Yale’s Medical Education Day: “Fulfilling a Vision”

What are effective teaching strategies in the presence of patients? How can we learn to combat bias and discrimination in medical education settings? Are there ways to structure team-based learning so that it is both highly interactive and instructive?

These questions reflect some of the topics discussed during eight afternoon breakout sessions that were part of Yale School of Medicine’s (YSM) sixth annual Medical Education Day, held on May 16. “Med Ed Day,” which YSM’s Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) sponsors, provides learning opportunities about medical education for faculty, residents, fellows, students, and staff from across Yale’s health professional schools. It also celebrates the central role of medical education and its scholarship at YSM.

Robert J. Alpern, MD, dean and Ensign Professor of Medicine, kicked off Med Ed Day, and welcomed a crowded auditorium.

“The Teaching and Learning Center has successfully created a community of Yale educators and clearly demonstrates YSM’s investment in the scholarship of education,” Alpern said.

After Edward M. Hundert, MD, dean for medical education at Harvard Medical School (HMS), delivered the keynote, “Evolving Concepts in Learner Assessment: Aspiring to Evidence-Based Approaches in Medical Education,” attendees had the opportunity to participate in small group interactive sessions, created and led by Yale faculty. Some participants practiced feedback models in different training situations while others practiced team-based learning techniques.

Each breakout session provided actionable information, ranging from practical technology tips with polling software to participating in honest conversation about unconscious biases. A session on teaching at the bedside drew a large audience, where participants received laminated notecards depicting the opportunities for teaching before, during, and after engagement with patients.

A plenary session in the late afternoon was dedicated to a double celebration of medical education at YSM. Fifteen participants in YSM’s prestigious nine-month Medical Education Fellowship (MEF) graduated from the program. Each year department chairs nominate faculty members who are strong clinician educators with a focus on scholarship to participate in the MEF. During 18 interactive sessions, the fellows study education literature and discuss principles of learning. The centerpiece of the program involves designing an educational project that will be implemented in their department, hospital, or medical school curriculum; the fellows create posters of their projects, which are part of the Med Ed Day poster showcase and award program.

Attention then turned to the poster showcase and award program. This year, over 75 poster submissions filled the atrium and other open spaces in the Anlyan Center on the YSM campus. In March through early April, Yale faculty, residents, fellows, students, and staff had the opportunity to submit an abstract about a project in medical education research or innovation in medical education, which could focus on teaching, curriculum, assessment, mentoring, or educational leadership.

After the abstracts were peer-reviewed and accepted, a committee of 19 faculty, residents, fellows, and students from across the Yale health professional programs worked in teams to select seven poster award winners and honorable mentions in two categories: Innovation in Education and Education Research. All the award-winning posters may be viewed on the Teaching and Learning Center website, along with a link to all the posters presented at the conference.

After the poster award ceremony, attendees weaved through rows of displays in the Anlyan Center, discussing the posters with their creators, who were stationed nearby. The breadth of topics on display reflects the wide range of medical education issues being studied at YSM, often involving interdisciplinary partnerships across Yale’s health professional schools and programs.

Med Ed Day provides an outstanding opportunity for networking with colleagues across degree programs and departments about medical education and research.

Jane McDaniel, MS, MLS (ASCP), SC, Yale Physician Assistant (PA) Online lecturer and director of admissions, joined Yale’s new PA Online Program in November 2017 and lives in West Virginia. Being relatively new and geographically distant, McDaniel was excited to attend her first Medical Education Day.

“Med Ed Day allowed me to network with colleagues and experience firsthand all the exciting research and collaborative efforts that are occurring on the Yale campus,” she said. A highlight of the day for McDaniel was winning one of the prizes for Innovation in Education for her poster, “Innovative Strategies for Clinical Microscopy Instruction: Virtual Versus Light Microscopy.”

Janet Hafler, EdD, TLC director and associate dean for educational scholarship, is thrilled with the positive impact the Teaching and Learning Center is having, as showcased on Med Ed Day.

“We have seen Medical Education Day at Yale evolve into a gathering place for educators from across the many Yale health professions, schools, and departments,” said Hafler. “It is a safe place to learn and grow in education research and scholarship and a time to celebrate the accomplishments of a year’s worth of commitment and hard work. We are proud of our educators and their achievements both at home and nationally; they are sharing their expertise and disseminating their work. This truly is a fulfillment of our vision and beyond what we could have imagined.”

Citation for this content: Yale School of Medicine Physician Assistant Online Program