Number
528
Name
RESILIENT MINDSETS IN MEDICINE: CREATING HEALTHIER PSYCHOLOGICAL AIR IN MEDICAL SCHOOL
Date & Time
Monday, June 8, 2026, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Location Name
Oglethorpe Ballroom
Speakers
Authors
Zachary Himmelberger, Motivate Lab
Mark Speicher, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
Yoi Tibbetts, University of Virginia
Kenneth Barron, James Madison University
Chris Hulleman, University of Virginia
Alliyah Francis, Motivate Lab
Presentation Topic(s)
Other
Description
PURPOSE
Resilient Mindsets in Medicine is a national initiative, led by the
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Motivate Lab, to
confront burnout and promote psychological well-being, equity, and resilience
among osteopathic medical students. The program offers faculty and
student-facing staff an asynchronous, interactive professional development
course that translates motivation science research into concrete practices to
promote student motivation and wellness. To date, over 200 faculty and staff
across more than 20 medical schools have participated in our professional
development course.
METHODS
There is an improvement science quote: “Every system is perfectly designed
to get the results it gets.” When students are struggling with poor
well-being, the appropriate response is not to blame individual students, but
to examine how our educational systems support, or fail to support, their
well-being and professional success. Resilient systems foster resilient
students. In our program, we aim to build such systems by creating
environments that actively foster student motivation through our Mindset GPS
framework. Mindset GPS focuses on three core motivational beliefs (Growth
mindset, Purpose and relevance, Sense of belonging) that have been shown to
predict academic success, persistence, and well-being, particularly for
students from underserved backgrounds.
RESULTS
We are currently engaging in an evaluation of the professional development
course aligned with Kirkpatrick’s four level framework for program
evaluation. First, we show that course participants have a positive reaction
for the course and recommend it to their colleagues. Second, we show that
course participants report learning new strategies to promote student
motivation. Third, we show that participants made specific pedagogical
changes to their courses. Fourth, we are currently obtaining quantitative and
qualitative data to evaluate student outcomes.
CONCLUSION
Resilient Mindsets in Medicine has shown initial promise in promoting
positive outcomes for students. We will present program updates and share the
latest evaluation findings.
Resilient Mindsets in Medicine is a national initiative, led by the
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Motivate Lab, to
confront burnout and promote psychological well-being, equity, and resilience
among osteopathic medical students. The program offers faculty and
student-facing staff an asynchronous, interactive professional development
course that translates motivation science research into concrete practices to
promote student motivation and wellness. To date, over 200 faculty and staff
across more than 20 medical schools have participated in our professional
development course.
METHODS
There is an improvement science quote: “Every system is perfectly designed
to get the results it gets.” When students are struggling with poor
well-being, the appropriate response is not to blame individual students, but
to examine how our educational systems support, or fail to support, their
well-being and professional success. Resilient systems foster resilient
students. In our program, we aim to build such systems by creating
environments that actively foster student motivation through our Mindset GPS
framework. Mindset GPS focuses on three core motivational beliefs (Growth
mindset, Purpose and relevance, Sense of belonging) that have been shown to
predict academic success, persistence, and well-being, particularly for
students from underserved backgrounds.
RESULTS
We are currently engaging in an evaluation of the professional development
course aligned with Kirkpatrick’s four level framework for program
evaluation. First, we show that course participants have a positive reaction
for the course and recommend it to their colleagues. Second, we show that
course participants report learning new strategies to promote student
motivation. Third, we show that participants made specific pedagogical
changes to their courses. Fourth, we are currently obtaining quantitative and
qualitative data to evaluate student outcomes.
CONCLUSION
Resilient Mindsets in Medicine has shown initial promise in promoting
positive outcomes for students. We will present program updates and share the
latest evaluation findings.