Today I spent an hour with the late Professor Karen Mann watching a seminar she gave at the University of Dundee in 2013. It’s not a great video but don’t let that put you off – I could see and hear enough to judge that I’d spent my hour wisely.
Karen shared her programmatic research findings on self-assessment, response to feedback and the impact of reflection on the uptake of feedback. It’s a really useful review of the field with some immediate practical application.
She also provided a salient reminder of why we shouldn’t be conducting isolated research that doesn’t build on a theoretical base (sometimes from beyond medical education) and always building on what we can learn from our colleagues and those who have gone before us – a programmatic approach.
And watching her is a reminder of what it is to be truly gracious to professional peers and colleagues and how these attributes can do much to advance an academic field. She epitomises a true professional and leader with one of her most apparent personal characteristics – humility.
Professor Karen Mann has been an inspiration to many in Medical Education. Whether it is in her research outputs, her personal mentoring and support or translating theory into practice (I recall my well-thumbed copy of Teaching & Learning in Medical Education: How theory can inform practice). She has died before her time and we thought it was fitting to pay tribute to her today. And thank her for being a true academic inspiration.
Reference(s):
Mann K (2013) Exploring self-assessment and feedback: A research journey. Video available here.
D M Kaufman DM, Mann KV, and Jennett PA (2000) Teaching & Learning in Medical Education: How theory can inform practice. Association for the Study of Medical Education, 2000. ISBN 0-9044-73279