The Patricia A. Tietjen MD Teaching Academy recently hosted its first workshop on July 27, 2026, at Hotel Zero Degrees in Danbury, Connecticut.

This workshop brought together over 30 participants, including PATMDTA Scholars, Northwell colleagues, and past friends of the Academy (FOTAs), and it embraced the concept of Social Learning Communities of Practice (CoP) through insights from renowned theorists Beverly and Etienne Wenger-Trayner.

Building on Bandura’s original theory of social learning, the Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy embraces Wenger-Trayner’s emphasis that Social Learning focuses on three things: 1) Paying Attention 2) Engaging Uncertainty, and perhaps most importantly in our context of teaching and learning in healthcare, 3) Caring to Make a Difference.

Highlights of the Workshop

Participants engaged in vibrant discussions and collaborative activities, exploring how social learning can be leveraged within health professions education. The lab provided practical tools and sparked inspiration, encouraging participants to apply these approaches in their own educational environments.

What participants are saying about the PATMDTA Summer Social Learning Lab:

• “I found the whole experience to be so meaningful and inspiring” – Meredith Clark, MD, 2022-2023 Clinician Educator Cohort
  
  
• “The concept of incorporating social learning theory with communities of practice to advance medical education is a powerful idea. Having the opportunity to see it demonstrated in practice through the workshop really opened my eyes to the ways I could incorporate this into pathology resident education particularly to foster interprofessional learning and collaboration” – Mary Dorsey, MBA, CT(ASCP)cm, 2024-2025 Clinician Educator Cohort.
  
  
• “One of the biggest takeaways for me was the opportunity to connect with colleagues from across Northwell’s academic service lines, including Continuing Education, residency and training programs, Faculty Development, and Clinical Learning & Innovation. We talked about the immense size of the organization and how challenging it can be to build meaningful connections across such a large system. Despite working in different areas, we all recognized the tremendous value of developing a systemwide academic community of practice. In many ways, the Social Learning Lab itself was a community of practice—bringing together people with different perspectives, shared interests, and a willingness to learn from one another” – Michelle Earl, Director of Continuing Medical Education

Continuing the Momentum

The Social Learning Lab was a remarkable step forward in integrating social learning concepts into health professions education. We look forward to further developing these ideas and witnessing their impact across our educational landscape.