| If there were such a thing as ‘academictripadvisor.com’, CHES would without doubt rank straight in the top 5 with excellence badge. It’s the perfect place for academics in health professions education; lively and thorough academic discussions on all corners of health professions education, ample room for collaboration, but also a quiet place to withdraw, reflect, and write. You have to experience it, and you’ll want to come back. |
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| I came to CHES as a visiting scholar during my Education Fellowship as an inexperienced, young faculty member. Although I knew very few CHES members at the time, I was instantly welcomed into the CHES family and felt immediately at home during my time there. The CHES leadership set up individual consultations for me that were so profoundly beneficial to my development that it felt as though a long time mentor had arranged them. I was even surprised by the benefit that my contributions were able to have to others during some of the consultations. I really feel like CHES deliberately creates an environment that naturally fosters collaboration and mutual enrichment. The people at CHES make all the difference and I would chose health professions education as my niche time and time again, simply to have the opportunity to work alongside such incredible colleagues. The project I originally came to CHES to present during one of the Celebrations of Scholarship was improved greatly by the feedback I received at that time and is now completed, submitted and under journal review. |
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| I have real warm feelings thinking about CHES. I visited CHES myself when I was just appointed as chair and full professor in Medical Education at the University Medical Center in Groningen, in 2014. My goal was to get inspired by how other groups function and organise themselves: quite a ‘managerial’ question I had. What CHES and its great scholars taught me, is that having a successful group really is about being a ‘family’: being open and approachable to a diversity of people, being unconditional in mentoring other scholars, being focussed on great achievements by attracting great people and empowering them. I felt really welcome to ask all the questions and share all the worries I had, which gave me such inspiration for my own work. And CHES scholars would follow up with me and how was doing over the next few years. Two of the PhD students I supervise, joined CHES as well for a few weeks, and they were just over the moon by the warm welcome and high scholarly mentoring they received. It gave their research a real boost! |
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| My time at CHES was the first stop on my sabbatical from my academic role in Primary Heath Care. It was a pleasure to be in a setting where medical education scholarship was the priority and it really helped my see the wide range of possibilities in medical education research. I enjoyed the opportunity to speak to the faculty in one to one meetings and explore areas of mutual interest and was sorry to leave when my visit was complete. I plan to incorporate some of the ideas generated for me into teaching and research programs in my academic department where I am now the Head of Department. Thank you to all at CHES for welcoming me and I hope our paths cross again. |
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| I’ve had the great fortune to visit CHES 3 times in its 10 year history and each time I’ve had an intellectually enriching experience. Every conversation I have with a member of the CHES community pushes my thinking by introducing me to at least one new concept, article, or author. I admire and deeply appreciate the generous gifts of time and ideas the community so graciously shares. Each time I’ve visited, Glenn and others have made me feel right at home in their space and have arranged a schedule that allows just the right balance of time to meet, think, and write. This academic vacation gets 5 out 5 stars and a big shout out from me! |
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| One of the best experiences in my professional life. That’s how I describe my time in Vancouver late 2013 and early 2014. During an 8 month visit I divided my time between CHES and working as a postgraduate resident in obstetrics at BC Women’s Hospital. Participating in the CHES community was fantastic. I made connections with the faculty, staff, Master students, PhD students and with the international visitors that regularly come to CHES for short visits. It was very stimulating to see how a nucleus of medical education scholars of the highest calibre have created a network of healthcare professionals, scholars from other research fields, and educators. My visit still impacts what I do today, the cumulative results of my time at CHES and the collaborations that followed: many new friends, an expanded network, joint presentations and workshops in Canada and abroad, several publications, multiple successful grant applications, two trips back to Vancouver and joint Master and PhD supervision, to name a few. I look forward to the next 10 years of CHES! |
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