Cha-Chi Fung, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Medical Education (Educational Scholar), Vice Chair of the Department of Medical Education, and Assistant Dean for Assessment and Research in Medical Education at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. An educational psychologist and medical education scholar, she has built a career at the intersection of assessment, program evaluation, faculty development, and the rigorous study of teaching and learning in the health professions.
Her scholarship focuses on medical education assessment and evaluation, clinical performance assessment, and the effects of curricular innovations, including initiatives in wellness and academic support. Her publications span clinical skills, patient-centered care, interprofessional learning, simulation and serious games, technology-enhanced education, learner well-being, podcast-based learning, competency assessment, and research design. Her contributions to the field were recognized with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Educational Affairs Thomas Hale Ham Award for New Investigators.
Dr. Fung is also an experienced educator and mentor. At Keck, she directs graduate courses on designing and implementing research on innovations in medical education and contributes regularly to faculty development. She has mentored medical students, graduate students, and faculty across numerous clinical departments, helping collaborators translate educational ideas into well-designed studies, presentations, and publications.
Her institutional and national service reflects a longstanding commitment to strengthening the infrastructure of medical education. At Keck, she has chaired committees and task forces concerned with clinical assessment, examinations, curriculum, faculty advancement, and the annual Innovations in Medical Education conference. Nationally, she has held leadership roles in the AAMC Western Group on Educational Affairs, including chair, and in the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education, where she served as president. She has also served as the co-chair of the AAMC Research in Medical Education program planning committee, and the associate editor of Medical Education Online. Across these roles, Dr. Fung advances a scholarly, collaborative, and methodologically sound approach to educating health professionals.