Innovative Approaches to Health Education and Training

6 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 Want proof that #VR, #MR, and #AI are transforming education and training? Here’s how global organisations are creating measurable impact with extended reality: 1️⃣ 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 (𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻) ✦ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Addressing nursing shortages and training working adults. ✦ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: VR training with Meta Quest for clinical and soft skills, in partnership with PCS Spark and Oxford Medical Simulation. ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: 10–15% increase in national nursing exam pass rates. 4,000+ nurses trained. Marked improvements in student confidence and real-world preparedness. 2️⃣ 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗴𝗼𝘄 ✦ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Physical constraints in teaching 3D subjects and remote learning accessibility. ✦ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Mixed reality lab with Meta Quest headsets and 12 custom MR apps, developed with Edify. VR labs created in partnership with leading immersive tech companies, allowing teachers to lead 3D classes remotely. ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: Thousands of students taught per semester. £3.7M UK government investment. Recognized in The Times Higher Education Awards 2021. Students reported increased confidence and deeper understanding of material, even in remote settings. 3️⃣ 𝗡𝗬𝗨 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 ✦ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Risky, limited traditional anesthetic training. ✦ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: VR simulation for oral anesthesia using Meta Quest. ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: 1,200+ dental students trained. Greater student confidence. VR program licensed to other schools. 4️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 ✦ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Making science practical for online and in-person learners. ✦ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Mixed reality classes with Meta Quest, immersive views, and AI avatars. ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: 100% of teachers reported improved student confidence. 85% improvement in content recall. 94% of students learned better in VR. 5️⃣ 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗧𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹) ✦ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Training efficiency and safety in healthcare settings. ✦ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: VR modules for Lean principles with Meta Quest 2. ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: 100% of participants said VR deepened their understanding. Plans to expand VR training hospital-wide. 6️⃣ 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 ✦ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Scaling auto-mechanic training for formerly incarcerated people. ✦ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: VR training with Meta Quest 2 and the EMPACT Immersive Training Platform. ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: Early graduates securing jobs quickly. Reduced recidivism rates. Major potential for broader socio-economic impact. #ExtendedReality #MetaForWork #EdTech #VRTraining #MixedReality #Impact

Rewriting the Rulebook of Healthcare Education in the Age of AI In our latest article, “Preparing Healthcare Education for an AI-Augmented Future” (Jiajie Zhang & Susan Fenton, 2024), just published in npj Health Systems, we deliver a wake-up call: AI isn’t just changing healthcare—it’s rewriting the entire rulebook of education and practice. It’s liberating us from cognitive labor, demanding that we redefine how we learn, teach, and solve problems. This is no gradual shift. It’s a seismic transformation reshaping humanity’s relationship with knowledge - a revolution on par with the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. Key Ideas for Radical Change: •   AI as Knowledge Systems Redefined: AI systems aren’t just databases—they are dynamic, supercharged knowledge engines, trained on nearly all of humanity’s collective knowledge. They don’t just store; they think, performing advanced cognitive tasks once reserved for humans. •   Distributed Cognition is the New Reality: The era of isolated learning is over. Knowledge now spans across the relatively static human brain and AI systems, which are growing at an explosive speed. Educators must stop resisting and start equipping learners to thrive in this new paradigm of AI-human collaboration. •   No More Silos—Welcome Unified Knowledge: AI, as a system with integrated and unified knowledge, demolishes the boundaries between disciplines. Healthcare professionals can finally escape the constraints of overspecialization and embrace a unified, dynamic knowledge base to tackle problems holistically. •   Education Redefined: Memorization? A relic of the past. Tomorrow’s healthcare education demands creativity, ethical reasoning, problem-solving in real-world contexts, and mastering the art of collaborating with AI. Anything less is a failure to prepare for the future. Why This Matters: This is the Cognitive Revolution. It’s reshaping how we innovate, how we care for patients, and how societies function. But this transformation will only succeed if healthcare educators, leaders, and accrediting bodies take decisive action. We must urgently revise curricula to embed AI at the core of learning, ensuring healthcare professionals are equipped to navigate an AI-augmented world with competence and confidence. Let’s Shape the Future Together: How do we integrate AI into our healthcare systems and education programs effectively? How do we ensure that ethical, human-centered care remains at the heart of this revolution? Share your ideas, challenges, and visions for the future. #AI #education #accreditation #Healthcare #CognitiveRevolution #FutureOfEducation #MedicalEducation #DistributedCognition #AMIA #HIMSS #txhimss #informatics #datascience #healthsystems McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) The University of Texas System Nature Magazine Springer Nature AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) HIMSS Houston HIMSS

If we’re only training students to follow checklists and memorize procedures, we’re failing to prepare them for the actual demands of clinical care. Real-world healthcare doesn’t happen in perfect steps. It unfolds through uncertainty, judgment calls, missed cues, and split-second decisions. That kind of thinking can’t be taught through slides. It has to be lived through mistakes—early, safely, and often. We need to give learners the opportunity to struggle in simulations where lives aren't at stake. Let them mess up. Let them come into class and say, “I almost killed that patient four times.” That moment of vulnerability is gold. It tells us they’re finally moving past surface-level confidence and into real clinical thinking. It means they’re starting to ask, not just how to draw a syringe, but why they’re doing it in the first place. What symptoms led them there? Did they listen to the patient or just follow a protocol? Did they ask the right questions or ignore the clues? Here’s what today’s healthcare training must start doing: ➡︎ Create learning spaces where failure is encouraged, not punished ➡︎ Teach students to make decisions based on context, not just checklists ➡︎ Replace routine questions with scenario-based inquiry and clinical reasoning ➡︎ Guide students to explore the "why" behind every action they take ➡︎ Focus on communication and judgment, not just tools and technique Because here’s the truth: every hospital has different tools, different pumps, different setups. What doesn’t change is the clinician’s ability to think, adapt, and communicate clearly. If we want to build a healthcare workforce that performs under pressure, we have to design education that prioritizes thought over task and curiosity over compliance. That starts with allowing failure in the classroom, so students can learn how to truly care for patients in the field. VRpatients #PhysioLogicAI #nursing #nurse #simulation #VR #MR #XR #AI #Workforce #WorkforceDevelopment #WorkforceReady #AlliedHealth

🚨🚨🚨 I’m really proud to share a new paper our research team just published in the AAMC journal (MedEdPORTAL) on training the next generation of physicians to address food insecurity and diet related chronic conditions through an experiential learning curriculum. We’ve long known that nutrition matters, but nutrition education can’t exist in a vacuum. To truly care for patients and families, future clinicians must understand how social drivers of health shape food access, chronic disease, stress, and lived experience. 🔑 Teaching nutrition in context is essential! It’s exciting to see a renewed interest in nutrition education in medical schools. I’ve been working toward this for many years, dating back to my time as a young faculty member at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where we began building this curriculum with incredible students and community partners. Seeing how far this work has come has been deeply meaningful. What excites me most? Students aren’t just learning, they’re doing. They’re working with families, navigating resources, learning how community and federal programs work, working through the multitude of challenges families face, practicing trauma-informed communication, and delivering more compassionate, effective care. That’s where real and lasting learning happens. Medical students have been at the heart of this work, and I’m especially proud of our amazing co-authors, particularly my mentee Dr. Katrina Stumbras, a future pediatric endocrinologist whose leadership on this project has been outstanding. This paper also builds on growing national momentum, including a recent JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association consensus on core nutrition competencies for medical training. The moment is here, and it’s long overdue.  📢 Call to action: If you’re involved in medical education, training, or health systems leadership, we hope you’ll read the paper, and think about how experiential, clinical public health centered nutrition education can be embedded into your work. 👁️ Read New Paper here(2026): https://lnkd.in/eGesVQMk 👁️ Read our Nutrition Competencies paper in JAMA here(2024): https://lnkd.in/etn29jnZ Grateful to this team, our students, and the communities who make this work real. #MedicalEducation #FoodAsMedicine #HealthEquity  #ClinicalPublicHealth #Nutrition #SocialDriversOfHealth #FutureOfMedicine #Mentorship Alicia Lackro Qadira M. Ali, MD, MPH, FAAP, DipABLM Shannon Menezes Maxwell Summerlin, M.D. Damani Mcintosh Clarke Meera K. Children's National Hospital Caron Gremont Jaclyn Albin, MD, CCMS, DipABLM

The $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program represents a historic opportunity to address America's rural healthcare crisis. But workforce isn't just one pillar of this strategy; it's the foundation that makes everything else possible.      With 300+ rural hospitals at risk of closure and nursing shortages set to triple in rural areas by 2027, we need to fundamentally rethink how we train healthcare professionals. The traditional model—requiring students to leave their communities for extended periods—actually works against rural retention.      The solution? Train healthcare professionals where they'll practice. When we develop talent from within the communities they'll serve, retention rates soar. Take Dr. Terrie Becker in Blythe, California, a town of 18,000 in the Sonoran Desert. Blythe had struggled with chronic nursing shortages for years, but as a three-time Chamberlain University graduate from a small town herself, Dr. Becker saw that the route to real, lasting change would be to establish the area’s first nursing program within 100 miles. Nearly a third of the graduates of the program stayed to work in Blythe’s only hospital – ending years of expensive travel nurse dependence.     States competing for RHT funding need to demonstrate not just what they'll build, but who will staff it. The governors who secure competitive funding will be those who show workforce solutions that make the other four pillars achievable.      Through our work at Adtalem Global Education , we've seen how flexible online and hybrid programs can let students gain advanced skills while maintaining community connections. Now we need the vision to scale these proven approaches.      Read my full commentary in Becker's Healthcare: http://bit.ly/3KPzsS9

This is one of the smartest training interventions for healthcare professionals in 2025 👇🏻 In the Netherlands some medical schools go beyond lectures. They give clinicians experiences that reshape how they think about patients. Instead of only teaching theory, students do structured activities designed to build empathy, observation and judgement. They don’t just learn 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 patient-centred care. They practise it by engaging with scenarios that challenge their assumptions and reflections. For example one programme in the Netherlands uses art-based observational training in collaboration with a major museum. Medical students, residents and doctors spend time interpreting artworks under guided prompts. After the course researchers found statistically significant increases in measured empathy and tolerance of ambiguity, both linked to better communication and patient care. The impact isn’t more facts about empathy. It’s healthcare professionals who see patients more clearly, read cues they previously missed, and understand uncertainty not as confusion but as a part of compassionate practice. I think this is a masterclass in experiential learning. If you want people to really understand something, don’t lecture them. Let them experience it from a different angle. Because if you want clinicians to know empathy, tell them the principles. But if you want them to feel it and act differently, give them an experience. What do you think? Read more about the Dutch art-based observational training study here: https://lnkd.in/eCneJeuz ------ PCC Executive Coach & Strategic L&D Consultant. I bridge the gap between technical brilliance and leadership influence in Pharma and Healthcare. Specialising in self-leadership, idea advocacy, and diagnostic-led team performance.

A new JMIR Medical Education study calls for a national overhaul of how health professionals are trained in Canada, using the Quintuple Aim as a framework to prioritize digital health competencies. Key Takeaways: - Current training is fragmented, leaving professionals underprepared for telehealth, EHRs, and data analytics. - Quintuple Aim goals (better patient experience, population health, lower costs, provider well-being, and health equity) should anchor competency development. - Core skills include digital literacy, privacy awareness, user-friendly tech integration, data-driven decisions, and equitable access. - Practical training (simulation, project-based assessments) and ongoing professional development are essential to sustain system-wide change. Dipu’s Perspective: This study reinforces what many of us in health professions education already feel: digital health training can’t be an “add-on”; it must be baked into our curricula. As a clinical educator, I see the Quintuple Aim not just as an abstract framework, but as a roadmap for aligning education with real-world patient and provider needs. The future workforce needs more than familiarity with tech; they need fluency, confidence, and critical judgment in using it. https://lnkd.in/e4-Rzdmw

Text-heavy health information often falls flat, and that's no surprise. Research from journals like JMIR and Patient Education and Counseling suggests that well-crafted, engaging content—especially when it’s visual—can make a world of difference. By using concise storytelling and clear illustrations or animations, patients tend to grasp complex topics more quickly and feel more empowered to act. Why it works: • Simplicity & Story: Animated or visually rich explainers break down medical jargon, boosting understanding and recall. • Behavioral Frameworks: Tapping into models like the Health Belief Model(HBM) or the Transtheoretical Model ensures the content addresses specific challenges and motivations. • Relatable Scenarios: Illustrating real-life situations helps viewers see themselves in the story, making them more likely to adopt the recommendations. Bottom line: Switching from “just read” to “truly engage” shifts patients from passive observers to proactive participants in their own health journey. By prioritizing clear, visually engaging elements, we give patients the best shot at making informed decisions—and sticking to healthier habits.

This is a significant moment for us. The research we’ve been quietly involved in is out - and it puts data behind something we’ve been working towards for a long time. A recently published study in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, conducted by University College Dublin, explored the impact of different approaches to educational video. Specifically, it compared traditional lecturer-generated videos with video storytelling content, and evaluated their effect on student experience and grades in a practical task. Our role in the study was to create the video storytelling content used by students, to be measured against the traditional lecturer-generated videos. We worked closely with those involved in the research and approached the project exactly as we would any online course brief. That meant planning, scripting and storyboarding the content, before taking our studio setup to Dublin for filming. We also worked to a clear set of principles: – no video longer than 8 minutes – information broken into smaller, structured sections – each video built around a clear storytelling framework The findings were compelling. The research showed that creating educational content in this way can: – reduce stress and anxiety – improve grades – increase students’ feelings of preparedness It’s independent, peer-reviewed evidence that the approach we’ve been developing and refining genuinely makes a difference to learners. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing more from the research and what it reveals about how educational content can better support both performance and wellbeing. Find the paper here: https://lnkd.in/e6RW_B96 #TrimbleGroup #InnovationInEducation #AnimalHealth #ScienceCommunication #Storytelling

🔆Reflective Insights: NextGen Health Roundtable Discussion This powerful roundtable at the University of Birmingham Dubai Campus highlighted the critical intersection of youth leadership and health system transformation in the MENA region. The discussion illuminated how the projected 10 million health workforce shortage in low- and middle-income countries represents both a crisis and an unprecedented opportunity for young leaders to drive innovative solutions. Dr. Ayat Abu-Agla University of Birmingham ~ ‘health is everyone’s business’ ⚜️Key Insights Youth as Catalysts for Change: The inclusion of Dr. Dr. Swetha Selvakumar as a youth panelist alongside seasoned professors demonstrates the essential role of emerging leaders in bridging generational knowledge gaps and bringing fresh perspectives to entrenched health system challenges. Workforce-Centric Approach to UHC: The emphasis on "No UHC without a Health & Care Workforce" underscores that sustainable universal health coverage cannot be achieved through policy alone—it requires strategic investment in human capital development and retention strategies. Elsheikh Badr Cross-Cutting Integration: The discussion recognized that health workforce development intersects with climate change, gender equity, economic growth, and infectious disease preparedness—requiring holistic, systems-thinking approaches rather than siloed interventions. Ross Millar Lynne Kennedy PhD ✅Call to Action: Strategic Imperatives 1. Establish Regional Youth Health Leadership Networks- Create formal mentorship and collaboration platforms connecting emerging health professionals across MENA countries 2. Develop Innovation Incubators- Launch health technology and service delivery innovation hubs led by young professionals to address local health system challenges 3. Implement Retention Strategies- Design comprehensive career pathway programs that keep talented health professionals engaged in their home countries and regions 4. Strengthen Emergency Preparedness Capacity- Build next-generation capabilities for pandemic preparedness and climate-related health emergencies through youth-led initiatives 5. Foster Cross-Sector Partnerships- Encourage collaborations between academic institutions, government agencies, and private sector organizations to create sustainable workforce development pipelines #NextGenHealth #YouthLeadership #HealthWorkforce #UniversalHealthCoverage #MENAHealth #GlobalHealth #HealthSystemsLeadership #EmergencyPreparedness #HealthInnovation #WorkforceDevelopment #HealthEquity #SustainableHealthcare #HealthGovernance #UniversityOfBirmingham #HealthEducation #FutureOfHealthcare #HealthSystemTransformation #YouthEmpowerment #HSR2026 Health Systems Global MBR School of Government Dubai Health Authority Dubai Health MOHAP-UAE وزارة الصحة ووقاية المجتمع Irina Berezhnova Godchaux, MD, MPH Dr. Farah Ahmed 🇹🇹 Awad Mataria Khadija Abukhader