her award on October 30 at the annual NAMS convocation.

Congratulations to Michan Malca (PHIL 2008), whose poster on communication skills development of first-year medical students was accepted for presentation at the 3^rd Peruvian National Congress on Medical Education, held October 7-9, 2010, in Lima, Peru. Dr. Malca also served as coordinator of a symposium on the impact of the increase in the number of medical schools in Latin America.

Congratulations to Esther Ofoegbu (PHIL 2005), who was recently promoted to Professor of Internal Medicine in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Nigeria. Dr. Ofoegbu is the first woman to hold this position in the school’s 40-year history.

Congratulations to Chitra Pai (GSMC 2009), who has been appointed Director of the MGM Institute of Research and the MGM School of Biomedical Sciences at Mahatma Gandhi Mission’s Medical College, Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. Dr. Pai will also continue in her role as Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the college. She also co-authored a paper entitled “Bench Top to the Bed Side — an Integrated Approach in the Microbiology Curriculum” that has been accepted for presentation at the International Conference in Medical Education (ICME) 2010, which will be held December 4-7 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Congratulations to Supten Sarbadhikari (PSG 2007) on his recent appointment to the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Standards Committee of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Congratulations to Ben van Heerden (PHIL 2006), who is a 2010 recipient of a National Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award. Dr. van Heerden is one of four awardees selected from educators at public higher education institutions across South Africa. The Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of South Africa (HELTASA), in collaboration with the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), presented the awards at the annual HELTASA conference, held November 23-25 in Tzaneen, South Africa.

Congratulations to Efosa Oviasu (PHIL 2006) who, on July 29, 2010, was elected Dean of the University of Benin School of Medicine in Benin City, Nigeria. He will also continue in his role as Director of Exchanges and Linkages for the university. As Dean, Efosa is looking forward to the opportunity to advance health professions education as a discipline both within his university and throughout Nigeria.

Congratulations to Dinesh Badyal (CMCL 2007, PHIL 2009), who was recently selected to serve as a member of the Subcommittee for Development of Clinical Pharmacology in Emerging Countries for the International Union of Pharmacology (IUPHAR). The committee convened at the WorldPharma 2010 conference held July 17-23 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Congratulations to Valdes Bollela (PHIL 2006), who co-authored a book recently published in Brazil:

Bollela VR, Machado JLM. Internato Baseado em Competências: Bridging the Gaps. Belo Horizonte: Medvance; 2010.

As part of his FAIMER fellowship innovation project, Dr. Bollela designed and developed a competency-based curriculum. This book details his experiences with that project, emphasizing the challenges he has faced as he works to implement the new curriculum at his medical school. Topics include competency-based curriculum blueprints, Brazilian guidelines for medical education, faculty development, student assessment systems and tools, and internship programs.

Congratulations to Karuna Datta (GSMC 2009) on her recent appointment as Coordinator of the Department of Medical Education at the Army College of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India.

Congratulations to Shambhu Upadhyay (GSMC 2009) whose abstract on “Validating PBL Assessment Tool” was recently accepted for presentation at The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) International Conference 2010. Shambhu’s abstract is based on his FAIMER fellowship innovation project.

Congratulations to FAIMER faculty member Rashmi Vyas (PHIL 2003, IFME 2005), who was awarded a Master’s in Health Professions Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago on August 8, 2010. Dr. Vyas earned her degree through FAIMER’s International Fellowship in Medical Education (IFME) program. The title of her thesis was “Curriculum Design and Program Evaluation of an Academic and Social Support Distance Learning Program for Medical Graduates Working in Rural Hospitals in India.”

Congratulations to Juanita Bezuidenhout (PHIL 2005) and Ben van Heerden (PHIL 2006), who were recently appointed to the Medical and Dental Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa. Ben was also elected as the Chairperson of the Undergraduate Education and Training Subcommittee of the Board and Juanita as a member of the Postgraduate Education and Training Subcommittee (Medical).

Congratulations to K. Ramnarayan, a 1986-1987 participant in the Foreign Faculty Fellowship Program in the Basic Medical Sciences (FFFP), on his appointment on May 31, 2010, as the new Vice-Chancellor of Manipal University. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Ramnarayan had served as the Dean of Melaka-Manipal Medical College (Manipal Campus) since its inception in 1997. Dr. Ramnarayan is a founding member of the Department of Medical Education at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, and has conducted more than 300 faculty development workshops, both nationally and internationally, over the past 25 years. He also completed a Short-Term Exchange Fellowship (STEF) at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, where his FFFP fellowship also took place, from October 2002 to January 2003. Dr. Ramnarayan will serve as Vice-Chancellor for a period of five years.

For more information on Dr. Ramnarayan’s appointment and career, see http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangalore/-New-V-C-to-stress-on-research/articleshow/5995842.cms.

Congratulations to Sanam Anwar (CMCL 2010), who presented a paper at the 10^th South East Asia Regional Scientific Meeting of the International Epidemiological Association (IEA), held May 23-26, 2010, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Congratulations to Jayashri Pandya (GSMC 2009), whose article entitled “Evaluation of Clinical Skills for First-Year Surgical Residents Using Orientation Programme and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as a Tool of Assessment” has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine.

Congratulations to Rukhsana Aslam (PHIL 2009), who was recently appointed to the position of Deputy Director in the Department of Medical Education at Fatima Memorial System in Lahore, Pakistan. Rukhsana will also be responsible for development of the organization’s Clinical Skills Lab. Fatima Memorial System is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization focusing on social development, health care, education, research, and community improvement. The system includes a hospital, centers for postgraduate training and research, a school of medicine and dentistry, and a school of nursing.

Congratulations to Chetna Desai (CMCL 2007) on her recent promotion to Executive Editor of the Indian Journal of Pharmacology (IJP), the official publication of the Indian Pharmacological Society. Prior to her promotion, Dr. Desai served for three years as Associate Editor of IJP. More information on this bimonthly journal can be found at http://www.ijp-online.com.

Congratulations to Mubuuke Gonzaga (SAFRI 2009), whose FAIMER Innovation Project was recently published as an article, co-authored by Elsie Kiguli-Malwadde (PHIL 2005) and Sarah Kiguli (PHIL 2004), in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences:

Gonzaga M, Kiguli-Malwadde E, Kiguli S, Businge F. A student portfolio: the golden key to reflective, experiential, and evidence-based learning. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences. 2010;41(2):72-78. Abstract available from http://www.jmirs.org/article/S1939-8654%2810%2900026-3/abstract.

Congratulations to Ntombifikile Mtshali (SAFRI 2008), who was recently appointed to the position of Senior Manager: Provider Affairs with the South African Nursing Council. In her new role, she will be responsible for the accreditation of nursing education and training programs throughout the country. So that she can continue supervising postgraduate research at the University of KwaZulu Natal, Professor Mtshali was made an honorary member of the university faculty.

Congratulations to Muhammad Tariq (PHIL 2009) on his recent promotion to Associate Professor, Department of Medicine at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.

Congratulations to Ciraj Ali Mohammed, 2008 CMCL-FAIMER Regional Institute (CMCL-FRI) Fellow and CMCL-FRI faculty member, who has been selected for a 2010-2011 Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Lecturer Fellowship. The fellowship is administered by the United States-India Educational Foundation (USEIF), which promotes mutual understanding between citizens of India and the United States through focused educational and cultural exchanges. Dr. Ciraj is currently working as Associate Professor of Microbiology and as Secretary of the Medical Education Unit, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Manipal, India.

Congratulations to Babu Raja Maharjan (CMCL 2010), who was recently promoted to Assistant Professor at the Patan Academy of Health Sciences in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Congratulations to Safinah Museene (SAFRI 2009), who received an award from the Kibuli School of Nursing in Kampala, Uganda, on June 6, 2010, in recognition of her services to the school as the first and founding principal. On June 15, Safinah was appointed Secretary of the Governing Council of the Jinja School of Nursing and Midwifery in Jinja, Uganda. The Governing Council oversees the administration and management of the school.

Congratulations to Naranchimeg Sodovsuren (PHIL 2006), who recently received an award to study at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria from September to December 2010. Naran’s goal for this training is to develop a model for the teaching and assessment of communication skills and professional attitudes for use at her home institution, the Health Sciences University of Mongolia.

Congratulations to Avinash Supe (PHIL 2002), Director of the GSMC-FAIMER Regional Institute, who was recently appointed to the Postgraduate Education Working Group, a committee established by the Medical Council of India Board of Governors with the task of providing recommendations for the reform of postgraduate education throughout India.

Dr. Supe was also recently invited to speak at two international conferences: the 9^th World Congress of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA 2010), held April 18-22 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Focus in Surgery 2010 Conference, held May 28-31 in Lanzhou, China. Among other activities at IHPBA 2010, Dr. Supe took part in a symposium on Education and Training in Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery.

Congratulations to Dr. Anshu (CMCL 2007, PHIL 2009), who designed a survey on training in cytopathology that was sent to international medical practitioners on behalf of the Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) of Cytopathology—the official journal of the British Society for Clinical Cytology and more than 20 national affiliated societies. The results of the survey have recently been published:

Anshu, et al. Survey of medical training in cytopathology carried out by the journal Cytopathology. Cytopathology. 2010;21(3):147-156. Abstract available from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123423463/abstract

Dr. Anshu was nominated to the EAB of Cytopathology in 2007, where she expressed an interest in studying how cytopathology training was conducted in different countries. After commissioning Dr. Anshu to design the survey, the EAB validated and piloted her questionnaire, which uncovered some interesting findings about deficiencies in training. Dr. Anshu credits her FAIMER experience for prompting the idea for study and also for giving her the tools to develop and execute the survey. The paper demonstrates variability in training and outlines best practices for training in cytopathology. The findings of this paper were presented by Dr. Amanda Herbert, Editor, Cytopathology, at the satellite meeting of the European Federation of Cytology Societies at Edinburgh, where it was decided that two working groups would formulate European guidelines on training based on the findings of this survey.

Dr. Anshu also recently attended the 17^th International Congress of Cytology, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, May 16-20, 2010, where she presented two posters: “Combination of Cytologic Features which Correctly Predicts Diagnosis of Papillary Carcinoma of Thyroid on FNAC” and “Does HPV Testing Help When High-grade Cytology Is Not Confirmed at Colposcopy?”

Congratulations to Felicia Mazwi (SAFRI 2009), who was recently appointed Chair of the East London Regional Chapter of the Nursing Education Association (NEA) in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The NEA has tasked the East London Regional Chapter with developing a leadership program for nurse educators. Under Ms. Mazwi’s leadership, four workshops are planned for nurse educators in 2010, including a nurses’ writers forum (held in April), and workshops on professional ethics (May), student support (August), and research (November).

The NEA has a chapter in each of South Africa’s nine provinces and plans to implement the leadership program for nurse educators countrywide once it has been developed fully. Co-Director of the Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) Vanessa Burch and other members of the SAFRI team will assist the NEA with the implementation of the leadership program through its nine chapters.

Congratulations to Chinmay Shah (GSMC 2008) on the following publications:

Shah BK, Shah VN, Shah CJ. Residency training programme in a tertiary care hospital of Gujarat: appraisal by residents. Journal of Health Management. 2010;12(1):65-71.

Shah CJ, Gokhale PA, Mehta HB. Effect of mobile use on reaction time. Al Ameen Journal of Medical Sciences. 2010;3(2):160-164.

In April, a poster co-authored by Dr. Shah entitled “Learning Styles Adopted by Medical Students” earned the Best Poster Award at Vinbasix 2010—the National Conference of Basic Medical Sciences at Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Medical College in Salem, Tamil Nadu.

Dr. Shah also recently earned his postgraduate diploma in hospital management from Madurai Kamaraj University and started an online journal, National Journal of Integrated Research in Medicine. For more information on the journal, visit http://njirm.pbworks.com/.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Wasserman (PHIL 2002), who recently delivered her inaugural address as Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Head of the Division of Medical Microbiology at Stellenbosch University. Professor Wasserman’s lecture was entitled “Battles with Bacteria: The History and Future of Staphylococcus Aureus Infection.”

Congratulations to Elaine Bezerra (PHIL 2008), whose abstract entitled “An Innovative Method for Rheumatology Teaching: The Blog” has been accepted for presentation in a poster session at the 2010 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2010), sponsored by the European League Against Rheumatism, to be held June 16-19 in Rome, Italy.

Congratulations to Amol Dongre (PSG 2008) and Subodh Gupta (PSG 2007), who recently had the following paper published in Education for Health (to view the article, click on its title):

Dongre AR, Deshmukh PR, Gupta SS, Garg BS. An evaluation of ROME camp: forgotten innovation in medical education. Education for Health. 2010;23(1):363.

The paper is based on Dr. Dongre’s FAIMER fellowship innovation project.

Congratulations to Irene Durante-Montiel (PHIL 2008), who recently received an Achievement Award from the Mexican Council for Accreditation of Medical Education (COMAEM) for her work in reorganizing Mexico’s National Accreditation System for Medical Education. The work was conducted during 2007 and 2008. The process involved evaluating the accreditation experience in Mexico from the ground up, while: incorporating review comments received from medical programs, site visitors, council members, and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (COPAES); incorporating an impact study co-conducted from 1995 to 2005 by Dr. Durante-Montiel; and reviewing international information on the subject.

Dr. Durante-Montiel has also been very active writing and editing works on health professions education, including the following recently published books:

Graue-Wiechers E, Sánchez-Mendiola M, Durante Montiel I, Rivero-Serrano O, editors. Educación en Residencias Médicas. Mexico, DF: Editores de Textos Mexicanos, 2010.

Rivero-Serrano O, Durante Montiel I, editors. Tratado de Ética Médica. México, DF: Editorial Trillas, 2009.

She also co-authored a volume entitled Obesidad (Obesity) in the recently published series entitled Medicina y Salud (Medicine and Health). This series, published by Intersistemas Editores consists of 11 volumes.

In addition, Dr. Durante-Montiel has co-authored the following paper (to view the article, click on its title):

Sánchez-Mendiola M, Graue-Wiechers EL, Ruiz-Pérez, LC, García-Duran R, Durante Montiel I. The resident-as-teacher educational challenge: a needs assessment survey at the National Autonomous University of Mexico Faculty of Medicine. BMC Medical Education. 2010;10:17.

Currently, Dr. Durante-Montiel is working closely with 2009 FAIMER Institute Fellow Andrea Dávila-Cervantes as part of the team in charge of implementing a new medical education curriculum at the Facultad de Medicina, UNAM.

Congratulations to Nitin Gaikwad (GSMC 2009), who was recently promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, in Wardha, India.

Congratulations to Mahinda Kommalage (PHIL 2009), whose paper entitled “Introduction of Student-Led Physiology Tutorial Classes to a Traditional Curriculum” was recently accepted to the journal Advances in Physiology Education, a publication of The American Physiological Society. The paper is co-authored by Naduni Imbulgoda and is expected to appear in the June 2010 issue of the journal.

Congratulations to Enoch Kwizera (PHIL 2007), who recently delivered his inaugural address as Professor in the Department of Pharmacology in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in Mthatha, South Africa. Dr. Kwizera’s lecture was entitled “25 Years of Training Doctors at WSU: How Have We Responded to the 1983 UNITRA Council Guidelines?” Dr. Kwizera had originally planned on delivering a lecture on a pharmacological topic, but changed instead to a health professions education topic, both in honor of the 100^th anniversary of the Flexner Report and to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the WSU Faculty of Health Sciences with a topic that he thought would be “the appropriate and, hopefully, more interesting one.” In 1983, the University of Transkei (UNITRA), now part of WSU, established guidelines for medical education that emphasized training health professionals to: serve the local community, educate communities about taking personal responsibility for health, think critically and creatively to solve health care problems, teach the importance of prevention, learn continuously, and practice with high ethical standards. Dr. Kwizera addressed whether the challenges issued by UNITRA 27 years ago have been met.

Congratulations to Elena Barragán (PHIL 2003), who has joined the Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, a new university in Allen, Río Negro, Argentina, as director of the School of Health and Human Development and as professor in the Dental School. She will also continue in her position as professor in the Biomedical Department at the Universidad Nacional del Comahue.

Dr. Barragan has also been busy leading workshops in Argentina. She recently led a faculty development workshop on assessment in her new role at the Dental School. In addition, she is organizing a workshop on research in medical education as part of a faculty development program at the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

The National Research Foundation (NRF), the body that evaluates and rates researchers in South Africa, has recognized Vanessa Burch (PHIL 2001), Co-Director of the Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI), as an Established Researcher. Dr. Burch is the first health sciences education researcher ever to be recognized by the NRF, which convened a joint assessment panel comprised of health sciences and education experts to consider her application. Applicants for a researcher rating are subject to a rigorous, multiphase selection process that includes evaluation by at least six peer reviewers and a specialist committee in addition to the final assessment panel. Decisions are based on the quality of an applicant’s research-based outputs over an eight-year period, the impact his/her work has in the field and related fields, and the applicant’s standing as a researcher from a national and international perspective.

Congratulations to Madhuri Kate (GSMC 2008), whose FAIMER Innovation Project was recently published as an article in the International Journal of Pharma Sciences and Research (IJPSR):

Kate MS, Kulkarni UJ (GSMC 2006), Supe A (PHIL 2002), Deshmukh YA. Introducing integrated teaching in undergraduate medical curriculum. International Journal of Pharma Sciences and Research. 2010;1(1):18-22.

Madhuri also presented the project in a poster session at the National Conference on Health Professionals’ Education (NCHPE), held in December 2009 in Pune, India.

Madhuri recently left her position at Mahatma Gandhi Mission Medical College and joined Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College as a professor in the Department of Pathology and head of the Department of Transfusion Medicine.

Congratulations to Wagdy Talaat (PHIL 2007), who received the Egyptian Medical Syndicate Annual Award in recognition of his efforts to promote medical education in Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean region.

Congratulations to Janet Bloomfield (PHIL 2009), who won first prize at the Chilean Medical Education Congress for her presentation entitled “Effective Feedback in Clerkships.” The congress was held January 12-15, 2010, in Valdivia, Chile.

Congratulations to Lt. Col. Karuna Datta (GSMC 2009), who co-edited the following recently published book:

Saha TK, Datta K, editors. Essentials of Medical Teaching Technology. Delhi: Jay Dee Services; 2010.

The book is a compact reference containing 26 chapters targeted toward young medical teachers. In addition to covering basic medical education, Essentials of Medical Teaching Technology addresses topics such as newer clinical assessment techniques, skills assessment, systematic design of assessment, and the role of information technology in medical education.

Congratulations to Michan Malca (PHIL 2008) on his recent appointment as Secretary of the Commission on Medical Education of the Peruvian Association of Medical Schools. In addition to being a FAIMER Institute Fellow, Dr. Malca is a member of the FAIMER Regional Initiative in Latin America (FRILA). He hopes to invite other members of FRILA to participate in the next Peruvian Congress on Medical Education that he is helping to organize in his new role on the Commission.

Dr. Malca is also working to launch a Medical Education Office at his home institution, the Universidad Científica del Sur, and is preparing a paper on the state of the art in simulation in medical education for a local journal.

Congratulations to Vinod Pallath (GSMC 2008), who was recently awarded a fellowship to attend the 2010 Saudi International Medical Education Conference (SIMEC), held April 6-8 in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. At the conference, Vinod presented a paper based on his FAIMER innovation project. Collaborating on the paper were Reem Rachel Abraham (PSG 2007), A.M. Ciraj (CMCL 2008), and James Gonsalves (CMCL 2009).

Congratulations to Jyoti Nagmoti (PSG 2007), who was nominated as a Member, Board of Studies of Microbiology by the Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences University in Karad, Maharashtra, India.

Congratulations to Phagalvarthi Vasudevan Vijayaraghavan (CMCL 2010), who recently gave a presentation entitled “Challenges in Orthopaedic Education” at the 43rd Annual Conference of Tamil Nadu Orthopaedic Association (TNOACON), held February 12-14, 2010, in Courtallam.

Congratulations to Mohamed Abdelrahman (SAFRI 2009), who recently earned his M.D. degree in General Surgery from the Sudan Medical Specialization Board in Khartoum.

Congratulations to Elaine Bezerra (PHIL 2008), Maria José Pereira Vilar (BRAZ 2008), and George Dantas Azevedo (BRAZ 2007), who co-authored a paper entitled “Elective Rheumatology Program with Primary Health Care Focus,” derived from Dr. Bezerra’s FAIMER innovation project. Dr. Vilar presented the paper during a poster session at the 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, held October 17-21 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Congratulations to Mohammed Ahmed Hassanien (CMCL 2010), who is the first FAIMER Fellow from a Saudi Arabian university. Dr. Hassanien’s innovation project entitled “A Six Steps Approach for Developing Standardized Student Assessment System in King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Medicine” will be implemented in two of the university’s academic departments.

Congratulations to Sarah Kiguli (PHIL 2004), who was recently promoted to Associate Professor of Paediatrics in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Dr. Kiguli was also recently appointed to the position of Education Coordinator for the university’s College of Health Sciences.

Congratulations to Savita Marathe (GSMC 2008), who presented a poster entitled “Communication and Attitudinal Skills for Medical Interns” at the 7^th Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference (APMEC 2010), held in Singapore, February 4-8, 2010.

Congratulations to Waithira Mirie (PHIL 2004), who recently earned her doctorate in health science from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Congratulations to Ranabir Pal (CMCL 2009), who was invited by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to serve as a faculty member for a three-day workshop on research methodology, held February 18-20, 2010, at Agartala Government Medical College in Tripura, India.

Congratulations to Yinusa Raji (PHIL 2007) on his recent promotion to Associate Professor of Physiology at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

Congratulations to Noor Ahsen (PHIL 2006), who recently led an eight-week faculty development workshop on “Medical Education—An Overview” at her new home institution, Shalamar Medical & Dental College, in Lahore, Pakistan. Sessions began with a presentation on the need for change in health professions education in Pakistan, and went on to cover topics such as modes of learning, consensus building techniques, problem based learning (PBL), concept mapping, learning objectives, assessment methods, multiple-choice testing, objective structured clinical and practical examinations (OSCEs and OSPEs), and program evaluation and quality control. Dr. Ahsen also gave a presentation on the workings of the Shalamar Medical & Dental College Medical Education Department that was attended by the university’s accreditation committee. The presentation’s positive reception provided clear evidence that health professions education is becoming increasingly recognized as an important specialty in its own right in Pakistan.

Congratulations to Venkatesh Doreswamy (PHIL 2007), who was recently nominated to serve in three key positions at his home institution of M.S. Ramaiah Medical College in Bangalore: Joint Secretary of the Medical Education Cell; leader of the team for guidance, monitoring, and preparation of the Evaluative Report on Teaching-learning Methods and Evaluation; and member of the core committee for internal quality assurance to monitor all institutional activities. Dr. Doreswamy credits his FAIMER experience for the recognition he has received.

Dr. Doreswamy has also recently published the following books:

Venkatesh D, Sudhakar HH. Basics of Medical Physiology, 2nd ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010

Venkatesh D, Sudhakar HH. Basics of Medical Physiology for Nursing Students, 3rd ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010

The first book was written for the dental, physiotherapy, medical, and allied health sciences. The second book is targeted toward graduate nursing students.

Congratulations to Surapaneni Krishna Mohan (CMCL 2009) on the following publication:

Mohan SK. Does the SMART Board improve skills of the first year medical students in learning Biochemistry? INTI Journal Special Issue on Teaching and Learning. November 2009; 152-164.

Dr. Mohan also presented this paper at the International Conference on Teaching and Learning, held November 16-18, 2009, in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. This is one of three paper presentations he gave recently. Dr. Mohan presented a paper entitled “Effect of integrated teaching with case based learning in biochemistry of undergraduate medical curriculum” at the Third International Conference on Medical Education in the Sudan, held in collaboration with the Seventh Scientific Meeting of the Association of Medical Schools in the Arab World, October 28-November 2, 2009, in Khartoum, Sudan. He also presented “Concept mapping as a tool in the teaching of clinical biochemistry of undergraduate medical curriculum” at the 5th Annual Asian Medical Education Association (AMEA) Conference, held October 4-7, 2009, in Bandung, Indonesia.

Additionally, Dr. Mohan was awarded a fellowship and participated in the “DNA Topology Course” conducted by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) on November 2-7, 2009, in Okinawa, Japan.

Congratulations to Supten Sarbadhikari (PSG 2007), who has been nominated to the Working Group on Health Literacy formed by the Government of India. The group is tasked with developing and implementing the nationwide, electronic Health Information Network proposed by the National Knowledge Commission. To learn more about the project, visit http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/recommendations/hin.asp.

Congratulations to Chinmay Shah (GSMC 2008) on the following publication:

Baxi SN, Shah CJ, Parmar RD, Parmar D, Tripathi CB. Students’ perception of different teaching aids in a medical college. African Journal of Health Professions Education. 2009; 1(1): 15-16.

Dr. Shah also recently served as Chair, Planning and Coordination Committee for the Gujarat Indian Medical Association Conference (GIMACON) 2009, held November 21-22, 2009, in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India.

Congratulations to Rachel Weiss (SAFRI 2009), who was awarded the University of Cape Town, Centre for Higher Education Development’s (CHED) Collaborative Educational Practice Award for her SAFRI innovation project entitled “Community education and the role of the patient information leaflet.”

Congratulations to Seema Anjenaya (GSMC 2009) on her promotion to Professor and Head of Department of Preventive & Social Medicine at Mahatma Gandhi Mission Medical College in Navi Mumbai, India.

Congratulations to Solomon Genet (PHIL 2003), who presented at the Third International Conference on Medical Education in the Sudan held in collaboration with the Seventh Scientific Meeting of the Association of Medical Schools in the Arab World on October 28-November 2, 2009, in Khartoum, Sudan. Dr. Genet’s presentation, entitled “Integrating team approach in medical education, the experience of Jimma University, Ethiopia,” was based on his FAIMER innovation project.

Congratulations to Sarmishtha Ghosh (GSMC 2007), who gave a presentation entitled “Need for Innovative Assessments in Medical Schools Following Traditional Curriculum,” at the International Conference on Teaching and Learning, held November 16-18, 2009, in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Congratulations to Latha Kumar (PSG 2009) on the following publication:

Kumar LR, Voralu K, Pani SP, Sethuraman KR. Predominant learning styles adopted by AIMST University students in Malaysia. South East Asian Journal of Medical Education (SEAJME). 2009;3(1). Available from http://www.md.chula.ac.th/jmet/articleVol3No1/OR6_Latha%20Rajendra.pdf

Dr. Kumar also recently conducted two workshops at her institution. The first was a faculty development workshop on “Themes of medical education research and how to get into FAIMER.” Participants included medical faculty, the physiotherapy department, nursing staff, and hospital administrators and statisticians. The second workshop, entitled “Concept map—an effective and active T-L method” was conducted for faculty and postgraduate departments.

Congratulations to Rita Sood (PHIL 2005), who has been invited to serve as a faculty member for a five-day, international training course jointly developed by the Karolinska Institutet and the British Medical Journal. The course, entitled “Leading for Change in Health Professional Education,” will be held May 17-21, 2010, at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

Dr. Sood also has been selected by the Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) as a member of its Policy Group.

Congratulations to Chetna Desai (CMCL 2007) on her recent promotion to Professor, Department of Pharmacology at B.J. Medical College in Ahmedabad, India.

Congratulations to Avinash Supe (PHIL 2002), Director of the GSMC-FAIMER Regional Institute, who delivered the keynote address entitled “Medical Education in India: Past, Present, and Future” at the Gujarat Indian Medical Association Conference (GIMACON) 2009, held November 21-22, in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India.

In December, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences honored Dr. Supe for his lifelong contribution to medical education at the second biennial National Conference on Health Professionals’ Education (NCHPE) held in Pune.

Congratulations to Muhammad Tariq (PHIL 2009) on his recent Award for Significant Contributions to Postgraduate Medical Education in recognition of “distinction and excellence as a mentor, educator, and researcher” at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.