We’re thrilled to share that Haley Wheeler, M.A., CCC‑SLP, CBIS —our PATMDTA Scholar Fellow—and Beth West, EdD —our Executive Director—represented the Teaching Academy at the 2026 Snow Season Education Retreat, January 15-16th, hosted by the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine.

Learn more about the event ➡️ here.

Together, Haley and Beth presented their collaborative work:
✨ “Building a Community of Practice for the Mentors: Evolution of the Patricia A. Tietjen MD Teaching Academy Mentor Program.”

Their poster showcased how intentional design, structured support, and community‑building are strengthening our educator network across a large and diverse health system. 🌐🤝

Key Highlights from Their Presentation:

🌟 Community‑Centered Mentorship: Grounded in social learning theory and Communities of Practice to build educator identity and connection.

🗺️ Regionalized Pods + Hybrid Options: Improving access, consistency, and engagement across sites.

🧰 Mindful Mentoring Toolkit: Tools to support communication, feedback, reflective practice, and mentoring across differences.

💻 Virtual Mentor CoP Sessions: Monthly gatherings to share experiences, troubleshoot challenges, and strengthen mentor identity.

💬 Positive Early Outcomes: Growing mentor confidence, clearer expectations, stronger relationships, and improved retention.

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📚 Beth’s Additional Highlight: Showcasing Her Belsky Day/ Dissertation Poster! 🎉

In addition to co‑presenting their mentor program poster, Beth also had the opportunity to showcase her 2025 Belsky Day poster based on her doctoral dissertation: “Finding Community: A Transpersonal Phenomenological Inquiry of the Lived Experiences of Clinician Educators in a Community of Practice.”

Her research illuminates how clinician educators find meaning, belonging, and identity within communities of practice—directly aligning with PATMDTA’s mission to nurture a thriving, interconnected educator community.

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🌟 Our Work, Strengthened by Community

Effective mentorship and strong educator communities are essential to a thriving learning environment. Beth and Haley’s contributions at the Snow Season Education Retreat highlight how PATMDTA is building scalable, human‑centered faculty development initiatives that support educator identity, connection, and growth across our system.

This work reflects the collaboration and commitment at the heart of our Teaching Academy. We couldn’t do this without our Scholars, whose curiosity, engagement, and dedication continually inspire and shape the work we do. ❄️🤝✨

Check out the rest of the posters here.