November 2025 All Staff Workshop & Looking Ahead to 2026

November 2025 All Staff Workshop

In late November, the NewMed faculty and professional staff gathered for two intensive days of workshops and focused curriculum group work. It was a time to align our strategies, refine our tools, and celebrate the immense amount of curriculum development completed in 2025.

Partnership and Vision

The workshop commenced with leaders from Federation University joining us online to discuss our partnership for the delivery of the MD program. There is a palpable sense of excitement about what this partnership offers and the future opportunities it will create for our students, the university and national communities.

Deep Dives: Curriculum & Clinical Reasoning

As is the NewMed way, these were collaborative days featuring deep exploration of critical topics. The team delved into Whole Person Care in General Practice, operationalising the NewMed Feedback philosophy, and mapping Clinical Reasoning across the entire program.

Innovation in Delivery

Our IT and Learning Design team provided a demonstration of the program within Moodle, showcasing options to make the platform even more interactive and engaging for students. With Year and Stream updates revealing that a significant portion of the curriculum is now complete, the focus is shifting to refining the delivery.

AI & Assessment

The second day turned our attention to the future, describing the integration of AI in the program, followed by an in depth look at assessment mapping and blueprinting. The two days concluded with a celebration of the progress made this year and a festive season dinner, acknowledging the hard work and dedication of the entire team.

Looking Ahead to 2026

We are excited for further engagement opportunities with clinical partners and the communities where our students will be placed, establishment of the Federation University Partnership, and progress with AMC accreditation activity coming in 2026.

AIDA Conference 2025: Evoking Sovereignty, Honouring Country

While AMEE provided a global outlook, the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) 2025 conference grounded us in the vital local context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Held on the traditional lands of the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nation in Sydney, the conference theme was Evoking Sovereignty, Honouring Country & Nurturing Community.

Our team joined incredible First Nations leaders and doctors gathering together from various medical disciplines, along with First Nations medical students studying across the country. The resounding call to action was clear: we must work towards genuine Indigenous sovereignty within healthcare and healthcare systems.

Our First Nations Health Lead, Dr. Narawi Foley Boscott, took the stage in the high-energy Quick & Deadly session, a strict format allowing just 20 seconds per slide for 20 slides. Dr. Foley Boscott presented passionately on her experiences within specialist training and her work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Hospital Liaison Officers (HLOs) to educate PGY1 doctors.

Key takeaways from her presentation included:

  • The Value of HLOs: Emphasising the incredible knowledge resource HLOs provide. Junior doctors have a unique opportunity to learn about First Nations perspectives on health directly from HLOs, improving communication and cultural safety.

  • Broadening Career Horizons: Dr. Foley Boscott advocated for Indigenous doctors to forge careers that are not strictly confined to existing specialty training structures. She championed incorporating First Nations knowledge systems to create a future where all Indigenous people thrive.

The event culminated in a spectacular Gala Dinner at Luna Park. A highlight was witnessing Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander doctors receiving their painted stethoscopes, a rite of passage for those graduating medical school or completing fellowship training.

It was an inspiring glimpse into the future for NewMed. We look forward to the day our own Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander medical students reach this milestone, having their achievements recognised by AIDA and holding their own painted stethoscopes.

AMEE 2025: Global Perspectives on Medical Education

The International Association for Health Professionals Education in Europe (AMEE) annual conference is always a highlight on the calendar. In September, Dr Natasha Yates and A/Prof. Susan Hawken represented NewMed at the massive gathering in Barcelona, which saw 3,386 in person delegates and over 500 online participants from 116 countries.

Beyond the ‘Eat-working’ (networking over paella!), the overarching sentiment from our delegates was clear: NewMed is ahead of the game. Colleagues from around the world were supportive and interested in our approach, particularly our curriculum design and assessment strategies.

One of the most encouraging takeaways was the discussion around Programmatic Assessment. Many institutions are struggling to retrofit these frameworks into legacy curricula. By design, NewMed has developed a complete programmatic assessment.

Susan also highlighted that we are on the right track regarding simulation fidelity. The conference reinforced that low tech can be incredibly effective if the functional task alignment is correct, focusing on the critical steps and goals rather than just expensive hardware. A key shift in language and practice was also noted: we must work with Simulated Patients (SPs), ensuring we capture the voices of vulnerable patient groups in case design.

Natasha gained an important insight around the shift from Cultural Competence to Cultural Intelligence (CQ). CQ is the capability to work well with other cultures, adapting behaviour and communication to navigate diverse contexts.

Both Natasha and Susan identified Adaptive Expertise (AE) and Productive Failure as critical concepts. These focus on reframing failure not as a deficit, but as a catalyst for growth.

Cultivating AE requires a learning process that challenges assumptions and rewards experimentation. While this can be challenging – requiring careful scaffolding and psychological safety, it promotes deeper conceptual understanding and resilience. The goal is to shift focus from pure performance to understanding.

The conference provided creative ideas for supporting student wellbeing and identity, which our team is keen to explore:

  • Meme Based Reflection: An innovative example from Taiwan showed how junior doctors used social memes to express frustrations with hierarchy and powerlessness, turning venting into a structured reflective curriculum.

  • Normalising Imposter Syndrome: Conducting anonymous polls early in the degree to help students realise they aren’t alone in feeling they don’t deserve to be here.

  • Strengths Based Remediation: Moving away from deficit based remediation models that cause stigma.

AI remains a dominant topic. Plenary speaker Prof. Adam Rodman (Google AI researcher) emphasised that while AI is now normal technology, the collaboration between humans and AI is tricky. A major risk is cognitive deskilling, where students rely too heavily on the tool. The challenge for educators is to design learning that protects student cognition and improves clinical reasoning alongside AI tools.

Finally, a standout workshop focused on transforming bystanders into upstanders. The session provided practical ‘train the trainer’ tools on how to stand up to microaggressions in clinical and educational settings, resources our team plans to bring back to NewMed for both staff and students.

NewMed to Showcase Innovations in Medical Education at ANZAHPE 2025

NewMed is set to make a strong contribution at the Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) 2025 conference, presenting a series of presentations and posters that underscore its commitment to transforming medical education in Australia. The conference, held in Perth from June 30 to July 3, 2025, will see NewMed deliver three key oral presentations and display four insightful posters.

NewMed’s presentations will delve into critical areas of medical training. These include presenting our unique approach to clinical placements in general practice, which are integrated from the earliest stages of the curriculum. Another will focus on the vital importance of fostering leadership and professionalism among medical students, a cornerstone of the NewMed philosophy. The third presentation will explore the integration of research and evidence-based medicine into the core curriculum, equipping future doctors with the skills for lifelong learning and critical thinking.

Complementing these talks, NewMed will present four posters covering a range of pressing topics in medical education. These include the design of a robust ethics process for student research, a forward-thinking biomedical science curriculum, innovative strategies for embedding professionalism, and a comprehensive overview of how NewMed is a game changer in Australian medical education.

Through these presentations and posters, NewMed will demonstrate its dedication to producing a new generation of doctors who are not only clinically adept but also research-literate, professionally grounded, and ready to lead the future of healthcare in Australia and also making substantial contributions to health professions education scholarship in Australia.

NewMed Staff Embrace AIDA Training, Embedding Cultural Safety in New Medical Program

On April 12 all Academic staff at NewMed participated in critical cultural safety training facilitated by the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA), reinforcing their commitment to embedding culturally safe practices within the NewMedl program and clinical interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. This proactive initiative aims to address systemic health inequities and ensure future doctors are equipped to provide respectful and responsive care.

 

The AIDA-led training provides a vital framework for understanding the historical and ongoing impacts of colonisation on the health and wellbeing of First Nations peoples. By engaging directly with this curriculum, NewMed’s educators are enhancing their capacity to weave cultural safety into every aspect of the medical curriculum, from basic sciences to complex clinical scenarios.

 

This commitment extends beyond the physical and virtual classroom. NewMed academic staff are dedicated to modelling culturally safe behaviours and allyship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and communities  in their own clinical work, creating role models for their students. This involves fostering respectful communication, understanding the importance of family and community connections in health decisions, and recognising the central role of culture in the healing process.

 

By championing these principles, NewMed is not only striving to create a more inclusive learning environment but is also taking a definitive step towards graduating a new generation of medical professionals who are genuinely prepared to partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and contribute to closing the health gap.

NewMed wishes to thank AIDA and our facilitators on the day  Dr Olivia O’Donoghue and Dr Jacinta Power, along with AIDA Senior Project Officer Samara Williams for generously sharing their time and experience in an enjoyable, educational and collegial manner.

NewMed celebrates 2024

179 Turbot Street

As 2024 comes to a close, we reflect on the exciting year of growth and progress towards establishing an outstanding new Medical School in Australia.

This year marked many exciting milestones with our move to a new office in the heart of Brisbane city on Turbot Street and the introduction of 15 new staff.

We also completed our Stage 1 submission to the Australian Medical Council. A key highlight recently was the faculty workshop attended by all staff, focusing on aligning our academic and operational goals for the exciting journey ahead.

It was great to have an in person event, bringing everyone together from across the country (and New Zealand) as we collaborated on further program development towards delivery of world-class education for our planned inaugural cohort starting in January 2027 (subject to accreditation).

We capped off the year with a Christmas dinner at Malt Dining. It was a perfect way to celebrate our achievements, share the joy in our collective efforts, and express gratitude to the wonderful team.

As we look ahead to 2025, thank you all for being part of this incredible journey. We especially thank the many general practices around Australia who wish to take on NewMed medical students.

Warm wishes for a joyful Christmas, the holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

– The NewMed Team

179 Turbot Street
Faculty workshop
Faculty debating
Christmas lunch
Christmas lunch
Christmas lunch
Christmas lunch
Christmas dinner - Malt Dinning

NewMed visits GP24

At GP24 in Perth, NewMed was delighted to connect with our specialist GP colleagues and describe our mission, values and curriculum. The conference theme of “Reimagine health care” provided an excellent basis for discussing our innovations in medical education and how these take a community-situated, GP-first approach with technology-enabled delivery. Delegates had their curiosity sparked, and joined conversations about our aims and progress to date. Thank you for the positive and stimulating dialogue, and looking forward to seeing everyone again in 2025.

Pictured: Dr. Sharee Stedman, Dr. Shannon Saad and Professor Brad Murphy

Rural Medicine Australia (RMA) 

Dr. Natasha Yates and Professor Stephen Tobin
Dr. Natasha Yates and Professor Stephen Tobin
Dr. Natasha Yates and Professor Stephen Tobin

NewMed was honoured to sponsor the Conference App for RMA24. The conference, held in Darwin, was a wonderfully collaborative venture between ACRRM and RDA. NewMed resonates deeply with many of the values underpinning both of these organisations, and looks forward to ongoing conversations around how we can train medical students in rural and remote placements across Australia. Thank you to the many GPs and Rural Generalists who met with us, and for the enthusiasm shown for NewMed’s program. 

Do you practise in outer urban, regional, rural or remote communities?

NewMed is establishing a new 4-year graduate medical school, with an emphasis on primary care and appealing to prospective students living in outer urban, regional and rural Australia.

NewMed is advancing through the AMC accreditation process and plans for its first cohort to commence in 2027.

Students will be distributed across the country, learning through a new high-quality MD Program.

The delivery model uses advanced technologies to engage students in facilitated online small group learning, complemented by face-to-face weeks, and professionally supervised placements.

General Practice students in years 1, 2 and 3
Hospital placement in year 4

Aspiring doctors can study medicine in their home community across the first three years. Supervised clinical time in General Practice is needed for 4 hours per week in the first year, increasing to 8 hours/week (year 2) and 24 hours/week (year 3).

Year 4 will require clinical placements in towns with suitable hospitals.

Supporting your investment in the next generation, NewMed offers a stipend (similar and in addition to any PIP payments), active support and training from NewMed GP academics, and the opportunity of a local student remaining with a local practice over three years, developing their skills and contributing to care under supervision.

Would you like to support a local to become a doctor?

Please email soon GPplacements@newmedschool.com.au