Congratulations to Nathan Oliver on his Associate Fellowship with ANZAHPE.

Nathan Oliver is a nurse, educator, and leader dedicated to advancing healthcare education and practice through simulation. He is the Simulation Convenor at the University of Canberra, where he leads strategic development in simulation-based learning. Nathan’s career spans both Australia and the UK, with notable roles at NHS Lothian, the Scottish Centre for Simulation and Clinical Human Factors, and NHS Education for Scotland. He also co-founded the Graduate Certificate in Simulation-Based Clinical Education at the University of Edinburgh.

Nathan is an Executive Committee member of Association of Simulated Practice in Heathcare (ASPIH), a regular contributor to national and European simulation conferences, and an international consultant in simulation design and debriefing. He is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Melbourne, exploring expertise in debriefing.

"Returning to Australia in 2023 after nearly a decade abroad, I found myself searching for ‘my people’—those passionate healthcare education thinkers and innovators committed to making things better. At the ANZAHPE 2024 conference, I felt I’d found that community. A space where I can both contribute meaningfully and continue to learn. I’m excited to invest in and grow with the ANZAHPE community in the years ahead."

Congratulations to Averil Grieve on her Associate Fellowship with ANZAHPE.

As a Senior Lecturer in the Communication in Health Professions Education Unit (COHPE), Averil Grieve develops and delivers communication skills curricula for health professions students on placement at Monash University. She also delivers professional development workshops for clinical educators working with culturally and linguistically diverse health professions students.

Averil has a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Melbourne, a Master of Cross-Cultural Communication from the University of Sydney and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Her current research focuses on the application of linguistic models (e.g. politeness theory) to understand and teach communication in the health professions, transcultural practices for teaching cohorts of culturally and linguistically diverse health professions students, and the ethics of using of reflective writing to assess reflective practice in health professions education.

"I applied for an Associate Fellowship with ANZAHPE because of its central role in promoting health professions education scholarship and providing a platform where academics and educators from diverse disciplines can share their innovations, ideas and experiences in health professions education."

Meet one of our newest members, Kelly Lewer.

Kelly Lewer is a registered nurse, educator and leader in health professional education. She leads dynamic post graduate health professional education programs underpinned by educational theory and scholarly practice, with an emphasis on high impact learning experiences for the ethical and practical complexities of real-world practice. 

My scholarly interests focus on strengths based, inclusive health professional education,  and collaborative practice.

"I have rejoined as a member of ANZAHPE to contribute to furthering scholarship and collaborate with like minded educators."

Congratulations to Lichin Lim on her ANZAHPE Associate Fellowship

Lichin Lim is a pharmacist, educator and leader in health professional education, with a focus on advancing interprofessional collaboration and workforce development. She leads innovative programs grounded in strong educational theory and scholarly practice, delivering high-impact learning experiences for students, clinicians, educators and healthcare leaders. As an active member of the ANZAHPE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Subcommittee,  she advocates for inclusive practices in education and healthcare.

My scholarly interests focus on interprofessional education and collaborative practice in the clinical workplace, alongside developing educator capabilities to foster inclusive and supportive learning cultures. I am motivated to apply for Associate Fellowship with ANZAHPE to contribute actively to the educator community, advocate for interprofessional learning and DEI, support and engage in shared learning with fellow educators. I see the Fellowship as an opportunity to contribute to advancing scholarship, equity and innovation in health professional education.

Jena Buchan and Team applied for the ANZAHPE Grant in 2024. Learn about their project below:

Recent years have brought an increased interest and expansion of research related to compassion practices and training in healthcare. However, while growing research exists on integrating practice and training of compassion into health profession education programs, a gap remains in understanding compassion practices in educators delivering these programs. With the growing movement for these individuals to train the next generation of healthcare professionals in their own compassion practices and support them to reduce stress and burnout risk, it is essential to better support a ‘practice what you preach’ approach. However, first we must understand the current compassion landscape in health educators, to better guide future support and strategies. While the concept of ‘self-compassion’ has been an area of recent debate, the growing body of literature around this concept suggests it still worthy of further exploration. As such, our research team is working to increase understanding of self-compassion perception, practices, and lived experiences in health profession educator, alongside stress and work engagement. Through surveys and interviews, we seek to explore how a career in health professions education might impact the practice of self-compassion, including association with reported stress and work engagement, and identify what we can do to change the narrative.

If you’d like to discuss our work further, please reach out: Jena Buchan, Southern Cross University, jena.buchan@scu.edu.au

Congratulations to Roma Forbes on her ANZAHPE Fellowship.

Roma Forbes is an Associate Professor (Physiotherapy) and Deputy Associate Dean (Academic) for Student Experience and Success in the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences at The University of Queensland. Roma also serves as a Director and Chair of Accreditation for the Australian Physiotherapy Council.

An award-winning educator and practicing physiotherapist, she leads national initiatives and programs of research in work-integrated learning and graduate readiness for practice. This work focuses on preparing health professionals for the ethical and practical complexities of real-world practice.

Roma has been an ANZAHPE member since 2015 and is drawn to ANZAHPE’s values of community, excellence, and inclusivity, and sees Fellowship as a way to deepen her contribution, support others, and grow within a network that has shaped her own academic journey.

Meet one of our newest members, Melissa Arnold-Ujvari.

Melissa Arnold-Ujvari is currently a Director Pre-Registration Nursing  Programs within the Nursing School at the University of Adelaide and is in the final stages of completing her PhD.

"With over 30 years of experience as a renal nurse and university academic, my career has been dedicated to the advancement of health professional education. Beginning in Australia, where I developed a deep understanding of the complexities of kidney care I then transitioned into academia firstly in the UK and then Australia. I focused on resilience for nurses and First Nations health, working on curriculum development and mentoring future healthcare professionals. My aim has been to integrate practical experience with theoretical knowledge for comprehensive, culturally sensitive student education.

Being a member represents a community of passionate educators committed to excellence in health professional education. The association provides invaluable resources, networking opportunities, and professional development to continually enhance practice. ANZAHPE’s dedication to fostering innovative and collaborative educational environments perfectly aligns with my focus on First Nations health.

I heard about ANZAHPE through a colleague who spoke of the collaborative spirit within the community. Intrigued, I looked into the association and was impressed by its commitment to supporting health professional educators."

Congratulations to Paul McGurgan on his Fellowship with ANZAHPE.

After graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 1995, Paul wanted less sleep and more adrenalin in his life.... although he later found out that starting a family could have achieved the same result, he decided to become an obstetrician and gynaecologist. His career has given him the opportunity to work in 3 different countries' health care systems- Ireland, UK and Australia.

As the Assoc. Dean in UWA Medical School he coordinates the medical students’ professional development, wellbeing and mentoring programs. Paul’s research interests focus on medical (and medical student) professionalism, patient safety and student wellbeing.  He is the AMA(WA) state representative for Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

If Paul had a fairy godmother, he would like one of his wishes to be to dispel all the rumours and fears related to health professionals and students being concerned about disclosing struggles with their mental health.

I decided to apply for ANZAHPE fellowship as I have greatly benefitted from being part of this community of practice, and hope I can give something back in this role. I do not think there is another organisation which matches the collegiality, breadth and depth of the membership in health professional education; and let’s face it, we have the best fun at ANZAHPE conferences.

Congratulations to Louise Allen on her Associate Fellowship with ANZAHPE.

Louise is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Medical Education (DME) at The University of Melbourne, an Adjunct Lecture at Monash University, and a Credentialing Consultant at Dietitians Australia.

My program of research focuses on continuing professional development, faculty development (both formal and informal), and evaluation. Specifically, my research is not limited to exploring outcomes or impacts of educational interventions; it acknowledges the importance of context and understanding how and why outcomes are occurring and what else is happening. In addition to research, I co-lead teaching and curriculum development of the research focused subjects in the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma of Clinical Education.

I applied for Associate Fellowship with ANZAHPE because I see it as an extremely valuable organisation for growing, promoting, and uplifting health professions education research, scholarship, and practice in Australia and New Zealand. The supportive network that it creates, and the development it offers members are excellent and I want to contribute to that.

Congratulations to Tanisha Jowsey on her Fellowship with ANZAHPE.

Tanisha Jowsey is an Associate Professor of Medical Education and Professionalism at Bond University in Queensland and Adjunct Senior Lecturer with the Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland. With a background in anthropology, education and public health, Tanisha is committed to helping healthcare professionals learn. Tanisha is particularly interested in social cognitive learning theory in practice, that is, how to make learning fun and memorable.

"I applied for Fellowship because ANZAHPE is my academic home and ANZAHPEANS are my people!"