CHAPTER SEA was represented at the AMEE Conference 2026, 22-26 August 2026, in Vienna, Austria, by a presentation highlighting the cultural adaptation of European Virtual Patient resources for healthcare education in Southeast Asia.

Dr. Lee Yew Kong presented the work “Applying Waldorf’s Framework for Cultural Adaptation of European Virtual Patient Resources in Southeast-Asian Healthcare Curricula."

The presentation was about the application of Waldorf’s Framework for Cultural Adaptation to adapt European Virtual Patient (VP) resources to the cultural and educational context of Southeast Asian healthcare curricula. This is especially important because digital learning resources developed in one cultural setting may need to be adapted to the local context in order for them to be meaningful, appropriate, and relevant to learners in another setting.

CHAPTER SEA aims to enhance digital and innovative healthcare education by developing the virtual patient platform to enhance the integration and contextualization of virtual patient resources into higher education institutions in Southeast Asia. It is a collaboration of partners from Europe and Southeast Asia to foster collaboration and exchange of knowledge in health professions education.

Attending the AMEE Conference 2026 was important to share CHAPTER SEA’s work with the international health professions education community and to take part in wider discussions about cultural adaptation, digital learning, and the use of virtual patients in healthcare education.

The presentation is also a manifestation of CHAPTER SEA’s continuous engagement in bridging educational innovation between the European and Southeast Asian contexts by ensuring that digital learning resources can be adapted to local needs and educational environments.

Congratulations to Dr. Lee Yew Kong and the CHAPTER SEA team for being part of the global conversation on innovative and culturally responsive healthcare education.

CHAPTER SEA is delighted to share Dr. Lee Yew Kong’s study on The Learning Ideas Conference 2026 to be hosted at Columbia University, New York, United States, from 10 to 12 June 2026. The conference brought together worldwide educators, researchers, and learning innovators to study current trends and advances in learning technology, instructional design, and digital transformation in higher education and workplace learning.

Dr. Lee delivered a presentation, “Applying Walldorf’s Framework for the Cultural Adaptation of European Virtual Patient Resources in Southeast-Asian Healthcare Curricula."

The talk highlighted the increasing significance of cultural adaptability within the education of digital health professions. Virtual patient resources have become essential tools for healthcare learners to acquire abilities in clinical reasoning, decision making, and patient-centered care. However, many of these tools are established in specific cultural and clinical settings, which may restrict their applicability when used in other locations.

The study explored how European virtual patient cases were adapted to better suit the sociocultural, educational, and healthcare context of Southeast Asia using Walldorf’s Framework for Cultural Adaptation. This framework offers a systematic way to detect cultural aspects in learning materials and to drive alterations that increase cultural contextuality without compromising the educational objectives.

The presentation demonstrated the impact of culturally customized virtual patient resources on increasing learner engagement, authenticity, and educational efficacy. These materials can better educate healthcare students for real world clinical practice in their communities by mirroring local healthcare systems, communication styles, patient expectations, and cultural norms.

The Learning Ideas Conference provides a chance to share the work of CHAPTER SEA with a worldwide audience of educators and researchers devoted to furthering innovation in learning and educational technology. The conference provides an international arena for discussion on innovative approaches to digital learning, artificial intelligence, simulation-based education, and technology enhanced teaching and learning.

This presentation shows our continued commitment at CHAPTER SEA to champion high quality, culturally relevant healthcare education across Southeast Asia. Through research, cooperation, and innovation, CHAPTER SEA continues to promote the development of educational solutions that enhance clinical reasoning, professional competence, and healthcare outcomes across the region.

We would like to congratulate Dr. Lee Yew Kong for this success and thank him for representing CHAPTER SEA in this important international conference.

Dr. Fika Ekayanti, a member of the CHAPTER SEA Consortium, participated as a speaker at the 3rd Indonesian Medical and Health Professions Education Conference (INAMHPEC 2026).

At the Pre-Conference Workshop, “Utilizing Virtual Patients for Clinical Reasoning Mastery,” Dr. Fika discussed the increasing significance of virtual patients (VPs) in enhancing clinical reasoning teaching for students in the health professions.

Virtual Patients are computer-based simulations of real-life clinical settings where learners take on the roles of healthcare providers and perform patient assessments, make diagnoses, and engage in therapeutic decision-making within a safe and standardized learning environment. The VP-based learning is a novel way to build clinical competence in the changing environment of healthcare education, while also boosting learner engagement and accessibility.

During her presentation, Dr. Fika discussed the performance of the CHAPTER SEA Project, an international collaboration project among health professions education institutions in Southeast Asia. The project focuses on developing and implementing contextually appropriate virtual patient scenarios for supporting collaborative learning and clinical reasoning training in existing curricula.

The CHAPTER SEA Project is developing and integrating Virtual Patient cases with partner universities in Indonesia and Malaysia. The program aims to enhance clinical reasoning abilities and inspire educational innovations pertinent to the healthcare realities in the Southeast Asian area.

Dr. Fika’s engagement in INAMHPEC 2026 is an embodiment of the consortium’s dedication to promoting technology-enabled learning and regional cooperation in health professions education. The initiative is a critical step to equip future health care workers with the competences needed to face growing issues in health care.

About INAMHPEC-2026

The Indonesian Annual Medical and Health Professions Education Conference (INAMHPEC) is the academic forum to gather educators, researchers, healthcare practitioners, and policymakers to exchange ideas, research findings, and best practices of medical and health professions education.

On 21 May 2026, the CHAPTER SEA consortium was represented at the Medical Cybernetics and Systems Biology (MCSB) 2026 Conference in Kraków, Poland, through a presentation delivered by Dr. Małgorzata Sudacka titled “Adapting a Virtual Patient Collection to the South-East Asian Cultural and Healthcare Context.”

The talk was part of the Digital Learning and Decision Support Session, bringing together academics and educators who are working on novel approaches to digital health, medical education, and clinical decision support systems. The workshop showed the expanding relevance of technology-enhanced learning in educating healthcare workers to work within more complicated healthcare systems.

The presentation at CHAPTER SEA highlighted the consortium’s work on adapting virtual patient scenarios to the cultural, socioeconomic, and healthcare realities of Southeast Asia. Virtual patients are now commonly employed as training aids in health professions education; however, their usefulness is context-dependent. In this process of adaptation, CHAPTER SEA aims to ensure that learners are exposed to clinical scenarios that reflect the regional healthcare systems, patient experiences, and cultural considerations.

The presentation also emphasized the importance of international collaboration in developing culturally responsive educational resources. By bringing together expertise from institutions across Europe and Southeast Asia, CHAPTER SEA continues to contribute to the advancement of digital learning solutions that support equitable and context-sensitive healthcare education.

CHAPTER SEA remains committed to strengthening healthcare education through innovative, collaborative, and culturally adapted approaches that enhance learning outcomes and support the development of future healthcare professionals.

Jakarta, Indonesia — October 2025.

CHAPTER SEA participated in the 17th Jakarta Meeting on Medical Education (JAKMED) 2025, an international forum for educators, researchers, and healthcare professionals to advance innovation in health professions education. This year’s theme was “Towards sustainable healthcare: Empowering lifelong learning in medical and health professions education.”

Representing CHAPTER SEA, Dr. Siti Khadijah Adam, B.Biomed.Sc, M.Sc, Ph.D, delivered a research presentation titled:
“Stakeholder Experiences and Perspectives on Virtual Patients in Healthcare Education: Insights from Malaysia and Indonesia.”

The study examined how academics, students, and educational administrators perceive the use of Virtual Patients (VPs) as a learning tool across medical, nursing, and pharmacy programs in Malaysia and Indonesia. Findings show strong enthusiasm for VP adoption, highlighting its potential to enhance clinical reasoning, provide standardized training, and strengthen digital learning capacity in Southeast Asia. Participants also emphasized the importance of cultural relevance, language adaptation, and institutional support for successful implementation.

We welcomed Dr. Fika Ekayanti from State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta for a guest lecture on July 30. She shared her expertise on using Virtual Patients (VPs) to strengthen clinical reasoning in medical education. VPs are interactive simulations that help learners safely develop diagnostic and decision-making skills. Dr. Fika also presented an international VP project involving Southeast Asia and Europe. The session was insightful and well-received by students and faculty alike.

- International Cooperation for Medical Education (ICME), School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine

Source: https://icme.m.u-tokyo.ac.jp/6226/