Center for Excellence in Education Steering Committee and Committee Chairs, left to right front row: Monica Lawrence, Neeral Shah, Elizabeth Bradley, and Meg Keeley. Back row: Paige Hornsby, Heath Patel, Evan Heald, Mike Ryan, Hilary Sesin, and Linda Waggoner-Fountain.
The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) kicked off Innovation in Education Week on March 9, 2026. This event maintains the tradition of highlighting education scholarship led by faculty, residents, students, and staff at the School of Medicine, while also offering new opportunities to innovate, collaborate, and recognize our peers.
Throughout the week the CEE celebrated research and innovations across degree programs in the School of Medicine and invited nationally renowned speakers to provide keynote presentations surrounding the topic. Awards were also provided to top presentations in several categories.
“Each year we look forward to this week with a great deal of excitement. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the work of our peers and trainees, to learn from one another, and to hear from experts in the field. As the title implies; Innovation in Education Week is also an opportunity to try new things,” said Michael S. Ryan, MD, MEHP, director of the Center for Excellence in Education.
This year a record 30 abstracts were selected by a team of reviewers to be featured as posters both online and in-person at the poster reception. 17 posters featured a trainee first author. Three of the most highly rated abstracts were chosen for oral presentations at lunch meetings on Tuesday. Presentations spanned topic interests from a UME curriculum, reciprocal faculty coaching, and a residency curriculum benefitting a continuity clinic.
On Thursday evening, the poster authors were invited to a reception where they discussed and celebrated their research with peers and colleagues. At the reception, awards were also presented to the Best Abstract, Top Research Poster, Top Innovation Poster, and Best Oral Presentation. A full list of winners is included below. Interim Dean Colin Derdeyn, MD, gave brief remarks highlighting the inspiring nature of the clear dedication to educational excellence across the School of Medicine.
Other special events during the week included a guest panel of teaching award winners from across UVA. Faculty from the Schools of Medicine, Arts & Sciences, and Education and Human Development shared pivotal moments in their teaching careers, and highlighted modern teaching challenges such as meaningfully incorporating technology and bridging growing generational divides.
This year’s featured keynote speaker was H. Barrett Fromme, MD, MHPE, professor of pediatrics at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Maintaining the theme of “teaching the teacher,” Dr. Fromme conducted an interactive workshop and gave a keynote address focusing on becoming a master adaptive teacher. Dr. Fromme highlighted the role all educators play as learners, and emphasized the importance of maintaining awareness of gaps in teaching skills and working through feedback to close them.
“We hosted our first business meeting of the Academy for Excellence in Education, a teaching panel of educators from across UVA, and an educational workshop with a nationally renowned educator that were highly successful. I can’t wait to see what next year brings,” stated Dr. Ryan.
The Center for Excellence in Education would like to congratulate the following faculty and trainees on their awards:
- Best Abstract: To Observe or Be Observed: Exploring Role-specific Benefits of Reciprocal Peer Observation Authors: Charles Magee, MD MPH; Milad Memari, MD MS MSEd; Elizabeth Bradley, PhD; MJ Sacco, MD; Andrew Parsons, MD, PhD
- Assessing Qualities of Excellent Resident Teachers via Teaching Award Nominations and Recipient Interviews Authors: Patrick Monette, Sneha Lakamsani, Eryn Thiele, Amanda Kleiman, Lauren Dunn, Katherine Forkin
- Implementing a Continuity Immersion Rotation into an Internal Medicine Residency Primary Care Track Authors: Samuel Chao, MD, Rachel Kon, MD, Maria Badaracco, MD
- Best Oral Presentation: Empowering medical students to address spiritual needs in patient care: a new curriculum Authors: Vibha Sastri, BA; Ann Marie Smith, MDiv; Rev. Carly M. Sawyer, MDiv; Margaret Hayden, MD; Justin Mutter, MD
The Center for Excellence in Education and its programming is made possible through generous support from Meg Keeley, MD, senior associate dean for education. The CEE would like to extend sincere gratitude to all the members of the Steering, Education Research, Innovation, and Educator Advancement Committees who served as abstract reviewers, poster reviewers, and judges for oral presentations. In particular, the CEE would like to thank Nora Kern, MD, and Kathryn Mutter, MD, for moderating the oral presentations and award ceremonies.
There are many opportunities to get involved with the CEE this spring, including committee leadership and the longitudinal Scholars cohort program. Please visit the CEE site for more information!
Photos by Josh Crane.
Filed Under: Education