Meet one of our newest members, Casey Trownson.

Casey is an emerging researcher and Registered Nurse with a clinical background spanning mental health and primary healthcare. Currently a Nursing Lecturer at Te Kura Matatini o Taranaki - Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki, Casey has developed an interest in the use of play as a pedagogical approach in adult education.

"I am curious about learning beyond traditional approaches and invite learners to create, experiment, problem-solve, and, dare to have fun. My work explores how creative and experiential approaches can enhance learner engagement, strengthen problem-solving skills, and create psychologically safe environments in which challenging topics can be explored.

Current projects include exploring LEGO® Serious Play® to teach Te Tiriti o Waitangi in nursing practice. Concurrently, I am also refining my capability with the micro-skills of research, in preparation for my first solo research endeavour. My involvement with ANZAHPE has been particularly significant in this journey. As an emerging researcher, I had heard that ANZAHPE was a welcoming and first-timer-friendly conference, and this proved to be true when I attended my first conference in Ōtautahi Christchurch 2026. I first heard about ANZAHPE through an email thread at work. Presenting felt like an achievable step because the conference welcomed innovations as well as more formal research. This made the idea of presenting feel accessible rather than intimidating.

What I did not anticipate was just how valuable the experience would be. The tautoko (support) and genuine interest I received throughout the conference gave me confidence to continue developing my research skills and to recognise that there is a place for emerging researchers within this community. For me, ANZAHPE has become more than a conference; it has been an important part of finding my feet as a researcher and discovering the value of sharing ideas, asking questions, and doing things differently."

Meet one of our newest members, Dr Frederick Sundram.

Dr Frederick Sundram is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland and a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at North Shore Hospital, Waitemata. He was a research fellow at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland where he completed his PhD in Neuroimaging. He has a Masters in Healthcare Management and a Masters in Healthcare Informatics. He is the vice-chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists' National Faculty of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. He has >100 publications in areas spanning mood disorders, neuroimaging, neuropsychopharmacology, self-harm/suicide, medical education, mental health literacy, overlap between medicine and psychiatry, and digital health.

"I believe that promoting mental health literacy is an important undertaking – through ANZAHPE, I hope to enhance understanding and practice of this area with opportunities such as inter-professional education. Also, within the medical school programme and beyond, I hope to promote better understanding of psychiatric presentations to non-psychiatric settings so that an approach that considers things holistically can be taken."

Meet one of our newest members, Michael Neep

My name is Michael Neep, and I am an Associate Professor in Medical Imaging at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). My career has focused on medical radiation sciences, with particular interests in medical imaging education, research, curriculum development, and the advancement of evidence-based practice within the health professions. Over the years, I have been involved in teaching and mentoring students and early-career academics, supervising research projects, and contributing to initiatives that strengthen healthcare education and workforce development.

Health Professions Education (HPE) has become an increasingly important part of my professional identity. I am passionate about exploring innovative approaches to teaching and learning, fostering student engagement, and supporting the development of capable, compassionate healthcare professionals. Through my research and educational leadership activities, I have enjoyed collaborating with colleagues across disciplines who share a commitment to excellence in health professions education.

 I first became aware of ANZAHPE through colleagues and professional networks within the HPE community. I chose to become a member because of ANZAHPE’s strong reputation for bringing together educators, researchers, and leaders who are dedicated to advancing health professions education across Australia and New Zealand. To me, ANZAHPE represents an opportunity to connect with a vibrant community of practice, learn from others, contribute to meaningful conversations, and continue developing as an educator and researcher. I look forward to engaging with fellow members and contributing to the ongoing growth and impact of the ANZAHPE community.

Meet one of our newest members, Dr Sambath Cheab

I am a Cambodian physician and health professions educator based in Phnom Penh, where I serve as Assistant Professor at the University of Puthisastra and Manager of our newly established UP-AI Centre, focused on Artificial Intelligence for Health, Education, Learning and Public Good (UP-AI HELP). Alongside this, I am a Research Fellow at the AI Forum and a doctoral candidate in Science and Technology Studies (STS) at the Cambodia University of Technology and Science (CamTech), writing on the philosophy and history of human–machine coevolution from search engines to contemporary AI systems focusing on Epistemic Agency.

My path into health professions education began through the Family Medicine Interest Group and Peer-Assisted Learning programme I helped establish as a medical student. Since then my work has spanned undergraduate and postgraduate national curriculum reform, faculty development, ethics and professionalism teaching, and the integration of generative AI into clinical education. I sit on national Technical Working Groups appointed by the Minister of Health, and I recently completed my Master of Sciences in Health Professions Education (MHPE) at Maastricht University.

I first learned of ANZAHPE through my connections in the AMEE and University networks, where several colleagues spoke highly of the community and the FoHPE journal. Joining ANZAHPE is, for me, a way of formalising a professional home within one of the leading health professions education societies in our region. I look forward to learning from members whose work I have long admired, to contributing to the Association's Special Interest Groups where my interests align, and to building lasting collaborations across the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Congratulations to Abigail Lewis on her Associate Fellowship with ANZAHPE!

I am a senior lecturer in the University Department of Rural Health South West, Edith Cowan University, supporting students across disciplines on rural placements and enhancing the skills of their supervisors. Prior to this I was the placement coordinator in the Bachelor of Speech Pathology for fourteen years. Now based in Bunbury, Noongar country, my teaching and research are focused on increasing the confidence and competence of students completing placements. I am particularly interested in professional identity formation, recently completing my doctorate in this topic. My specific focus in health professional education is student and new graduate motivation and confidence (professional identity formation, rural/place identity, interprofessional collaborative practice, and wellbeing on placements) and quality rural placements (skilled supervision, service-learning placements). I’m particularly interested in transformative learning and self-determination theory and I use qualitative and mixed methods in my research.

Having completed my PhD at the end of 2025, I signed up for ANZAHPE’s mentoring program to work out the next steps in my research journey. This mentoring has been very helpful, helping me streamline my focus, the number of projects I’m involved in and also encouraged me to apply for the Associate Fellowship. I have long been a member of ANZAHPE and really enjoy all the webinars and attending the conferences. Becoming an Associate Fellow is the next step on my journey in health professional education.

Congratulations to Brahm Marjadi on his ANZAHPE Fellowship.

Brahm Marjadi has been a medical and health professional educator since 1996. With a medical and general practice background from Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia, and master’s and doctoral degrees in public health from UNSW, Australia, his teaching portfolio spans medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health in Indonesia and Australia, from benchtop medical microbiology to the clinical world of healthcare associated infections, from research methods to medical anthropology, and from sexuality education in schools to grassroot community engaged learning. Brahm is also a mixed-methods researcher with expertise in community-engaged learning and diversity, intersectionality, equity and inclusion in medicine, health professional education, and public health.

Brahm decided to apply for ANZAHPE Fellowship after strong encouragement from Dr Jo Bishop FANZAHPE. Brahm likens his journey in medical/health professional education to the character Eklavya from the Mahabharata epic. Like Eklavya, Brahm does not have formal academic training in the form of a med ed PhD. Yet, he developed a strong passion for med ed, since his second year in medical school, and 35 years on he is still as passionate now as he was then. ‘Learning from the sideline’ in med ed as Eklavya did his archery skills, Brahm became the first Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy at the Western Sydney School of Medicine, and the first to get promoted to Associate Professor at Western Sydney University based on his community engaged learning leadership. Brahm sees his ANZAHPE Fellowship as a humbling peer recognition that he has done “something decent in his works”. He hopes to inspire those without formal med ed degrees, and especially those who live with intersecting disadvantages like he does, to excel in health professional education not despite of the barriers but indeed because of them.

Congratulations to Kalpana Raghunathan on her ANZAHPE Associate Fellowship.

Dr Kalpana Raghunathan is a Research Fellow in the Health Professions Clinical Education Unit, Office of the Provost, at La Trobe University.

"My scholarly interests centre on preparing the future health workforce, spanning digital health competency, interprofessional education and simulation, inclusive clinical placements, and clinical teaching readiness. This work draws on an interdisciplinary background spanning sociology, human resource development, and international development, alongside my nursing and education qualifications.

I applied for Associate Fellowship because the Association has played a formative role in my interests and development within health professions education research. Particularly, this was through the mentorship I received from my PhD supervisors, as well as through the Fellowship Mentoring Scheme. I have also valued ANZAHPE as a unique forum where health professional educators from different disciplines can come together and collaborate. I wanted to formalise my ongoing commitment to contributing to ANZAHPE's community and its broader goals in health professional education."

Congratulations to Judy Sheahan on her Associate Fellowship with ANZAHPE.

Judy is a Lecturer in Post Graduate Paramedicine at Edith Cowan University and an Academic Integrity Officer within the School of Medical and Health Sciences. Before entering academia, she worked clinically as a paramedic across South Africa and has more than a decade of experience teaching paramedicine in South Africa, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Australia. Judy is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA) and is committed to advancing excellence in health professions education.

My scholarly interests focus on professional identity development, clinician-to-academic transitions, authentic assessment, and the ethical integration of generative AI into health professions education.

I applied for Associate Fellowship because I value being part of a community that is passionate about teaching and learning. I particularly enjoy the opportunities the organisation provides to collaborate with colleagues, share ideas, and contribute to advancing health professions education through scholarly practice.

Integration of health humanities into midwifery programs at the University of Newcastle, Australia - a piece from our 2026 Health Humanities Award Recipients

By: Michelle Gray, Katharine Gillet, Nicole Hainsworth, Elysse Prussing, Nasrin Javid, Allison Cummins.

The midwifery team at the University of Newcastle delivers an undergraduate and postgraduate midwifery curriculum underpinned by a clearly articulated humanistic philosophy. The midwifery team has made meaningful contributions to contemporary knowledge in midwifery education and research, particularly in the field of health humanities. Several members have collectively contributed to the creation of new knowledge outputs and demonstrated specialist expertise in the scholarship of humanistic health education, midwifery philosophy, creative inquiry and innovative learning resources. Their scholarly work advances knowledge at the intersection of midwifery, education, and the health humanities, contributing both empirically and conceptually to the field.

The humanistic philosophy is systematically embedded within program courses. It draws on heutagogy, student‑centred adult learning pedagogy, and relational ways of knowing that explicitly position midwifery as both an art and a science. The heutagogical approach, combined with educational initiatives, has enhanced student engagement, their reflective capacity, and professional identity formation. Students consistently report that humanities‑informed learning supports deeper understanding of midwifery philosophy, relationship‑based care, and the emotional realities of practice.

Collectively, these approaches aim to cultivate transformational learning. Health humanities are integrated throughout clinical and theoretical course content. In theoretical courses, academics engage students with poetry, life writing, memoirs, women’s birth stories, and other narratives of lived experience as legitimate sources of knowledge. This intentional integration of arts and humanities humanises learning, deepens ethical awareness, and supports students to develop as reflective, compassionate, and critically conscious midwives. These approaches move beyond technical competence, supporting the development of emotional literacy, empathy, and critical reflexivity while fostering personal and professional growth.

Clinical midwifery experience education involves clinical supervision, reflective practice, and relationship‑based care consistently foregrounded as foundational professional practice. Clinical supervision facilitates reflective practice, and relationship‑based care is consistently foregrounded as a foundational professional principle. Reflection on women's experiences assists students to reflect on their relevance to midwifery practice; explore their own identities, values, sense of belonging, and strengths. Scaffolded health humanities initiatives of ‘Healthy Conversations' guide clinical supervision, which is incorporated into all courses that prepare students for clinical practice.

Humanities‑informed pedagogies directly support professional practice by strengthening students’ communication skills, emotional intelligence, and capacity for reflective supervision. This is done through role play/improv activities such as enacting delivering bad news and caring for families after perinatal loss supporting students learn to engage meaningfully with women’s stories, navigate complex emotional encounters, and advocate for humane care within systems often dominated by biomedical imperatives. This approach contributes to safer practice, professional resilience, and reduced moral distress. Humanistic pedagogies have strengthened students’ ability to sit with uncertainty, complexity, and ethical tension.

Congratulations to Zahra Aziz on her ANZAHPE Associate Fellowship!

Dr Zahra Aziz is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Online Education in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, Australia. Her work focuses on designing scalable, low-cost and equitable models for global interprofessional education that connect students and educators across countries and health professions. She has led award-winning international initiatives that strengthen intercultural capability, collaborative practice and professional networks beyond local settings, preparing students to contribute to a culturally responsive, collaborative and globally connected future health workforce.

"I applied for Associate Fellowship of ANZAHPE because I value the organisation's commitment to advancing excellence in health professions education and fostering a strong community of education scholars. My work sits across interprofessional and intercultural learning, and this Fellowship felt like a meaningful way to connect with others working to improve how we prepare future health professionals."