University Department of Rural Health South West (UDRH SW) Senior Lecturer Dr Abigail Lewis has been recognised as an Associate Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE).
“The ANZAHPE Fellowship scheme recognises members who have demonstrated a consistent commitment to health professional education through their scholarly contributions to the field.
The scheme is open to health professional educators recognised as effective teachers, researchers, developers and leaders in education within their institutions, with a demonstrated commitment to supporting the learning of students and junior colleagues across academic, clinical and community settings.” – ANZAHPE
Recognition as an Associate Fellow is the first step on the pathway towards becoming an ANZAHPE Fellow. Fellows and Associate Fellows are listed on the ANZAHPE website alongside their research interests, helping to create opportunities for research and teaching collaboration across the health professional education community.
Dr Lewis is a Senior Lecturer with UDRH SW at Edith Cowan University on the South West Campus, where she supports students across disciplines undertaking rural placements and works to enhance the skills of their supervisors.
“My specific focus in health professional education is student and new graduate motivation and confidence, including professional identity formation, rural and place identity, interprofessional collaborative practice, and wellbeing on placements,” Dr Lewis said.
“I am also interested in quality rural placements, including skilled supervision and service-learning placements.”
Dr Lewis recently completed her doctorate, with a particular focus on professional identity formation. Her research interests also include transformative learning and self-determination theory, and she uses qualitative and mixed methods in her research.
“Having completed my PhD at the end of 2025, I signed up for ANZAHPE’s mentoring program to work out the next steps in my research journey,” Dr Lewis said.
“This mentoring has been very helpful, helping me streamline my focus and the number of projects I’m involved in, and also encouraged me to apply for the Associate Fellowship.”
Dr Lewis has been a long-standing member of ANZAHPE and has actively engaged with the organisation’s professional development opportunities.
“Becoming an Associate Fellow is the next step on my journey in health professional education.”
