Virtual Forum Speakers

Ignite Speakers

Calvin Chou
Professor of Medicine
University of California, San Francisco

Calvin Chou, MD, PhD is Professor of Medicine at UCSF, and staff physician at the VA in San Francisco. As faculty with the Academy of Communication in Healthcare, he leads workshops in relationship-centered communication, feedback, conflict, and remediation in health professions education. He was a fellow of the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement in 2025-26. He is co-editor of the books Remediation in Medical Education: A Midcourse Correction; Communication Rx: Transforming Healthcare Through Relationship-Centered Communication; and Spiritual Care and Clinical Practice Transformed: At the Intersection of Vulnerability & Awe.

Laurah Turner
Associate Dean for Artificial Intelligence and Educational Informatics
University of Cincinnati

Dr. Laurah Turner, PhD, is the Associate Dean for Artificial Intelligence and Educational Informatics and Associate Professor of Biostatistics, Health Informatics and Data Sciences, and Medical Education at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She is also co-founder of 2-Sigma, an educational technology company developing AI-powered platforms for personalized learning in healthcare.

An interdisciplinary scholar with expertise in artificial intelligence, natural language processing, fuzzy logic, and educational informatics, Dr. Turner leads national and international initiatives to integrate AI responsibly into medical education. Her work focuses on leveraging multi-agent architectures, learning analytics, and adaptive assessment systems to advance precision medical education and reduce disparities in training.

She has secured multiple competitive grants, holds several patents pending on AI-driven educational platforms, and has been invited to contribute to advisory committees for the AAMC, AMA, ABMS, and the International Advisory Committee on AI in Health Professions Education.

Widely recognized as a thought leader, Dr. Turner has delivered invited keynotes, grand rounds, and workshops at leading institutions around the world. Her vision is to democratize access to individualized, mastery-based medical training by harnessing AI to scale feedback, foster equity, and capture the richness of clinical reasoning.

Ronald Epstein
Professor of Family Medicine, Oncology and Medicine
University of Rochester

Ronald Epstein MD is a family physician, teacher, researcher and writer who has devoted his career to understanding and improving patient-physician communication and clinician self-awareness and well-being. His groundbreaking research on communication in medical settings and innovative educational programs have been among the most widely cited in the literature and have had a major impact on thousands of medical practitioners and trainees. His seminal writings on physician self-awareness and clinical practice include a 1999 JAMA article, “Mindful Practice,” and his book, Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness and Humanity,  which received wide critical acclaim. With Mick Krasner, he created Mindful Practice in Medicine at the University of Rochester (New York, USA), which offers Flourishing in Medicine workshops which have helped clinicians worldwide experience greater self-awareness, resilience, joy and effectiveness in practice. In addition, Dr. Epstein co-directs the Center for Communication and Disparities Research where he is Professor of Family Medicine, Oncology and Medicine (Palliative Care). A graduate of Harvard Medical School, he is recipient of numerous lifetime achievement awards relating to communication and humanism, a Fulbright fellowship in Barcelona, fellowships at the University of Sydney and the Brocher Institute in Switzerland, and, in 2018, the American Cancer Society’s highest award, the Clinical Research Professorship. He has published over 300 articles and book chapters. For further information about Dr. Epstein, please go to www.ronaldepstein.com. 

Lightning Talk Speakers

Full NameInstitutionPositionSpeaking At
Khyathi Phani Kumari PonnuruCommonwealth University College of MedicineMedical StudentThe Invisible Learner: Understanding Silent Participation in Small-Group Learning in Medical Education
Sreenidhi PrakashJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthMPH studentArtificial Intelligence in Health Professions Education: Understanding the Opportunities and Pitfalls through the Lens of Medical Educators
Samiksha PrasadNova Southeastern UniversityAssociate ProfessorPreparing AI-Ready Physicians Through Collaborative Neuroscience Education
Maria PugleseEastern Virginia Medical School at ODUMedical StudentFostering Medical Student Leadership Through Community-Engaged Wellness Education: The Music, Movement, and Mindfulness (3M) Program
Pooja RaoRobert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolFourth Year Medical StudentStudent-Led AI-Assisted 3D Interactive Anatomy Tool to Foster Clinical Reasoning in Anatomy Education
Patricia RoseNorthwestern University - Feinberg School of MedicineInstructorImpact of a Remote Suturing Workshop for Clinical Year Physician Assistant Students: A Qualitative Study
Adeodata RussWake Forest School of MedicineBiostatistics InternDepartment of Biostatistics and Data ScienceFormative Virology Consolidation Exercises as a Marker of Learner Engagement and Summative Exam Performance in a Pre-Clerkship Medical Course
Mohammed SaadNewham University HospitalResident DoctorExploring the Use of Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Virtual Reality in Teaching and Evaluating Communication Skills in Urology: A Pilot Study
Paula Saborío VelascoTecnológico de Monterrey School of Medicine and Health SciencesMedical InternBringing Generations Together: A Brief Faculty Development Strategy to Promote Intergenerational Professionalism and Inclusive Learning Environments
Kristian Saied-SantiagoZucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/NorthwellAssistant ProfessorImplementation of AI-generated podcasts as prework to improve students’ readiness before sessions
Abigail SnookGeisel School of Medicine at DartmouthAdjunct Associate ProfessorSupport Without Coaching: Inductive and Deductive Analysis of a Longitudinal Medical Student Coaching Program by Human and AI Coders
Jeffrey SosnowskiUniversity of South Alabama Whiddon College of MedicineProfessor and Assistant Dean Medical Education MD/PhDAn Active-Style Integrated Sciences Lecture to Complement a Student Participation Curriculum
Andrea StolarBaylor College of MedicineProfessor of PsychiatryFrom Lapse Detection to Learner Development: Training Clinical Mentors for Growth-Oriented Professionalism Coaching
Krishna Mohan SurapaneniPanimalar Medical College Hospital & Research InstituteProfessorFrom Reaction to Reflection: An Arts-Based Approach to Building Feedback Resilience in Medical Students
Joanna SuserSUNY UpstateAssistant DirectorGrowth Mindset, Sense of Belonging, and Academic Success Across the Medical School Continuum
Riya Mary TonyCommonwealth University College of MedicineMedical StudentThe Fear of Being Wrong: How Error Avoidance Shapes Learning Behaviors in Undergraduate Medical Education
Nistha TripathiCommonwealth University College of MedicineStudentThe Moment It Clicked: What Creates "Aha!" Learning Experiences in Medical Education
Debora VargasSUNY Upstate Medical UniversityMedical StudentOptimizing Training of Novel Techniques in Facial Plastic Surgery: Lessons from a National Fellowship Survey
Sophia VelascoUniversity of Central Florida College of MedicineMedical StudentTrust, but Verify (Sometimes): Behavioral Patterns of Generative AI Use Across Undergraduate Medical Education
Sophie WhiteheadRocky Vista University College of Osteopathic MedicineMedical StudentCalcium Homeostasis Loops in Medical Education
Sophia WilliamsNorthern Health, Melbourne, AustraliaGeneral hospital medical officerBeyond Assessment: Lessons from Teaching and Learning Across UK and Australian Medical Education
Amir ZafaranianThe Robert Larner MD College of Medicine at the University of VermontMedical StudentGrowing Leaders Over Four Years: A Longitudinal Admissions Ambassador Model That Evolves with Its Student Partners
Munder ZagaarBaylor College of MedicineAssociate ProfessorA Second Chance Without Starting Over: Designing Topic-Level Reassessment
The Power of Choice: Learner-Directed Pharmacology Consolidation Before Clerkships
Iuliia ZhuravlovaMercer University School of MedicineAssociate ProfessorPower of Second Chances: Remediation Policies in the Master of Preclinical Science Program – A Compassionate Pathway for Student Success