What Really Matters: Student Perspectives on Exceptional Teaching
By George Blackall, PsyD, MBA, ABPP
Alec Haas, MD
We are excited to welcome Dr. George Blackall, Vice President, Professor and Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, Penn State College of Medicine, and Dr. Alec Haas, General Surgeon, Metrohealth, who will present What Really Matters: Student Perspectives on Exceptional Teaching. The session will take place on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST, for the first week of the IAMSE 2026 Spring Webcast Audio Seminar Series titled “‘Tough But Fair’ Standards with Support: Empowering Success.”
This series is tailored for medical educators, particularly those teaching in the pre-clerkship curriculum. We’ll explore how to set ambitious, yet achievable, standards for your students, fostering the rigorous foundation future physicians need. Beyond just raising the bar, this series provides you with practical strategies to ensure your students not only meet these high expectations, but truly excel. Discover how to balance a demanding curriculum with the essential guidance that empowers the next generation of medical professionals.
The full IAMSE Spring WAS schedule can be found on the website.
Below we look at the first week’s presentation:
George Blackall, PsyD, MBA, ABPP
Alec Haas, MD
What Really Matters: Student Perspectives on Exceptional Teaching
Presenters: George Blackall, Professor and Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, Penn State College of Medicine, and Alec Haas, General Surgeon, Metrohelth
Session Date & Time: March 5, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST
Session Description: A silver lining in medical mistreatment? Sounds ridiculous, but that is exactly what happened at the Penn State College of Medicine. In this session, you will learn:
- How a learner mistreatment problem fueled system-wide change.
- How focusing on eliminating learner mistreatment wasn’t enough.
- How shifting the focus to highlighting exceptional teaching engaged learners and leaders.
- How analyzing a database of over 3,000 student narratives on exceptional teaching led to three key themes for medical educators to use as a guide to exceptional teaching.
- The belief that today’s students don’t want to be challenged is a myth.
- Strategies for faculty to engage learners in ways they find to be challenging, effective, and rewarding.
As always, IAMSE Student Members and Trainees can register for the series
for FREE!
If you are an IAMSE student member or trainee, please contact support@iamse.org for information about registering at no cost.