Meet one of our newest members, Madeline Townsend.

Madeline Townsend is a registered dental practitioner who teaches general dental practice at the Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Australia. She is currently completing the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education. She is a second-year coordinator for the Doctor of Dental Surgery program and teaches across conservative dentistry (restorative/fillings) simulation, general dental clinical practice and clinical photography.

Her work has included introducing a structured near-peer learning opportunity for first-year students in the Doctor of Dental Surgery program, where they are able to have an early introduction into clinic and work alongside their second-year peers. This has been successfully introduced in 2025 and she hopes to expand it across other year levels in the program. She has also developed 3D and 2D educational resources to aid in teaching restorative dentistry. These are being used in the conservative dentistry teaching in the simulation classes, and she hopes to expand the library of resources. She has developed a comprehensive clinical notes guide to support their creation of clinical notes in their clinical placements. This is being used across all 3 clinical years of the Doctor of Dental Surgery program. 

She heard about ANZAHPE through colleagues at the University of Melbourne. She chose to become a member to connect with other health profession educators across Australia and New Zealand. She is motivated to improve the educational experience of her students and increase the quality of education they receive as the next generation of health professionals. 

Congratulations to Laura Gray on her ANZAHPE Fellowship!

Laura Gray is Director of the Damion Drapac Centre for Equity in Health Professions Education at Deakin University, where she works to create more inclusive, equitable, and socially accountable health professions education. Her research and leadership focus on improving educational experiences and outcomes for students from diverse backgrounds, with a particular interest in ensuring that all learners can participate, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to the health workforce.

Laura brings together research, educational leadership, and sector collaboration to address complex challenges in health professions education. She works closely with educators, researchers, students, and community partners to translate evidence into practical change, supporting more inclusive learning environments, assessment practices, and institutional policies.

Her work is grounded in a belief that educational systems should recognise and value learner diversity, foster agency and belonging, and create cultures of respect, compassion, and inclusion. 

Laura's research explores how health professions education can become more equitable, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of diverse learners. Her interests include equity and participation in health professions education, inclusive educational policy and practice, learner wellbeing and belonging, and assessment approaches that support learner agency and success.

A major current focus of her work is disability inclusion and neurodiversity in health professions education. She is particularly interested in understanding the experiences of neurodivergent students, the barriers they encounter within educational and clinical training environments, and the institutional changes needed to create genuinely neuro-affirming cultures and practices.

More broadly, her research examines how educational systems, policies, and professional cultures shape access, participation, and success, with the goal of informing practical reforms that improve outcomes for learners, educators, and institutions.

Meet one of our newest members, Mark Wearn.

My name is Mark Wearn, and I am a Lecturer in Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), where I also serve as Practical Education Coordinator for the Medical Laboratory Science program. Before transitioning into academia, I spent more than 17 years working as a Medical Laboratory Scientist in the pathology industry. This experience continues to influence my teaching, with a strong focus on preparing students for professional practice and supporting their transition into the healthcare workforce.

I hold a Master of Medical Research and I am passionate about bridging the gap between industry and higher education. My interests include practical and simulation-based learning, professional identity development, clinical placements, and ensuring that health professional education remains aligned with contemporary workforce needs and standards.

I first learned about ANZAHPE through several colleagues at UniSQ. I am also fortunate to work near Associate Professor Priya Martin, a current ANZAHPE Board member, who recommended the organisation when I mentioned that I had recently taken on the role of Practical Education Coordinator. After exploring ANZAHPE's resources and community, I quickly recognised the value of being involved and became a member that same afternoon.

For me, ANZAHPE provides an opportunity to connect with educators who share a commitment to evidence-informed teaching, professional practice, and continuous improvement in health professions education. I look forward to learning from the ANZAHPE community and contributing to the development of future healthcare professionals across Australia and New Zealand.

Since 1968, The University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences has built an international reputation as a world-leading health and medical sciences faculty. We’re proud to provide an excellent educational experience at undergraduate and postgraduate level, offering professional, engaging teaching, tailored to the evolving needs of the world. From certificates to PhDs, you can choose from a broad range study options in Medicine, Nursing, Medical Imaging, Medical Sciences, Pharmacy, Optometry, Population Health and a other Science disciplines. We are also home to the Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education (CMHSE) which supports clinical educators to develop their clinical teaching skills, embark on scholarly activity in health professional education, and develop a blended academic career. Whether you’re looking to pursue your passion, advance your career or contribute to the future of health care, you’ll learn in collaborative, research-rich environment taught by world-leading academics in the forefront of health research.

Find at more at: auckland.ac.nz/fmhs

The University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences is honoured to be a Silver Sponsor of the 2026 The Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) ‘Weaving Connection’ Conference.

This year, academics, clinicians and researchers from the Melbourne School of Health Sciences, the Department of Medical Education (DME), and Collaborative Practice Centre (CPC), are thrilled to be representing the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences and #UniMelb, during the four-day conference, which promises a packed program of speakers and workshops.

For 150 years, the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences has played a central role in advancing health discovery, education, and care in Australia and across the globe. Our partnerships with hospitals, research institutes, industry, governments, and communities have driven remarkable progress. Today we bring together the largest aggregation of health and medical researchers in Australia to undertake research that has a global impact on the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Since its inception in July 2009, the Melbourne School of Health Sciences has embraced an inter-professional learning community at the forefront of leadership in health sciences education, clinical research, professional practice, workforce training and knowledge exchange. Our highly skilled team and outstanding students contribute to local, national, and global efforts to improve health and wellbeing.

Established in 2015 the Department of Medical Education is responsible for the delivery of the Doctor of Medicine (MD) course and a range of professional development postgraduate and non-award programs.

The newly established Collaborative Practice Centre, is a catalyst for collaborative practice in the health care system, equipping current and future teams to work together toward patient-centred care and improved health outcomes through education, practice, and research.

Join us at booth 23/26 to learn more about the Melbourne Academy of Clinical Educators, Melbourne School of Health Sciences, the Department of Medical Education and Collaborative Practice Centre (CPC), our programs, and opportunities for continuing professional development at #UniMelb.

Pearson, the world's lifelong learning company, helps people realize the lives they imagine. That promise is made possible in part by Pearson Professional Assessments, the global leader in high-stakes knowledge assessments. We provide hundreds of credentialing programs and their candidates testing options through both the world's largest test center network and online, in more than 180 countries and territories. And every year we deliver more than 18 million exams — that's one test every 1.7 seconds — providing life-changing opportunities to people everywhere. To learn more, visit pearsonvue.com

Empowering Excellence in Health Professional Education: Meet risr/

At risr/, we believe that the future of healthcare depends on the quality of the journey that prepares its practitioners. With over 25 years of global expertise, we are dedicated to providing the technology that empowers assessment and lifelong learning for medical schools, specialty boards, and postgraduate training bodies worldwide.

As a proud supporter of the ANZAHPE community, we understand the unique challenges faced by health professional educators. Our mission is to transform complex educational workflows into seamless, insightful experiences that allow educators to focus on what matters most: the growth and competence of their learners.

A Unified Ecosystem for the Learner Journey

The risr/ platform is a modular, all-in-one solution designed to support every stage of a practitioner’s career—from initial application to high-stakes licensure and ongoing professional development. Our ecosystem consists of three core pillars:

● risr/apply: enables your users to apply and pay for their exams, training, events and memberships - all in one place.

● risr/assess: provides everything you need to manage and deliver exams and assessments; from creation, preparation and delivery to analysis, reporting and feedback.

● risr/advance: gathers evidence of your users’ training & CPD progress, providing them with the insights they need throughout their own learning journeys.

Innovation with Integrity

We are at the forefront of educational technology, recently introducing risr/ai, a suite of tools designed to enhance, not replace, human expertise. From our AI Item Set Generator, which helps faculty rapidly author high-quality questions, to the AI Clinical Coach for immersive formative practice, we prioritize academic integrity and expert control.

Why Partner with risr/?

By unifying data across the entire training lifecycle, risr/ provides educators with clarity and real-time insights into cohort performance and individual remediation needs. Whether you are managing a small school or an international college, our platform is built to scale with your needs while maintaining the highest standards of reliability and defensibility.

Visit Us at ANZAHPE 2026

Connecting the dots between high-stakes exams and real-world clinical competence can now be simplified with the risr/ platform. We invite you to visit the risr/ team at Booths 24 & 25 during the conference. Whether you are looking to streamline your administrative workflows or gain deeper clarity through longitudinal learner data, we look forward to hearing from you.

To learn more about how we can support your institution, visit us at risr.global.

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Breakfast Session: Title, Speaker and Short Overview (100 words)

● Title: The 360-Degree Learner: Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Performance

● Descriptor: A student might ace their MCQs but struggle in an OSCE or on the ward. If that data lives in different systems, we miss the opportunity for holistic support. How can we create a truly comprehensive view of learner competence? This session looks at the benefits of a single-platform approach to assessment. We’ll discuss how linking written exams, clinical performance data (OSCEs), and workplace-based evidence into a single ecosystem allows for sophisticated "early warning systems" and more nuanced, evidence-based remediation.

● Speaker: risr/ APAC team

As healthcare education navigates a landscape filled with both unprecedented challenges and new opportunities, maintaining the integrity and rigor of the credentialing process has never been more vital. This year at ANZAHPE 2026, ExamSoft by Turnitin is proud to showcase how we are helping institutions restore certainty to their assessments and protect the value of their education.

Closing the "AI Backdoor"

The rapid rise of generative AI has fundamentally changed the requirements for secure testing. ExamSoft addresses this shift head-on by disconnecting the exam experience from the internet. This robust, fully offline testing environment effectively closes the "AI backdoor," ensuring that the data gathered is a true, unassisted measure of student knowledge.

Data-Driven Insights for Accreditation

Beyond world-class security, our platform is designed to turn raw assessment data into actionable intelligence. As healthcare educators face mounting pressure to prove program efficacy, we invite you to explore how these insights can empower your faculty to:

● Align Assessments: Seamlessly map every individual question to specific program outcomes and core competencies.

● Meet AMC Requirements: Simplify and streamline the complex data collection necessary to satisfy rigorous accreditation standards.

● Enhance Student Learning: Provide students with detailed, category-based performance feedback that guides remediation and supports long-term professional growth.

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Connect with Us at ANZAHPE

We have two primary ways for you to engage with our team during the conference:

1. Visit Booths 16 &17 Drop by the exhibition hall to speak with our experts. Whether you are looking to harden your academic integrity protocols or improve your longitudinal tracking of student performance, we’re here to show you how our secure, data-driven insights can transform your curriculum.

2. Exclusive Breakfast Session

● Date: Wednesday, 1 July

● Time: 7:30 am

Start your morning with a deep dive into how secure exams support program excellence. It’s a fantastic opportunity to network with peers and discuss the future of healthcare assessment over a catered meal.

In an era of rapid technological change, your assessment strategy should be a source of confidence. We look forward to seeing you at ANZAHPE 2026!

Meet one of our newest members, Ryley Pasquali.

Ryley Pasquali is a Lecturer in Physiotherapy at La Trobe University who combines his academic role with ongoing clinical work in private practice, where he treats musculoskeletal conditions, sports injuries, and endurance athletes. His teaching brings together physiotherapy and clinical anatomy, with a strong focus on helping students see how foundational knowledge translates into clinical reasoning and decision-making in real-world contexts.

His interest in health professions education (HPE) has grown from a genuine curiosity about how students learn and how teaching approaches shape that learning. Through his dual roles as a clinician and educator, Ryley has developed a passion for creating learning experiences that are interactive, evidence-informed, and grounded in authentic clinical scenarios. This perspective underpins his approach to curriculum design, assessment, and student learning, with a focus on developing confident, adaptable, and reflective graduates.

Ryley first became aware of ANZAHPE through colleagues at La Trobe University, whose support and mentorship have played an important role in his ongoing development as an educator. For Ryley, being part of ANZAHPE offers a valuable opportunity to connect with others who share a passion for improving health professions education. He joined to continue learning, stay inspired, and contribute to conversations around best practice in teaching and learning.

Meet one of our newest members, Navdeep Kaur.

Nav is an orthoptist, clinical educator, and student supervisor working across two metropolitan tertiary hospitals in Melbourne. Education has always been an important part of her professional life, but she has also been curious about how people learn. Through her own experience, she came to realise that how she learns shapes how she teaches, and how she teaches influences how students understand and learn. This idea has become central to the way she approaches education.

This interest led her to complete a Master of Clinical Education at The University of Melbourne, including a research thesis, which she completed in 2025. The degree deepened her understanding of educational theory and research and provided new ways to reflect on and strengthen her teaching practice.

She first heard about ANZAHPE during her master’s degree and was immediately drawn to how relevant the conferences and resources were to her day-to-day work. As someone who is naturally curious and always looking for new ideas, she saw ANZAHPE as a place where she could continue learning and be inspired by others in the field. For Nav, being part of ANZAHPE means belonging to a supportive community of educators who are passionate about health professions education. She joined to continue developing in her role, stay inspired, and connect with others who share a commitment to helping students learn and grow.