Faculty staff recognised for education excellence

Australia and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) President Dr Charlotte Denniston addresses the audience at the association’s annual conference in Perth.
Australia and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) President Dr Charlotte Denniston addresses the audience at the association’s annual conference in Perth.

Six University of Melbourne staff are being recognised for excellence in health professional education through the Australia and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) Fellowship Scheme.

The latest Fellows and Associate Fellows were announced at the annual conference in Perth in early July. They join a growing number of educators across Australia and New Zealand being recognised by ANZAHPE. ANZAHPE is the peak organisation for practitioners involved in the education and training of health professionals in Australia and New Zealand. The organisation supports advances in education in health care professions, including clinicians, academic educators and students. Also coinciding with the conference was news that, the University’s Dr Charlotte Denniston has been reappointed as president of ANZAHPE. Dr Denniston is ANZAHPE’s 24th President and the first ANZAHPE president affiliated with the University of Melbourne.

ANZAHPE Fellowships provide recognition of excellence and contributions to health professional education. The Fellowship Scheme aims to engender a culture of mentorship and encouragement where Fellows and Associate Fellows can support the development of others and demonstrate leadership in the field. This recognition also charts a clear pathway for emerging health professional educators to develop expertise, gain experience and undertake scholarly educational practice.

Dr Denniston commended the wide group of university staff to be recognised as Fellows: “The latest University of Melbourne colleagues to join the Fellowship Scheme have contributed in diverse ways to health professional education. We have experienced educators, early career researchers and PhD candidates in this mix. Their contributions include high-quality educational research, leadership of communities of practice (particularly in clinical education) and innovations in educational design.”

Speaking about her focus as ANZHAPE President, Dr Denniston said: “My aspiration for ANZAHPE is that it continues to meet the needs of our growing membership, supporting academic and clinical educators across Australia, New Zealand and the Western Pacific region, whilst also maintaining the nurturing and collegial nature that the association is known for.”

Dr Denniston is currently working with the University’s Collaborative Practice Centre, a catalyst for advancing new ways of educating and training the healthcare workforce to meet the modern challenges of the Australian healthcare system.

The new University of Melbourne Associate Fellows conferred at the 2025 conference are:

Deputy Dean (Education) of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, and inaugural ANZAHPE Fellow, Professor Liz Molloy said: “I am so pleased that our staff can play such a pivotal role in bringing together and supporting educators and scholars to enhance practice. Our staff, now recognised as Associate Fellows will support the brilliant clinicians and educators who teach and mentor our students and ensure that the next generation of health practitioners are ready for action and have the best education experience possible. The Fellowship Scheme recognises excellence and legitimises education as a specialty career pathway. It also provides a way for our education leaders to give back to the health professions education community.”