The Teaching Academy was thrilled to host Alexa Miller, visual artist, health humanities educator, and pioneer in integrating Visual Thinking Strategies into medical training, for our first ever VTS Workshop! Miller has spent over 20 years helping clinicians sharpen their observation, communication, and diagnostic skills through the arts—championing the art of doctoring as essential to the future of medicine.

This optional writing workshop is offered every 2nd Friday from 7:30-9am and is just for PATMDTA scholars.

In an upcoming graphic novel chat led by inaugural scholar Mary Shah, clinician educators will explore the portrayal of aging through visual storytelling in the hilarious and heartfelt Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant, by Roz Chast. Through rich discussion, participants will examine themes of resilience, identity, and the lived experiences of older adults, discovering how graphic narratives can deepen empathy and enhance teaching about aging in health professions education.

At our ‘PATMDTA Night at the Improv’ event, clinician educator members and their guests will step out of their comfort zones and into the world of improv, embracing spontaneity, active listening, and creative problem-solving. Through laughter-filled exercises, participants will sharpen their teaching, communication skills, and interprofessional teamwork in a fun, low-stakes environment that mirrors the unpredictability of clinical practice.

Dr. Caroline Niederman is an educator, speaker, entrepreneur, and equine veterinarian-turned-consultant changing the narrative for people who fall outside the lines of conventional medical diagnosis and treatments for certain chronic long-term conditions. She uses her medical background, journey with a chronic invisible illness and the Disney Cinderella story to bring to life the stop and start journey these patients are on so they can be seen and outlines a path for physicians and patients to partner for effective long term care once their respective clocks are coordinated.

Join us for a Teaching Academy Lunch and Learn! on clinical skills remediation and supporting struggling learners. Gain insights into creating a supportive learning environment that helps all trainees build confidence and competence in their clinical practice.

Join us: Our key note speaker will be Abraham M. Nussbaum, MD, author of Progress Notes: One Year in the Future of Medicine.

Emily Bird, M.D., M.A., F.A.A.P., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, is a case-based learning facilitator and leads the faculty facilitator program. Dr. Bird returned to the Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy for yet another dynamic virtual talk on providing effective and meaningful feedback.