IAMSE Fall 2026 Webinar Series: “Mind the Gaps: Essential Conversations for Modern Health Professions Education.”
The Office of Faculty Relations and Professional Development is pleased to offer all NEOMED faculty and staff access to the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) Fall 2026 Webinar Series “Mind the Gaps: Essential Conversations for Modern Health Professions Education.”
Some of the most pressing challenges in health professions education lie outside the traditional curriculum. From overfull course schedules and gaps in nutrition education to social media's role in learning, critical thinking development, and faculty well-being, today's educators are being asked to do more, and differently, than ever before.
Join the IAMSE Webcast Audio Seminar Series for five sessions with leaders in health professions tackling the issues shaping our profession right now. Whether you're refining your curriculum, supporting learners, or trying to keep your faculty thriving, you'll walk away with practical strategies and real perspectives you can actually use across the full spectrum of health professions education.
The series will be broadcast each Thursday from Sept. 3 through Oct. 1, 2026, noon – 1 p.m. EST via Zoom webinar.
Registration provides NEOMED faculty and staff with links to the webinars, calendar files, all accompanying resources, and archived session recordings once they are available. Faculty and staff are encouraged to register even if they are not available to attend the synchronous sessions.
Register for access to institutional registration via IAMSE
Sessions
Session 1
Addressing the Overpacked Suitcase to Pack Purpose into the Curriculum
Thursday, Sept. 3 | noon – 1 p.m.
Speaker: Kristine Cline - The Ohio State University
Description
This session will explore the phenomenon of curricular expansion, also commonly referred to as curricular overload. With knowledge, skills, and best practices ever-changing in health professions practice it is challenging to balance the incorporation of new evidence-based practices into an already packed curriculum. Using the presenter’s experience in pharmacy education this session will explore evidence-based teaching practices of backwards design to address curricular expansion while also considering the emotional connection to the content we teach.
Session 2
Exploring how the Knowledge Shared using Social Media is Used in Health Professions Education Practice
Thursday, Sept. 10 | noon – 1 p.m.
Speaker: Catherine Giroux - University of Ottawa
Description
By the end of this session, participants will:
- Understand whether and how health professions educators have used social media to share knowledge in the published literature
- Explore how health professions educators and researchers use prominent hashtags to share knowledge on social media platforms
- Identify ways that health professions educators use the knowledge they gain from social media to inform their own practices
Session 3
National Requirements Regarding Nutrition in Medical Education Curricula
Thursday, Sept. 17 | noon – 1 p.m.
Speakers:
- Barbara Barzanksy - American Medical Association
- Robert Hash - Liaison Committee on Medical Education
- Genie James - American Osteopathic Association - Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOA-COCA)
- Robyn Phillips-Madson - Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation
Description
The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) maintains engagement with the osteopathic medical education community, including the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), to monitor emerging trends. Aligned with osteopathic principles and practice, AACOM and its institutions have strengthened nutrition education through initiatives such as Food as Medicine, reflecting a broader shift toward prevention, lifestyle-based care, and whole-person health. As healthcare and evidence evolve, COCA updates accreditation standards using stakeholder input, accreditation data, and public comment. Strong feedback supported the timely inclusion of nutrition, ensuring standards remain relevant, evidence-informed, and focused on preparing well-rounded physicians.
Session 4
Fostering Critical Thinking in Medical Education
Thursday, Sept. 24 | noon – 1 p.m.
Speaker: Linda Elder - Foundation for Critical Thinking
Description
In this talk, Elder will discuss her research on faculty mindsets, including evidence that these mindsets matter for students' psychological and academic outcomes, ways in which faculty communicate their mindsets to students, and implications for teaching practice.
Session 5
Supporting Those Who Teach: Identifying Opportunities to Improve Medical Educator Well-Being
Thursday, Oct. 1 | noon – 1 p.m.
Speakers:
Description
Faculty well-being is critical to health professions education, yet it remains an underemphasized topic in faculty development. Drawing on national survey data from educators at more than 40 U.S. medical schools, this session examines how workplace factors such as belonging, work-life balance, and institutional support shape educator well-being and job satisfaction. Differences across gender, race and ethnicity, and academic disciplines will also be discussed. We will use these results to identify key opportunities for intervention to support the well-being of both biomedical and clinical faculty across the health professions.
Questions may be directed to facdev@neomed.edu.