Transforming biomedical education in the 21st century

The Australian Academy of Science is hosting a national forum on biomedical education on Monday to help university instruction keep pace with the progress of biomedical science in the 21st century.

Ahead of the Game: Biomedical Science Education into the 21st Century Forum will be officially opened by Australia’s Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb on Monday 12 December 2011 at 9 am at the Shine Dome in Canberra.

The forum organised by the Academy’s National Committee for Biomedical Sciences will be moderated by Dr Norman Swan of ABC Radio’s National Health Report. It will feature national and international speakers, as well as group discussions around key challenges in biomedical education.

“There is a real need to bring teaching into the 21st century. Universities need to form collaborative networks and take a unified approach to biomedical education,” says Professor Philip Poronnik, Chair of the Forum’s organising committee.

“Educators need to identify key challenges and find the best way to move forward, so that our biomedical students graduate with an effective range of skills.”

The forum will also mark the launch of CUBEnet – the Collaborative Universities Biomedical Education Network that will be a platform to facilitate the transition of biomedical education into the coming decade.