k.stegers-jager@erasmusmc.nl
I study assessment and selection in medical school, with a strong focus on fairness and diversity.
In a first line of research I aim to identify factors that predict performance throughout medical school. A recent example is a study on gender-specific effects of raising Year 1 standards on medical students’ academic performance and stress levels.
In a second line of research I aim to develop valid and fair selection methods both for medical school and for residency training. I search for a combination of academic and non-academic measures to select those students and residents that will meet the future needs for a diversity of doctors in our multicultural society.
In a third line of research I try to unravel biased decision-making in rater-based assessments. An example of a current project is a study into the role of first impressions in the assessment of medical students on the workplace.
I am proud of the invited review that I wrote on the lessons learned from 15 years on non-grades-based selection for medical school, including our own lessons regarding the use of extracurricular activities and curriculum samples and of an integrity-based Situational Judgment Test and regarding adverse impact
I am also proud of my contribution to bringing the topic of diversity and inclusion on the agenda of Erasmus MC and the medical education community in the Netherlands. In 2019 I was chair of the annual meeting of the NVMO (Dutch society on medical education). With the theme “From diversity to inclusion: together to optimal care for everyone!” we attracted for the first time more than 1000 participants.
The ultimate aim of medical education is “to produce doctors who will promote the health of all people”. My ambition as a researcher is to contribute to this challenging aim by reducing ethnic and social disparities throughout the medical education pipeline. I want to understand why these disparities exists and how we can create an educational environment with equal opportunities for success for all our future professionals.
Anyone with questions about selection, assessment and diversity in medical education could get in touch with me.
Overview of Karen's publications: click here
Karen's CV: click here