MCW Innovations in Healthcare Education Research (IHER) Newsletter

Winter Edition | March 2026

Welcome

We enter the 2026 Medical College of Wisconsin's Innovations in Healthcare Education Research (IHER) Conference season with a sense of optimism and apprehension about how artificial intelligence (AI) has reshaped the world around us - altering how society learns, works, and collaborates, and transforming the daily realities of education and research. AI’s rapid integration into communication, knowledge production, and decision‑making has already begun to redefine expectations for learners, educators, and institutions alike. On top of that, the next wave of technological change is quickly coming into view: quantum computing, a paradigm shift that promises unprecedented advances in modeling, security, and large‑scale data analysis. While still emerging, quantum technologies are poised to optimize healthcare education in profound ways, from accelerating research insights to reshaping how we prepare future clinicians for a more complex, computationally rich world.

Building on these technological shifts, this year’s conference theme, Evolving with Generational Change: Bridging Tradition and Innovation in Healthcare Education, invites us to consider how these forces intersect with the changing expectations, values, and learning behaviors of today’s diverse learner populations. As new generations enter the health professions, they bring distinct perspectives on technology, collaboration, and professional identity, challenging educators to balance long‑standing traditions with emerging approaches to teaching, assessment, and mentorship. AI and quantum technologies amplify this moment of transition, offering powerful tools while prompting us to reflect on what should evolve, what should endure, and how we can thoughtfully integrate both.

These conversations naturally connect to the broad range of topics that define the IHER community each year. Submissions exploring accreditation, professionalism, academic performance and progression, curricular transformation, coaching and mentorship, advising strategy, wellbeing and flourishing, and digital scholarship remain central to our shared mission. At the same time, we anticipate new work that examines how AI‑enabled analytics, hybrid‑intelligence teaching models, and quantum‑enhanced research methods are beginning to influence these domains. This year’s conference will highlight both the continuity of our core educational values and the creative ways our community is adapting to a rapidly evolving landscape.

We also want to acknowledge the strong response to our first call‑for‑proposals, which closed on March 2, and included workshops, panel sessions, and roundtables. These submissions will help shape the foundational structure of the 2026 conference. With the second call‑for‑proposals now open, we invite the community to contribute research presentations, innovations, ignite talks, fireside chats, campfire sessions, fishbowls, world cafés, and expert debates. These formats are designed to spark dialogue, showcase experimentation, and encourage cross‑generational perspectives. All proposals for this second call can be submitted via the 2026 IHER Conference website and are due April 2.

As we look ahead to gathering on September 15-17, 2026, we hope the 13^th annual IHER Conference will serve as a space where tradition and innovation meet - where educators, researchers, clinicians, and learners can explore how generational change, AI, and emerging quantum technologies are reshaping the future of healthcare education. We look forward to the insights, creativity, and collaboration that your submissions will bring to this year’s program.

We value your input and ideas, so please email us at IHERConference@mcw.edu with any comments or questions.

Warm regards,

2026 MCW IHER Conference Steering Committee

Spotlight

Award Winners

Every year, the IHER Conference celebrates outstanding achievements in innovation and research through our oral and poster presentation awards.

Behind-the-Scenes

Tech Corner

The Current State of Tech and Its Impact on Conferences

The pace of technological change has reshaped the conference landscape more in the past three years than in the previous decade. Artificial intelligence, automation, and new forms of digital scholarship are no longer fringe topics - they’re embedded in how we plan, teach, research, and gather. Attendees arrive with different expectations than they once did: they want seamless digital experiences, personalized content, and tools that help them navigate increasingly complex programs. Conferences have become sociotechnical ecosystems where human expertise and machine intelligence interact in real time.

AI is now woven into nearly every stage of the conference lifecycle. Program committees use it to analyze submissions and identify thematic clusters. Presenters use it to refine abstracts, generate visuals, or prepare multimodal materials. Attendees rely on AI‑powered assistants to summarize sessions, draft notes, or help them decide where to spend their limited time. These tools don’t replace the human experience - they amplify it, reducing cognitive load so participants can focus on meaningful engagement, networking, and reflection.

At the same time, emerging technologies like quantum‑enabled analytics, immersive simulation, and advanced cybersecurity are beginning to influence the conversations happening within our fields. They raise new questions about data stewardship, professional identity, and the competencies future healthcare educators will need. Conferences are becoming the testing grounds where these ideas are debated, challenged, and translated into practice.

Yet even as technology accelerates, the core purpose of conferences remains unchanged: they are social systems shaped by norms, roles, and collective expectations. The tools may evolve, but the human need for connection, mentorship, and shared learning persists. Our challenge - and our opportunity - is to integrate these new capabilities in ways that strengthen community, broaden participation, and support the next generation of educators and scholars.

A Presentation on the IHER Conference

Three 2025 IHER Conference committee members had co-authored an accepted oral presentation about the IHER Conference entitled, “The Increasing Use of Generative AI Agents and Chatbots at a Healthcare Education Research Conference Over Time,” which will be presented by Robert Treat, PhD, on April 28, at the 2026 AAMC Central Group on Educational Affairs (CGEA) spring meeting at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Co-authors include Rachel Kavanaugh PharmD, BCACP, and Lana Minshew PhD, MEd.

School of Pharmacy

The MCW School of Pharmacy (SoP) is excited to continue its partnership with the IHER Conference Committee, showcasing the innovative activities and technologies being used by pharmacists and pharmacy students. The SoP represents over one-third of our committee members, including three pharmacy students who are providing diverse ideas and opportunities to help support the interprofessional strength of the IHER Conference. We look forward to other pharmacists and healthcare providers and their learners to join us this fall!

Moving Forward

Save the Date: September 15-17, 2026

The 13^th annual IHER Conference will be a hybrid event and is scheduled for Sept. 15-17, 2026. The IHER schedule and registration will be released again this year in June to give everyone more time to plan their sessions!

Registration

You can register for the 2026 IHER Conference starting Monday, June 1.

Expert Debate Sessions

If you have expertise in a particular topic that you think the IHER Conference would like to hear about, consider submitting an Expert Debate proposal! Hosting an Expert Debate session fosters dynamic and engaging discourse and provides a platform for scholars with diverse perspectives to present and defend their viewpoints on critical issues within their fields. Through these rigorous exchanges, new insights emerge, challenging existing paradigms and sparking innovative ideas. The session stimulates a collaborative learning environment, promoting a deeper understanding of complex topics. The Expert Debate session involves two people taking opposite sides of a salient issue, and through audience questions and responses, may allow the opposing sides to arrive at some common ground. Please make sure to submit an Expert Debate proposal during the second call-for-proposals which started on March 2 and closes April 2.

Website

Check out our 2026 IHER Conference website to submit your proposals and come back monthly as we add new information about our 13^th annual conference!

Participate as a Moderator, Agent, or Judge

If you are interested in volunteering an hour of time as a moderator, triage agent, or judge for the IHER Conference, please contact the IHER Committee at IHERConference@mcw.edu. It’s a great way to flex some intellectual muscle and talk to people you don’t know!

Submit an Idea

If you have an idea for the IHER Conference, no matter how large or small, no matter how wild or calm, please e-mail the IHER Committee at IHERConference@mcw.edu, using the subject heading: 2026 IHER Idea. If we accept your idea, you will receive credit on the website, an InfoScope article, and in the Conference program.

Thank you! See you in September at IHER!

2026 MCW IHER Conference Steering Committee

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