As generative AI rapidly transforms healthcare delivery and medical education, faculty need practical skills to guide students in using these new tools responsibly.
Last summer, Geisel's Academy of Educators and Scholars offered an eight-session Foundational Skills Series on Generative AI in Healthcare Education, equipping health science and professions educators (HSPEs) across Geisel with hands-on experience in AI applications. Topics ranged from creating exam questions and building educational apps to teaching communication skills with virtual AI patients. The Academy of Educators and Scholars support the professional development of an inclusive community of HSPEs who collaborate to develop their skills as educators and scholars, share their expertise, and mentor others.
Integrating AI into healthcare will reshape clinical decision-making, medical research, and how we train the next generation of providers. Large language models can now record and summarize patient visits, generate clinical vignettes for teaching, and even simulate patient encounters for communication training. Yet these tools also carry risks: algorithmic bias can perpetuate health disparities, and uncritical use can undermine clinical reasoning. Faculty who understand both the potential and the pitfalls of AI, are essential to preparing students for a healthcare landscape where AI literacy is as fundamental as understanding anatomy or pharmacology.
The Summer 2025 series, from May 20 through July 17, covered the full spectrum of AI applications in education. Sessions included Asha Zimmerman, MD, on large-language models in healthcare, Simon Stone, MD, on prompt engineering fundamentals, Michael Lee, MD, on creating high-quality exam questions with generative AI, and Thomas Thesen, PhD, on building custom AI agents for teaching. The series also addressed AI as a research collaborator, communication skills training with virtual AI actors, led by Thesen, Roshini Pinto-Powell, MD and Catherine Gathu, MD, and culminated with Frances Lim-Liberty, MD, and Anais Ovalle, MD, examining the ethics of AI and strategies for mitigating bias in teaching and learning.
Thesen, associate professor of medical education and co-director of the Academy of Educators and Scholars, says, “AI is transforming how we teach and how students learn. Our role is to ensure faculty feel confident not just using these tools but critically evaluating them and understanding their limitations. The series gave educators hands-on experience so they can guide students toward responsible, effective use of AI in clinical and educational settings.”
After attending the AI skills sessions, Lauren K. Buhl, MD, an anesthesiologist and medical educator at Geisel, created ConsultCraft, an app for anesthesiology and surgery that leverages Generative AI and enables learners to practice clinical reasoning through adaptive case simulations.
Building on the success of the AI series, the Academy launched its Winter 2026 Foundational Skills Series for Educational Research on January 21. This six-session series offers a comprehensive introduction to educational research principles and practice, guiding participants through the process of building strong, publishable education research projects. The opening session, “Joining the Conversation: Situating Your Interests in the Literature,” set the foundation for upcoming workshops on conceptual frameworks (February 4), qualitative approaches (February 18), quantitative approaches (March 4), and design considerations for interviews and surveys (March 18). On April 1,“Show Me the Money, Gimme a Green Light: Grant Proposals and IRB With Some Help from AI,” concludes the series bringing the AI theme full circle.
According to Maxwell Vergo, MD, associate professor of medicine and co-director of the Academy, “The Foundational Skills Series reflects our commitment to meeting educators where they are. Whether someone is new to teaching or looking to deepen their scholarship, these workshops provide practical skills and a supportive community to help members thrive as educators.”
Beyond the current series, the Academy offers co-sponsored events and educator-specific tracks. The Academy's first Foundational Series focused on fundamental skills for the classroom, bedside, simulation lab, and small group settings will be offered again, April through June 2026, with an improved interprofessional and interdisciplinary focus. Those who complete the entire Educational Research series are eligible for associate fellow status within the Academy community, or member status when completing at least four sessions.
Thesen encourages all educators across Geisel's programs to get involved. “The Academy is here for everyone who teaches, whether you're in the medical school, graduate programs, or any of our health professions tracks. We invite you to join us, invest in your growth as an educator, and become part of a community that's passionate about improving how we teach and how our students learn,” he says. “The Foundational Skills Series is a great place to start, and we hope to see more colleagues take the next step toward membership in the Academy.”
Vergo adds, “We are currently building out the Academy's Fellow and Distinguished Educator tiers so that more experienced educators can contribute to this educator community and grow in their mentorship skills.”
For details about this series and Academy membership and educational offerings, please visit geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/academy/series.
