Faculty and administration

Fatima Marankan, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Pharmacology

Dr. Fatima Marankan is a passionate and enthusiastic medical educator with extensive experience. She is a founding faculty member who has helped pioneer innovative medical curriculum development and implementation at Western Atlantic University School of Medicine in the Bahamas. Dr. Marankan’s expertise encompasses integrated multidisciplinary teaching, active learning strategies, learning facilitation, and USMLE Step 1 review. As Faculty Senate President, Dr. Marankan has also demonstrated exceptional leadership in academic governance while serving as Academic Unit Director.

Dr. Marankan earned a Ph.D. in Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Sciences/Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), USA, and pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer research at Simon Fraser University, Canada. She earned a Certificate in medical education and research following a rigorous one-year training at the School of Medicine, Memorial University in Canada where she learned the foundations of curriculum design and implementation, active learning methodologies, and principles of medical education research. Her diverse academic experience spans leading institutions across North America and the Caribbean, including the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada and Saint James School of Medicine, SVG.

Dr. Marankan is the author of seven competency-based review books covering major topics in health education including pharmacology, biochemistry, and pathophysiology. Her commitment to professional development is evident through scholarly activities as reviewer for JMIR Publications and AMEE Conference abstracts, certification in artificial intelligence (AI) ethics in medical education from World Health Organization (WHO), and continuing education in pharmacology and medical education as a member of the Canadian Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and AMEE, an International Association for Health Professions Education. Dr. Marankan’s efforts in medical education research led to a presentation titled “Case-Based Learning vs Problem-Based Learning: Have We Assessed Enough?” at the 2022 AMEE Conference in Lyon, France.

Recognized with notable awards, Teaching and Learning Enhancement Award at UBC, Canada, and Paul Sang Award at UIC, USA, Dr. Marankan continues to contribute to medical education through student mentorship, and effective teaching and research.