Rate My Professor Kwang Cham

Associate Professor Kwang Cham is an education-focused academic in the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences within the Melbourne School of Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, part of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. An optometrist by background, he holds a Bachelor of Optometry and a PhD in Optometry from the University of Melbourne. His career trajectory includes roles as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer, advancing to Associate Professor. Cham's research centers on the scholarship of teaching and learning in healthcare education, with key interests in preparing students for effective clinical practice, digital technologies for feedback and assessment, interprofessional education, and inter-disciplinary object-based learning engaging with material culture. He directs Education Research for the Melbourne School of Health Sciences, serves as Deputy Lead for Curriculum in the Collaborative Practice Centre for Health, and holds a Senior Academic Fellowship at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education.

Cham has received major awards including the 2025 MDHS Faculty Education Award for Program Innovation, the University of Melbourne Norman Curry Award for Innovation and Excellence in Educational Practice, MDHS Dean's Learning and Teaching Fellowship, ANZAHPE Associate Fellowship revalidation, 2021 Faculty Teaching and Learning Award, and 2019 Melbourne School of Health Sciences Learning and Teaching Excellence Award. He has co-investigated grants such as the JSPS funding and Chancellery International Global Classroom Grant with the National University of Singapore. Notable publications include 'Learning professionalism using creativity and diversity concepts' (2024), 'Educational strategies in the health professions to mitigate burnout' (2023), 'Integrating interprofessional electronic medical record teaching in preregistration healthcare degrees: A case study' (2023), 'Thinking Outside the Square in Cultivating "Soft Skills"—Going beyond the Standard Optometric Curriculum' (2020), and 'Digital preferences and perceptions of students in health professional courses at a leading Australian university' (2021). His international collaborations involve clinical placements and research with China Medical University, Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan, Hokkaido University, and the University of Hong Kong, enhancing global health education practices.