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Call for IAMSE 2026 Virtual Forum Lightning Talk Abstracts

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The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is pleased to announce the call for abstracts for Lightning Talk presentations for the fifth IAMSE Virtual Forum to be held October 20-22, 2026. The IAMSE Virtual Forum is an entirely virtual synchronous event offering opportunities for faculty and student development and networking, bringing together health sciences and health professions education across the continuum of global healthcare education.

The theme for the 2026 Virtual Forum is “Cultivating Growth in Health Professions Education: Advancing Learner Success Through Feedback, Mentorship, Inclusion, and Second Chances.” Join us at the IAMSE 2026 Virtual Forum as we reframe educational success, moving beyond single metrics toward a holistic interpretation of learner and educator growth. Together, we will explore the transformative power of second chances, reframing failure and remediation as compassionate “on-ramps” and “off-ramps” for professional development. This requires designing holistic programs centered on growth-oriented assessment, feedback, and proactive learner support. Ultimately, we will examine what it means to redefine competence—building the professional identity, collaborative learning, and resilience needed to thrive in an AI-shaped world.

IAMSE Virtual Forum Info

Lightning Talks are short 7-minute live presentations followed by 7 minutes of questions and answers that will provide presenters a chance to share their work, including works in process. All healthcare professions education associated abstracts are welcome, including topics such as curriculum, assessment, evaluation, learner experiences, and faculty development! Abstracts for Lightning Talks will be submitted in the format requested through the online abstract submission site.

The submission deadline is July 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT. 

There is no limit on the number of abstracts you may submit, but it is unlikely that more than one presentation per presenter can be accepted due to scheduling complexities. Abstract acceptance notifications will be returned in September 2026. Please contact support@iamse.org for any questions about your submission.

Looking forward to seeing you virtually this October!

Thank you,
Amy Stone, PhD
2026 Virtual Forum Program Chair
On behalf of the Virtual Forum Program Committee

Submit Your Abstract Here!

IAMSE CoG Meetings – July 2026

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IAMSE Communities of Growth (CoGs) are ongoing groups of like-minded individuals who want to informally get together to connect over an area or topic of interest. A Community of Growth is not directly connected to any Committee and is self-organized, and all CoGs are open to all. For more information on IAMSE CoGs, click here.

The AI CoG, CORE CoG, and Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG will all be meeting this month! Below are the details for the meeting.

AI CoG

The AI CoG meeting on Zoom will take place on Wednesday, July 1, 2026,at Noon (12 PM) EDT. IAMSE AI CoG meetings take place regularly at 12 PM ET on the first Wednesday of each month. For information on how to join the AI CoG, email Steve Garwood at garwoods@rowan.edu.

This meeting, the AI CoG will meet for a presentation of “Five workflows for AI in medical education,” created by Harrison Konsker, MD Candidate, Class of 2030, Stanford University School of Medicine.

From his GitHub site: “These are the tools I use to study medicine at Stanford. Three are custoom Claude skills I built — each can be downloaded and used in your own personal Claude account. Two are workflows around tools you probably already have. All free to use, modify, and share. Never used AI for studying? This page is built for you. Click any tool below for step-by-step instructions.”

There will also be announcements/updates from:

  • Dr. Doug McKell on the IAMSE AI Needs Assessment Survey (2026)
  • Drs. Mari Hopper and Mark Hernandez on the AI Tools Application Workshops.
  • Drs. Leah Hammer and Carmel McNicholas-Bevensee on the AI Learning Collaboratives

The full AI CoG meeting agenda can be found by clicking here.

Please join us for an engaging AI CoG discussion. As a member-based group, your voice is important! See you on July 1st!

To join the July AI CoG Zoom meeting, click here.
Meeting ID: 966 6621 1082
Passcode: 361577

CORE CoG

The Community Outreach, Research, and Engagement (CORE) CoG meeting will take place on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 3:00 PM EDT. CORE CoG meetings then take place regularly every other month on either Monday or Thursday at 11:00 AM ET or 3:00 PM ET. Dates and times may vary. the CORE CoG is led by Peter Vollbrecht and Natascha Heise.

To join the July CORE CoG Zoom meeting, click here.
Meeting ID: 940 7015 6397
Passcode: 086440

Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG

The Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 12:00 PM EDT. For more information on the Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG and how to join, contact CoG leaders Jana Simmons (simmjana@msu.edu) or Kearney Gunsalas (gunsalus@uga.edu).

To join the July Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG meeting, click here.
Meeting ID: 971 1050 9261
Passcode: 111766

Save the Date for the Fall 2026 Webcast Audio Seminar Series

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Join us at 12:00 PM EDT Thursday, September 3, 10, 17, 24, and October 1, 2026 for the IAMSE Fall 2026 Webcast Audio Seminar Series titled “Mind the Gaps: Essential Conversations for Modern Health Professions Education.”

Further details about the Fall 2026 series, including registration, speakers, topics, and more will be coming soon, so keep an eye on your inbox. For more details on our archives of previous seasons, please visit www.iamse.org.

Congratulations to the IM-REACH 2026 Mentoring Program Cohort

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As the leads of the IM-REACH Mentoring Program, we would like to congratulate those who have completed the program this year.
 
Mentoring students, postdocs, and faculty and guiding their work is crucial for their success in diverse career paths that encompass leadership, clinical and educational roles. The IM-REACH Mentoring Program is a scholarly professional development program that prepares participants for diverse roles as leaders of mentoring programs, as well as mentors that support mentees in their career paths and academic pursuits. Mentorship is a skill for both the mentor and mentee, a true dynamic relationship that is a journey in pursuit of career engagement and success.

IM-REACH 2026 Mentoring Program Cohort:

  • Namrata Chhabra – American University of Antigua College of Medicine
  • Diane Chico – Texas A&M University College of Medicine
  • Renee Chosed – University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
  • Timothy Dasinger – University of Mississippi Medical Center
  • Rosa Hand – Case Western Reserve University
  • Mary Horton – McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Houston
  • Melanie Korndorffer – Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
  • Tawna Mangosh – Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
  • Aylin Sepici Dincel – Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine
  • Johna Wright – Texas A&M University
  • Danielle Zimmerman – Ohio State University

Please join us in congratulating the IM-REACH 2026 Mentoring Program Cohort. If you know someone to recommend the IM-REACH Mentoring Program, please visit our website here.

Thank you,
Alice Fornari and Darshana Shah
IM-REACH Mentoring Program Leads

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Congratulations to the 2026 Poster & Oral Presentation Award Winners

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This year, IAMSE showcased over 360 poster and oral presentations, with 13 posters and 10 oral presentations nominated for an award. These awards recognize the most outstanding medical education peer-reviewed presentations at the IAMSE Annual Conference. The first author on the winning poster receives a plaque, one year of IAMSE membership, and access to one series of the IAMSE Audio Seminars.

Outstanding Faculty Oral Presentation
AI vs. Human Analysis in MedEd Qualitative Research: Insights from a Physician Flourishing Program
Presented by: Alice Fornari – Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell (United States)
Click here for the abstract!

Outstanding Student Oral Presentation
A Blended Approach to Teaching Health Policy and Advocacy
Presented by: Farisha Sultan – Medical College of Geogia (United States)
Click here for the abstract!

Outstanding Faculty Poster Presentation
Strengthening Early Interprofessional Education Through Gross Anatomy and Clinical Correlation
Presented by: Lynoshka Caraballo-Mercado – Ponce Health Sciences University (Puerto Rico, United States)
Click here for the abstract!

Outstanding Student Poster Presentation
Beyond Peer Instruction: How Serving as a Near-Peer Teaching Assistant Shapes Knowledge Mastery and Professional Identity
Presented by: Rhiannon Champagne – Texas A&M Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine (United States)
Click here for the abstract!

Please join us in congratulating the winners of this year’s awards. If you are interested in submitting an abstract for a poster or oral presentation for the 2027 Annual Conference you may do so at the beginning of October. More information will be shared later this year.

Congratulations to Yuriy Slyvka, 2026 MSE Outstanding Reviewer!

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I hope you will join me in congratulating Dr. Yuriy Slyvka, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, on being awarded the Medical Science Educator (MSE) 2026 Outstanding Reviewer Award. Dr. Slyvka was awarded with this honor during the International Association of Medical Science Educator’s (IAMSE) Annual Conference earlier this month.

2026 Medical Science Educator Outstanding Reviewer Yuriy Slyvka

This award is an initiative of the Editorial Board of Medical Science Educator, the peer-reviewed journal of IAMSE. The award is presented annually to recognize one of the journal’s reviewers for their outstanding peer review efforts over the past year. The recipients are selected based on several criteria including reviewer performance and delivering the reviews in a timely manner.

Congratulations Dr. Slyvka!

Thank you,
David M. Harris, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Medical Science Educator

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Congratulations to the #IAMSE26 Travel Award Winners

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We would like to extend our congratulations to 9 Junior Faculty and 12 students who were awarded the 2026 IAMSE Travel Awards for the upcoming conference. These awards support junior faculty and aspiring educators to attend the IAMSE Annual Conference. Made possible in part by Aquifer and Elsevier, each award is meant to cover the expenses related to attendance at IAMSE Annual Conference, such as conference registration, lodging, and airfare. 

The awardees for 2026 are:

Junior Faculty (*Sponsored by Elsevier)

  • Sireesha Mamillapalli, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
  • Catherine Gathu, Aga Khan University, Medical College, East Africa
  • Kate Carnevale, Boston University, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Jaylin Burlin, New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Sky Reece, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
  • James Martin, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Nadeira Mumin, St. George’s University School of Medicine
  • Kristy Motte, Texas A&M Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine*
  • Alyssa Ransom, Louisiana State University Health Science Center – New Orleans*

Students (*Sponsored by Aquifer)

  • Brandon Cheah, National University of Singapore
  • Ariel Davydov, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine
  • Jyotsna Needamangalam Balaji, Panimalar Medical College Hospital & Research Institute* 
  • Kalista Tapas, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine* 
  • Eola Saltibus, University of Manitoba* 
  • Nelson Jourdan, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine*
  • Emma Sherman, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville*
  • Jamila Shah, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine*
  • Alexa Kambol, Medical College of Wisconsin*
  • Emily Tenniswood, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine*
  • Chloe Duvak, UT Tyler School of Medicine*
  • Brendan Olson, Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine*

Congratulations to this year’s winners! We look forward to seeing you in the future.

Levy Johnston Wins First IAMSE Advocacy and Outreach Award

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Congratulations to our First IAMSE Advocacy and Outreach Award Winner Arkene Levy Johnston!

IAMSE, on behalf of the Equity and Advocacy Committee (EAC), would like to congratulate Dr. Arkene Levy Johnston for winning the first IAMSE Advocacy and Outreach Award!

Arkene Levy Johnston

The Advocacy and Outreach Award recognizes an IAMSE member for excellence in service work related to Equity and Advocacy in Health Professions Education. Candidates must have demonstrated exemplary advocacy, dedicated evidence or impact related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice efforts in health professions education and workforce development, as well as demonstrated a commitment to breaking down barriers for underrepresented persons in health professions education.

Arkene Levy Johnston: Dr. Levy Johnston is Professor of Medical Education and Associate Dean of Community Affairs at Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (NSU MD). Her work exemplifies this award by transforming pathways into medicine, embedding health equity into curricula, and advancing community-engaged scholarship with measurable outcomes for learners and underserved populations. Dr. Levy Johnston has developed a nationally relevant model for health-professions pathway programming that expands access to first-generation, underrepresented, and medically underserved students. She has been the leader of multiple landmark initiatives, including the Ad-Law-Med Program, a nationally recognized legal-medical pathway featured in Academic Medicine as a model for advocacy-driven interprofessional education; Journey into Medicine, a longitudinal medical-magnet partnership preparing high school students for biomedical careers; and NSU MD’s Summer High School Research Internship Program, which provides paid, mentored research experiences through philanthropic funding she secured as principal investigator. Within undergraduate education, Dr. Levy Johnston has played a key role in advancing health equity through development of culturally responsive curricular initiatives. As Chair of the NSU MD Cultural Competence Task Force, she has led the design of longitudinal, standards-aligned equity curricula for all medical students. Dr. Levy Johnston’s advocacy extends beyond the academy into community health transformation. She is the PI of the Florida Blue Opioid and Substance Abuse Grant and leads a regional coalition delivering culturally tailored, evidence-based prevention curricula to at-risk youth across three counties. In addition, she is Co-PI of the PATHWell Health Equity Initiative, founder of the NSU MD PRIDE Health Fair, and leader of multiple service-learning and wellness initiatives. 

Congratulations to Dr. Arkene Levy Johnston. She will be honored at the upcoming 30th Annual IAMSE Conference. We hope you will join us in celebrating her achievements!

Thank you,
Jennifer Hotzman
Chair, IAMSE Equity and Advocacy Committee

IAMSE CoG Meetings – June 2026

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IAMSE Communities of Growth (CoGs) are ongoing groups of like-minded individuals who want to informally get together to connect over an area or topic of interest. A Community of Growth is not directly connected to any Committee and is self-organized, and all CoGs are open to all. For more information on IAMSE CoGs, click here.

The AI CoG is the only CoG meeting this month. Below are the details for the meeting.

AI CoG

The AI CoG meeting on Zoom will take place on Wednesday, June 3, 2026,at Noon (12 PM) EDT. IAMSE AI CoG meetings take place regularly at 12 PM ET on the first Wednesday of each month. For information on how to join the AI CoG, email Steve Garwood at garwoods@rowan.edu.

This meeting, the AI CoG will meet for a presentation of the article “A Needs Assessment to Support the Development of a Health Informatics and AI Curriculum for Undergraduate Medical Students,” recently published in Medical Science Educator. The authors/presenters are Janet Lieto, DO, Lin Nelson, MBA, Amany Hassam, PhD, and Nelumdini Samaranayake, PhD. 

There will also be announcements/updates from:

  • Dr. Doug McKell on the AI CoG Lunch and IAMSE AI Needs Assessment Survey (2026)
  • Drs. Mari Hopper and Mark Hernandez on the AI Tools Application Workshops
  • Drs. Leah Hammer and Carmel McNicholas-Bevensee on the AI Learning Collaboratives

The full agenda can be viewed by clicking here.

Please join us for an engaging AI CoG discussion. As a member-based group, your voice is important! See you on June 3rd!

To join the June AI CoG Zoom meeting, click here.
Meeting ID: 966 6621 1082
Passcode: 361577

Burns & Roberts-Lieb Win 2026 IAMSE Career Awards

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Congratulations to the IAMSE 2026 Distinguished & Early Career Award Winners

IAMSE, on behalf of the Professional Development Committee, would like to congratulate Dr. Christopher Burns and Dr. Sol Roberts-Lieb on receiving the Distinguished Career Award and Early Career Award, respectively.

Christopher Burns

The Distinguished Career Award for Excellence in Teaching and Educational Scholarship recognizes an IAMSE member who has a distinguished record of educational scholarship, including educational research and dissemination of scholarly approaches to teaching and education. Candidates must have a significant record of engagement within IAMSE. 

Christopher Burns: Dr. Burns is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Director for Active Learning at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Over a 25-year career, he has built a distinguished record in team-based learning, curriculum development, faculty development, and educational scholarship, including serving as founding faculty at five new colleges of medicine. A committed IAMSE member for 17 years, he has served in multiple leadership roles within the association, including as Founding Chair of both the Website Development Committee and the Student Professional Development Committee.

Sol Roberts-Lieb

The Early Career Award for Excellence in Teaching and Innovation honors an IAMSE member who, early in their career, has made significant innovations in teaching, learning, and assessment. Candidates must have demonstrated less than 10 years of educational scholarship.

Sol Roberts-Lieb: Dr. Roberts-Lieb is an Assistant Professor and Faculty Director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Since joining IAMSE in 2017, he has built a remarkable record of organizational leadership and member engagement, serving as an elected member of the Board of Directors, Secretary of the Executive Board, Inaugural Chair of the Virtual Forum, and Founding Chair of the New Member Onboarding Task Force. His work spans faculty development, curriculum innovation, and educational scholarship, with a focus on building scalable, sustainable systems that support educators across career stages and institutions.

Congratulations to Dr. Burns and Dr. Roberts-Lieb. They will both be honored at the 30th Annual IAMSE Conference in June, and will also be featured at an upcoming IAMSE Cafe. We hope you will join us in celebrating their achievements at the Annual Conference!

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Save the Date for the IAMSE 2026 Virtual Forum!

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IAMSE is pleased to invite you to join us for the 5th Annual IAMSE Virtual Forum. Read on to learn more about this exciting event and keep your calendars open!

October 20-22, 2026
IAMSE 2026 Annual Virtual Forum

Who Should Attend? The Forum is designed for all with an interest in teaching, leading, or developing medicine and health professions sciences curricula. Participants include students, basic scientists, clinicians, and faculty from across various health care and educational disciplines. We highly encourage junior faculty, postdocs, and students to participate in the Forum.

Join us in October for ignite talks, lightning talks, and more!

Stay tuned for more news about the Forum, including this year’s theme, a call for proposals, schedule information, and more!

Thank you,
Amy Stone, PhD
Chair, IAMSE 2026 Virtual Forum Program Committee

Don’t Miss Out on these Great Networking Events at #IAMSE26!

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The IAMSE 2026 Conference will be here before we know it! This year’s IAMSE Conference, “Flourishing Through Change: Adaptability, Innovation, and Growth in Health Sciences Education,” is June 6-9, 2026, at the Augusta Convention Center & Augusta Marriott in Augusta, Georgia, USA. IAMSE takes great pride in providing opportunities to network with colleagues from around the world at our annual conferences. Below, we would like to highlight these networking events that will be taking place at the conference!

Saturday, June 6, 2026

  • 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM EDT – Student Reception (Hosted by the IAMSE Student Professional Development Committee)
  • 7:15 PM – 9:00 PM EDT – Opening Reception

Sunday, June 7, 2026

  • 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM EDT – Roundtable Discussions
  • 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM EDT – Networking Lunch
  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM EDT – Poster and Exhibitor Reception (Even Numbered Posters to Present)

Monday, June 8, 2026

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT – Networking Lunch
  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT – Community of Growth (CoG) Lunches
    – AI in Health Professions Education CoG
    – Black Medical Educators CoG
    – Community Outreach, Research, and Engagement (CORE) CoG
    – Humanistic Belonging in Medical Education CoG
    – Nutrition and Health Promotion CoG
  • 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT – Poster and Exhibitor Reception (Odd Numbered Posters to Present)

For more information about speakers, events, and registration, please visit www.iamseconference.org. If you have any questions, please reach out to support@iamse.org.

We hope to see you in Augusta!

Register for #IAMSE26

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