HPEI 2025 Conference All Abstracts - Curricular Innovations

Sep 4, 2026

Collection of health professions education conference abstracts under the theme of curricular innovations, focusing on practical teaching designs that connect clinical training with climate and health equity. One abstract describes a “Shark Tank” resident orientation using sustainability-linked learning objectives, resident teamwork, and outcomes measured through pre- and post-session surveys. Another abstract presents a four-week guided health equity elective that develops student projects with community partners, evaluates deliverables and engagement, and reports strong learner confidence and course experience ratings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages126

Reading Time5 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Curricular Innovations

Using a "Shark Tank" Format to Facilitate Climate Directed Innovations During Resident Orientation

From Classroom to Community: A Guided Health Equity Elective for Future Physicians

CURRICULAR INNOVATIONS Title: Using a "Shark Tank" Format to Facilitate Climate Directed Innovations During Resident Orientation Presenter: Aaron Levy, DO Co-authors: Cheryl Courtlandt, MD, Suzette Caudle, MD, Deborah Simpson , PhD Problem There are limited structured opportunities for residents to connect climate change to patient care and leverage sustainability-centered solutions. For example, plastic material is mostly formed from climate change driving fossil fuel-based chemicals, which break down into microplastics, becoming part of our environment. Plastics are used extensively in healthcare delivery and are now found throughout the human body and linked with toxicologic effects 1 . Program Objectives Foundational learning objectives included: 1) climate change impacts patient health; 2 ) routine health care delivery contributes to emissions and waste that is harmful to health; and 3) vulnerable groups experience these effects disproportionately. Description of the Program Our team identified resident orientation for Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center asan optimal time to engage residents. We designed a 45-minute exercise to demonstrate health care’s contributions to climate change and illustrate opportunities to reduce/repurpose waste. This was preceded by a presentation elaborating on foundational learning objectives. The residents were divided into teams of 4-6 and tasked to propose how the noninfectious hospital plastic waste provided could be repurposed into something useful for patients. Each team pitched their idea in a “Shark Tank” format to judges including Plastic Lab Director at the Innovation Barn2 . The winning team proposed creating a plastic prosthetic socket for pediatric patients with limb loss.These patients are unique , growth of residual limbs with ever changing volume causes prosthetic sockets to need frequent adjustment. Plastic may be repurposed to create a temporary socket to achieve proper fit. Assessment Resident attendees [60%(64/105)] voluntarily completed a pre-session survey. Most [81%(52/64 )] reported being somewhat, minimally, or not knowledgeable on 1) how the healthcare industry's carbon footprint and waste harms patient health. A majority [79%(51/64 )] were somewhat, very, or extremely interested in becoming more involved in addressing these issues. The post-orientation survey had a single climate-related question with 93%(42/45) responding that the session increased their understanding of the intersection of climate and health equity. Conclusions and Lessons Learned By engaging residents in a creative, “gamified” process to discover sustainabilityfocused solutions for improving climate-resilient patient care, we achieved our aims. Future sessions should continue to explore learner-driven solutions to improve healthcare’s environmental impact. 1. Marfella R, Prattichizzo F, Sardu C, et al. Microplastics and nanoplastics inatheromas and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 2024;390(10):900-910. 2. Innovation Barn. Envision Charlotte. Accessed October 10, 2024. [https://www.envisioncharlotte.com/innovation-barn/](https://www.envisioncharlotte.com/innovation-barn/) Abstract adapted from “New Ideas” submission to Journal of Graduate Medical Education. Accepted 12/12/24, pending publication. Project is part of Atrium Health’s participation in Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers (AIAMC) National Initiative IX: Addressing the Social and Moral Determinants of Health. Health Professions Education Institute (HPEI) CURRICULAR INNOVATIONS Title: From Classroom to Community: A Guided Health Equity Elective for Future Physicians Presenters: Brittany Watson, MD, MPH; Aaryn Hammond, MD Co-authors: Aaryn Hammond, MD; Nancy Denizard-Thompson, MD; Brittany Watson, MD, MPH Problem/Needs Assessment: Disparities in healthcare access and outcomes highlight the need for future physicians to understand and address health inequities. The Li

FAQs

How does the “Shark Tank” format support climate-directed innovation during resident orientation?

Residents are organized into teams and tasked with proposing repurposing ideas for noninfectious hospital plastic waste, then pitching to judges. The activity is preceded by foundational learning objectives about climate impacts on patient health and health-equity effects.

What are the learning objectives for the health equity elective for future physicians?

Students analyze a health disparity, develop a project to address it, engage community partners, apply prior health equity coursework, and reflect on personal and professional growth.

How is student learning evaluated in the guided health equity elective?

Students are evaluated based on project deliverables, clinical performance, and engagement with course readings and related materials.

Sep 4, 2026

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