A world-wide influencer of medical education - an interview with the inaugural winner of the prize, Professor Henk Schmidt

Professor Henk Schmidt was the first winner of the Karolinska Prize for Research in Medical Education in 2004. He is a professor of psychology at Erasmus University’s faculty of social sciences and founding dean of its problem-based psychology curriculum. Between 2009 and 2013, he was the Vice-Chancellor (‘Rector Magnificus’) of Erasmus University in Rotterdam. His research in the field of medical education is outstanding and highly original. His special research areas are problem-based learning, clinical reasoning, and the acquisition of expertise in medicine. Professor Schmidt’s work has had a great impact on the research field, and many of his former students have become prominent and influential researchers. His studies have inspired applications in not only problem-based learning but have promoted student-centred practices in general.  Professor Schmidt’s research has influenced medical education worldwide and his influence goes beyond the field of medical education into education.