The Sixth Annual Meeting of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE), hosted and joint-sponsored by the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine, opened on Saturday, July 20, and will continue through tomorrow, the 23rd. This year’s meeting in Guadalajara is the first to be held outside of the United States. IAMSE is an interdisciplinary professional organization dedicated to promoting the teaching and learning of medical science in appropriate form and content for those in physician training. Its members, currently in more than 45 countries, is comprised primarily of those who teach the sciences arising from the traditional disciplines of Anatomy, Behavioral Sciences, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology. IAMSE also encourages participation in its annual meetings by CME providers.

Faculty Development Courses, piloted at the 2001 Annual Meeting, have this year been expanded into day-long, in-depth events. A major emphasis during this year’s meeting will be exploring how to define competency in scientific knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to prepare medical students for optimal understanding in their clinical studies. This will culminate on Tuesday with another IAMSE Debate, this year addressing the pros and cons of developing a common core curriculum.

In addition to the Pre-Conference Courses, new features this year include concurrent sessions devoted to individual medical science disciplines, plus an afternoon of hands-on workshops at the EDUCON Continuing Education Center of the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara.

To learn more about IAMSE and its relevance to CME providers, click here to visit the organization's website.