California University of Science and Medicine senior associate dean advancing health professional education globally

California University of Science and Medicine’s (CUSM) Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Chair of the Department of Medical Education, Zohray Moolani Talib, MD, FACP, will serve as the Co-Chair for the National Academy of Medicine’s Global Forum for Health Professional Education, for a term ending December 31, 2023.

The Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education brings together a diverse group of thought leaders and interprofessional collaborators to network and discuss ways to advance and innovate in health professional education. Dr. Talib’s role as co-chair will allow her to contribute to the mission and strategic vision of the Forum. “I am honored to serve as Co-Chair for the Global Forum and look forward to working with Forum members to advance our collective vision for health professional education,” said Dr. Talib.

At CUSM, Dr. Talib is a leader who is driving the institution’s vision to inspire, motivate and empower students to become excellent and caring physicians, scientists, and leaders. “This appointment reflects what we, at CUSM, all know to be true, Dr. Talib is an exceptional educator with global expertise in health professions education. It is a pleasure to see that expertise recognized by her peers,” said Paul Lyons, MD, Dean and President of CUSM. “This is a great opportunity for Dr. Talib to be a thought leader advancing the field of education with a global community of academic experts and health professionals.”

Dr. Talib’s experience spans the field of medical education and global health, with a particular focus on social accountability in health professions education. She has worked with undergraduate and graduate medical education programs in the US and across Sub-Saharan Africa to bring best practices into medical education, especially in low-resource settings.

Her particular areas of interest include community-based education and building a robust and diverse faculty workforce to provide health professions education, research and services especially for underserved communities.

Dr. Talib has collaborated with medical schools across Africa to study and strengthen decentralized training sites for health professions education. Dr. Talib has also partnered with faculty in Africa to examine the burden of mental health and strategies to integrate mental health into primary care.

Dr. Talib brings to the field of academic medicine and global health the unique perspective of being a primary care clinician, educator and researcher. She is a licensed and practicing internal medicine primary care physician. She teaches clinical medicine, health policy and health systems to undergraduate medical students. Dr. Talib was previously at George Washington University where she was Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine program and a researcher with the Health Workforce Institute.

Dr. Talib received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the George Washington University Hospital. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.