From endocrinology to pioneering the OSCE – an interview with world leader in medical education, Professor Ronald Harden.

Professor Ronald Harden is a world leader in medical education. He is committed to developing new approaches to curriculum planning, assessment and to teaching and learning.  Ideas which he has pioneered include the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) which has been universally adopted as a standard approach to assessment of clinical competence, the spiral curriculum and the SPICES model for curriculum planning and models for outcome-based education. He has published more than 400 papers in leading journals and is co-editor of the best-selling book – “A Practical Guide for Medical Teachers.” 

Winner of the Karolinska Prize in 2006, his contributions to excellence in medical education have attracted other numerous awards including an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians, Surgeons of Canada, the prestigious Hubbard Award by the National Board of Medical Examiners in the USA and recognition by the Kellogg Foundation for his contributions to medical education in South America. He was awarded by the Queen the OBE for his services to medical education.  He was presented in Singapore in February 2006 with the ‘Mentoring, Innovation and Leadership in Education Scholarship' (MILES) award for ‘outstanding contributions to the advancement of global medical education and academic medicine’.

In 2009 he was awarded the ASME Richard Farrow Gold Medal, in recognition of the contributions he has made to medical education. In 2010 he was the recipient of the AMEE 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to medical education and the work of the Association.  In 2012 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Medical Education by the International Medical University in Malaysia and an Honorary Doctorate in Medicine of the University of Tampere, Finland.

In November 2013 Professor Harden was awarded the Cura Personalis honour, the University of Georgetown’s highest award.

Professor Harden is Professor of Medical Education (Emeritus) University of Dundee and Professor of Medical Education, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Editor of Medical Teacher and General Secretary and Treasurer of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE). He was formerly Teaching Dean and Director of the Centre for Medical Education at the University of Dundee.