Concurrent Sessions
Clinical Readiness & Practical Application
Today’s healthcare students need more than textbook knowledge– they need real-world readiness. This session shares evidence-based strategies for designing hands-on, career-connected learning experiences in Health Information Management (HIM) and allied health programs. Drawing from classroom-tested practices, this session will demonstrate how to use employer-informed projects, soft skill integration, and professional simulation to prepare students for day-one success in diverse healthcare careers. Attendees will leave with adaptable tools to help their students build confidence, competence, and clarity even when clinical placement opportunities are limited. Participants will learn how to describe practical strategies for integrating real-world HIM expectations into the classroom, identify ways to strengthen student career readiness through simulation and employer-driven projects, and apply techniques that reinforce professional soft skills and support diverse learning pathways.
Yolanda Hill, PhD, MSHI, RHIA
Assistant Professor/ Academic Coordinator for Clinical Education
Alabama State University
Bridgette Stasher-Booker PhD, MBA-IT, RHIA, CHTS-IM, FACHDM
Associate Professor/Program Chair, HIM
Alabama State University
Ma’Kelsius McMeans, MHA, RHIA, C-PAR
Assistant Professor
Alabama State University
Continuing professional development (CPD) is a fundamental expectation in the health professions, emphasizing lifelong and self-directed learning. Preparing students for this responsibility requires skills and habits that support ongoing professional growth. This presentation will describe the elements of a voluntary, five-quarter longitudinal CPD program for Doctor of Pharmacy students grounded in Costa and Kallick’s Habits of Mind model. The framework outlines sixteen attributes of effective problem solvers and reflective thinkers, such as persisting through challenges, listening with understanding and empathy, thinking flexibly, and taking responsible risks. By applying the steps of the CPD cycle to a habit of their choice with faculty mentorship, students practice and strengthen lifelong learning skills within a structure that is transferable across health professions.
Erin Raney
Professor of Pharmacy Practice
Midwestern University College of Pharmacy
Nurse practitioner (NP) students may demonstrate variability in clinical performance regarding prior clinical experience, psychomotor integration, diagnostic reasoning, and therapeutic decision-making. Traditional remediation often relies on summative reassessment and deficit correction, which increases learner anxiety and yields inconsistent improvements in competence. This session presents a simulation-based remediation model designed to improve NP students’ diagnostic and therapeutic performance. Grounded in Michael Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory (andragogy), mastery learning, and the AACN Essentials, the model emphasizes learner self-direction, relevance to clinical practice, and problem-centered learning. Participants will learn how faculty can embed andragogy-informed, simulation-enhanced remediation into NP curricula to improve clinical reasoning, therapeutic decision-making, and readiness for practice.
Randy Pellew
Associate Professor /FNP Program Coordinator
Molloy University
Equity & Inclusivity in Healthcare Education
Students, especially those from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds, benefit when expectations are transparent and learning pathways are explicit. Instructional Learning Objectives (LOs), when explicit, measurable, and aligned with assessments, serve as transparent “goalposts” that help students organize time, seek help early, and understand exactly what success entails. This session presents a strategy where learners transform instructional Learning Objectives (LOs) into metacognitive self-assessment study guides. Because LOs define performance expectations, conditions, and criteria, students gain clearer direction, stronger self-regulation, and improved readiness for high stakes assessments. At the end of this session, you will be able to teach students how to understand the purpose and use of LOs, design LO aligned self-assessment guides, and apply retrieval practice to enhance equity in learning outcomes.
Maryam Syed
Assistant Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Curious about how to better support all kinds of learners? As the number of nursing students with disabilities continues to rise, nursing education programs must critically examine and update existing policies and procedures. Effectively supporting nursing students with disabilities strengthens the educational environment and prepares a diverse nursing workforce equipped to provide safe, quality, and inclusive care to all patients with including those with similar lived experiences. Join an engaging session on neurodivergence—an umbrella term that celebrates diverse ways of thinking, learning, and experiencing the world. Unpack how different diagnoses can shape learning and share practical, evidence-based strategies to make classrooms more inclusive. Participants will learn about invisible disabilities and strategies to support students. Come ready to exchange ideas, rethink old habits, and discover new approaches that help every student thrive!
Elizabeth Davis
Associate Professor
Grand Valley State University
This presentation applies Gordon’s reverse mentoring framework to enhance faculty–student relationships in an undergraduate nursing and health related programs at a historically Black college. Reverse mentoring is a transformative teaching strategy that redefines traditional roles in healthcare education and promotes shared knowledge creation. By positioning students or early-career professionals as mentors to faculty/administrators, reverse mentoring disrupts hierarchical learning models and fosters reflective, learner-centered teaching. Through a six-step model, it aims to empower student voices, promote leadership, and foster mutual learning between faculty and students. The initiative supports healthy academic environments, targets declining student morale, and models equity-focused mentorship that can be replicated in similar settings.
Marquita Lyons-Smith
Director, Health Administration Program
North Carolina Central University
Keva Suitte
Simlulation Lab Coordinator
North Carolina Central University
Patrick McMurray
Clinical Nurse IV – UNC Hospital
Innovations in Teaching Health Professions
This session provides an overview of an interprofessional activity which allowed occupational therapy, physician assistant, nursing, and medical laboratory science students to collaborate on a patient care simulation within a gamified learning environment. Set up as an escape room, the activity utilized multiple modes of learning to explore interactive tasks and profession-specific roles. This activity promoted student confidence to educate peers on their profession while simultaneously learning and collaborating with other professions. Attendees will gain an understanding of the components of a successful game-based learning experience, including activity structure, supplies, support, and evaluation. Participants will brainstorm how to implement a similar activity at their institution to create an engaging environment where students can learn and practice professional skills, teamwork, and communication required of them in today’s healthcare environment.
Mackenzie Feldhacker
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy University of South Dakota
Tracy Cleveland
Professor of Physician Assistant Studies
University of South Dakota
Kari Potter
Chair and Instructor, Medical Laboratory Science
University of South Dakota
The increasing complexity of health professions education requires instructional strategies that actively engage learners while supporting critical thinking, collaboration, and clinical reasoning. This session explores the integration of digital formative assessment strategies such as Quizlet Live, JeopardyLabs, Padlet, and virtual reality (VR) simulation to enhance engagement, reinforce knowledge application, and support diverse learners. Grounded in constructivist learning theory and principles of active learning, this session draws on classroom-based educational research and systematic reflective evaluation of teaching interventions implemented across didactic and preclinical courses. Participants will see practical examples demonstrating how interactive tools can be used to gather real-time performance data, identify learning gaps, and inform instructional decision-making in virtual environments.
Khairunisa Hashmani
Associate Professor of Dental Hygiene
UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry
Neuroscience is a foundational course in the Physician Assistant curriculum that often leads students to rely on rote memorization, contributing to the phenomenon of “neurophobia.” To promote deeper understanding and engagement, the course was redesigned using a student-directed learning (SDL) model that incorporated creative, project-based strategies. Outcomes were compared across pre- and post-implementation cohorts using two-sample t-tests. Following the redesign, course evaluation ratings increased significantly from 3.75 (Spring 2024) to 4.46 (Spring 2025) (p < 0.0001), and final course grades improved from 88.69% to 91.71% (p = 0.0024). These findings suggest that student-directed learning can meaningfully enhance both learner perceptions and academic performance in conceptually dense health sciences courses. This session shares an evidence-informed, scalable approach that promotes active learning, ownership, and transferable competencies essential for clinical practice.
Vanessa Rodriguez
Assistant Professor
Seton Hall University
Jui-te Lin
Assistant Professor
Seton Hall University
Teaching Resilience and Well-Being
Faculty and administrators in the health professions are facing unprecedented burnout and fatigue. This session introduces Polyvagal Theory as a neuroscience-based framework for understanding how safety, connection, and stress physiology shape teaching, learning, and leadership. Participants will explore the body; stress states; fight, flight, and freeze; and practice simple regulation tools drawn from yoga therapy and mindfulness to restore clarity and resilience. Attendees will gain insight into the neurophysiology of burnout, experience evidence-based practices for real-time stress regulation, and learn to apply Polyvagal-informed tools that foster psychological safety, connection, and well-being in educational settings. Engagement activities include neuroception mapping, micro-practices for regulation, peer dialogue, and integration planning.
Dr. Amy Wheeler, Ph.D., C-IAYT
Chair of the Department of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda
Notre Dame of Maryland University, School of Integrative Health
Higher education in the health professions is both a privilege and a profound responsibility, offering the opportunity to shape future clinicians while navigating highly regulated, fast-paced, and demanding environments for learners, faculty, and the broader academic team. This interactive session highlights practical, evidence-informed strategies that nurture well-being, reduce stress, and strengthen sustainable resilience across classroom, clinical, and online settings. In addition to addressing the realities of cognitive load and the potential for secondary trauma in healthcare training, participants will explore simple mindfulness in action techniques and discover low-lift well-being routines and micro-interventions that fit seamlessly into busy academic schedules. Attendees will leave equipped with templates, scripts, and an actionable resilience plan they can put into practice right away.
Kathy Burlingame
Dean Online RN to BSN, Professor
Galen College of Nursing
Teaching resilience and well-being is critical for nursing students to thrive in high-stakes healthcare environments, where stress and burnout threaten both academic success and long-term growth. This session explores how AI can support student well-being by personalizing self-care practices, tracking stress patterns, recommending mindfulness exercises, and providing real-time feedback. Participants will learn how to integrate AI-driven strategies into their teaching, helping students build coping skills, balance wellness dimensions, and manage stress. Attendees will leave with evidence-based tools to promote resilience, reduce burnout, and sustain student well-being in the digital age. Key takeaways: AI can personalize wellness interventions; resilience strategies can reduce burnout; and evidence-informed tools can support holistic student well-being.
Meigan Robb
Associate Professor
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Kristy Chunta
Professor
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Transformative Teaching in Healthcare Education
Nursing programs emphasize critical thinking, cultural competence, and communication– skills rooted in General Education (GE). However, many students view GE as irrelevant to clinical practice or exam success. This session presents a collaborative model that pairs GE and Nursing faculty together to co-design integrated learning experiences and shared deliverables. Participants will explore strategies for aligning GE outcomes with nursing competencies, review examples of cross-disciplinary artifacts (e.g., HESI-style questions, micro-videos), and learn flexible approaches for fostering faculty collaboration. Learn about a replicable framework for GE–Nursing partnerships, practical tools to reinforce exam readiness, and communication practices that enhance student engagement and faculty morale.
Amy Hanridge, M.A., M.F.A.
Professor of Cultural Anthropology
Nightingale College
Tatum Abrego, MEd.
Faculty Development Specialist
Nightingale College
Kristina Brelsford, DNP, RN, CNE,
Nursing Education Faculty Manager
Nightingale College
AI is reshaping both healthcare and education, making it essential for pre-health programs to model innovative, ethical, and student-centered uses of technology. As AI becomes integral to education and healthcare, pre-health programs have an opportunity to reimagine how students learn, practice, and prepare for professional success. This session explores how custom AI study buddies can promote critical thinking, self-directed learning, and digital literacy—all of which are key competencies for future health professionals. Participants will learn how to design, implement, and evaluate AI study buddies that are ethical, equitable, and effective in supporting pre-health education.
Juanita (JJ) Wallace
Associate Professor of Health and Exercise Science
Transylvania University
Move past basic video conferencing and dive into actionable strategies and must-have tools that simultaneously boost efficiency for the instructor and dramatically increase student engagement. Learn how to streamline grading with new tools, structure your course for maximum clarity and function, and implement interactive techniques that foster a strong sense of community and intellectual curiosity. Participants will walk away with a clear set of tools and tips to reduce digital fatigue for both yourself and your students, turning your online course from a logistical challenge into a high-impact, successful learning experience. We’ll dive into how narrative feedback tools humanize the grading process and add personalized context, how to foster deeper cognitive engagement through allowing students to direct conversation and assignments, and how integrating assignments with individual student skills and professional relevance boosts motivation.
Bevin Clare
Professor and Program Director
Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Integrative Health
Special Topics in Healthcare Education
This session describes an interprofessional learning experience that pairs third-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students with sophomore undergraduate nursing students in geriatric-focused coursework and clinical education. Guided by the Age-Friendly Health Systems 4Ms/5Ms framework (Matters Most, Medication, Mentation, Mobility, and Meaning/Multi-complexity), students engage in shared assessment, collaborative care planning, and structured reflection. The experience aligns with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies, emphasizing values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teamwork. This session highlights how a vertically integrated model enhances patient safety, ethical decision-making, professional role clarity, and collaborative practice while offering a scalable approach to interprofessional geriatric education across health professions programs.
Carrie Slagle
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Seton Hill University
Jamie Chichy
Assistant Professor Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
Seton Hill University
Jamie Coates
Director of Clinical Education and Professor of Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
Seton Hill University
When more conventional means of providing health information are less effective, Zines can advance health literacy. Zines are self-published, frequently small-circulation booklets or magazines that are usually aesthetically pleasing, easily readable, and customizable to the interests and requirements of a particular readership. The art used in a Zine visually conveys what the text says, but it can also promote empathy when the images portray emotion, a patient’s family and friends, and their life! This can improve a patient’s and their loved ones’ understanding of illness and provide a more holistic view of health and medicine. The Picture This: Health Literacy Through Zines workshop will promote counter-cultural voices and challenge traditional authority, analyze how text and image can work together to create meaning, and explain how a zine concept can be used in the classroom or a course.
Julia VanderMolen
Professor of Public Health
Grand Valley State University