Preliminary Agenda

See below for detailed Workshop Program

Medical Education Day 2026
Workshop Program

MORNING SESSIONS
10:45-11:45 AM

Connecting Professionalism to enTRUSTment and Why it Matters
Deborah Simpson, PhD; Jessica O'Brien, MD; Kjersti Knox, MD; Kathryn Agard, CMP, PMP & Jacob Bidwell, MD

Session Description
This interactive workshop will begin by unpacking how perceptions of unprofessional behavior have been demonstrated to adversely impact everything from learning and teamwork to patient outcomes (quality, safety, patient experience). Then we will shift and ask what if professionalism is reframed as trust? Whenever faculty allow a learner to see a patient, they are making themselves vulnerable to that learner’s actions – the essence of trust. By shifting the lens from professionalism to trust, consistent with the literature on entrustable professional activities, we can bring a new lens to this challenging discussion. Participants will explore the utility of using a trust framework that improves one’s ability to analyze and discuss (un)professional behaviors with learners. This session is applicable for all individuals involved in medical education and is most effective when participants include multiple medical education roles. 

Objectives
1.    Defend the importance of professional perception by providing examples of how trust influences behavior.
2.    Describe the evidence that perceptions of unprofessional behavior can have adverse effects on patient care, teamwork, trustworthiness and learners as a physician. 
3.    Utilize a “trust” framework to improve ability to analyze and discuss (un)professional behaviors.

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From Awareness to Action: A Toolkit for Supporting Learner Basic Needs and Food Security
Takondwa Mwasi, MA, MS; Kelly Herold, MD & Alex Nelson

Session Description
Basic needs insecurity—including access to nutritious food—is a social determinant of health and a foundational condition for learning across the health professions continuum. When these strains surface in learning environments, educators may feel uncertain about how to recognize concerns, avoid stigma, and connect learners to resources across varied settings. A meaningful portion of learners report experiences consistent with food insecurity, with disparities observed among some learner groups. This interactive workshop equips educators and leaders with practical, learner-centered tools to recognize, normalize, and respond effectively when basic needs concerns arise.

Objectives
1.    Describe the prevalence and educational impact of basic needs insecurity among health professions learners, integrating national context and local UWSMPH insights.
2.    Anticipate common learning environment and training pressure points where food/basic needs strain may be amplified or mitigated.
3.    Demonstrate non-stigmatizing conversation strategies that normalize support-seeking and preserve learner dignity and autonomy.
4.    Apply a Normalize-Respond-Refer toolkit to determine appropriate next steps and connect learners to relevant UWSMPH resources and support pathways.
5.    Commit to one actionable change within their role that strengthens psychological safety and reduces barriers to food/basic needs.

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Implementing Accessibility Standards at SMPH: Tools & Techniques
Alexa Dorman, M.Ed; Chris Hanson; Tim Jensen & Matt Fleming

Session Description
The primary goal of this workshop is to demystify the process of meeting accessibility standards at SMPH. The Education and Training Technology team will walk you through specific examples of how to transform existing course content to meet the new federal accessibility standards. The session will explore background information on the federal mandate, why there is a need to implement accessible course content at SMPH, and share tools available to help assist in this process. This includes examples of accessible Canvas course designs, videos with captions, accessible interactive learning modules, and technologies available for live lectures in the classroom.

Objectives
1.    Interpret Federal and Institutional Mandates: Summarize the specific requirements of the new federal accessibility standards and explain their critical importance in the context of the various programs at SMPH.
2.    Identify Accessible Content Indicators: Evaluate existing course materials—including Canvas pages, videos, and interactive modules—to identify common accessibility barriers and areas for improvement.
3.    Utilize the Education and Training Technology team’s recommended tools to generate captions, create alt-text, and format interactive learning modules.

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Precision Education: Epic New Insights from the Electronic Health Record
Benjamin Schnapp, MD, MEd; Joe-Ann Moser, MD, MS; Dann Hekman, MS & Corlin Jewell, MD

Session Description
While current efforts to develop and implement Entrustable Physician Activities represent an essential step forward in competency-based education, there remains a gap in alternative assessment frameworks that complement faculty direct observations. Electronic health records (EHRs) offer the promise of a new, objective data source on learner performance that can inform judgments on progression. This session will explore the use of EHR clinical performance data to accomplish precision education for learners, including the development and implementation of systems for tracking case encounters, efficiency and flow, and quality metrics. Participants, including UME and GME educators, will come away with an understanding of how EHR data will be an essential component of our precision education future.

Objectives
1.    Describe how EHR data can inform precision education for trainee physicians.
2.    Evaluate currently available resident-sensitive EHR metrics for assessing resident performance
3.    Assess future directions for precision education using EHR data, including the impact of artificial intelligence.

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Say What?! Upteaching in Medical Education
Amber Sheth, MD, MPH

Session Description
Upteaching describes an educational model in which a person who is typically a learner teaches a new concept to a person who is typically an educator. Often seen in informal settings, upteaching carries with it an understanding that learning may happen at any time and from a variety of sources. In an ever-changing landscape of social justice and equity, the up-to-date knowledge that students and trainees have may help attendings to understand these concepts and apply them to the care of marginalized patients. In the medical education environment, upteaching is a valuable tactic to exchange ideas and promote dialogue within the healthcare team. Upteaching may also have downstream effects of promoting a culture of safety by creating a respectful and inquisitive learning environment. This workshop will explore the importance of upteaching, why it matters for promoting health equity, and how to apply upteaching principles—for both learners and educators—in the clinical environment. 

Objectives
1.    Analyze the ways in which the culture of medicine is and is not amenable to upteaching.
2.    Describe upteaching as a framework for learning about health equity topics and explain its importance.
3.    Apply upteaching principles in a practice environment.
4.    Develop strategies for creating a welcoming space for upteaching in the learning environment (attendings) or for practicing upteaching in the learning environment (residents/medical students).

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AFTERNOON SESSIONS
1:30-2:30 PM

A Residency Program Coaching Model: Lessons Learned and CORE Observations
Megan Yanny, MD; Carolyn Sleeth, MD, MPH; Lindsey Boyke, MD; Daniel Sklansky, MD & Brittany Loughman, BA

Session Description
Coach and Mentor roles are evolving in medical education and as ACGME requirements further emphasize individualized education, there is an increased need for trainee observation, feedback, and coaching. Coaching is shown to decrease resident burnout and enhance self-directed skills like communication and self-reflection. Direct observations—though implementation varies across programs—enable real-time feedback and skill tracking within coaching models. This workshop will focus on direct observation strategies and methods to improve feedback opportunities for communication and clinical skills, including how to address various types of learners and overcome challenges in coaching and observing adult learners with various levels of engagement. This workshop is geared towards any faculty, resident, fellow, or program leaders and staff engaged with medical students or residents who seek to bolster individual or group coaching and mentoring efforts.

Objectives
1.    Differentiate coach, mentor and advisor roles in medical education and highlight the role for each when working with trainees. 
2.    Discuss direct observation methods, strategies for improving resident feedback, and the challenges to consider with scheduling, bias, and engagement. 
3.    Synthesize logistics in local programs and clinical spaces for coaching and mentoring programs.

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Cultivating Self-Compassion to Foster Well-Being for Medical Educators and Learners
Sarah Floden, MD; Amy Zelenski, PhD & Mariah Quinn, MD, MPH

Session Description
The rigors of medical training can push even the most compassionate trainees to their limits, creating compassion fatigue and burnout. However, self-compassion serves as an antidote, increasing connection and optimism while decreasing anxiety and shame. Led by faculty experts in communication and well-being, this workshop harnesses self-compassion as a novel approach to support medical educators and learners throughout their professional identity development. Participants engage in discussions about empathy and fatigue, followed by interactive writing and reflection activities to explore the nuanced relationship between self-compassion and the inner self-critic. This workshop will resonate with people across different levels of training and fields of interest, from the medical student embarking on clinical rotations to the medical educator taking on a leadership role. 

Objectives
1.    Compare and contrast the concepts of empathy, compassion, and self-compassion to understand their role in well-being and career development.
2.    Examine the relationship between self-compassion and the inner self-critic.
3.    Explore one way to increase compassion in action within your local institution.

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Next-Gen Teaching: Using Video to Elevate Medical Education
Tiffany Lin, MD; Christine Sharkey, MD & Leanne Mansfield, MD

Session Description
In this workshop, learn how video-based instruction bridges the gap between traditional methods and new technologies. Emphasizing accessibility, sustainability, and learner engagement, this session offers a roadmap for creating high-impact content even with limited resources. Combining theory and hands-on experience, this session empowers educators to rethink how video makes learning more effective, flexible, and enduring. Participants will explore key design principles including cognitive load management, multimedia learning theory, and student engagement strategies. This session will equip participants with skills to storyboard content, select appropriate formats, and use accessible tools to create personalized, high-impact videos.

Objectives
1.    Identify curricular gaps that can be addressed through video-based instruction by analyzing case studies and reflecting on current program needs.
2.    Apply evidence-based principles of cognitive load management and multimedia learning to design engaging and pedagogically sound educational videos.
3.    Develop a personalized action plan for integrating video into medical curricula, including content planning, technical implementation, and strategies for learner engagement and sustainability. Apply strategies to integrate vivid vignettes in medical teaching.

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The Vital Link: Building Your Career as a Medical Education Coordinator
Joe Orman, MLIS & Justin Sena, MA

Session Description
Coordinators possess significant institutional knowledge, being on the front lines of curriculum and assessment operations and implementation. Recognizing the unique contributions and achievements of coordinators serves as a powerful catalyst for both strategic improvement and professional advancement. This workshop will equip participants in identifying their own values in work and professional development and actionable strategies to communicate and execute these values. Topics that will be explored include identifying weaknesses and strengths, professional development champions and organizations, as well as navigating the coordinator role through difficult times. Focused on medical education coordinators, this interactive session will empower participants to be in the driver’s seat of their career journey in medical education.

Objectives
1.    Self-advocate for projects, resources, and opportunities.
2.    Promote workplace achievements.
3.    Identify professional development opportunities and strategies to strengthen skills and build self-confidence.   
4.    Create an action plan to find ways to encourage self-fulfillment and joy.

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What the…Philosophy? Shaping Your Teaching Identity & Growth
Anne Stahr, PhD; Sara K Johnson, MD & Art Walaszek, MD

Session Description
Are you a teacher or doing some teaching in your health sciences career? As with any skill in the health sciences, developing teaching expertise requires continuous growth with structured reflection, learning, practice, and feedback. Designed for health science professionals at any career stage, this interactive workshop will guide participants through the “Reflect-Learn-Plan-Do” cycle, which is based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and Ericsson’s Development of Expertise theory to harness key requirements for growth of teaching skills and identity. Participants in this session are encouraged to adopt a growth mindset for thinking about their individual development toward becoming an expert educator.  

Objectives
1.    Describe how teaching expertise develops through reflection, deliberate practice and feedback.
2.    Reflect on professional identity formation and how teaching fits into broader career and personal identity.
3.    Identify individual teaching core values and goals to draft an individual teaching philosophy. 
4.    Apply a Reflect-Learn-Plan-Do step-wise framework for UWSMPH health professions educators to identify next steps in growing teaching skills and knowledge.