Issue 100, August 2026

A New Year, A New Class: Welcoming Our 2026–2027 Learners
The new academic year at WashU Medicine does not begin with a starting gun. It begins in waves — interns and fellows arriving in June and July, students in July and August, each group stepping into work that never actually stopped. There is no truly quiet stretch to come back from. The wards stay full. The labs keep running.

What there is, instead, is a breath — the one you take mid-stride when you look up and realize the people around you are new, and that you are about to become part of how they learn in and experience this place. | Full Excerpt

Max Anderson, PhD

WashU Medicine Office of Education is pleased to welcome Max Anderson, PhD, as its new Director of Curriculum & Assessment. Max joined WashU Medicine on July 27, 2026 and brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in academic medicine, curriculum operations, instructional design, educational technology, and continuous quality improvement. | Full Announcement

Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026, | Lunch: 11:30AM-noon | Keynote: noon-2PM | Workshop: 2-4PM or Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 11AM-2PM (lunch served)
Location: Eric P. Newman Education Center, 320 S. Euclid Ave
Join us for a university-wide keynote address and training session with Randy Olson, PhD as he guides us through the ABT (And, But, Therefore) Framework — a simple, powerful tool used by scientists, communicators, and policymakers worldwide to make complex ideas clear and compelling. Registration is required. | More Information

Date: Now through September 30, 2026
Location: Glaser Gallery, 7th floor, Bernard Becker Medical Library
The Bernard Becker Medical Library invites you to visit the newest Glaser Gallery exhibition: A Thousand Words: The History of Medical Illustrations in Print. The rare books in this exhibit showcase how medical illustrations intertwined art, medicine and technological advancements to impact society and shape today’s modern medical practice. | More Information

Date/Time: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 | Register to Volunteer
Location: Tisch Park, Danforth Campus
Medical Campus faculty and staff are invited to volunteer/attend Gephardt Institute’s 4th annual Longest Table. The Longest Table brings together hundreds of members of the WashU community with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and interests not just to share a meal but to find connection and community.

We hope for a strong medical campus presence this year and invite you to register to assist with event logistics or serve as a facilitator. Facilitators are asked to arrive at 4PM and attend a one-hour training session in August to be scheduled at a later date. Logistical volunteers are welcome to ride the Metro with the students if you would like to join us! Details will be sent upon registration. | More Information

Date/Time: Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 2026 | Join or Donate to the WashU Medicine Team
Location: The Family Arena, St. Charles, MO
Pedal the Cause is the largest annual fundraising event that supports cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center & Siteman Kids. Participants of all ages can take part in various ways, from selecting a course ranging from 10- to 100-mile long to biking in-person or on a stationary bike at home. Contact Mollie Zolkind for volunteer opportunities and WashU Medicine Team student captain, Mark Li, with questions about fundraising or training. | More Information

Date: Friday, October 2, 2026, 4–5PM | Register
Location: 4444 Forest Park Ave, Room 1235 | More Information
The Program in Physical Therapy is pleased to welcome Lori Michener, PhD, PT, ATC, FAPTA, FNATA, as the speaker for the 12th Annual Sahrmann Lectureship. Dr. Michener will present "Beyond One Size Fits All: Precision Rehabilitation for Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy," highlighting the latest evidence and clinical applications for personalized rehabilitation strategies. The annual Sahrmann Lectureship honors the legacy of alum and emeritus faculty member, Shirley Sahrmann and brings internationally recognized leaders in physical therapy to WashU Medicine to share advances in research and clinical practice.

Date/Time: Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 2:30-5:30PM 
Location: Farrell Learning & Teaching Center Atrium & Hearth
Save the date for the EXPLORE Program’s 2026 Symposium celebrating the scholarly work of WashU medical students. The Symposium will feature a keynote address, a selection of student oral presentations, and a student poster session. Refreshments will be served! | Questions? Contact the EXPLORE Team.

Date/Time: Thursday, August 6, 2026, 1-3PM | Register
Location: Shared upon registration
REPRISE from the spring – more practice opportunities to strengthen your ability to communicate effectively with patients, caregivers, and colleagues during emotionally complex and uncertain situations.

View details & register for all events here. 

Teaching with Joy & Creativity Series

Educational Building Blocks

Register for Education Day!

Education Scholarship Series

Enrollment is open for the National Board of Medical Examiners' fall assessment workshops. NBME workshops teach skills and strategies to create assessments that more effectively measure student knowledge. Open to all faculty. | Register

Deadline: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 11:59pm | Learn More & Apply Here
This certificate program targets junior educators (1-5 years out of training) as well as faculty who are newly incorporating teaching excellence into their careers. Offered from October to June each academic year, the FITS program focuses on providing instruction in foundational teaching skills and establishing a community of educators with each cohort. Participants will receive mentorship, as well as feedback on their teaching skills through direct observations.

The WashU Medicine Clinical Research Training Center is kicking off the 2026–2027 academic year with new professional development opportunities! Enroll by August 21, 2026 in our NEW Responsible Conduct of Research course or other coursework in Clinical Investigation. Be sure to join CRTC Director Nancy Sweitzer, MD, PhD to learn how to structure research projects for success. Randy Olson, PhD returns with an in-person workshop series on the ABT (And, But, Therefore) Narrative Framework. Save the date for insights from Joe Simmons, PhD on identifying fraud in medical literature. | More info

The Master of Population Health Sciences degree and certificates are designed to prepare current and aspiring public health leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to impact health outcomes for patient populations. You will explore key public health issues in epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical effectiveness, and outcome research. Applications accepted on a rolling basis; Fall 2026 courses begin August 17, 2026. | More Information

Rachael Bradshaw, MS, CGC

Erin Linnenbringer, MS, PhD

Josie Cleveland, MS

The Program in Genetic Counseling maintains a strong presence within the Genetic Counselor Educators Association (GCEA), the leading organization dedicated to defining best practices, sharing resources, and fostering collaboration among GC educators across North America. Program Director Rachael Bradshaw, MS, CGC was recently appointed President-Elect of the GCEA Board of Directors and participated in a conference panel on integrating interprofessional education into genetic counseling curricula. At the GCEA annual conference, Assistant Program Director Erin Linnenbringer, MS, PhD and recent graduate Josie Cleveland, MS, also presented on the gap year experiences of prospective genetic counseling students, highlighting the program's ongoing contributions to innovation and excellence in the field. | More About GCEA

Congratulations Carmen Azevedo, PhD Candidate in Cancer Biology in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, for receiving a Fulbright Award for Research for 2026–2027! This exciting opportunity will allow her to study abroad at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Berlin, Germany. | Complete list of WashU Fulbright Winners

Martin Jarzyna, PhD Candidate in Neuroscience in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, was the first author of a recently published paper that was also featured in the WashU Record. While working in the Carlson Lab, Jarzyna researches weakly electric fish; his work shapes our understanding of corollary discharge, a copy of a motor command that tells sensory areas what to expect from our own actions.  Corollary discharge is essential for sensory processing in many animals, including humans, yet the underlying circuitry remains poorly understood. Jarzyna noted that this research also could help future researchers better understand disorders in which sensory predictions go wrong, such as schizophrenia. | More about Jarzyna's Research

Jessica Williams, MD

Casey Reimer, PhD

Kristina Petersen, PhD

Drs. Jessica Williams, Casey Reimer, and Kristina Petersen delivered Grand Rounds to the Department of Otolaryngology last month. The team focused on practical strategies that can be implemented to enhance the accessibility of clinical spaces for patients, trainees, and colleagues with disabilities. Faculty members interested in bringing accessibility curriculum to their clinical and learning spaces can contact Kristina Petersen.

Amanda Zhu, Phase 1 medical student

WashU medical students, faculty, staff, and Table for Lou volunteers.

Medical students engaged in four optional culinary medicine sessions as part of the Metabolism & Reproduction module this year as an expansion of the nutrition curriculum. The sessions, which took place in the Community Experiential Learning Center (CELC) kitchen, represented collaborative efforts between the OT and MD programs, IPE, and community partner, Table for Lou. The sessions provided an opportunity for students to apply their nutrition curricular knowledge within a cooking space, led by Chef Anthony from Table for Lou, and to create meals for families of patients at St. Louis Children's Hospital. This IPE, service-based learning culinary medicine opportunity was created by Kristina Petersen, Duana Russell, Heather Hageman, and Tom DeFer. Students who attended expressed gratitude for the opportunity and a desire for pilot sessions to be expanded in the future. | More about the CELC

Marcie Harris-Hayes, PT, DPT, MSCI

Julian Magee, PT, DPT, ATC, Carey Holleran, PT, MPT, DHS, NCS, and Jeff Konrad, PT, DPT, PhD at National Education Research Summit

WashU Medicine Physical Therapy Faculty Publish 18 Scholarly Papers in Spring of 2026
Congratulations to the WashU Medicine Physical Therapy faculty and collaborators who published 18 peer-reviewed manuscripts and preprints between April and June 2026. These publications span a wide range of clinical and research topics, reflecting the breadth and impact of our faculty's research and commitment to advancing rehabilitation science, clinical care, and education. | Read More 
Harris-Hayes Receives National APTA Lucy Blair Service Award
Congratulations to Marcie Harris-Hayes, PT, DPT, MSCI, who received the Lucy Blair Service Award from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The Lucy Blair Service Award recognizes physical therapists and physical therapist assistants whose exceptional service and leadership have made lasting contributions to the Association at both the national and component levels. | Lucy Blair Service Award
WashU PT Faculty Participate in National Education Research Summit
WashU Medicine Physical Therapy faculty members Jeff Konrad, PT, DPT, PhD, Carey Holleran, PT, MPT, DHS, NCS, and Julian Magee, PT, DPT, ATC participated in Creighton's Summit to Advance Education Research in Physical Therapy. The Summit brings together scholars from across the country, the program fosters rigorous, theory-driven research, multi-institutional collaboration, mentorship, and the development of high-impact scholarly work. | Learn More

Adam Wyatt, PhD and WashU Medicine Associate Professor of Pediatrics, along with co-author, Celia Laird O'Brien at Northwestern, recently published an article in the Peabody Journal of Education  arguing that medical education must be viewed as a system intentionally built to deliver broad public benefit. Using a social ecological framework, they illustrate how every layer of training — from micro-level student interactions to macro-level national policy—directly shapes physician supply, care quality, and health equity. This perspective reflects their conviction that "academic health systems hold an inescapable public trust—one that requires us to actively drive the flourishing of the communities we serve." As medical leaders, fulfilling this duty requires moving past administrative checklists to intentionally align educational design with current and future population health needs. | Full Article

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of clinical practice, but experts are raising concerns that overreliance on AI could weaken physicians' clinical reasoning and decision-making skills. This AAMC article explores emerging evidence of "deskilling" while emphasizing that thoughtful use of AI can enhance learning, reduce administrative burden, and improve patient care. Medical educators are responding by redesigning training to ensure students develop strong diagnostic and critical thinking skills before depending on AI tools. | Full Article

As AI scribes become more common in clinical settings, this Journal of General Internal Medicine article argues that medical educators must ensure these tools enhance, rather than replace, the clinical reasoning skills that are fundamental to physician training. Drawing on a six-month pilot involving 48 internal medicine residents and nearly 1,000 AI-generated notes, the authors propose seven educational "guardrails" aligned with ACGME competencies to support thoughtful AI integration. Their recommendations include establishing strong note-writing skills before introducing AI, requiring learners to critically review AI-generated documentation, and using AI as a tool for reflection, feedback, and learning rather than passive documentation. The authors conclude that with intentional implementation, AI scribes can reduce administrative burden while preserving the diagnostic thinking and reflective practice essential to high-quality patient care. | Full Article

As AI scribes gain traction in health care, medical schools are grappling with how to prepare future physicians to use the technology without compromising the clinical reasoning skills essential to medical practice. The Stat News article highlights growing concerns that relying too heavily on AI-generated documentation could short-circuit the cognitive work of synthesizing patient information and developing differential diagnoses during training. In response, many medical schools and health systems are limiting trainee access to AI scribes while researchers work to better understand their educational impact and develop evidence-based best practices. The emerging consensus is that AI scribes should be introduced thoughtfully, with safeguards that ensure they enhance learning rather than become a substitute for critical thinking. | Full Article

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