AMEE (Association for Medical Education in Europe) held its annual conference at the Basel Exhibition and Congress Centre from 24 to 28 August 2024.
The event attracted a total of 3,319 participants from all over the world on site and a further 674 online. Under the motto ‘Develop your educational career: Connect, Grow and Inspire with AMEE 2024’ the conference focused on using existing knowledge to guide practice, developing new knowledge and reflecting on the benefits for learners, patients and society. The aim was to promote excellence, collaboration and scientific work in the field of healthcare professions.
The program included a variety of plenary lectures, symposia, workshops and discussion panels, including numerous contributions on the possibilities of using artificial intelligence. The keynote speeches were as follows:

- Jim Campbell (World Health Organisation): He emphasised the need to increase health workforce training by 8-12% annually to achieve global health goals.

- Prof Liz Grant (University of Edinburgh): She highlighted the close link between climate change and global health and emphasised the responsibility of the health professions in this context.

- Dr Jamiu Busari (Horacio Oduber Hospital, Aruba/Maastricht University, Netherlands): He used Aristotle's teachings to examine prejudice and discrimination in health professions education and argued for more social justice in education and training programs. This final lecture of the AMEE particularly struck a chord with the participants and was rewarded with a standing ovation.

In addition to the scientific sessions, the conference also offered networking opportunities and social activities to promote exchange between the participants. Basel presented itself as a hospitable city with a wide range of cultural activities. Overall, AMEE 2024 in Basel provided an excellent platform for the exchange of the latest developments and best practices in health professions education and contributed to the further development of this important field.

Participation of IML in the organisation:
Organisation:
Huwendiek S: Member of the Programme Committee
Huwendiek S & Brodmann-Maeder M: Opening speech on behalf of the Swiss Health Professions Educators

Scientific contributions from the IML:
Gogollari, A., Schnabel, K., Schmitz F., Huwendiek, S., Gysin, S., Schirlo, Ch., Tolks, D., Schauber, S., Guttormsen, S. (2024). Exploring Digital Learning and Teaching (DLT) Perceptions Among Swiss Medical Students: A Nationwide Survey. Presented as ePoster at AMEE 2024, Basel Switzerland, 24 – 28 August 2024

Mitchell, S., Schmitz F., Guessous, I. Janczukowicz J. Guttormsen S. (2024)
Learning effects of an online learning intervention for skills acquisition using simulated patient encounters: a controled field study. Short presentation at AMEE Basel Switzerland, 24 – 28 August 2024

Caretta-Weyer H, Huwendiek S, Barone M, Young YQ, Richardson D, Touchie C: The Nuts and Bolts: Designing and Implementing Programmatic Assessment for CBME, preconference at AMEE Basel Switzerland, 24 – 28 August 2024 workshop

Lerch S, Huwendiek S, Nendaz M, Klöppel S, Pinilla S: A qualitative study to explore residents’ perceptions of ad hoc entrustment, need for supervision and coping strategies, short communication at AMEE Basel Switzerland, 24 – 28 August 2024

The ‘4^th World Summit in Competency-Based Education in Healthcare Professions: Advancing global implementation’ took place directly before the AMEE conference on 22 and 23 August 2024, also in Basel.
The event brought together international experts from various healthcare professions to advance the global implementation of competency-based education (CBE). The aim of the summit was to promote systematic studies on processes and practices, disseminate information on CBE and support the application of research findings in this field. The programme included plenary lectures, symposia, workshops and short presentations, which offered participants a wide range of opportunities for exchange and collaboration. There were also ‘Coffee in assigned buzz groups’ to promote networking in particular.
The four plenary lectures were each organised interactively by 3-4 speakers from different continents with keynote speeches and a moderator. The following topics were addressed in detail:

1. plenary lecture: ‘Competency based education in the health professions: Implementation across borders’
2. plenary lecture: ‘Voices from the frontline: Learner & Teacher lived experiences with CBE’,
3. plenary lecture ‘CBE Outcomes: What do we know so far?’
4. plenary lecture ‘Where to? A vision for the future of CBE’

The summit was aimed at anyone interested in competency-based education in the healthcare professions, regardless of their level of experience. It provided a platform for the exchange of the latest findings and best practices to promote excellence in the education and training of healthcare professionals worldwide. In addition to international participation, the event was attended by a broad range of participants from the IML and medical faculties in Switzerland.

Participation of the IML:
Organisation:
Huwendiek S: Co-Chair & Member of the Organising Committee

Contributions:
Brodmann-Maeder M, Schumacher D, Huwendiek S, Frank J: Opening of the Summit
Ryan M & Huwendiek S: Workshop on Programmatic Assessment