Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Georgina Stephens is an education-focused Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Human Anatomy Education (CHAE) within the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology. As a trained medical professional, she is passionate about teaching clinical anatomy in a manner that promotes students’ professional skill development, alongside their anatomical learning. Aligning with this, her research interests explore how anatomy and medical education can foster students’ development of psychosocial skills, alongside effective teaching of core knowledge.
Dr. Stephens has particular research interests in students’ professional skill development within the context of donor dissection. Her recent work in this area has focused on medical students’ perceptions of ethics and experiences of uncertainty. Her research into medical students’ perceptions of ethics in anatomy led to the development of an innovative ethics documentary that focuses on the donor perspective, alongside the experiences of anatomy educators and students. This documentary now forms the basis of the CHAE ethics training required for compliance with the Human Tissues Act, and is the first of its kind.
Dr Stephens’ recent research into medical students’ experiences of uncertainty include longitudinal, qualitative research across preclinical and clinical medical school stages, and a systematic review and meta-analysis of the psychometric properties of uncertainty tolerance scales implemented among medical student and physician publications. Her work has led to publications in prestigious medical education journals, highlighted the significant limitations of prior UT scale research, and identified multiple avenues for educational intervention designed to improve medical students’ preparedness for the uncertainties of clinical practice.
Dr Stephens currently teaches into the anatomy component of the medical course. She has particular interests in whole body donor dissection and team based active learning engaging clinical anatomy cases. She also contributes to the professional development of anatomy demonstrator staff, and is responsible for training new staff on evidence-based approaches to medical education and donor dissection.
Research interests
- Anatomy Education
- Medical Eduation
- Qualitative Data Analysis
- Healthcare Education
- Uncertainty Tolerance
- Reliability and Validity
Monash teaching commitment
Undergraduate medical anatomy
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Medical education
- Anatomy education
- Uncertainty tolerance
- Qualitative Data Analysis
- Validity & Reliability
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 2 Active
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Preparing Learners for Uncertainty in Health Professions Subtitle: A Handbook for Educators
Lazarus, M., Stephens, G., Garcia Ochoa, G., Kickett, R., Bedi, G., Brand, G., Bonnamy, J., Barbour, L., McCartan, J., Callaway, L., Austin, Z., Brock, T., Farlie, M., Diug, B., Howard, B., Robinson, P., Wright, C. & Wise, S.
6/04/23 → 31/12/24
Project: Other
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Building FMNHS educator and researcher capacity to co-design health professions education and curricula with healthcare consumers.
Brand, G., Hansen, A., Sheers, C., Stephens, G., Dart, J., Bonnamy, J. & Shannon, B.
1/02/23 → 1/07/24
Project: Research
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In reply to Hancock and Mattick
Stephens, G. C., Wilson, A. & Lazarus, M., Aug 2023, In: Academic Medicine. 98, 8, p. 870-871 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Other
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Identifying validity evidence for uncertainty tolerance scales: A systematic review
Stephens, G. C., Lazarus, M. D., Sarkar, M., Karim, M. N. & Wilson, A. B., 28 Dec 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Medical Education. 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access3 Citations (Scopus) -
Medical Student Experiences of Uncertainty Tolerance Moderators: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study
Stephens, G. C., Sarkar, M. & Lazarus, M., 25 Apr 2022, In: Frontiers in Medicine. 9, 14 p., 864141.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access3 Citations (Scopus) -
Reliability of uncertainty tolerance scales implemented among physicians and medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Stephens, G. C., Karim, M. N., Sarkar, M., Wilson, A. & Lazarus, M., 1 Sept 2022, In: Academic Medicine. 97, 9, p. 1413-1422 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access6 Citations (Scopus) -
‘A whole lot of uncertainty’: A qualitative study exploring clinical medical students' experiences of uncertainty stimuli
Stephens, G. C., Sarkar, M. & Lazarus, M. D., Jul 2022, In: Medical Education. 56, 7, p. 736-746 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access9 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Scholarship for Introduction to Education Research in the Health Professions and Sciences Course
Stephens, Georgina (Recipient), 31 Oct 2019
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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The Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology 2021 PhD Excellence in Publication Award
Stephens, Georgina (Recipient), 17 Dec 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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The Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology 2022 ECR Excellence in Publication Award
Stephens, Georgina (Recipient), Dec 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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The Silver Quill
Stephens, Georgina (Recipient), Sarkar, Mahbub (Recipient) & Lazarus, Michelle (Recipient), Jun 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)