Birmingham Education for Health Professionals Annual National Conference

Join us at our upcoming conference, Forming Professional Identities: Lessons for Healthcare Educators, where healthcare professionals from various disciplines will come together to explore the crucial topic of professional identity development.

Why attend?

• Healthcare education is not just about imparting knowledge and skills; it's about nurturing the professionals that will define the future of healthcare.
• This conference offers a unique opportunity to delve into the multifaceted process of professional identity formation, with a particular focus on the pivotal role of educators in this journey.
• A key feature of our annual conference is the opportunity to showcase innovation and research in healthcare education, and each year our programme is packed with presentations from across healthcare disciplines and interests.

Key Highlights

Expert Insights: Hear from leading experts in healthcare education who will share their research and experience in this field.
Interactive Workshops: Participate in hands-on workshops that will equip you with innovative approaches and techniques in healthcare education and research
Career Pathways: Discover diverse career pathways within healthcare education and learn how to navigate and support career development for yourself, your colleagues and your students.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded professionals, share experiences, and build lasting relationships that will enhance your professional network.

Who Should Attend?

This conference is ideal for healthcare educators, clinical instructors, academic faculty, and anyone involved in the education and training of healthcare professionals. Whether you are a seasoned educator or just beginning your journey, you will find valuable insights and practical takeaways to elevate your teaching and impact the future of healthcare.

Attendance is free, but you do need to register to reserve your place. Deadline: 12th May 2025

Express your interest to present (abstract submission OPEN): Deadline: 25th April 2025

Meet the speakers

Dr Michael Page - Reader in Medical Education, QMUL, London
Michael has been involved in medical education for the past 15 years, having been Head of Education Programmes at the Royal College of Physicians of London and subsequently Associate Professor of Medical Education at UCL. He is currently a Reader in Education and the director of three master’s level programmes in medical and clinical education at Bart’s and the London Medical School, QMUL. His scholarship interests are varied, but are held together (at times tenuously!) by the thread of ‘professionalism,’ including professionality, professional development, professional identity. Michael is also the current Director of Awards at ASME.
@mistapage

Dr Sabena Jameel - Associate Clinical Professor in Medical Professionalism, UoB
Sabena qualified with her primary medical degree almost 30 years ago (University of Nottingham). She continues works as an inner city GP in Birmingham. She has also completed a Masters degree in Medical Education (University of Warwick) and a PhD in Enacted Practical Wisdom in Doctors (University of Birmingham). Sabena's work aims to re-envisage medical education as a means to holistically integrate character education, reflective practice and medical knowledge. These dimensions broaden the concept of professionalism focussing on specific aspects of professional identity formation. This can be encompassed by considering it as a "wisdom approach".  As a relatively new revival of ancient concepts, Sabena has been invited to speak about these ideas Internationally. Alongside her main roles, are aligned responsibilities as EDI lead for the School of Medical Science, Academic Quality Lead for the Medical School, Founding Trustee for the Della Fish Foundation and advisor to West Midlands Police Professional Standards, Wesleyan, Human Values Forum and the RCGP National Ethics Committee. 

@syjameel@bsky.social 
sabena.jameel (LinkedIn)
@sabenaj (X)

Professor Kate Thomas - Dean of Birmingham Medical School and Programme Director for MBChB
Kate Thomas is Dean of Birmingham Medical School and Programme Director for the MBChB programme.  She leads the team of academics who develop and manage the programme.

Kate Thomas graduated in Medicine at the University of Birmingham in 1984. 

In 1990, Kate was appointed as a Lecturer in the Department and ran the MSc in Primary Care from then until 1999. She was involved in the innovative Community Based Medicine (CBM) programme from its inception in 1995 and became the Lead for the programme in 2001. In 1996 she was appointed Senior Lecturer and, with David Fitzmaurice, led a three year project putting young GPs into practices and developing guidelines to support practice improvements. In 2005 Kate was appointed as an Associate Professor. For 7 years Kate took the lead on Education in the Department of Primary care and in the Division of Primary Care, Public and Occupational Health.

Whilst developing as a medical educator through CBM Kate developed a parallel career in medical student welfare. In 1992 she became Year tutor for final year students, a role she maintained until 2007. In 2001 she became Senior Tutor and since then has developed a comprehensive support network for medical students at Birmingham. In 2002 she created a Concern Form (also sometimes known as a Yellow Form) which is a means of staff or students reporting concerns about an individual student to the Student Services Centre. The student is then seen by a staff member and appropriate actions taken. The Concern Form has been adopted by a number of other medical schools, in the UK and abroad, and by some postgraduate specialities.

With her colleague, Professor John Skelton, Kate has been instrumental in setting up a Professional Support Unit for students in the College to support students with learning and behavioural difficulties.