“Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So, make it a good one.” Christopher Lloyd delivered this famous line as Doc Brown in the 1990 classic, Back to the Future III. What Dr. Emmett Brown meant was that we are all in control of our own destiny and have the ability to make the future as great as we want it to be. The Fall 2021 IAMSE Webinar Series will explore just that, making the future of medical and health sciences education ‘a good one’. The virtual age of learning is no longer in the future. It is here, and IAMSE wants to equip its members with the tools to successfully teach the next generation of health care professionals. As such, this five-part webinar series will explore theory and best practices in the delivery of content over virtual and online media while simultaneously promoting a positive learning environment and student wellbeing.

The series will begin on September 2, 2021 with a presentation by Dr. Theresa Chan in which she will delve into current work and future directions for successful online learning environments in medical education. On September 9, Dr. Rachel Ellaway will provide a theoretical framework for online learning environments and describe the varied roles of technology in learner engagement. Drs. Andrew Binks and Adam Weinstein will share their perspectives on the changing landscape of medical education and curriculum delivery following the COVID-19 pandemic in the third webinar on September 16. The fourth webinar session on September 23 will be led by Dr. Kendra Gagnon, who will share her experiences with building professional identity, promoting student wellbeing, promoting diversity, and supporting socialization when students are physically disconnected in online and hybrid health sciences education programs. The series will conclude on September 30 with a panel of faculty and students from diverse institutions and disciplines as they discuss ways in which COVID-19 has transformed online teaching and learning across both the basic and clinical sciences. Current outcomes data from the changes brought about by the pandemic will be highlighted. This series will provide the audience with a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges of future health science education including practical tools for successfully incorporating virtual learning.