Core Faculty
Ara Tekian, Ph.D., M.H.P.E.
Ara Tekian, Ph.D., M.H.P.E. University of Illinois at Chicago, is an internationally recognized leader in health professions education. He serves as Associate Professor of Medical Education, Associate Dean of International Affairs for the College of Medicine, and Director of International Affairs in the Department of Medical Education, University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Tekian teaches and advises graduate students in the Masters in Health Professions Education (M.H.P.E.) program, and acts as the spokesperson for the College of Medicine in the international community in an effort to broaden collaborations and create educational opportunities for health professions students.
For the past two decades, Dr. Tekian has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office as well as to many other institutions and agencies. He has established a number of medical education departments or units in medical schools throughout the world, consulted in more than 35 countries, and offered more than 140 workshops.
Currently, Dr. Tekian serves as President of the Division of Education in the Professions of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the leading international professional association for the field of education.
Dr. Tekian’s current research interests include curriculum planning and evaluation for medical schools, student assessment and innovative testing methodologies, instructional technology, selection and retention of underrepresented minorities in medical schools, and international health professions education. He is the senior author of the book "Innovative Simulations for Assessing Professional Competence: From Paper-and-Pencil to Virtual Reality" published in 1999.
In 2007, Dr. Tekian was a recipient of the Teaching Recognition Program Award at the University of Illinois under the auspices of the Council for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL).
