University Scholar Ara Tekian
The University Scholars Program, sponsored by the Office of the President, honors faculty members for superior research and teaching, along with great promise for future achievements. The award provides $15,000 a year for three years to enhance their scholarly activities.
Ara Tekian
Professor, Medical Education
University of Illinois College of Medicine
Years at UIC: 33
What themes or questions drive your research?
Over the past three decades, the themes for my research included:
- Diversity and inclusion for underrepresented minorities in medicine
- International faculty development
- Use of simulations for instruction and assessment
- Assessment of competencies in medicine
However, during the past decade, my focus has been more in assessments across two facets of performance: use of simulations and assessment of competence in the authentic workplace. Simulation allows trainees to practice in safe environments and provide feedback, without harming patients; this is now standard curriculum in medical training. On the other hand, assessment of physician competence in the authentic workplace requires reimagining assessment methods that capture skills beyond cognitive abilities. Physicians need to have medical knowledge but also exercise professionalism and communicate with empathy and care.
What sparked your interest in these research areas?
In early 1990s, I was exploring ways to assess performance using simulations, concepts derived from aviation and other industries that deal with training highly consequential tasks. I realized that simulation technology is one of the means to promote instruction and assessment of important skills in the professions. Subsequently, I organized the first simulation conference in 1997 in Chicago, which was so successful that it led to the publication of the first comprehensive book on “Innovative Simulations for Assessing Professional Competence: From Paper-and-Pencil to Virtual Reality” in 1999.
My work in assessments also focused on how physicians perform in the authentic work environment, centered around competencies and readiness for unsupervised practice. The results of my findings have not only been published by high-impact journals in medical education, but also utilized by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the official accrediting body for graduate programs in the United States. These findings relate to early identification of residents in difficulty; competence assessment sampling the entire domains of knowledge, attitudes and skills; recommendations for faculty development; the need for rater training; synthesis of quantitative scores and qualitative comments; and even proposing conceptual frameworks, such as how to analyze the quality of narrative comments; and creating composite scores that combines every aspect of resident’s performance — a scoring grid.
What courses do you teach, and are there topics you particularly enjoy teaching?
Currently, I teach one core course and two electives in the Masters in Health Professions Education Program in the UIC Department of Medical Education in the College of Medicine. The core course is Instruction and Assessment in Health Professions Education, and the two electives are Competency-based Medical Education: Competencies, Milestones and Entrustable Professional Activities and Medical Simulations. The first elective reviews recent and emerging trends in the assessment of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies, milestones and Entrustable Professional Activities. The simulation elective guides learners to new insights and greater professional ability in the theories, findings and best practices for use of simulation-based technologies in health-professions education.
What strategies help you balance teaching and research?
I have a heavy load of teaching and a cutting-edge research agenda. To balance my teaching and research, I align my activities, i.e., using my research studies to inform my teaching and managing my time through strict scheduling, goal setting and using technology effectively. I try to collaborate with others and sometimes delegate tasks to reduce my individual workload while also protecting my time for focused, concentrated work. Regularly, I try to reflect on my progress and seek feedback from colleagues when needed to improve my strategies. Basically, creating a structured schedule and setting clear but achievable goals for both teaching and research reduces significantly my stress level.
What advice would you give to students interested in research careers?
To prepare for a research career, university students should gain early, hands-on experience by contacting professors about available opportunities, attending seminars and joining research programs. Developing essential skills like networking, persistence, good time management and analytical thinking is also crucial, as is utilizing academic support services, library resources and professional platforms like LinkedIn. I will advise students not to fear failure; focus on strengthening critical thinking, sharpen the ability to analyze information, work hard and focus on developing strong study habits, manage time effectively and dream big.
