Global health and medical powerhouse

Friday, 27 March 2015

Innovation in health and medical professional education and challenges in clinical training will be on the table when hundreds of the field's global leaders converge in Newcastle this week for two global conferences.

Health and Medical conference

The Asian Medical Education Association Conference (AMEA) and the Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators Conference (ANZAHPE) will bring together more than 650 of the world's leading medical education academics and thought leaders.

Hosted by the University of Newcastle (UON), the first Australian university to hold the AMEA conference since the association was established in 2001, the event will bring together delegates for open discussion, networking and knowledge sharing across our region.

Healthcare professionals and educators from around the world will cover topics such as education leadership, stakeholder engagement in health professional education, new directions in patient-centred medical education, and education standards.

UON Head of the School of Medicine and Public Health Professor Ian Symonds, and Dr Graeme Horton, worked alongside Business Events Sydney (the NSW Convention Bureau) to secure the prestigious international event, which is expected to inject more than a million dollars into the Hunter economy and will coincide with UON's 50th anniversary celebrations.

"The University of Newcastle is ranked among the top three per cent of universities worldwide," Professor Symonds said.

"We have a reputation for delivering world-class innovation, with more than 40 fields of research undertaken at the University being rated at, above or well above world standard. World-class facilities such as the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI)* also enhance our attractiveness for visiting medical education experts."

Business Events Sydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith says the conferences would provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the University of Newcastle's expertise and innovation.

"The University is engaged in ground-breaking research in the field of health and medicine, and the ANZAHPE AMEA 2015 conference is the perfect opportunity to showcase this on the world stage," Ms Lewis-Smith said.

The conferences will draw special attention to the industry-leading Joint Medical Program**, a partnership forged between the University of Newcastle and the University of New England, together with Hunter New England Health and Central Coast Health, which offers students the opportunity to practise medicine in regional, rural and remote Australia.

"There has been a great deal of international interest in our Joint Medical Program model for medical education as a way to help ease the health workforce shortage in rural areas," Professor Symonds said.

The conferences will be held at Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle NSW from 29 March to 1 April 2015.

More information: www.anzahpeamea2015.com.au

For interviews or more information, contact Tim Hyde, on 0407 468 443.

*HMRI is a partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and the community.

**The Joint Medical Program: After three decades of pioneering medical education, in 2008 the University of Newcastle developed the innovative Joint Medical Program (JMP) a unique partnership with the University of New England, Hunter New England and Central Coast Local Health Districts. Created to address the challenges of healthcare provision in rural and regional Australia, our highly successful joint medical degree this year graduated its third cohort of students. Many of our new doctors are already embarking on professional careers in rural and regional Australia.

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