Plenary speakers
Introducing the plenary speakers for the AMEE Conference 2026 and the Integrated Ottawa Event.
The plenaries at the AMEE Conference 2026 and the Integrated Ottawa Event are more than just lectures; they are a call to action.
Each of our plenary speakers brings a global perspective, and extensive experience spanning clinical practice, education, leadership, and policy. Together, they reflect the breadth and depth of Health Professions Education internationally.
Brian David Hodges
Raising the Stakes: The Power and Potential of Examination for Learning
Plenary synopsis
Institutions of learning face unprecedented global disruption.
This conference brings together AMEE’s educational expertise and the International Ottawa Conference’s assessment leadership to confront a growing misalignment between education and examination systems—often dominated by surveillance, gatekeeping and ritual rather than learning.
Yet examination can powerfully shape what we know, how we act, and who we become.
In an era of artificial intelligence, examination technologies must evolve to foster metacognition, productive struggle, critical reflection and lifelong learning in support of learners, professions and societies that can thrive.
This talk calls for reimagining examination as a force for growth, aligning it with education to prepare learners for a rapidly changing world.
Biography
Brian David Hodges, MD, PhD, FRCPC is Executive-Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at University Health Network, and Professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
He is a Senior Fellow at Massey College and Immediate Past-President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Brian is a practicing psychiatrist, teacher and healthcare leader.
His research and writing focus on assessment, competence, compassion and the future of the health professions.
Pim Teunissen
Looking Back to Move Forward: Rethinking the Purpose of Health Professions Education
Plenary synopsis
Why do we educate health professionals the way we do—and are we still educating for the right purpose?
This keynote takes a step back to examine how societal, technological, and political shifts have shaped today’s educational models.
As competency-based approaches, increasing assessment, and new technologies such as AI continue to evolve, this raises important questions about what may not yet be achieved, and what may be overlooked or lost alongside what is gained.
Rather than offering ready-made solutions, this talk challenges participants to critically reflect on current practices and their underlying assumptions.
Attendees will leave with a renewed perspective on the purpose of health professions education and a clearer sense of their own role in shaping what comes next.
Biography
Pim Teunissen is professor of workplace learning in healthcare at Maastricht University and Vice Dean of Education of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences.
In addition, he works as a gynaecologist specialized in maternal-foetal-medicine at Maastricht University Medical Center.
From 2020 to 2025, he served as Scientific Director of the School of Health Professions Education (SHE) in Maastricht.
His research focuses on how education supports learning in and from work within healthcare.
In doing so, he connects concepts and methodologies from various scientific disciplines to issues relevant to the education of current and future healthcare professionals.
His work spans the full educational continuum, from students to experienced professionals, and encompasses a wide range of health professions and educational contexts.
Pim Teunissen combines his academic work with clinical practice, allowing research and educational development to mutually inform one another.
He has played an active role in national and international educational innovations, including curriculum development, research, and governance responsibilities within health professions education.
He has published more than 150 scientific articles and book chapters and has supervised 24 PhD candidates to completion.
Vishna Devi V Nadarajah
“Where the Mind is Without Fear” - Reimagining Health Professions Education: Reflections on Knowledge, Humanity, and Global Connectedness
Plenary synopsis
Inspired by the poems of Rabindranath Tagore, Asia’s first Nobel laureate, this closing plenary “Where the Mind is Without Fear” invites reflection on the readiness of health professions education (HPE) to meet evolving healthcare workforce needs in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world.
With a focus on knowledge, humanity, and global connectedness, the plenary will critically explore the deeper values underpinning contemporary HPE and its influence on the democratisation of scholarship, models of transnational education, and workforce mobility.
To reimagine, there must be freedom to question, share ideas, learn from mistakes, and learn from one another.
This requires openness to collaborative and contextualised approaches that transcend geographical, disciplinary, and institutional boundaries, as well as the courage to rethink systems, hierarchies, and our own roles as educators.
Ultimately, the plenary calls for HPE to be recognised not only as a driver of workforce development, but also as a powerful catalyst for global connectedness, humanity, and collective progress towards healthcare for all.
Biography
Vishna Devi V Nadarajah is an experienced international educator and higher education leader.
She is currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic at IMU University in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
She has over 25 years’ experience in strategic and senior leadership roles for higher education and responsible for the growth and development of individuals, communities of practice and institutions she has engaged with.
She is the prestigious ASME Gold Medal recipient for her contributions in international medical education and awarded the Distinguished Ian Hart Award for her contributions in assessments.
Her research work includes advancing educator development, inclusive assessments, widening access and global partnerships in health professions education.
She serves as Deputy Editor of Medical Education and is a member of the Advisory Board of The Clinical Teacher.
She is also an AMEE Governing Committee Member, Ottawa Conference International Advisory Board Co Chair and AMEE ASPIRE Board Member.
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Conference programme overview
Details of all our sessions taking place as part of the AMEE Conference 2026 featuring the Integrated Ottawa Event.
AMEE 2026 pre-conference activities
Our pre-conference activities offer a unique opportunity to engage, learn and connect before the main conference begins in Vienna
The Integrated Ottawa Event pre-conference activities
These activities provide an interactive space for educators, researchers, clinicians and leaders to explore new ideas.