Jessica T. Servey

Introduction: Traditional program evaluation in medical education often faces challenges with large data volumes and manual analysis, which can delay data-driven decisions. This article introduces the artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced program evaluation (AIEPE) framework to address this gap, proposing a novel, integrated approach using both traditional and generative AI to improve efficiency and insight. Method: The AIEPE framework is a five-phase, iterative system that augments human evaluators. It begins with Multi-Modal Data Aggregation (Phase 1). Next, a Dual-Stream AI-Powered Analysis (Phase 2) uses traditional AI for sentiment and thematic analysis while generative AI synthesizes narrative summaries. These insights inform AI-Powered Strategic Formulation (Phase 3), which assists in prioritizing issues and drafting action plans. The final phases, Human-in-the-Loop Decision-Making (Phase 4) and Programmatic Implementation and Iteration (Phase 5), ensure continuous improvement with human oversight. Results: Applying the AIEPE framework to a faculty development program evaluation, we analyzed 3361 qualitative comments. Sentiment analysis revealed 87.6% positive comments and thematic analysis identified key topics. The dual-stream approach provided a deeper understanding, linking a high no show rate in an AI course to faculty feeling unprepared. This led to a top-priority recommendation to redesign the curriculum. Discussion: The AIEPE framework transforms program evaluation from a labor-intensive process into a dynamic engine for continuous improvement. It empowers academic leaders to shift from data collection to architects of data-informed strategy. Although the framework significantly increases efficiency and depth of insight, it highlights the critical need for human oversight to mitigate challenges such as bias and over reliance on technology.

As competency-based medical education (CBME) expands, faculty are increasingly expected to coach learners in goal setting, reflection, and self-directed learning. This adjustment from previous educational styles is a necessary change to enhance learner engagement and subject retention, however, scalable and standardized approaches to developing faculty coaching skills remain limited. Simulation-based strategies, such as the Objective Structured Teaching Encounter (OSTE), offer opportunities for deliberate practice and feedback, yet their application to faculty coaching development is underexplored. This study describes the design, implementation, and early outcomes of a four-case OSTE developed to prepare faculty for longitudinal academic coaching roles in undergraduate medical education (UME). Fifty-three faculty members across three cohorts participated in a four-hour OSTE consisting of standardized student encounters aligned with required coaching sessions in the curriculum. Each faculty member completed one coaching encounter after which they received structured feedback from standardized students, peers, and master coaches and these faculty observed three other encounters and provided their own feedback following the observations. Data sources included immediate written feedback forms, follow-up surveys, and observation checklists assessing five foundational coaching behaviors; descriptive statistics and trend review of comments were used to summarize findings. Faculty frequently demonstrated key coaching behaviors, including listening without interruption (90.3%) and eliciting student goals (77.4%). Participants reported increased confidence and preparedness for coaching, with 83.8% agreeing the simulation aided their preparation and 78.4% finding the cases realistic. Qualitative comments reflected recurring themes of hands-on practice, realism of standardized scenarios, and increased comfort applying coaching skills. The OSTE provided a feasible, no cost, and psychologically safe method for practicing foundational coaching skills before faculty engaged in longitudinal coaching relationships. This study introduces a novel application of simulation-based education to develop academic coaches and highlights OSTEs as a practical strategy to support coaching readiness within CBME-aligned UME programs.

Leadership development is a challenge for all health care systems. Military Medicine has unique challenges with increased frequency of physician turnover and more junior leaders taking on positions of leadership earlier in their careers. Military medical corps officers are also challenged with leading in clinical, academic, and operational settings. Effective leadership within the Military Healthcare System requires an intentional and ongoing leadership development process across the careers of military medical corps officers. This article describes the leadership lifecycle of military medical corps officers, highlighting existing leadership development opportunities and providing an example of a leadership lifecycle from junior staff to senior executive for other organizations. The article concludes with specific recommendations that will allow military medicine to continue to strengthen the leadership skills of its officers to meet ever growing challenges.

Medical education acknowledges our need to teach our physicians about “social determinants of health” and “health care disparities”. However, educators often lack actionable training to address this need. We describe a faculty development activity, a health disparities journal club, using the jigsaw strategy with the intent of increasing awareness, encouraging self-directed learning, and inspiring future teaching of the subject to health professional learners. We completed six workshops at six individual hospitals, with 95 total attendees in medicine and numerous other health professions. Our evaluation asked trainees to: report the number of journal articles about health disparities they had read, excluding the assigned journal club articles, in the past 12 months, and to predict future plans for reading about health disparities. In total, 28.9% responded they had “never read” a prior article on health or healthcare disparities, while 54.2% responded “1–5 articles”. Many (60%) reported they would continue to investigate this topic. Our experience has demonstrated the utility and positive impact of a “flipped classroom” jigsaw method, showing it can be used successfully in Inter-Professional (IPE) Faculty Development to increase active exposure and discussion of the content. Additionally, this method promotes individual reflection and enhances continued collective engagement.

Undergraduate medical learners from historically marginalized groups face significant barriers, which was made concrete at our institution when a student presented her research indicating that Black students felt unsure about which faculty members to approach. To better support our students, we used Kern’s model for curriculum development and a critical pedagogy approach to create a Faculty Allyship Curriculum (FAC). A total of 790 individuals attended 90 workshops across 16 months and 20 individuals have completed the FAC. A majority of participants reported they felt at least moderately confident in their ability to teach learners who are underrepresented in medicine, mentor learners who are different than they are, and teach allyship topics. An informal content analysis of open-ended responses indicated changes in awareness, attitude, insight, and use of language and being more likely to display advocacy. For others considering creating a similar program, partnering with an existing program allows for rapid implementation and reach to a wide audience. We also recommend: beginning with a coalition of willing learners to quickly build community and culture change; ensuring that the curriculum supports ongoing personal commitment and change for the learners; and supporting facilitators in modeling imperfection and upstanding, ‘calling in’ rather than ‘calling out’ learners.

Introduction: Faculty development is a key component of undergraduate and graduate medical education and is required for accreditation. Many institutions face the challenges of training large numbers of faculty at multiple locations on a recurring basis. In order to meet the faculty development demands of our organization, we implemented a train-the trainer model of faculty development. Methods: A train-the-trainer program was created using deliberate practice as the theoretical framework. The primary goals of the program were to enhance content knowledge and develop facilitation skills of the participants (called faculty trainers). Two separate cohorts received 40 hours of in-person training consisting of attending the faculty development workshops as a learner, providing feedback to course faculty, facilitating and participating in journal club sessions on relevant content, and practicing facilitation and receiving feedback on the workshops. Cohorts 1 and 2 were trained on how to deliver 6 and 7 workshops, respectively. An additional 16 hours of training and further feedback occurred when faculty trainers delivered the workshops at outside institutions. Results: Twenty-nine faculty trainers from 15 specialties and subspecialties were trained, including 18 in the first cohort (January 2018) and 14 in the second cohort (February 2019) with 3 who participated in both cohorts. From January 2018 to January 2020, faculty trainers delivered 298 workshops to 3742 attendees at 25 locations. For the faculty trainers, 1477 evaluations were completed with 1031 (88.1%) rated as excellent, 141 (9.5%) rated as good, and 8 (0.5%) as average. There were no fair or poor ratings. Discussion: Our train-the-trainer program effectively developed a community of national faculty developers. Faculty trainer output was substantial and early evaluations of performance were positive. The model outlined in this paper serves as a potential sustainable model for other institutions desiring to train a cadre of faculty developers for their organization. Keywords: Faculty development; train-the-trainer; residency; deliberate practice Keywords: Faculty development; train-the-trainer; residency; deliberate practice

Academic leadership in undergraduate and graduate medical education requires a specific set of leadership and managerial skills that are unique to academic leadership positions. While leadership development training programs exist for traditional leadership roles such as department chairs, executives, and deans, there are fewer models of leadership training specifically geared for academic leadership positions such as program and clerkship directors, and designated institutional officials. There are academic programs at the national level, but there is sparse literature on the specific decisions required to create such programs locally. With growing regulatory and accreditation requirements as well as the challenges of balancing the clinical and educational missions, effective leadership is needed across the spectrum of academic medicine. To meet this need for the military health care system in the United States, we used Kern’s six-step framework for curriculum development to create a 1-week academic leadership course. This paper describes the process of development, implementation, outcomes, and lessons learned following the initial 3 years of courses. Specific discussions regarding who to train, which faculty to use, content, and other elements of course design are reviewed. The course and process outlined in the paper offer a model for other organizations desiring to establish an academic leadership course.

Precepting is when a medical educator listens to a learner's presentation and must teach and assess the learner while rendering safe patient care. A popular framework for this type of educational encounter is the one-minute preceptor model, which can work for learners at all skill levels. This workshop was created to develop skills of all teaching faculty, regardless of medical specialty, in precepting. The workshop is based on Kolb's experiential learning theory. A PowerPoint presentation delivers the core abstract concepts. The PowerPoint allows for discussion of participants' prior precepting experiences, including both challenges and successes. The workshop ends with role-plays for participants to practice their skills and a facilitated debrief to aid individual reflection. Twelve role-plays were created for use in the workshop; these were then reviewed by someone in the matching specialty to enhance authenticity. Participants completed a survey after the workshop to evaluate the session. This presentation was delivered 26 times to 392 participants at 16 different teaching hospitals. Twenty-one different medical specialties and subspecialties were represented. Ninety-seven percent of participants stated they would use the information presented in the workshop often or daily. There were conflicting comments about the role-plays. The negative comments centered around (a) personal difficulty participating in the role-plays and (b) the role-plays not being related to the learning. Discussion and role-play can be an effective way to instruct educators in use of the one-minute preceptor as a framework for teaching.

Plantar fascia rupture in the absence of previous diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, corticosteroid injection, or injury is a rare occurrence with only 7 case reports in the literature since 1978. This is a case of spontaneous plantar fascia rupture in a 38-year-old active-duty US military member with current considerations in musculoskeletal ultrasound, other radiologic imaging, treatment, and followup of this diagnosis.